1
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Opdensteinen P, Buyel JF. Optimizing interleukin-6 and 8 expression, clarification and purification in plant cell packs and plants for application in advanced therapy medicinal products and cellular agriculture. J Biotechnol 2024; 390:1-12. [PMID: 38740307 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2024.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2024] [Revised: 04/20/2024] [Accepted: 05/06/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
Healthcare and nutrition are facing a paradigm shift in light of advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) and cellular agriculture options respectively. Both options heavily rely on some sort of animal cell culture, e.g. autologous stem cells. These cultures require various growth factors, such as interleukin-6 and 8 (IL-6/8), in a pure, safe and sustainable form that can be provided in a scalable manner. Plants seem well suited for this task because purification of small proteins can be readily achieved by membrane separation, human/animal pathogens do not replicate in plants and production can be scaled up using in-door farming or agricultural practices. Here, we illustrate this capacity by first optimizing the codon usage of IL-6/8 for translation in Nicotiana spp., as well as testing the effect of untranslated regions and product targeting to different sub-cellular compartments on expression in a high-throughput plant cell pack (PCP) assay. In the chloroplast, IL-6 accumulated up to 6.9±3.8 (SD, n=2) and 14.4±7.4 mg kg-1 (SD, n=5) were observed in case of IL-8. When transferring IL-8 expression into whole plants, accumulation was 12.3±1.5 mg kg-1 (SD, n=3). After extraction and clarification, IL-8 was purified using a two-stage process consisting of an ultrafiltration/diafiltration step with 100 kDa and 10 kDa cut off membranes followed by an IMAC polishing step. The purity, yield and recovery were 97.8%, 6.6 mg kg-1 and 38%, respectively. We evaluated the ability of the proposed purification process to remove endotoxins to ensure the compatibility of plant-made growth factors with cell culture.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Opdensteinen
- Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME, Forckenbeckstrasse 6, Aachen 52074, Germany; Institute for Molecular Biotechnology, Worringerweg 1, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen 52074, Germany
| | - J F Buyel
- University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU), Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Institute of Bioprocess Science and Engineering (IBSE), Muthgasse 18, Vienna A-1190, Austria.
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2
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Williamson HK, Mendes PM. An integrated perspective on measuring cytokines to inform CAR-T bioprocessing. Biotechnol Adv 2024:108405. [PMID: 38997052 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2024.108405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2024] [Accepted: 07/09/2024] [Indexed: 07/14/2024]
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells are emerging as a generation-defining therapeutic however their manufacture remains a major barrier to meeting increased market demand. Monitoring critical quality attributes (CQAs) and critical process parameters (CPPs) during manufacture would vastly enrich acquired information related to the process and product, providing feedback to enable real-time decision making. Here we identify specific CAR-T cytokines as value-adding analytes and discuss their roles as plausible CPPs and CQAs. High sensitivity sensing technologies which can be easily integrated into manufacture workflows are essential to implement real-time monitoring of these cytokines. We therefore present biosensors as enabling technologies and evaluate recent advancements in cytokine detection in cell cultures, offering promising translatability to CAR-T biomanufacture. Finally, we outline emerging sensing technologies with future promise, and provide an overall outlook on existing gaps to implementation and the optimal sensing platform to enable cytokine monitoring in CAR-T biomanufacture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah K Williamson
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | - Paula M Mendes
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK.
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3
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von Werz V, Spadiut O, Kozma B. A review and statistical analysis to identify and describe relationships between CQAs and CPPs of natural killer cell expansion processes. Cytotherapy 2024:S1465-3249(24)00733-3. [PMID: 38944794 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcyt.2024.05.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2023] [Revised: 05/29/2024] [Accepted: 05/29/2024] [Indexed: 07/01/2024]
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells make only a small fraction of immune cells in the human body, however, play a pivotal role in the fight against cancer by the immune system. They are capable of eliminating abnormal cells via several direct or indirect cytotoxicity pathways in a self-regulating manner, which makes them a favorable choice as a cellular therapy against cancer. Additionally, allogeneic NK cells, unlike other lymphocytes, do not or only minimally cause graft-versus-host diseases opening the door for an off-the-shelf therapy. However, to date, the production of NK cells faces several difficulties, especially because the critical process parameters (CPPs) influencing the critical quality attributes (CQAs) are difficult to identify or correlate. There are numerous different cultivation platforms available, all with own characteristics, benefits and disadvantages that add further difficulty to define CPPs and relate them to CQAs. Our goal in this contribution was to summarize the current knowledge about NK cell expansion CPPs and CQAs, therefore we analyzed the available literature of both dynamic and static culture format experiments in a systematic manner. We present a list of the identified CQAs and CPPs and discuss the role of each CPP in the regulation of the CQAs. Furthermore, we could identify potential relationships between certain CPPs and CQAs. The findings based on this systematic literature research can be the foundation for meaningful experiments leading to better process understanding and eventually control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentin von Werz
- Research Area Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering, Technische Universität Wien, Vienna, Austria
| | - Oliver Spadiut
- Research Area Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering, Technische Universität Wien, Vienna, Austria
| | - Bence Kozma
- Research Area Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering, Technische Universität Wien, Vienna, Austria.
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4
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Sin WX, Jagannathan NS, Teo DBL, Kairi F, Fong SY, Tan JHL, Sandikin D, Cheung KW, Luah YH, Wu X, Raymond JJ, Lim FLWI, Lee YH, Seng MSF, Soh SY, Chen Q, Ram RJ, Tucker-Kellogg L, Birnbaum ME. A high-density microfluidic bioreactor for the automated manufacturing of CAR T cells. Nat Biomed Eng 2024:10.1038/s41551-024-01219-1. [PMID: 38834752 DOI: 10.1038/s41551-024-01219-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2023] [Accepted: 04/20/2024] [Indexed: 06/06/2024]
Abstract
The manufacturing of autologous chimaeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells largely relies either on fed-batch and manual processes that often lack environmental monitoring and control or on bioreactors that cannot be easily scaled out to meet patient demands. Here we show that human primary T cells can be activated, transduced and expanded to high densities in a 2 ml automated closed-system microfluidic bioreactor to produce viable anti-CD19 CAR T cells (specifically, more than 60 million CAR T cells from donor cells derived from patients with lymphoma and more than 200 million CAR T cells from healthy donors). The in vitro secretion of cytokines, the short-term cytotoxic activity and the long-term persistence and proliferation of the cell products, as well as their in vivo anti-leukaemic activity, were comparable to those of T cells produced in a gas-permeable well. The manufacturing-process intensification enabled by the miniaturized perfusable bioreactor may facilitate the analysis of the growth and metabolic states of CAR T cells during ex vivo culture, the high-throughput optimization of cell-manufacturing processes and the scale out of cell-therapy manufacturing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei-Xiang Sin
- Critical Analytics for Manufacturing Personalized-Medicine (CAMP), Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology Centre (SMART), Singapore, Singapore
| | - N Suhas Jagannathan
- Critical Analytics for Manufacturing Personalized-Medicine (CAMP), Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology Centre (SMART), Singapore, Singapore
- Cancer and Stem Cell Biology, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Denise Bei Lin Teo
- Critical Analytics for Manufacturing Personalized-Medicine (CAMP), Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology Centre (SMART), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Faris Kairi
- Critical Analytics for Manufacturing Personalized-Medicine (CAMP), Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology Centre (SMART), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Shin Yie Fong
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Joel Heng Loong Tan
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Dedy Sandikin
- Critical Analytics for Manufacturing Personalized-Medicine (CAMP), Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology Centre (SMART), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Ka-Wai Cheung
- Critical Analytics for Manufacturing Personalized-Medicine (CAMP), Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology Centre (SMART), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Yen Hoon Luah
- Critical Analytics for Manufacturing Personalized-Medicine (CAMP), Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology Centre (SMART), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Xiaolin Wu
- Critical Analytics for Manufacturing Personalized-Medicine (CAMP), Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology Centre (SMART), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Joshua Jebaraj Raymond
- Critical Analytics for Manufacturing Personalized-Medicine (CAMP), Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology Centre (SMART), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Francesca Lorraine Wei Inng Lim
- Advanced Cell Therapy and Research Institute, Singapore (ACTRIS), Consortium for Clinical Research and Innovation, Singapore (CRIS), Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Haematology, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
- SingHealth Duke-NUS Oncology Academic Clinical Programme, SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre, Singapore, Singapore
- SingHealth Duke-NUS Cell Therapy Centre, SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Yie Hou Lee
- Critical Analytics for Manufacturing Personalized-Medicine (CAMP), Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology Centre (SMART), Singapore, Singapore
- SingHealth Duke-NUS Cell Therapy Centre, SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Michaela Su-Fern Seng
- SingHealth Duke-NUS Oncology Academic Clinical Programme, SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre, Singapore, Singapore
- SingHealth Duke-NUS Cell Therapy Centre, SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre, Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Paediatric Haematology and Oncology, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Shui Yen Soh
- SingHealth Duke-NUS Oncology Academic Clinical Programme, SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre, Singapore, Singapore
- SingHealth Duke-NUS Cell Therapy Centre, SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre, Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Paediatric Haematology and Oncology, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Qingfeng Chen
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Rajeev J Ram
- Critical Analytics for Manufacturing Personalized-Medicine (CAMP), Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology Centre (SMART), Singapore, Singapore.
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| | - Lisa Tucker-Kellogg
- Critical Analytics for Manufacturing Personalized-Medicine (CAMP), Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology Centre (SMART), Singapore, Singapore.
- Cancer and Stem Cell Biology, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore.
| | - Michael E Birnbaum
- Critical Analytics for Manufacturing Personalized-Medicine (CAMP), Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology Centre (SMART), Singapore, Singapore.
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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Nettleton DF, Marí-Buyé N, Marti-Soler H, Egan JR, Hort S, Horna D, Costa M, Vallejo Benítez-Cano E, Goldrick S, Rafiq QA, König N, Schmitt RH, R. Reyes A. Smart Sensor Control and Monitoring of an Automated Cell Expansion Process. SENSORS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 23:9676. [PMID: 38139523 PMCID: PMC10748109 DOI: 10.3390/s23249676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2023] [Revised: 11/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023]
Abstract
Immune therapy for cancer patients is a new and promising area that in the future may complement traditional chemotherapy. The cell expansion phase is a critical part of the process chain to produce a large number of high-quality, genetically modified immune cells from an initial sample from the patient. Smart sensors augment the ability of the control and monitoring system of the process to react in real-time to key control parameter variations, adapt to different patient profiles, and optimize the process. The aim of the current work is to develop and calibrate smart sensors for their deployment in a real bioreactor platform, with adaptive control and monitoring for diverse patient/donor cell profiles. A set of contrasting smart sensors has been implemented and tested on automated cell expansion batch runs, which incorporate advanced data-driven machine learning and statistical techniques to detect variations and disturbances of the key system features. Furthermore, a 'consensus' approach is applied to the six smart sensor alerts as a confidence factor which helps the human operator identify significant events that require attention. Initial results show that the smart sensors can effectively model and track the data generated by the Aglaris FACER bioreactor, anticipate events within a 30 min time window, and mitigate perturbations in order to optimize the key performance indicators of cell quantity and quality. In quantitative terms for event detection, the consensus for sensors across batch runs demonstrated good stability: the AI-based smart sensors (Fuzzy and Weighted Aggregation) gave 88% and 86% consensus, respectively, whereas the statistically based (Stability Detector and Bollinger) gave 25% and 42% consensus, respectively, the average consensus for all six being 65%. The different results reflect the different theoretical approaches. Finally, the consensus of batch runs across sensors gave even higher stability, ranging from 57% to 98% with an average consensus of 80%.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Joseph R. Egan
- Department of Biochemical Engineering, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK; (J.R.E.); (Q.A.R.)
| | - Simon Hort
- Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology, 52074 Aachen, Germany (N.K.); (R.H.S.)
| | - David Horna
- Aglaris Cell, 28760 Madrid, Spain; (N.M.-B.)
- Aglaris Ltd., Stevenage SG1 2FX, UK
| | - Miquel Costa
- Aglaris Cell, 28760 Madrid, Spain; (N.M.-B.)
- Aglaris Ltd., Stevenage SG1 2FX, UK
| | | | - Stephen Goldrick
- Department of Biochemical Engineering, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK; (J.R.E.); (Q.A.R.)
| | - Qasim A. Rafiq
- Department of Biochemical Engineering, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK; (J.R.E.); (Q.A.R.)
| | - Niels König
- Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology, 52074 Aachen, Germany (N.K.); (R.H.S.)
| | - Robert H. Schmitt
- Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology, 52074 Aachen, Germany (N.K.); (R.H.S.)
- Laboratory for Machine Tools and Production Engineering (WZL), RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany
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6
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Pérez-Amill L, Bataller À, Delgado J, Esteve J, Juan M, Klein-González N. Advancing CART therapy for acute myeloid leukemia: recent breakthroughs and strategies for future development. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1260470. [PMID: 38098489 PMCID: PMC10720337 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1260470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T therapies are being developed for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) on the basis of the results obtained for other haematological malignancies and the need of new treatments for relapsed and refractory AML. The biggest challenge of CART therapy for AML is to identify a specific target antigen, since antigens expressed in AML cells are usually shared with healthy haematopoietic stem cells (HSC). The concomitant expression of the target antigen on both tumour and HSC may lead to on-target/off-tumour toxicity. In this review, we guide researchers to design, develop, and translate to the clinic CART therapies for the treatment of AML. Specifically, we describe what issues have to be considered to design these therapies; what in vitro and in vivo assays can be used to prove their efficacy and safety; and what expertise and facilities are needed to treat and manage patients at the hospital.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorena Pérez-Amill
- Fundació de Recerca Clínic Barcelona-Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer, Barcelona, Spain
- Gyala Therapeutics S.L, Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Immunology, Centre de Diagnòstic Biomèdic (CDB), Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Àlex Bataller
- Department of Haematology, Institut Clínic de Malalties Hematològiques i Oncològiques (ICHMO), Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Josep Carreras Leukemia Research Institute, Department of Biomedicine, School of Medicine, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Julio Delgado
- Fundació de Recerca Clínic Barcelona-Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer, Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Haematology, Institut Clínic de Malalties Hematològiques i Oncològiques (ICHMO), Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jordi Esteve
- Fundació de Recerca Clínic Barcelona-Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer, Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Haematology, Institut Clínic de Malalties Hematològiques i Oncològiques (ICHMO), Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Manel Juan
- Fundació de Recerca Clínic Barcelona-Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer, Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Immunology, Centre de Diagnòstic Biomèdic (CDB), Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Universidad de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Nela Klein-González
- Fundació de Recerca Clínic Barcelona-Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer, Barcelona, Spain
- Gyala Therapeutics S.L, Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Immunology, Centre de Diagnòstic Biomèdic (CDB), Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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7
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Sharma G, Round J, Teng F, Ali Z, May C, Yung E, Holt RA. A Synthetic Cytotoxic T cell Platform for Rapidly Prototyping TCR Function. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.11.20.567960. [PMID: 38045272 PMCID: PMC10690155 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.20.567960] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2023]
Abstract
Current tools for functionally profiling T cell receptors with respect to cytotoxic potency and cross-reactivity are hampered by difficulties in establishing model systems to test these proteins in the contexts of different HLA alleles and against broad arrays of potential antigens. We have implemented and validated a granzyme-activatable sensor of T cell cytotoxicity in a novel universal prototyping platform which enables facile recombinant expression of any combination of TCR-, peptide-, and class I MHC-coding sequences and direct assessment of resultant responses. This system consists of an engineered cell platform based on the immortalized natural killer cell line, YT-Indy, and the MHC-null antigen-presenting cell line, K562. These cells were engineered using contemporary gene-editing techniques to furnish the YT-Indy/K562 pair with appropriate protein domains required for recombinant TCR expression and function in a non-T cell chassis, integrate a fluorescence-based target-centric early detection reporter of cytotoxic function, and deploy a set of protective genetic interventions designed to preserve antigen-presenting cells for subsequent capture and downstream characterization. Our data show successful reconstitution of the surface TCR complex in the YT-Indy cell line at biologically relevant levels. We also demonstrate successful induction and highly sensitive detection of antigen-specific response in multiple distinct model TCRs, with significant responses (p < 0.05 and Cohen's d >1.9) in all cases. Additionally, we monitored destruction of targets in co-culture and found that our survival-optimized system allowed for complete preservation after 24-hour exposure to cytotoxic effectors. With this bioplatform, we anticipate investigators will be empowered to rapidly express and characterize T cell receptor responses, generate new knowledge regarding the patterns of T cell receptor recognition, and optimize novel therapeutic T cell receptors for improved cytotoxic potential and reduced cross-reactivity to undesired antigenic targets.
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8
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Cappuzzello E, Vigolo E, D’Accardio G, Astori G, Rosato A, Sommaggio R. How can Cytokine-induced killer cells overcome CAR-T cell limits. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1229540. [PMID: 37675107 PMCID: PMC10477668 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1229540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 08/02/2023] [Indexed: 09/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The successful treatment of patients affected by B-cell malignancies with Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR)-T cells represented a breakthrough in the field of adoptive cell therapy (ACT). However, CAR-T therapy is not an option for every patient, and several needs remain unmet. In particular, the production of CAR-T cells is expensive, labor-intensive and logistically challenging; additionally, the toxicities deriving from CAR-T cells infusion, such as cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS), have been documented extensively. Alternative cellular therapy products such as Cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells have the potential to overcome some of these obstacles. CIK cells are a heterogeneous population of polyclonal CD3+CD56+ T cells with phenotypic and functional properties of NK cells. CIK cell cytotoxicity is exerted in a major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-unrestricted manner through the engagement of natural killer group 2 member D (NKG2D) molecules, against a wide range of hematological and solid tumors without the need for prior antigen exposure or priming. The foremost potential of CIK cells lies in the very limited ability to induce graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) reactions in the allogeneic setting. CIK cells are produced with a simple and extremely efficient expansion protocol, which leads to a massive expansion of effector cells and requires a lower financial commitment compared to CAR-T cells. Indeed, CAR-T manufacturing involves the engineering with expensive GMP-grade viral vectors in centralized manufacturing facilities, whereas CIK cell production is successfully performed in local academic GMP facilities, and CIK cell treatment is now licensed in many countries. Moreover, the toxicities observed for CAR-T cells are not present in CIK cell-treated patients, thus further reducing the costs associated with hospitalization and post-infusion monitoring of patients, and ultimately encouraging the delivery of cell therapies in the outpatient setting. This review aims to give an overview of the limitations of CAR-T cell therapy and outline how the use of CIK cells could overcome such drawbacks thanks to their unique features. We highlight the undeniable advantages of using CIK cells as a therapeutic product, underlying the opportunity for further research on the topic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Cappuzzello
- Immunology and Molecular Oncology Unit, Veneto Institute of Oncology IOV - IRCCS, Padova, Italy
| | - Emilia Vigolo
- Immunology and Molecular Oncology Unit, Veneto Institute of Oncology IOV - IRCCS, Padova, Italy
| | - Giulia D’Accardio
- Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Astori
- Advanced Cellular Therapy Laboratory, Department of Hematology, San Bortolo Hospital of Vicenza, Vicenza, Italy
| | - Antonio Rosato
- Immunology and Molecular Oncology Unit, Veneto Institute of Oncology IOV - IRCCS, Padova, Italy
- Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Roberta Sommaggio
- Immunology and Molecular Oncology Unit, Veneto Institute of Oncology IOV - IRCCS, Padova, Italy
- Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
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9
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Deol S, Donahue PS, Mitrut RE, Hammitt-Kess IJ, Ahn J, Zhang B, Leonard JN. Comparative Evaluation of Synthetic Cytokines for Enhancing Production and Performance of NK92 Cell-Based Therapies. GEN BIOTECHNOLOGY 2023; 2:228-246. [PMID: 37363412 PMCID: PMC10286265 DOI: 10.1089/genbio.2023.0024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 05/29/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023]
Abstract
Off-the shelf immune cell therapies are potentially curative and may offer cost and manufacturing advantages over autologous products, but further development is needed. The NK92 cell line has a natural killer-like phenotype, has efficacy in cancer clinical trials, and is safe after irradiation. However, NK92 cells lose activity post-injection, limiting efficacy. This may be addressed by engineering NK92 cells to express stimulatory factors, and comparative analysis is needed. Thus, we systematically explored the expression of synthetic cytokines for enhancing NK92 cell production and performance. All synthetic cytokines evaluated (membrane-bound IL2 and IL15, and engineered versions of Neoleukin-2/15, IL15, IL12, and decoy resistant IL18) enhanced NK92 cell cytotoxicity. Engineered cells were preferentially expanded by expressing membrane-bound but not soluble synthetic cytokines, without compromising the radiosensitivity required for safety. Some membrane-bound cytokines conferred cell-contact independent paracrine activity, partly attributable to extracellular vesicles. Finally, we characterized interactions within consortia of differently engineered NK92 cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simrita Deol
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
- Interdisciplinary Biological Sciences Program, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
- Medical Scientist Training Program, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
| | - Patrick S. Donahue
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
- Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
- Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Roxana E. Mitrut
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
- Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
| | - Iva J. Hammitt-Kess
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
| | - Jihae Ahn
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Bin Zhang
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Joshua N. Leonard
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
- Interdisciplinary Biological Sciences Program, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
- Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
- Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
- Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
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10
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Garzarelli V, Chiriacò MS, Cereda M, Gigli G, Ferrara F. Ultrasensitive qPCR platform for rapid detection of bacterial contamination of raw biological samples at the point of care. Heliyon 2023; 9:e16229. [PMID: 37234630 PMCID: PMC10205631 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e16229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2023] [Revised: 05/07/2023] [Accepted: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Contamination of cell cultures can result in a significant loss of precious biological material, particularly in long-term processes including amplification of chimeric antigen receptors (CAR)-T cells and differentiation of patient-derived stem cells, for therapeutic purposes. Bacterial contamination can also lead to more complex conditions such as sepsis which can cause morbidity and mortality, despite strict controls and good laboratory/manufacturing practices in the manipulation of complex biological samples such as blood used in autologous and allogeneic stem cells transplantation. The current standard method to identify biological risk is the set-up of microbial cultures, which can be time consuming with the likelihood of wasting large amounts of reagents in the event of contamination. Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR) is a molecular method able to detect biological agents in a highly sensitive and specific way and in a short time. However, qPCR assays require complex DNA/RNA purification steps and expensive benchtop instruments, which may not always be available. This paper reports an extraction-free and low-volume protocol for qPCR in a standard instrument, which has been demonstrated to be effective on both Gram-positive (Gram+) and Gram-negative (Gram-) bacteria. Detection has been obtained from spiked cell culture samples, reaching a limit of detection (LOD) of 1 colony forming unit (CFU)/ml. To demonstrate the high potential of this optimized procedure, the same samples were also tested on a Point-Of-Care platform, which includes a cartridge with micro-chambers and a compact instrument, capable of performing qPCR with the same efficiency. Staphylococcus aureus (Gram+) was selected as the target for a proof of concept, achieving a LOD of 1 CFU/ml also on the portable device. The availability of these results paves the way for a simplified protocol for DNA extraction and amplification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valeria Garzarelli
- University of Salento, Dept. of Mathematics & Physics E. de Giorgi, Via Arnesano, 73100, Lecce, Italy
- CNR NANOTEC – Institute of Nanotechnology, via per Monteroni, 73100, Lecce, Italy
| | | | - Marco Cereda
- STMicroelectronics S.r.l., via Olivetti 2, 20864, Agrate Brianza, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Gigli
- University of Salento, Dept. of Mathematics & Physics E. de Giorgi, Via Arnesano, 73100, Lecce, Italy
- CNR NANOTEC – Institute of Nanotechnology, via per Monteroni, 73100, Lecce, Italy
| | - Francesco Ferrara
- CNR NANOTEC – Institute of Nanotechnology, via per Monteroni, 73100, Lecce, Italy
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Ganeeva I, Zmievskaya E, Valiullina A, Kudriaeva A, Miftakhova R, Rybalov A, Bulatov E. Recent Advances in the Development of Bioreactors for Manufacturing of Adoptive Cell Immunotherapies. BIOENGINEERING (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 9:bioengineering9120808. [PMID: 36551014 PMCID: PMC9774716 DOI: 10.3390/bioengineering9120808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2022] [Revised: 12/11/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Harnessing the human immune system as a foundation for therapeutic technologies capable of recognizing and killing tumor cells has been the central objective of anti-cancer immunotherapy. In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in improving the effectiveness and accessibility of this technology to make it widely applicable for adoptive cell therapies (ACTs) such as chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cells, tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), dendritic cells (DCs), natural killer (NK) cells, and many other. Automated, scalable, cost-effective, and GMP-compliant bioreactors for production of ACTs are urgently needed. The primary efforts in the field of GMP bioreactors development are focused on closed and fully automated point-of-care (POC) systems. However, their clinical and industrial application has not yet reached full potential, as there are numerous obstacles associated with delicate balancing of the complex and often unpredictable cell biology with the need for precision and full process control. Here we provide a brief overview of the existing and most advanced systems for ACT manufacturing, including cell culture bags, G-Rex flasks, and bioreactors (rocking motion, stirred-flask, stirred-tank, hollow-fiber), as well as semi- and fully-automated closed bioreactor systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irina Ganeeva
- Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan Federal University, Kazan 420008, Russia
| | - Ekaterina Zmievskaya
- Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan Federal University, Kazan 420008, Russia
| | - Aygul Valiullina
- Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan Federal University, Kazan 420008, Russia
| | - Anna Kudriaeva
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 117997, Russia
| | - Regina Miftakhova
- Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan Federal University, Kazan 420008, Russia
| | | | - Emil Bulatov
- Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan Federal University, Kazan 420008, Russia
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 117997, Russia
- Correspondence:
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Lamers-Kok N, Panella D, Georgoudaki AM, Liu H, Özkazanc D, Kučerová L, Duru AD, Spanholtz J, Raimo M. Natural killer cells in clinical development as non-engineered, engineered, and combination therapies. J Hematol Oncol 2022; 15:164. [DOI: 10.1186/s13045-022-01382-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 10/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
AbstractNatural killer (NK) cells are unique immune effectors able to kill cancer cells by direct recognition of surface ligands, without prior sensitization. Allogeneic NK transfer is a highly valuable treatment option for cancer and has recently emerged with hundreds of clinical trials paving the way to finally achieve market authorization. Advantages of NK cell therapies include the use of allogenic cell sources, off-the-shelf availability, and no risk of graft-versus-host disease (GvHD). Allogeneic NK cell therapies have reached the clinical stage as ex vivo expanded and differentiated non-engineered cells, as chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-engineered or CD16-engineered products, or as combination therapies with antibodies, priming agents, and other drugs. This review summarizes the recent clinical status of allogeneic NK cell-based therapies for the treatment of hematological and solid tumors, discussing the main characteristics of the different cell sources used for NK product development, their use in cell manufacturing processes, the engineering methods and strategies adopted for genetically modified products, and the chosen approaches for combination therapies. A comparative analysis between NK-based non-engineered, engineered, and combination therapies is presented, examining the choices made by product developers regarding the NK cell source and the targeted tumor indications, for both solid and hematological cancers. Clinical trial outcomes are discussed and, when available, assessed in comparison with preclinical data. Regulatory challenges for product approval are reviewed, highlighting the lack of specificity of requirements and standardization between products. Additionally, the competitive landscape and business field is presented. This review offers a comprehensive overview of the effort driven by biotech and pharmaceutical companies and by academic centers to bring NK cell therapies to pivotal clinical trial stages and to market authorization.
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Jones M, Cunningham A, Frank N, Sethi D. The monoculture of cord-blood-derived CD34 + cells by an automated, membrane-based dynamic perfusion system with a novel cytokine cocktail. Stem Cell Reports 2022; 17:2585-2594. [PMID: 36332632 PMCID: PMC9768577 DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2022.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2022] [Revised: 10/05/2022] [Accepted: 10/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-matched cord blood (CB) transplantation is a procedure for the treatment of certain hematological malignancies, hemoglobinopathies, and autoimmune disorders. However, one of the challenges is to provide a sufficient number of T cell-depleted hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. Currently, only 4%-5% of the CB units stored in CB banks contain enough CD34+ cells for engrafting 70-kg patients. To support this clinical need, we have developed an automated expansion protocol for CB-derived CD34+ cells in the Quantum system's dynamic perfusion bioreactor using a novel cytokine cocktail comprised of stem cell factor (SCF), thrombopoietin (TPO), fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 ligand (Flt-3L), interleukin-3 (IL-3), IL-6, glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), StemRegenin 1 (SR-1), and a fibronectin-stromal-cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1)-coated membrane. In an 8-day expansion of a 2 × 106 positively selected CD34+ cell inoculum from 3 donor lineages, the mean cell harvest and cell viability were 1.02 × 108 cells and 95.5%, respectively, and the mean frequency of the CD45+CD34+ immunophenotype was 54.3%. The mean differentiated cell frequencies were 0.5% for lymphocytes, 15.8% for neutrophils, and 15.4% for platelets. These results demonstrate that the automated monoculture protocol can support the expansion of CD34+ cells with minimal lymphocyte residual.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark Jones
- Research and Development, Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies, Lakewood, CO 80215, USA,Corresponding author
| | - Annie Cunningham
- Research and Development, Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies, Lakewood, CO 80215, USA
| | - Nathan Frank
- Research and Development, Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies, Lakewood, CO 80215, USA
| | - Dalip Sethi
- Research and Development, Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies, Lakewood, CO 80215, USA
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Sudarsanam H, Buhmann R, Henschler R. Influence of Culture Conditions on Ex Vivo Expansion of T Lymphocytes and Their Function for Therapy: Current Insights and Open Questions. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2022; 10:886637. [PMID: 35845425 PMCID: PMC9277485 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2022.886637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Ex vivo expansion of T lymphocytes is a central process in the generation of cellular therapies targeted at tumors and other disease-relevant structures, which currently cannot be reached by established pharmaceuticals. The influence of culture conditions on T cell functions is, however, incompletely understood. In clinical applications of ex vivo expanded T cells, so far, a relatively classical standard cell culture methodology has been established. The expanded cells have been characterized in both preclinical models and clinical studies mainly using a therapeutic endpoint, for example antitumor response and cytotoxic function against cellular targets, whereas the influence of manipulations of T cells ex vivo including transduction and culture expansion has been studied to a much lesser detail, or in many contexts remains unknown. This includes the circulation behavior of expanded T cells after intravenous application, their intracellular metabolism and signal transduction, and their cytoskeletal (re)organization or their adhesion, migration, and subsequent intra-tissue differentiation. This review aims to provide an overview of established T cell expansion methodologies and address unanswered questions relating in vivo interaction of ex vivo expanded T cells for cellular therapy.
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Gotti E, Tettamanti S, Zaninelli S, Cuofano C, Cattaneo I, Rotiroti MC, Cribioli S, Alzani R, Rambaldi A, Introna M, Golay J. Optimization of therapeutic T cell expansion in G-Rex device and applicability to large-scale production for clinical use. Cytotherapy 2022; 24:334-343. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jcyt.2021.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2021] [Revised: 11/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/02/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
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Guha P, Katz SC. Strategies for manufacturing cell therapy products aligned with patient needs. Methods Cell Biol 2022; 167:203-226. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.mcb.2021.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Understanding and improving cellular immunotherapies against cancer: From cell-manufacturing to tumor-immune models. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2021; 179:114003. [PMID: 34653533 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2021.114003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Revised: 10/05/2021] [Accepted: 10/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The tumor microenvironment (TME) is shaped by dynamic metabolic and immune interactions between precancerous and cancerous tumor cells and stromal cells like epithelial cells, fibroblasts, endothelial cells, and hematopoietically-derived immune cells. The metabolic states of the TME, including the hypoxic and acidic niches, influence the immunosuppressive phenotypes of the stromal and immune cells, which confers resistance to both host-mediated tumor killing and therapeutics. Numerous in vitro TME platforms for studying immunotherapies, including cell therapies, are being developed. However, we do not yet understand which immune and stromal components are most critical and how much model complexity is needed to answer specific questions. In addition, scalable sourcing and quality-control of appropriate TME cells for reproducibly manufacturing these platforms remain challenging. In this regard, lessons from the manufacturing of immunomodulatory cell therapies could provide helpful guidance. Although immune cell therapies have shown unprecedented results in hematological cancers and hold promise in solid tumors, their manufacture poses significant scale, cost, and quality control challenges. This review first provides an overview of the in vivo TME, discussing the most influential cell populations in the tumor-immune landscape. Next, we summarize current approaches for cell therapies against cancers and the relevant manufacturing platforms. We then evaluate current immune-tumor models of the TME and immunotherapies, highlighting the complexity, architecture, function, and cell sources. Finally, we present the technical and fundamental knowledge gaps in both cell manufacturing systems and immune-TME models that must be addressed to elucidate the interactions between endogenous tumor immunity and exogenous engineered immunity.
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