1
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Tarannum M, Dinh K, Vergara J, Birch G, Abdulhamid YZ, Kaplan IE, Ay O, Maia A, Beaver O, Sheffer M, Shapiro R, Ali AK, Dong H, Ham JD, Bobilev E, James S, Cameron AB, Nguyen QD, Ganapathy S, Chayawatto C, Koreth J, Paweletz CP, Gokhale PC, Barbie DA, Matulonis UA, Soiffer RJ, Ritz J, Porter RL, Chen J, Romee R. CAR memory-like NK cells targeting the membrane proximal domain of mesothelin demonstrate promising activity in ovarian cancer. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadn0881. [PMID: 38996027 PMCID: PMC11244547 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adn0881] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 06/10/2024] [Indexed: 07/14/2024]
Abstract
Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) remains one of the most lethal gynecological cancers. Cytokine-induced memory-like (CIML) natural killer (NK) cells have shown promising results in preclinical and early-phase clinical trials. In the current study, CIML NK cells demonstrated superior antitumor responses against a panel of EOC cell lines, increased expression of activation receptors, and up-regulation of genes involved in cell cycle/proliferation and down-regulation of inhibitory/suppressive genes. CIML NK cells transduced with a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) targeting the membrane-proximal domain of mesothelin (MSLN) further improved the antitumor responses against MSLN-expressing EOC cells and patient-derived xenograft tumor cells. CAR arming of the CIML NK cells subtanstially reduced their dysfunction in patient-derived ascites fluid with transcriptomic changes related to altered metabolism and tonic signaling as potential mechanisms. Lastly, the adoptive transfer of MSLN-CAR CIML NK cells demonstrated remarkable inhibition of tumor growth and prevented metastatic spread in xenograft mice, supporting their potential as an effective therapeutic strategy in EOC.
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MESH Headings
- Mesothelin
- Humans
- Animals
- Killer Cells, Natural/immunology
- Killer Cells, Natural/metabolism
- Female
- Mice
- Ovarian Neoplasms/metabolism
- Ovarian Neoplasms/pathology
- Ovarian Neoplasms/immunology
- Ovarian Neoplasms/therapy
- Cell Line, Tumor
- Receptors, Chimeric Antigen/metabolism
- Receptors, Chimeric Antigen/immunology
- Receptors, Chimeric Antigen/genetics
- Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays
- GPI-Linked Proteins/metabolism
- GPI-Linked Proteins/genetics
- Immunotherapy, Adoptive/methods
- Carcinoma, Ovarian Epithelial/metabolism
- Carcinoma, Ovarian Epithelial/pathology
- Carcinoma, Ovarian Epithelial/immunology
- Carcinoma, Ovarian Epithelial/therapy
- Immunologic Memory
- Protein Domains
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Affiliation(s)
- Mubin Tarannum
- Division of Transplantation and Cellular Therapies, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Khanhlinh Dinh
- Division of Transplantation and Cellular Therapies, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Juliana Vergara
- Division of Transplantation and Cellular Therapies, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Grace Birch
- Division of Transplantation and Cellular Therapies, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Yasmin Z Abdulhamid
- Division of Transplantation and Cellular Therapies, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Isabel E Kaplan
- Division of Transplantation and Cellular Therapies, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Oyku Ay
- Division of Transplantation and Cellular Therapies, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Andreia Maia
- Division of Transplantation and Cellular Therapies, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Owen Beaver
- Division of Transplantation and Cellular Therapies, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Michal Sheffer
- Division of Transplantation and Cellular Therapies, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Roman Shapiro
- Division of Transplantation and Cellular Therapies, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Alaa Kassim Ali
- Division of Transplantation and Cellular Therapies, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Han Dong
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - James Dongjoo Ham
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research and Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Eden Bobilev
- Division of Transplantation and Cellular Therapies, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sydney James
- Lurie Family Imaging Center, Center for Biomedical Imaging in Oncology, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Amy B Cameron
- Lurie Family Imaging Center, Center for Biomedical Imaging in Oncology, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Quang-De Nguyen
- Lurie Family Imaging Center, Center for Biomedical Imaging in Oncology, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Suthakar Ganapathy
- Belfer Center for Applied Cancer Science, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Chayapatou Chayawatto
- Belfer Center for Applied Cancer Science, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - John Koreth
- Division of Transplantation and Cellular Therapies, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Cloud P Paweletz
- Belfer Center for Applied Cancer Science, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Prafulla C Gokhale
- Belfer Center for Applied Cancer Science, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - David A Barbie
- Belfer Center for Applied Cancer Science, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Division of Thoracic Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ursula A Matulonis
- Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Robert J Soiffer
- Division of Transplantation and Cellular Therapies, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jerome Ritz
- Division of Transplantation and Cellular Therapies, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Rebecca L Porter
- Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jianzhu Chen
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research and Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Rizwan Romee
- Division of Transplantation and Cellular Therapies, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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2
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Bexte T, Botezatu L, Miskey C, Gierschek F, Moter A, Wendel P, Reindl LM, Campe J, Villena-Ossa JF, Gebel V, Stein K, Cathomen T, Cremer A, Wels WS, Hudecek M, Ivics Z, Ullrich E. Engineering of potent CAR NK cells using non-viral Sleeping Beauty transposition from minimalistic DNA vectors. Mol Ther 2024; 32:2357-2372. [PMID: 38751112 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2024.05.022] [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: 01/23/2024] [Revised: 03/25/2024] [Accepted: 05/09/2024] [Indexed: 06/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells have high intrinsic cytotoxic capacity, and clinical trials have demonstrated their safety and efficacy for adoptive cancer therapy. Expression of chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) enhances NK cell target specificity, with these cells applicable as off-the-shelf products generated from allogeneic donors. Here, we present for the first time an innovative approach for CAR NK cell engineering employing a non-viral Sleeping Beauty (SB) transposon/transposase-based system and minimized DNA vectors termed minicircles. SB-modified peripheral blood-derived primary NK cells displayed high and stable CAR expression and more frequent vector integration into genomic safe harbors than lentiviral vectors. Importantly, SB-generated CAR NK cells demonstrated enhanced cytotoxicity compared with non-transfected NK cells. A strong antileukemic potential was confirmed using established acute lymphocytic leukemia cells and patient-derived primary acute B cell leukemia and lymphoma samples as targets in vitro and in vivo in a xenograft leukemia mouse model. Our data suggest that the SB-transposon system is an efficient, safe, and cost-effective approach to non-viral engineering of highly functional CAR NK cells, which may be suitable for cancer immunotherapy of leukemia as well as many other malignancies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Bexte
- Goethe University, Department of Pediatrics, Experimental Immunology and Cell Therapy, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI), Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; University Cancer Center (UCT) Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany; Mildred Scheel Career Center (MSNZ), Hospital of the Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany; Institute for Transfusion Medicine and Immunohematology, German Red Cross Blood Service Baden-Württemberg - Hesse, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Lacramioara Botezatu
- Research Centre, Division of Hematology, Gene and Cell Therapy, Paul-Ehrlich-Institut, Langen, Germany; German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner site Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Csaba Miskey
- Research Centre, Division of Hematology, Gene and Cell Therapy, Paul-Ehrlich-Institut, Langen, Germany
| | - Fenja Gierschek
- Goethe University, Department of Pediatrics, Experimental Immunology and Cell Therapy, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI), Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Alina Moter
- Goethe University, Department of Pediatrics, Experimental Immunology and Cell Therapy, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI), Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Philipp Wendel
- Goethe University, Department of Pediatrics, Experimental Immunology and Cell Therapy, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI), Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner site Frankfurt/Mainz and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany; Institute for Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Lisa Marie Reindl
- Goethe University, Department of Pediatrics, Experimental Immunology and Cell Therapy, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI), Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Julia Campe
- Goethe University, Department of Pediatrics, Experimental Immunology and Cell Therapy, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI), Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Jose Francisco Villena-Ossa
- Institute for Transfusion Medicine and Gene Therapy, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany; Center for Chronic Immunodeficiency, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Veronika Gebel
- Goethe University, Department of Pediatrics, Experimental Immunology and Cell Therapy, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI), Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; University Cancer Center (UCT) Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany; Mildred Scheel Career Center (MSNZ), Hospital of the Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Katja Stein
- Goethe University, Department of Pediatrics, Experimental Immunology and Cell Therapy, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI), Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; University Cancer Center (UCT) Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Toni Cathomen
- Institute for Transfusion Medicine and Gene Therapy, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany; Center for Chronic Immunodeficiency, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany; Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany; German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner site Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Anjali Cremer
- Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI), Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; University Cancer Center (UCT) Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany; Mildred Scheel Career Center (MSNZ), Hospital of the Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany; German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner site Frankfurt/Mainz and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany; Department of Hematology/Oncology, University Hospital Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Winfried S Wels
- Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI), Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner site Frankfurt/Mainz and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany; Georg-Speyer-Haus, Institute for Tumor Biology and Experimental Therapy, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Michael Hudecek
- Department of Medicine II, Chaire in Cellular Immunotherapy, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany; Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, Cellular Immunotherapy Branch Site Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Zoltán Ivics
- Research Centre, Division of Hematology, Gene and Cell Therapy, Paul-Ehrlich-Institut, Langen, Germany; German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner site Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Evelyn Ullrich
- Goethe University, Department of Pediatrics, Experimental Immunology and Cell Therapy, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Frankfurt Cancer Institute (FCI), Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; University Cancer Center (UCT) Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany; Mildred Scheel Career Center (MSNZ), Hospital of the Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany; German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner site Frankfurt/Mainz and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany.
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3
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Guo S, Lei W, Jin X, Liu H, Wang JQ, Deng W, Qian W. CD70-specific CAR NK cells expressing IL-15 for the treatment of CD19-negative B-cell malignancy. Blood Adv 2024; 8:2635-2645. [PMID: 38564778 PMCID: PMC11157212 DOI: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2023012202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2023] [Revised: 03/21/2024] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
ABSTRACT Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) natural killer (NK) cells can eliminate tumors not only through the ability of the CAR molecule to recognize antigen-expressed cancer cells but also through NK-cell receptors themselves. This overcomes some of the limitations of CAR T cells, paving the way for CAR NK cells for safer and more effective off-the-shelf cellular therapy. In this study, CD70-specific (a pan-target of lymphoma) fourth-generation CAR with 4-1BB costimulatory domain and interleukin-15 (IL-15) was constructed and transduced into cord blood-derived NK cells by Baboon envelope pseudotyped lentiviral vector. CD70-CAR NK cells displayed superior cytotoxic activity in vitro and in vivo against CD19-negative B-cell lymphoma when compared with nontransduced NK cells and CD19-specific CAR NK cells. Importantly, mice that received 2 doses of CD70-CAR NK cells showed effective eradication of tumors, accompanied by increased concentration of plasma IL-15 and enhanced CAR NK cell proliferation and persistence. Our study suggests that repetitive administration-based CAR NK-cell therapy has clinical advantage compared with a single dose of CAR NK cells for the treatment of B-cell lymphoma.
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MESH Headings
- Interleukin-15
- Killer Cells, Natural/immunology
- Killer Cells, Natural/metabolism
- Animals
- Humans
- Mice
- Lymphoma, B-Cell/therapy
- Lymphoma, B-Cell/immunology
- Receptors, Chimeric Antigen/immunology
- Receptors, Chimeric Antigen/metabolism
- Receptors, Chimeric Antigen/genetics
- Immunotherapy, Adoptive/methods
- Antigens, CD19/immunology
- CD27 Ligand
- Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays
- Cell Line, Tumor
- Cytotoxicity, Immunologic
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Affiliation(s)
- Shanshan Guo
- Department of Hematology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Haining, China
- Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention, China National Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Medical Sciences, The Second Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Haining, China
| | - Wen Lei
- Department of Hematology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Haining, China
- Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention, China National Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Medical Sciences, The Second Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Haining, China
| | - Xueli Jin
- Department of Hematology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Haining, China
| | - Hui Liu
- Department of Hematology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Haining, China
| | - James Q. Wang
- Department of Hematology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Haining, China
- Zhejiang University-University of Edinburgh Institute, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Haining, China
| | - Wenhai Deng
- Oujiang Laboratory (Zhejiang Lab for Regenerative Medicine, Vision, and Brain Health), School of Laboratory Medicine and Life Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Wenbin Qian
- Department of Hematology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Haining, China
- Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Intervention, China National Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Medical Sciences, The Second Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Haining, China
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4
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Pfefferle A, Contet J, Wong K, Chen C, Verhoeyen E, Slichter CK, Schluns KS, Cursons J, Berry R, Nikolic I, Rautela J, Huntington ND. Optimisation of a primary human CAR-NK cell manufacturing pipeline. Clin Transl Immunology 2024; 13:e1507. [PMID: 38707997 PMCID: PMC11063921 DOI: 10.1002/cti2.1507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Revised: 03/20/2024] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 05/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Objectives Autologous chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy of B-cell malignancies achieves long-term disease remission in a high fraction of patients and has triggered intense research into translating this successful approach into additional cancer types. However, the complex logistics involved in autologous CAR-T manufacturing, the compromised fitness of patient-derived T cells, the high rates of serious toxicities and the overall cost involved with product manufacturing and hospitalisation have driven innovation to overcome such hurdles. One alternative approach is the use of allogeneic natural killer (NK) cells as a source for CAR-NK cell therapy. However, this source has traditionally faced numerous manufacturing challenges. Methods To address this, we have developed an optimised expansion and transduction protocol for primary human NK cells primed for manufacturing scaling and clinical evaluation. We have performed an in-depth comparison of primary human NK cell sources as a starting material by characterising their phenotype, functionality, expansion potential and transduction efficiency at crucial timepoints of our CAR-NK manufacturing pipeline. Results We identified adult peripheral blood-derived NK cells to be the superior source for generating a CAR-NK cell product because of a higher maximum yield of CAR-expressing NK cells combined with potent natural, as well as CAR-mediated anti-tumor effector functions. Conclusions Our optimised manufacturing pipeline dramatically improves lentiviral transduction efficiency of primary human NK cells. We conclude that the exponential expansion pre- and post-transduction and high on-target cytotoxicity make peripheral blood-derived NK cells a feasible and attractive CAR-NK cell product for clinical utility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aline Pfefferle
- Biomedicine Discovery Institute and the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyMonash UniversityClaytonVICAustralia
- oNKo‐Innate Pty LtdMoonee PondsVICAustralia
| | | | | | | | - Els Verhoeyen
- CIRI, Université de Lyon, INSERM U1111, ENS de LyonUniversité Lyon 1, CNRS, UMR 5308LyonFrance
- INSERM, C3MUniversité Côte d'AzurNiceFrance
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Jai Rautela
- Biomedicine Discovery Institute and the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyMonash UniversityClaytonVICAustralia
- oNKo‐Innate Pty LtdMoonee PondsVICAustralia
| | - Nicholas D Huntington
- Biomedicine Discovery Institute and the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyMonash UniversityClaytonVICAustralia
- oNKo‐Innate Pty LtdMoonee PondsVICAustralia
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5
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Renner A, Stahringer A, Ruppel KE, Fricke S, Koehl U, Schmiedel D. Development of KoRV-pseudotyped lentiviral vectors for efficient gene transfer into freshly isolated immune cells. Gene Ther 2024:10.1038/s41434-024-00454-0. [PMID: 38684788 DOI: 10.1038/s41434-024-00454-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2023] [Revised: 04/15/2024] [Accepted: 04/18/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
Allogeneic cell therapies, such as those involving macrophages or Natural Killer (NK) cells, are of increasing interest for cancer immunotherapy. However, the current techniques for genetically modifying these cell types using lenti- or gamma-retroviral vectors present challenges, such as required cell pre-activation and inefficiency in transduction, which hinder the assessment of preclinical efficacy and clinical translation. In our study, we describe a novel lentiviral pseudotype based on the Koala Retrovirus (KoRV) envelope protein, which we identified based on homology to existing pseudotypes used in cell therapy. Unlike other pseudotyped viral vectors, this KoRV-based envelope demonstrates remarkable efficiency in transducing freshly isolated primary human NK cells directly from blood, as well as freshly obtained monocytes, which were differentiated to M1 macrophages as well as B cells from multiple donors, achieving up to 80% reporter gene expression within three days post-transduction. Importantly, KoRV-based transduction does not compromise the expression of crucial immune cell receptors, nor does it impair immune cell functionality, including NK cell viability, proliferation, cytotoxicity as well as phagocytosis of differentiated macrophages. Preserving immune cell functionality is pivotal for the success of cell-based therapeutics in treating various malignancies. By achieving high transduction rates of freshly isolated immune cells before expansion, our approach enables a streamlined and cost-effective automated production of off-the-shelf cell therapeutics, requiring fewer viral particles and less manufacturing steps. This breakthrough holds the potential to significantly reduce the time and resources required for producing e.g. NK cell therapeutics, expediting their availability to patients in need.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Renner
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI), Department for Cell and Gene Therapy Development, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Anika Stahringer
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI), Department for Cell and Gene Therapy Development, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Katharina Eva Ruppel
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI), Department for Cell and Gene Therapy Development, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Stephan Fricke
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI), Department for Cell and Gene Therapy Development, Leipzig, Germany
- Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence for Immune-Mediated Diseases, CIMD, Leipzig, Deutschland
| | - Ulrike Koehl
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI), Department for Cell and Gene Therapy Development, Leipzig, Germany
- Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence for Immune-Mediated Diseases, CIMD, Leipzig, Deutschland
- Institute for Clinical Immunology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Dominik Schmiedel
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI), Department for Cell and Gene Therapy Development, Leipzig, Germany.
- Institute for Clinical Immunology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
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6
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Kong JC, Sa’ad MA, Vijayan HM, Ravichandran M, Balakrishnan V, Tham SK, Tye GJ. Chimeric antigen receptor-natural killer cell therapy: current advancements and strategies to overcome challenges. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1384039. [PMID: 38726000 PMCID: PMC11079817 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1384039] [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: 02/08/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor-natural killer (CAR-NK) cell therapy is a novel immunotherapy targeting cancer cells via the generation of chimeric antigen receptors on NK cells which recognize specific cancer antigens. CAR-NK cell therapy is gaining attention nowadays owing to the ability of CAR-NK cells to release potent cytotoxicity against cancer cells without side effects such as cytokine release syndrome (CRS), neurotoxicity and graft-versus-host disease (GvHD). CAR-NK cells do not require antigen priming, thus enabling them to be used as "off-the-shelf" therapy. Nonetheless, CAR-NK cell therapy still possesses several challenges in eliminating cancer cells which reside in hypoxic and immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. Therefore, this review is envisioned to explore the current advancements and limitations of CAR-NK cell therapy as well as discuss strategies to overcome the challenges faced by CAR-NK cell therapy. This review also aims to dissect the current status of clinical trials on CAR-NK cells and future recommendations for improving the effectiveness and safety of CAR-NK cell therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Chang Kong
- Institute for Research in Molecular Medicine (INFORMM), Universiti Sains Malaysia, Minden, Penang, Malaysia
| | - Mohammad Auwal Sa’ad
- Celestialab Sdn Bhd, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Applied Sciences, AIMST University, Bedong, Kedah, Malaysia
| | | | - Manickam Ravichandran
- Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Applied Sciences, AIMST University, Bedong, Kedah, Malaysia
- MyGenome, ALPS Global Holding, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Venugopal Balakrishnan
- Institute for Research in Molecular Medicine (INFORMM), Universiti Sains Malaysia, Minden, Penang, Malaysia
| | - Seng Kong Tham
- ALPS Medical Centre, ALPS Global Holding, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Gee Jun Tye
- Institute for Research in Molecular Medicine (INFORMM), Universiti Sains Malaysia, Minden, Penang, Malaysia
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7
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Albinger N, Müller S, Kostyra J, Kuska J, Mertlitz S, Penack O, Zhang C, Möker N, Ullrich E. Manufacturing of primary CAR-NK cells in an automated system for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia. Bone Marrow Transplant 2024; 59:489-495. [PMID: 38253870 PMCID: PMC10994833 DOI: 10.1038/s41409-023-02180-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2023] [Revised: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) still constitutes a dreadful disease with limited therapeutic options. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-modified T cells struggle to target AML partly due to a lack of true AML-exclusive antigens and heterogeneity of the disease. Natural killer (NK) cells possess a high intrinsic killing capacity against AML and might be well suited for the treatment of this disease. However, the generation of primary CAR-NK cells can be difficult and time consuming. Therefore, robust systems for the generation of high numbers of CAR-NK cells under GMP conditions are required. Here we report on the automated generation of high numbers of primary CD33-targeting CAR-NK cells using the CliniMACS Prodigy® platform. Automated-produced CD33-CAR-NK cells showed similar phenotype and cytotoxicity compared to small-scale-produced CD33-CAR-NK cells in vitro and were able to strongly reduce leukemic burden in an OCI-AML2 NSG-SGM3 xenograft mouse model in vivo following a cross-site shipment of the cell product. This technology might be well suited for the generation of primary CAR-modified NK cells for a broad range of targets and could facilitate clinical transition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nawid Albinger
- Goethe University, Department of Pediatrics, Experimental Immunology and Cell Therapy, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Frankfurt Cancer Institute, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Sabine Müller
- Miltenyi Biotec B.V. & Co. KG, Bergisch Gladbach, Germany
| | - Julia Kostyra
- Miltenyi Biotec B.V. & Co. KG, Bergisch Gladbach, Germany
| | - Jan Kuska
- Miltenyi Biotec B.V. & Co. KG, Bergisch Gladbach, Germany
| | - Sarah Mertlitz
- Charité, Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Department of Hematology, Oncology and Tumorimmunology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Olaf Penack
- Charité, Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Department of Hematology, Oncology and Tumorimmunology, Berlin, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner site Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Congcong Zhang
- Miltenyi Biotec B.V. & Co. KG, Bergisch Gladbach, Germany
| | - Nina Möker
- Miltenyi Biotec B.V. & Co. KG, Bergisch Gladbach, Germany
| | - Evelyn Ullrich
- Goethe University, Department of Pediatrics, Experimental Immunology and Cell Therapy, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
- Frankfurt Cancer Institute, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) partner site Frankfurt/Mainz, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
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8
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Abbaszade Dibavar M, Soleimani M, Mohammadi MH, Zomorrod MS. High yield killing of lymphoma cells by anti-CD22 CAR-NK cell therapy. In Vitro Cell Dev Biol Anim 2024; 60:321-332. [PMID: 38589736 DOI: 10.1007/s11626-024-00895-2] [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: 01/06/2024] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024]
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) offer a promising new approach for targeting B cell malignancies through the immune system. Despite the proven effectiveness of CAR T cells targeting CD19 and CD22 in hematological malignancies, it is imperative to note that their production remains a highly complex process. Unlike T cells, NK cells eliminate targets in a non-antigen-specific manner while avoiding graft vs. host disease (GvHD). CAR-NK cells are considered safer than CAR-T cells because they have a shorter lifespan and produce less toxic cytokines. Due to their unlimited ability to proliferate in vitro, NK-92 cells can be used as a source for CAR-engineered NK cells. We found that CARs created from the m971 anti-CD22 mAb, which specifically targets a proximal CD22 epitope, were more effective at anti-leukemic activity compared to those made with other binding domains. To further enhance the anti-leukemic capacity of NK cells, we used lentiviral transduction to generate the m971-CD28-CD3ζ NK-92. CD22 is highly expressed in B cell lymphoma. To evaluate the potential of targeting CD22, Raji cells were selected as CD22-positive cells. Our study aimed to investigate CD22 as a potential target for CAR-NK-92 therapy in the treatment of B cell lymphoma. We first generated m971-CD28-CD3ζ NK-92 that expressed a CAR for binding CD22 in vitro. Flow cytometric analysis was used to evaluate the expression of CAR. The 7AAD determined the cytotoxicity of the m971-CD28-CD3ζ NK-92 towards target lymphoma cell lines by flow cytometry assay. The ELISA assay evaluated cytokine production in CAR NK-92 cells in response to target cells. The m971-CD28-CD3ζ NK-92 cells have successfully expressed the CD22-specific CAR. m971-CD28-CD3ζ NK-92 cells efficiently lysed CD22-expressing lymphoma cell lines and produced large amounts of cytokines such as IFN-γ and GM-CSF but a lower level of IL-6 after coculturing with target cells. Based on our results, it is evident that transferring m971-CD28-CD3ζ NK-92 cells could be a promising immunotherapy for B cell lymphoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahnoosh Abbaszade Dibavar
- Department of Hematology and Blood Banking, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Masoud Soleimani
- Medical Nanotechnology and Tissue Engineering Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
- Hematology and Cell Therapy Department, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Mohammad Hossein Mohammadi
- HSCT Research Center, Laboratory Hematology and Blood Banking Department, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Mina Soufi Zomorrod
- Hematology and Cell Therapy Department, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
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9
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Wang M, Krueger JB, Gilkey AK, Stelljes EM, Kluesner MG, Pomeroy EJ, Skeate JG, Slipek NJ, Lahr WS, Vázquez PNC, Zhao Y, Eaton EJ, Laoharawee K, Webber BR, Moriarity BS. Precision Enhancement of CAR-NK Cells through Non-Viral Engineering and Highly Multiplexed Base Editing. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.05.582637. [PMID: 38496503 PMCID: PMC10942345 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.05.582637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells' unique ability to kill transformed cells expressing stress ligands or lacking major histocompatibility complexes (MHC) has prompted their development for immunotherapy. However, NK cells have demonstrated only moderate responses against cancer in clinical trials and likely require advanced genome engineering to reach their full potential as a cancer therapeutic. Multiplex genome editing with CRISPR/Cas9 base editors (BE) has been used to enhance T cell function and has already entered clinical trials but has not been reported in human NK cells. Here, we report the first application of BE in primary NK cells to achieve both loss-of-function and gain-of-function mutations. We observed highly efficient single and multiplex base editing, resulting in significantly enhanced NK cell function. Next, we combined multiplex BE with non-viral TcBuster transposon-based integration to generate IL-15 armored CD19 CAR-NK cells with significantly improved functionality in a highly suppressive model of Burkitt's lymphoma both in vitro and in vivo. The use of concomitant non-viral transposon engineering with multiplex base editing thus represents a highly versatile and efficient platform to generate CAR-NK products for cell-based immunotherapy and affords the flexibility to tailor multiple gene edits to maximize the effectiveness of the therapy for the cancer type being treated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minjing Wang
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Center for Genome Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Joshua B Krueger
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Center for Genome Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Alexandria K Gilkey
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Center for Genome Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Erin M Stelljes
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Center for Genome Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Mitchell G Kluesner
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Center for Genome Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Molecular and Cellular Biology Graduate Program, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Emily J Pomeroy
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Center for Genome Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Joseph G Skeate
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Center for Genome Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Nicholas J Slipek
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Center for Genome Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Walker S Lahr
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Center for Genome Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Patricia N Claudio Vázquez
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Center for Genome Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Yueting Zhao
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Center for Genome Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Ella J Eaton
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Center for Genome Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Kanut Laoharawee
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Center for Genome Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Beau R Webber
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Center for Genome Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Branden S Moriarity
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Center for Genome Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
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10
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Guo F, Zhang Y, Cui J. Manufacturing CAR-NK against tumors: Who is the ideal supplier? Chin J Cancer Res 2024; 36:1-16. [PMID: 38455373 PMCID: PMC10915637 DOI: 10.21147/j.issn.1000-9604.2024.01.01] [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: 11/02/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor-natural killer (CAR-NK) cells have emerged as another prominent player in the realm of tumor immunotherapy following CAR-T cells. The unique features of CAR-NK cells make it possible to compensate for deficiencies in CAR-T therapy, such as the complexity of the manufacturing process, clinical adverse events, and solid tumor challenges. To date, CAR-NK products from different allogeneic sources have exhibited remarkable anti-tumor effects on preclinical studies and have gradually been applied in clinical practice. However, each source has advantages and disadvantages. Selecting a suitable source may help maximize CAR-NK cell efficacy and increase the feasibility of clinical transformation. Therefore, this review discusses the development and challenges of CAR-NK cells from different sources to provide a reference for future exploration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feifei Guo
- The First Hospital of Jilin University, Cancer Center, Changchun 133021, China
| | - Yi Zhang
- The First Hospital of Jilin University, Cancer Center, Changchun 133021, China
| | - Jiuwei Cui
- The First Hospital of Jilin University, Cancer Center, Changchun 133021, China
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11
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Dagher OK, Posey AD. Forks in the road for CAR T and CAR NK cell cancer therapies. Nat Immunol 2023; 24:1994-2007. [PMID: 38012406 DOI: 10.1038/s41590-023-01659-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
The advent of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy has resulted in unprecedented long-term clearance of relapse/refractory hematological malignancies in both pediatric and adult patients. However, severe toxicities, such as cytokine release syndrome and neurotoxicity, associated with CAR T cells affect therapeutic utility; and treatment efficacies for solid tumors are still not impressive. As a result, engineering strategies that modify other immune cell types, especially natural killer (NK) cells have arisen. Owing to both CAR-dependent and CAR-independent (innate immune-mediated) antitumor killing capacity, major histocompatibility complex-independent cytotoxicity, reduced risk of alloreactivity and lack of major CAR T cell toxicities, CAR NK cells constitute one of the promising next-generation CAR immune cells that are also amenable as 'off-the-shelf' therapeutics. In this Review, we compare CAR T and CAR NK cell therapies, with particular focus on immunological synapses, engineering strategies and challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oula K Dagher
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
| | - Avery D Posey
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
- Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
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12
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Liu W, Zhao Y, Liu Z, Zhang G, Wu H, Zheng X, Tang X, Chen Z. Therapeutic effects against high-grade glioblastoma mediated by engineered induced neural stem cells combined with GD2-specific CAR-NK. Cell Oncol (Dordr) 2023; 46:1747-1762. [PMID: 37420122 DOI: 10.1007/s13402-023-00842-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/28/2023] [Indexed: 07/09/2023] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE High-grade glioblastoma is extremely challenging to treat because of its aggressiveness and resistance to conventional chemo- and radio-therapies. On the contrary, genetic and cellular immunotherapeutic strategies based on the stem and immune cells are emerging as promising treatments against glioblastoma (GBM). We aimed to developed a novel combined immunotherapeutic strategy to improve the treatment efficacy using genetically engineered PBMC-derived induced neural stem cells (iNSCs) expressing HSV-TK and second-generation CAR-NK cells against GBM. METHODS iNSCs cells expressing HSV-TK (iNSCsTK) and GD2-specific CAR-NK92 (GD2NK92) were generated from PBMC-derived iNSCs and NK92 cell lines, respectively. The anti-tumor effect of iNSCsTK and the combinational therapeutics of iNSCsTK and GD2NK92 were evaluated by GBM cell line using in vitro and in vivo experiments. RESULTS PBMC-derived iNSCsTK possessed tumor-tropism migration ability in vitro and in vivo, which exhibited considerable anti-tumor activity via bystander effect in the presence of ganciclovir (GCV). iNSCsTK/GCV could slow GBM progression and prolong median survival in tumor-bearing mice. However, the anti-tumor effect was limited to single therapy. Therefore, the combinational therapeutic effect of iNSCsTK/GCV and GD2NK92 against GBM was investigated. This approach displayed a more significant anti-tumor effect in vitro and in xenograft tumor mice. CONCLUSIONS PBMC-derived iNSCsTK showed a significant tumor-tropic migration and an effective anti-tumor activity with GCV in vitro and in vivo. In addition, combined with GD2NK92, iNSCsTK therapeutic efficacy improved dramatically to prolong the tumor-bearing animal model's median survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weihua Liu
- Cell Therapy Center, Beijing Institute of Geriatrics, Xuanwu Hospital Capital Medical University, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Diseases, and Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Ministry of Education, Beijing, 100053, China
- Center of Neural Injury and Repair, Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Beijing, 100069, China
| | - Yu Zhao
- Cell Therapy Center, Beijing Institute of Geriatrics, Xuanwu Hospital Capital Medical University, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Diseases, and Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Ministry of Education, Beijing, 100053, China
- Center of Neural Injury and Repair, Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Beijing, 100069, China
| | - Zhongfeng Liu
- Cell Therapy Center, Beijing Institute of Geriatrics, Xuanwu Hospital Capital Medical University, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Diseases, and Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Ministry of Education, Beijing, 100053, China
- Center of Neural Injury and Repair, Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Beijing, 100069, China
| | - Guangji Zhang
- Cell Therapy Center, Beijing Institute of Geriatrics, Xuanwu Hospital Capital Medical University, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Diseases, and Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Ministry of Education, Beijing, 100053, China
- Center of Neural Injury and Repair, Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Beijing, 100069, China
| | - Huantong Wu
- Cell Therapy Center, Beijing Institute of Geriatrics, Xuanwu Hospital Capital Medical University, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Diseases, and Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Ministry of Education, Beijing, 100053, China
- Center of Neural Injury and Repair, Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Beijing, 100069, China
| | - Xin Zheng
- Cell Therapy Center, Beijing Institute of Geriatrics, Xuanwu Hospital Capital Medical University, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Diseases, and Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Ministry of Education, Beijing, 100053, China
- Center of Neural Injury and Repair, Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Beijing, 100069, China
| | - Xihe Tang
- Neurosurgery Center of Aeronautical General Hospital, Beijing, 100012, China
| | - Zhiguo Chen
- Cell Therapy Center, Beijing Institute of Geriatrics, Xuanwu Hospital Capital Medical University, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Diseases, and Key Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Ministry of Education, Beijing, 100053, China.
- Center of Neural Injury and Repair, Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Beijing, 100069, China.
- , Beijing, China.
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13
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Motais B, Charvátová S, Walek Z, Hájek R, Bagó JR. NK92 Expressing Anti-BCMA CAR and Secreted TRAIL for the Treatment of Multiple Myeloma: Preliminary In Vitro Assessment. Cells 2023; 12:2748. [PMID: 38067177 PMCID: PMC10706019 DOI: 10.3390/cells12232748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2023] [Revised: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Multiple myeloma (MM) has witnessed improved patient outcomes through advancements in therapeutic approaches. Notably, allogeneic stem cell transplantation, proteasome inhibitors, immunomodulatory drugs, and monoclonal antibodies have contributed to enhanced quality of life. Recently, a promising avenue has emerged with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells targeting B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA), expressed widely on MM cells. To mitigate risks associated with allogenic T cells, we investigated the potential of BCMA CAR expression in natural killer cells (NKs), known for potent cytotoxicity and minimal side effects. Using the NK-92 cell line, we co-expressed BCMA CAR and soluble tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (sTRAIL) employing the piggyBac transposon system. Engineered NK cells (CAR-NK-92-TRAIL) demonstrated robust cytotoxicity against a panel of MM cell lines and primary patient samples, outperforming unmodified NK-92 cells with a mean difference in viability of 45.1% (±26.1%, depending on the target cell line). Combination therapy was explored with the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib (BZ) and γ-secretase inhibitors (GSIs), leading to a significant synergistic effect in combination with CAR-NK-92-TRAIL cells. This synergy was evident in cytotoxicity assays where a notable decrease in MM cell viability was observed in combinatorial therapy compared to single treatment. In summary, our study demonstrates the therapeutic potential of the CAR-NK-92-TRAIL cells for the treatment of MM. The synergistic impact of combining these engineered NK cells with BZ and GSI supports further development of allogeneic CAR-based products for effective MM therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Motais
- Department of Haematooncology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ostrava, 703 00 Ostrava, Czech Republic; (B.M.); (S.C.); (Z.W.); (R.H.)
- Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, 701 00 Ostrava, Czech Republic
| | - Sandra Charvátová
- Department of Haematooncology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ostrava, 703 00 Ostrava, Czech Republic; (B.M.); (S.C.); (Z.W.); (R.H.)
- Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, 701 00 Ostrava, Czech Republic
- Department of Haematooncology, University Hospital Ostrava, 708 00 Ostrava, Czech Republic
| | - Zuzana Walek
- Department of Haematooncology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ostrava, 703 00 Ostrava, Czech Republic; (B.M.); (S.C.); (Z.W.); (R.H.)
| | - Roman Hájek
- Department of Haematooncology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ostrava, 703 00 Ostrava, Czech Republic; (B.M.); (S.C.); (Z.W.); (R.H.)
- Department of Haematooncology, University Hospital Ostrava, 708 00 Ostrava, Czech Republic
| | - Juli R. Bagó
- Department of Haematooncology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ostrava, 703 00 Ostrava, Czech Republic; (B.M.); (S.C.); (Z.W.); (R.H.)
- Department of Haematooncology, University Hospital Ostrava, 708 00 Ostrava, Czech Republic
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14
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Ren Q, Zu Y, Su H, Lu Q, Xiang B, Luo Y, Zhang J, Song Y. Single VHH-directed BCMA CAR-NK cells for multiple myeloma. Exp Hematol Oncol 2023; 12:98. [PMID: 38012722 PMCID: PMC10680242 DOI: 10.1186/s40164-023-00461-8] [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: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells are promising alternatives for the production of "off-the-shelf" CAR products, posing a lower risk of cytokine release syndrome (CRS) than CAR-T cells. We synthesized four single VHH-directed anti-BCMA CARs, incorporating various intracellular regions (2B4 versus CD28) and hinge domains (CD28 versus IgG1) and ectopically producing IL-15. NK cells derived from peripheral blood (PB) were expanded ex vivo by K562-mbIL21 feeder cells. Stable CAR transduction was obtained through lentiviral transduction with the BaEV-Rless pseudotyped lentiviral vector. BCMA-CD28-IL15 CAR-NK cells with ectopic expression of IL-15 exhibited superior cytotoxicity were compared to BCMA-CD28 CAR-NK cells lacking IL-15 and BCMA-hIgG1-IL15 CAR-NK cells with an IgG1 hinge domain. We further assessed the cytotoxic capabilities of BCMA-2B4-IL15 CAR-NK cells with 2B4 intracellular domain. The BCMA-CD28-IL15 CAR-NK cells revealed stronger cytotoxicity and higher cytokine secretion against BCMA+ tumor cells than BCMA-2B4-IL15 CAR-NK cells in vitro. In the MM.1S-Luc mouse model, BCMA-CD28-IL15 CAR-NK inhibited the growth of tumor cells and prolonged mouse survival. These results show that the single VHH-directed BCMA CAR-NK cells exhibited remarkable specific killing ability, making them a potential candidate for immunotherapy in multiple myeloma treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quan Ren
- Department of Hematology, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University and Henan Cancer Hospital, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450008, China
| | - Yingling Zu
- Department of Hematology, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University and Henan Cancer Hospital, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450008, China
| | - Hongchang Su
- Shenzhen Pregene Biopharma Company Ltd, Shenzhen, 518118, China
| | - Qiumei Lu
- Shenzhen Pregene Biopharma Company Ltd, Shenzhen, 518118, China
| | - Bin Xiang
- Shenzhen Pregene Biopharma Company Ltd, Shenzhen, 518118, China
| | - Yanping Luo
- Shenzhen Pregene Biopharma Company Ltd, Shenzhen, 518118, China
| | - Jishuai Zhang
- Shenzhen Pregene Biopharma Company Ltd, Shenzhen, 518118, China
| | - Yongping Song
- Department of Hematology, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University and Henan Cancer Hospital, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450008, China.
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450052, China.
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15
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Ciulean IS, Fischer J, Quaiser A, Bach C, Abken H, Tretbar US, Fricke S, Koehl U, Schmiedel D, Grunwald T. CD44v6 specific CAR-NK cells for targeted immunotherapy of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1290488. [PMID: 38022580 PMCID: PMC10667728 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1290488] [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: 09/07/2023] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a major challenge for current therapies. CAR-T cells have shown promising results in blood cancers, however, their effectiveness against solid tumors remains a hurdle. Recently, CD44v6-directed CAR-T cells demonstrated efficacy in controlling tumor growth in multiple myeloma and solid tumors such as HNSCC, lung and ovarian adenocarcinomas. Apart from CAR-T cells, CAR-NK cells offer a safe and allogenic alternative to autologous CAR-T cell therapy. In this paper, we investigated the capacity of CAR-NK cells redirected against CD44v6 to execute cytotoxicity against HNSCC. Anti-CD44v6 CAR-NK cells were generated from healthy donor peripheral blood-derived NK cells using gamma retroviral vectors (gRVs). The NK cell transduction was optimized by exploring virus envelope proteins derived from the baboon endogenous virus envelope (BaEV), feline leukemia virus (FeLV, termed RD114-TR) and gibbon ape leukemia virus (GaLV), respectively. BaEV pseudotyped gRVs induced the highest transduction rate compared to RD114-TR and GaLV envelopes as measured by EGFP and surface CAR expression of transduced NK cells. CAR-NK cells showed a two- to threefold increase in killing efficacy against various HNSCC cell lines compared to unmodified, cytokine-expanded primary NK cells. Anti-CD44v6 CAR-NK cells were effective in eliminating tumor cell lines with high and low CD44v6 expression levels. Overall, the improved cytotoxicity of CAR-NK cells holds promise for a therapeutic option for the treatment of HNSCC. However, further preclinical trials are necessary to test in vivo efficacy and safety, as well to optimize the treatment regimen of anti-CD44v6 CAR-NK cells against solid tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ioana Sonya Ciulean
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI), Leipzig, Germany
| | - Joe Fischer
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI), Leipzig, Germany
| | - Andrea Quaiser
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI), Leipzig, Germany
| | - Christoph Bach
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI), Leipzig, Germany
| | - Hinrich Abken
- Leibniz Institute for Immunotherapy, Division of Genetic Immunotherapy, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Uta Sandy Tretbar
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI), Leipzig, Germany
| | - Stephan Fricke
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI), Leipzig, Germany
| | - Ulrike Koehl
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI), Leipzig, Germany
- Institute for Clinical Immunology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Dominik Schmiedel
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI), Leipzig, Germany
- Institute for Clinical Immunology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Thomas Grunwald
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI), Leipzig, Germany
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16
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Vu SH, Pham HH, Pham TTP, Le TT, Vo MC, Jung SH, Lee JJ, Nguyen XH. Adoptive NK Cell Therapy - a Beacon of Hope in Multiple Myeloma Treatment. Front Oncol 2023; 13:1275076. [PMID: 38023191 PMCID: PMC10656693 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1275076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Major advances in the treatment of multiple myeloma (MM) have been achieved by effective new agents such as proteasome inhibitors, immunomodulatory drugs, or monoclonal antibodies. Despite significant progress, MM remains still incurable and, recently, cellular immunotherapy has emerged as a promising treatment for relapsed/refractory MM. The emergence of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) technology has transformed immunotherapy by enhancing the antitumor functions of T cells and natural killer (NK) cells, leading to effective control of hematologic malignancies. Recent advancements in gene delivery to NK cells have paved the way for the clinical application of CAR-NK cell therapy. CAR-NK cell therapy strategies have demonstrated safety, tolerability, and substantial efficacy in treating B cell malignancies in various clinical settings. However, their effectiveness in eliminating MM remains to be established. This review explores multiple approaches to enhance NK cell cytotoxicity, persistence, expansion, and manufacturing processes, and highlights the challenges and opportunities associated with CAR-NK cell therapy against MM. By shedding light on these aspects, this review aims to provide valuable insights into the potential of CAR-NK cell therapy as a promising approach for improving the treatment outcomes of MM patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Son Hai Vu
- Hi-Tech Center and Vinmec-VinUni Institute of Immunology, Vinmec Healthcare System, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Ha Hong Pham
- Hi-Tech Center and Vinmec-VinUni Institute of Immunology, Vinmec Healthcare System, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Thao Thi Phuong Pham
- Hi-Tech Center and Vinmec-VinUni Institute of Immunology, Vinmec Healthcare System, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Thanh Thien Le
- Hi-Tech Center and Vinmec-VinUni Institute of Immunology, Vinmec Healthcare System, Hanoi, Vietnam
| | - Manh-Cuong Vo
- Research Center for Cancer Immunotherapy, Chonnam National University Hwasun Hospital, Hwasun, Jeollanamdo, Republic of Korea
| | - Sung-Hoon Jung
- Research Center for Cancer Immunotherapy, Chonnam National University Hwasun Hospital, Hwasun, Jeollanamdo, Republic of Korea
- Department of Hematology-Oncology, Chonnam National University Hwasun Hospital and Chonnam National University Medical School, Hwasun, Jeollanamdo, Republic of Korea
| | - Je-Jung Lee
- Research Center for Cancer Immunotherapy, Chonnam National University Hwasun Hospital, Hwasun, Jeollanamdo, Republic of Korea
- Department of Hematology-Oncology, Chonnam National University Hwasun Hospital and Chonnam National University Medical School, Hwasun, Jeollanamdo, Republic of Korea
| | - Xuan-Hung Nguyen
- Hi-Tech Center and Vinmec-VinUni Institute of Immunology, Vinmec Healthcare System, Hanoi, Vietnam
- College of Health Sciences, VinUniversity, Hanoi, Vietnam
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17
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Hojjatipour T, Sharifzadeh Z, Maali A, Azad M. Chimeric antigen receptor-natural killer cells: a promising sword against insidious tumor cells. Hum Cell 2023; 36:1843-1864. [PMID: 37477869 DOI: 10.1007/s13577-023-00948-w] [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: 04/01/2023] [Accepted: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 07/22/2023]
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells are a critical component of innate immunity, particularly in initial cancer recognition and inhibition of additional tumor growth or metastasis propagation. NK cells recognize transformed cells without prior sensitization via stimulatory receptors and rapidly eradicate them. However, the protective tumor microenvironment facilitates tumor escaping via induction of an exhaustion state in immune cells, including NK cells. Hence, genetic manipulation of NK cells for specific identification of tumor-associated antigens or a more robust response against tumor cells is a promising strategy for NK cells' tumoricidal augmentation. Regarding the remarkable achievement of engineered CAR-T cells in treating hematologic malignancies, there is evolving interest in CAR-NK cell recruitment in cancer immunotherapy. Innate functionality of NK cells, higher safety, superior in vivo maintenance, and the off-the-shelf potential move CAR-NK-based therapy superior to CAR-T cells treatment. In this review, we have comprehensively discussed the recent genetic manipulations of CAR-NK cell manufacturing regarding different domains of CAR constructs and their following delivery systems into diverse sources of NK cells. Then highlight the preclinical and clinical investigations of CAR-NK cells and examine the current challenges and prospects as an optimistic remedy in cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tahereh Hojjatipour
- Department of Hematology and Blood Transfusion, Students Research Center, School of Allied Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Amirhosein Maali
- Department of Immunology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Allied Medicine, Qazvin University of Medical Sciecnes, Qazvin, Iran
| | - Mehdi Azad
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, School of Paramedicine, Faculty of Allied Medicine, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, 3419759811, Iran.
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18
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Dobson LJ, Saunderson SC, Smith-Bell SW, McLellan AD. Sleeping Beauty kit sets provide rapid and accessible generation of artificial antigen-presenting cells for natural killer cell expansion. Immunol Cell Biol 2023; 101:847-856. [PMID: 37585342 DOI: 10.1111/imcb.12679] [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: 05/12/2023] [Revised: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 08/18/2023]
Abstract
Artificial antigen-presenting cells (aAPCs) offer a cost effective and convenient tool for the expansion of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-bearing T cells and NK cells. aAPCs are particularly useful because of their ability to efficiently expand low-frequency antigen-reactive lymphocytes in bulk cultures. Commonly derived from the leukemic cell line K562, these aAPCs lack most major histocompatibility complex expression and are therefore useful for NK cell expansion without triggering allogeneic T-cell proliferation. To combat difficulties in accessing existing aAPC lines, while circumventing the iterative lentiviral gene transfers with antibody-mediated sorting required for the isolation of stable aAPC clones, we developed a single-step technique using Sleeping Beauty (SB)-based vectors with antibiotic selection options. Our SB vectors contain options of two to three genes encoding costimulatory molecules, membrane-bound cytokines as well as the presence of antibiotic-resistance genes that allow for stable transposition-based transfection of feeder cells. Transfection of K562 with SB vectors described in this study allows for the surface expression of CD86, 4-1BBL, membrane-bound (mb) interleukin (IL)-15 and mbIL-21 after simultaneous transposition and antibiotic selection using only two antibiotics. aAPCs successfully expanded NK cells to high purity (80-95%). Expanded NK cells could be further engineered by lentiviral CAR transduction. The multivector kit set is publicly available and will allow convenient and reproducible in-house production of effective aAPCs for the in vitro expansion of primary cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lachlan J Dobson
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Sarah C Saunderson
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Samuel Wj Smith-Bell
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Alexander D McLellan
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
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19
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Shman TV, Vashkevich KP, Migas AA, Matveyenka MA, Lasiukov YA, Mukhametshyna NS, Horbach KI, Aleinikova OV. Phenotypic and functional characterisation of locally produced natural killer cells ex vivo expanded with the K562-41BBL-mbIL21 cell line. Clin Exp Med 2023; 23:2551-2560. [PMID: 36527513 DOI: 10.1007/s10238-022-00974-2] [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: 07/29/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
We characterised the expansion, phenotype and functional activity of natural killer (NK) cells obtained for a clinical trial. Nineteen expansion procedures were performed to obtain NK cell products for 16 patients. NK cells were expanded ex vivo from haploidentical donor peripheral blood mononuclear cells in the presence of the locally generated feeder cell line K-562 with ectopic expression of 4-1BBL and mbIL-21. The median duration of expansion was 18 days (interquartile range 15-19). The median number of live cells yielded was 2.26 × 109 (range 1.6-3.4 × 109) with an NK content of 96.6% (range 95.1-97.9%). The median NK cell fold expansion was 171 (range 124-275). NK cell fold expansion depended on the number of seeded NK cells, the initial level of C-myc expression and the initial number of mature and immature NK cells. The majority of expanded NK cells had the phenotype of immature activated cells (NKG2A + , double bright CD56 + + CD16 + + , CD57-) expressing NKp30, NKp44, NKp46, NKG2D, CD69, HLA-DR and CD96. Despite the expression of exhaustion markers, expanded NK cells exhibited high cytolytic activity against leukaemia cell lines, high degranulation activity and cytokine production. There was a noted decrease in the functional activity of NK cells in tests against the patient's blasts.In conclusion, NK cells obtained by ex vivo expansion with locally generated K562-41BBL-mbIL21 cells had a relatively undifferentiated phenotype and enhanced cytolytic activity against cancer cell lines. Expansion of NK cells with feeder cells yielded a sufficient quantity of the NK cell product to reach high cell doses or increase the frequency of cell infusions for adoptive immunotherapy. Registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT04327037.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatsiana V Shman
- Belarusian Research Center for Pediatric Oncology, Hematology and Immunology, Minsk Reg., d., Frunzenskaya Str., 43., 223053, Borovliany, Belarus.
| | - Katsiaryna P Vashkevich
- Belarusian Research Center for Pediatric Oncology, Hematology and Immunology, Minsk Reg., d., Frunzenskaya Str., 43., 223053, Borovliany, Belarus
| | - Alexandr A Migas
- Belarusian Research Center for Pediatric Oncology, Hematology and Immunology, Minsk Reg., d., Frunzenskaya Str., 43., 223053, Borovliany, Belarus
| | - Mikhail A Matveyenka
- Belarusian Research Center for Pediatric Oncology, Hematology and Immunology, Minsk Reg., d., Frunzenskaya Str., 43., 223053, Borovliany, Belarus
| | - Yauheni A Lasiukov
- Belarusian Research Center for Pediatric Oncology, Hematology and Immunology, Minsk Reg., d., Frunzenskaya Str., 43., 223053, Borovliany, Belarus
| | - Nastassia S Mukhametshyna
- Belarusian Research Center for Pediatric Oncology, Hematology and Immunology, Minsk Reg., d., Frunzenskaya Str., 43., 223053, Borovliany, Belarus
| | - Katsiaryna I Horbach
- Belarusian Research Center for Pediatric Oncology, Hematology and Immunology, Minsk Reg., d., Frunzenskaya Str., 43., 223053, Borovliany, Belarus
| | - Olga V Aleinikova
- Belarusian Research Center for Pediatric Oncology, Hematology and Immunology, Minsk Reg., d., Frunzenskaya Str., 43., 223053, Borovliany, Belarus
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20
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Mou J, Xie L, Xu Y, Zhou T, Liu Y, Huang Q, Tang K, Tian Z, Xing H, Qiu S, Rao Q, Wang M, Wang J. 2B4 inhibits the apoptosis of natural killer cells through phosphorylated extracellular signal-related kinase/B-cell lymphoma 2 signal pathway. Cytotherapy 2023; 25:1080-1090. [PMID: 37516949 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcyt.2023.07.002] [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: 02/02/2023] [Revised: 06/25/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/31/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AIMS Decades after the identification of natural killer (NK) cells as potential effector cells against malignantly transformed cells, an increasing amount of research suggests that NK cells are a prospective choice of immunocytes for cancer immunotherapy in addition to T lymphocytes for cancer immunotherapy. Recent studies have led to a breakthrough in the combination of hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation with allogeneic NK cells infusion for the treatment of malignant tumors. However, the short lifespan of NK cells in patients is the major impediment, limiting their efficacy. Therefore, prolonging the survival of NK cells will promote the application of NK-cell immunotherapy. As we have known, NK cells use a "missing-self" mechanism to lyse target cells and exert their functions through a wide array of activating, co-stimulatory and inhibitory receptors. Our previous study has suggested that CD244 (2B4), one of the co-stimulatory receptors, can improve the function of chimeric antigen receptor NK cells. However, the underlying mechanism of how 2B4 engages in the function of NK cells requires further investigation. Overall, we established a feeder cell with the expression of CD48, the ligand of 2B4, to investigate the function of 2B4-CD48 axis in NK cells, and meanwhile, to explore whether the newly generated feeder cell can improve the function of ex vivo-expanded NK cells. METHODS First, K562 cells overexpressing 4-1BBL and membrane-bound IL-21 (mbIL-21) were constructed (K562-41BBL-mbIL-21) and were sorted to generate the single clone. These widely used feeder cells (K562-41BBL-mbIL-21) were named as Basic Feeder hereinafter. Based on the Basic feeder, CD48 was overexpressed and named as CD48 Feeder. Then, the genetically modified feeder cells were used to expand primary NK cells from peripheral blood or umbilical cord blood. In vitro experiments were performed to compare proliferation ability, cytotoxicity, survival and activation/inhibition phenotypes of NK cells stimulated via different feeder cells. K562 cells were injected into nude mice subcutaneously with tail vein injection of NK cells from different feeder system for the detection of NK in vivo persistence and function. RESULTS Compared with Basic Feeders, CD48 Feeders can promote the proliferation of primary NK cells from peripheral blood and umbilical cord blood and reduce NK cell apoptosis by activating the p-ERK/BCL2 pathway both in vitro and in vivo without affecting overall phenotypes. Furthermore, NK cells expanded via CD48 Feeders showed stronger anti-tumor capability and infiltration ability into the tumor microenvironment. CONCLUSIONS In this preclinical study, the engagement of the 2B4-CD48 axis can inhibit the apoptosis of NK cells through the p-ERK/BCL2 signal pathway, leading to an improvement in therapeutic efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junli Mou
- State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, National Clinical Research Center for Blood Diseases, Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Cell Therapy for Blood Diseases, Institute of Hematology and Blood Diseases Hospital, Tianjin, China; Hematology and Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin, China
| | - Leling Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, National Clinical Research Center for Blood Diseases, Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Cell Therapy for Blood Diseases, Institute of Hematology and Blood Diseases Hospital, Tianjin, China; Hematology and Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin, China
| | - Yingxi Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, National Clinical Research Center for Blood Diseases, Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Cell Therapy for Blood Diseases, Institute of Hematology and Blood Diseases Hospital, Tianjin, China; Hematology and Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin, China
| | - Tong Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, National Clinical Research Center for Blood Diseases, Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Cell Therapy for Blood Diseases, Institute of Hematology and Blood Diseases Hospital, Tianjin, China; Hematology and Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin, China
| | - Yu Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, National Clinical Research Center for Blood Diseases, Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Cell Therapy for Blood Diseases, Institute of Hematology and Blood Diseases Hospital, Tianjin, China; Hematology and Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin, China
| | - Qianqian Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, National Clinical Research Center for Blood Diseases, Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Cell Therapy for Blood Diseases, Institute of Hematology and Blood Diseases Hospital, Tianjin, China; Hematology and Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin, China
| | - Kejing Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, National Clinical Research Center for Blood Diseases, Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Cell Therapy for Blood Diseases, Institute of Hematology and Blood Diseases Hospital, Tianjin, China; Hematology and Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin, China
| | - Zheng Tian
- State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, National Clinical Research Center for Blood Diseases, Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Cell Therapy for Blood Diseases, Institute of Hematology and Blood Diseases Hospital, Tianjin, China; Hematology and Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin, China
| | - Haiyan Xing
- State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, National Clinical Research Center for Blood Diseases, Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Cell Therapy for Blood Diseases, Institute of Hematology and Blood Diseases Hospital, Tianjin, China; Hematology and Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin, China
| | - Shaowei Qiu
- State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, National Clinical Research Center for Blood Diseases, Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Cell Therapy for Blood Diseases, Institute of Hematology and Blood Diseases Hospital, Tianjin, China; Hematology and Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin, China
| | - Qing Rao
- State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, National Clinical Research Center for Blood Diseases, Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Cell Therapy for Blood Diseases, Institute of Hematology and Blood Diseases Hospital, Tianjin, China; Hematology and Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin, China
| | - Min Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, National Clinical Research Center for Blood Diseases, Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Cell Therapy for Blood Diseases, Institute of Hematology and Blood Diseases Hospital, Tianjin, China; Hematology and Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin, China.
| | - Jianxiang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, National Clinical Research Center for Blood Diseases, Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Cell Therapy for Blood Diseases, Institute of Hematology and Blood Diseases Hospital, Tianjin, China; Hematology and Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin, China.
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21
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Baumer Y, Singh K, Baez AS, Gutierrez-Huerta CA, Chen L, Igboko M, Turner BS, Yeboah JA, Reger RN, Ortiz-Whittingham LR, Bleck CK, Mitchell VM, Collins BS, Pirooznia M, Dagur PK, Allan DS, Muallem-Schwartz D, Childs RW, Powell-Wiley TM. Social Determinants modulate NK cell activity via obesity, LDL, and DUSP1 signaling. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.09.12.556825. [PMID: 37745366 PMCID: PMC10515802 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.12.556825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
Adverse social determinants of health (aSDoH) are associated with obesity and related comorbidities like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Obesity is also associated with natural killer cell (NK) dysregulation, suggesting a potential mechanistic link. Therefore, we measured NK phenotypes and function in a cohort of African-American (AA) women from resource-limited neighborhoods. Obesity was associated with reduced NK cytotoxicity and a shift towards a regulatory phenotype. In vitro, LDL promoted NK dysfunction, implicating hyperlipidemia as a mediator of obesity-related immune dysregulation. Dual specific phosphatase 1 (DUSP1) was induced by LDL and was upregulated in NK cells from subjects with obesity, implicating DUSP1 in obesity-mediated NK dysfunction. In vitro, DUSP1 repressed LAMP1/CD107a, depleting NK cells of functional lysosomes to prevent degranulation and cytokine secretion. Together, these data provide novel mechanistic links between aSDoH, obesity, and immune dysregulation that could be leveraged to improve outcomes in marginalized populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yvonne Baumer
- Social Determinants of Obesity and Cardiovascular Risk Laboratory, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Komudi Singh
- Bioinformatics and Computational Core Facility, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Andrew S. Baez
- Social Determinants of Obesity and Cardiovascular Risk Laboratory, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Christian A. Gutierrez-Huerta
- Social Determinants of Obesity and Cardiovascular Risk Laboratory, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Long Chen
- Section of Transplantation Immunotherapy, Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics Branch, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Muna Igboko
- Section of Transplantation Immunotherapy, Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics Branch, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Briana S. Turner
- Social Determinants of Obesity and Cardiovascular Risk Laboratory, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Josette A. Yeboah
- Social Determinants of Obesity and Cardiovascular Risk Laboratory, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Robert N. Reger
- Section of Transplantation Immunotherapy, Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics Branch, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Lola R. Ortiz-Whittingham
- Social Determinants of Obesity and Cardiovascular Risk Laboratory, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Christopher K.E. Bleck
- Electron Microscopy Core Facility, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Valerie M. Mitchell
- Social Determinants of Obesity and Cardiovascular Risk Laboratory, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Billy S. Collins
- Social Determinants of Obesity and Cardiovascular Risk Laboratory, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Mehdi Pirooznia
- Bioinformatics and Computational Core Facility, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Pradeep K. Dagur
- Flow Cytometry Core, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - David S.J. Allan
- Section of Transplantation Immunotherapy, Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics Branch, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | | | - Richard W. Childs
- Section of Transplantation Immunotherapy, Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics Branch, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Tiffany M. Powell-Wiley
- Social Determinants of Obesity and Cardiovascular Risk Laboratory, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
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22
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Whitley JA, Cai H. Engineering extracellular vesicles to deliver CRISPR ribonucleoprotein for gene editing. J Extracell Vesicles 2023; 12:e12343. [PMID: 37723839 PMCID: PMC10507228 DOI: 10.1002/jev2.12343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Revised: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 09/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Clustered regularly interspaced palindromic repeats (CRISPR) is a gene editing tool with tremendous therapeutic potential. Recently, ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex-based CRISPR systems have gained momentum due to their reduction of off-target editing. This has coincided with the emergence of extracellular vesicles (EVs) as a therapeutic delivery vehicle due to its low immunogenicity and high capacity for manipulation. EVs are cell-derived membranous nanoparticles which mediate the intercellular transfer of molecular components. Current technologies achieve CRISPR RNP encapsulation into EVs through EVs biogenesis, thereby avoiding unnecessary physical, chemical or biological manipulations to the vesicles directly. Herein, we identify sixteen EVs-based CRISPR RNP encapsulation strategies, each with distinct genetic features to encapsulate CRISPR RNP. According to the molecular mechanism facilitating the encapsulation process, there are six strategies of encapsulating Cas9 RNP into virus-like particles based on genetic fusion, seven into EVs based on protein tethering, and three based on sgRNA-coupled encapsulation. Additionally, the incorporation of a targeting moiety to the EVs membrane surface through EVs biogenesis confers tropism and increases delivery efficiency to specific cell types. The targeting moieties include viral envelope proteins, recombinant proteins containing a ligand peptide, single-chain fragment variable (scFv) antibodies, and integrins. However, current strategies still have a number of limitations which prevent their use in clinical trials. Among those, the incorporation of viral proteins for encapsulation of Cas9 RNP have raised issues of biocompatibility due to host immune response. Future studies should focus on genetically engineering the EVs without viral proteins, enhancing EVs delivery specificity, and promoting EVs-based homology directed repair. Nevertheless, the integration of CRISPR RNP encapsulation and tropism technologies will provide strategies for the EVs-based delivery of CRISPR RNP in gene therapy and disease treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Andrew Whitley
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical SciencesCollege of PharmacyUniversity of GeorgiaAthensGeorgiaUSA
| | - Houjian Cai
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical SciencesCollege of PharmacyUniversity of GeorgiaAthensGeorgiaUSA
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23
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Mac Donald A, Guipouy D, Lemieux W, Harvey M, Bordeleau LJ, Guay D, Roméro H, Li Y, Dion R, Béland K, Haddad E. KLRC1 knockout overcomes HLA-E-mediated inhibition and improves NK cell antitumor activity against solid tumors. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1231916. [PMID: 37675109 PMCID: PMC10478211 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1231916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Natural Killer (NK) cells hold the potential to shift cell therapy from a complex autologous option to a universal off-the-shelf one. Although NK cells have demonstrated efficacy and safety in the treatment of leukemia, the limited efficacy of NK cell-based immunotherapies against solid tumors still represents a major hurdle. In the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME), inhibitory interactions between cancer and immune cells impair antitumoral immunity. KLRC1 gene encodes the NK cell inhibitory receptor NKG2A, which is a potent NK cell immune checkpoint. NKG2A specifically binds HLA-E, a non-classical HLA class I molecule frequently overexpressed in tumors, leading to the transmission of inhibitory signals that strongly impair NK cell function. Methods To restore NK cell cytotoxicity against HLA-E+ tumors, we have targeted the NKG2A/HLA-E immune checkpoint by using a CRISPR-mediated KLRC1 gene editing. Results KLRC1 knockout resulted in a reduction of 81% of NKG2A+ cell frequency in ex vivo expanded human NK cells post-cell sorting. In vitro, the overexpression of HLA-E by tumor cells significantly inhibited wild-type (WT) NK cell cytotoxicity with p-values ranging from 0.0071 to 0.0473 depending on tumor cell lines. In contrast, KLRC1 KO NK cells exhibited significantly higher cytotoxicity when compared to WT NK cells against four different HLA-E+ solid tumor cell lines, with p-values ranging from<0.0001 to 0.0154. Interestingly, a proportion of 43.5% to 60.2% of NKG2A- NK cells within the edited NK cell population was sufficient to reverse at its maximum the HLA-E-mediated inhibition of NK cell cytotoxicity. The expression of the activating receptor NKG2C was increased in KLRC1 KO NK cells and contributed to the improved NK cell cytotoxicity against HLA-E+ tumors. In vivo, the adoptive transfer of human KLRC1 KO NK cells significantly delayed tumor progression and increased survival in a xenogeneic mouse model of HLA-E+ metastatic breast cancer, as compared to WT NK cells (p = 0.0015). Conclusions Our results demonstrate that KLRC1 knockout is an effective strategy to improve NK cell antitumor activity against HLA-E+ tumors and could be applied in the development of NK cell therapy for solid tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Mac Donald
- Centre Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU) Sainte-Justine Research Center, Montréal, QC, Canada
- Department of Microbiology, Infectiology and Immunology, University of Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Delphine Guipouy
- Centre Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU) Sainte-Justine Research Center, Montréal, QC, Canada
- Department of Microbiology, Infectiology and Immunology, University of Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - William Lemieux
- Centre Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU) Sainte-Justine Research Center, Montréal, QC, Canada
- Department of Microbiology, Infectiology and Immunology, University of Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | | | | | | | - Hugo Roméro
- Centre Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU) Sainte-Justine Research Center, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Yuanyi Li
- Centre Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU) Sainte-Justine Research Center, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Renaud Dion
- Centre Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU) Sainte-Justine Research Center, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Kathie Béland
- Centre Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU) Sainte-Justine Research Center, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Elie Haddad
- Centre Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU) Sainte-Justine Research Center, Montréal, QC, Canada
- Department of Microbiology, Infectiology and Immunology, University of Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada
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24
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Zhang Y, Zhou W, Yang J, Yang J, Wang W. Chimeric antigen receptor engineered natural killer cells for cancer therapy. Exp Hematol Oncol 2023; 12:70. [PMID: 37563648 PMCID: PMC10413722 DOI: 10.1186/s40164-023-00431-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells, a unique component of the innate immune system, are inherent killers of stressed and transformed cells. Based on their potent capacity to kill cancer cells and good tolerance of healthy cells, NK cells have been successfully employed in adoptive cell therapy to treat cancer patients. In recent years, the clinical success of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells has proven the vast potential of gene-manipulated immune cells as the main force to fight cancer. Following the lessons learned from mature gene-transfer technologies and advanced strategies in CAR-T therapy, NK cells have been rapidly explored as a promising candidate for CAR-based therapy. An exponentially growing number of studies have employed multiple sources of CAR-NK cells to target a wide range of cancer-related antigens, showing remarkable outcomes and encouraging safety profiles. Clinical trials of CAR-NK cells have also shown their impressive therapeutic efficacy in the treatment of hematological tumors, but CAR-NK cell therapy for solid tumors is still in the initial stages. In this review, we present the favorable profile of NK cells as a potential platform for CAR-based engineering and then summarize the outcomes and strategies of CAR-NK therapies in up-to-date preclinical and clinical investigations. Finally, we evaluate the challenges remaining in CAR-NK therapy and describe existing strategies that can assist us in devising future prospective solutions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yalan Zhang
- Department of Biotherapy, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, People's Republic of China
| | - Weilin Zhou
- Department of Biotherapy, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiangping Yang
- Department of Biotherapy, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, People's Republic of China
- Department of Head and Neck Oncology and Department of Radiation Oncology, Cancer Center and State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, People's Republic of China
| | - Jinrong Yang
- Department of Biotherapy, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, People's Republic of China
- Hematology Research Laboratory, Department of Hematology, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, People's Republic of China
| | - Wei Wang
- Department of Biotherapy, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, People's Republic of China.
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Kim Y, Lee DY, Choi JU, Park JS, Lee SM, Kang CH, Park CH. Optimized conditions for gene transduction into primary immune cells using viral vectors. Sci Rep 2023; 13:12365. [PMID: 37524755 PMCID: PMC10390464 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-39597-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy has emerged as a promising modality for anti-cancer treatment. Its efficacy is quite remarkable in hematological tumors. Owing to their excellent clinical results, gene- modified cell therapies, including T cells, natural killer (NK) cells, and macrophages, are being actively studied in both academia and industry. However, the protocol to make CAR immune cells is too complicated, so it is still unclear how to efficiently produce the potent CAR immune cells. To manufacture effective CAR immune cells, we need to be aware of not only how to obtain highly infective viral particles, but also how to transduce CAR genes into immune cells. In this paper, we provide detailed information on spinoculation, which is one of the best known protocols to transduce genes into immune cells, in a methodological view. Our data indicate that gene transduction is significantly dependent on speed and duration of centrifugation, concentration and number of viral particles, the concentration of polybrene, and number of infected immune cells. In addition, we investigated on the optimal polyethylene glycol (PEG) solution to concentrate the viral supernatant and the optimized DNA ratios transfected into 293T cells to produce high titer of viral particles. This study provides useful information for practical production of the gene-modified immune cells using viral vectors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yeongrin Kim
- Bio and Drug Discovery Division, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, 141 Gajeong-ro, PO Box 107, Daejeon, 34114, Republic of Korea
- Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacology, Korea University of Science and Technology, Daejeon, 34316, Republic of Korea
| | - Da Yeon Lee
- Bio and Drug Discovery Division, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, 141 Gajeong-ro, PO Box 107, Daejeon, 34114, Republic of Korea
- College of Pharmacy, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, 34134, Republic of Korea
| | - Ji U Choi
- Bio and Drug Discovery Division, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, 141 Gajeong-ro, PO Box 107, Daejeon, 34114, Republic of Korea
- Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacology, Korea University of Science and Technology, Daejeon, 34316, Republic of Korea
| | - Jin Song Park
- Bio and Drug Discovery Division, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, 141 Gajeong-ro, PO Box 107, Daejeon, 34114, Republic of Korea
| | - So Myoung Lee
- Bio and Drug Discovery Division, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, 141 Gajeong-ro, PO Box 107, Daejeon, 34114, Republic of Korea
| | - Chung Hyo Kang
- Bio and Drug Discovery Division, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, 141 Gajeong-ro, PO Box 107, Daejeon, 34114, Republic of Korea
| | - Chi Hoon Park
- Bio and Drug Discovery Division, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, 141 Gajeong-ro, PO Box 107, Daejeon, 34114, Republic of Korea.
- Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacology, Korea University of Science and Technology, Daejeon, 34316, Republic of Korea.
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26
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Xiong Q, Zhu J, Zhang Y, Deng H. CAR-NK cell therapy for glioblastoma: what to do next? Front Oncol 2023; 13:1192128. [PMID: 37404752 PMCID: PMC10315652 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1192128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2023] [Accepted: 05/29/2023] [Indexed: 07/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma is a malignant tumor with the highest morbidity and mortality in the central nervous system. Conventional surgical resection combined with radiotherapy or chemotherapy has a high recurrence rate and poor prognosis. The 5-year survival rate of patients is less than 10%. In tumor immunotherapy, CAR-T cell therapy represented by chimeric antigen receptor-modified T cells has achieved great success in hematological tumors. However, the application of CAR-T cells in solid tumors such as glioblastoma still faces many challenges. CAR-NK cells are another potential adoptive cell therapy strategy after CAR-T cells. Compared with CAR-T cell therapy, CAR-NK cells have similar anti-tumor effects. CAR-NK cells can also avoid some deficiencies in CAR-T cell therapy, a research hotspot in tumor immunity. This article summarizes the preclinical research status of CAR-NK cells in glioblastoma and the problems and challenges faced by CAR-NK in glioblastoma.
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27
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Kilgour MK, Bastin DJ, Lee SH, Ardolino M, McComb S, Visram A. Advancements in CAR-NK therapy: lessons to be learned from CAR-T therapy. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1166038. [PMID: 37205115 PMCID: PMC10187144 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1166038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 05/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Advancements in chimeric antigen receptor engineered T-cell (CAR-T) therapy have revolutionized treatment for several cancer types over the past decade. Despite this success, obstacles including the high price tag, manufacturing complexity, and treatment-associated toxicities have limited the broad application of this therapy. Chimeric antigen receptor engineered natural killer cell (CAR-NK) therapy offers a potential opportunity for a simpler and more affordable "off-the-shelf" treatment, likely with fewer toxicities. Unlike CAR-T, CAR-NK therapies are still in early development, with few clinical trials yet reported. Given the challenges experienced through the development of CAR-T therapies, this review explores what lessons we can apply to build better CAR-NK therapies. In particular, we explore the importance of optimizing the immunochemical properties of the CAR construct, understanding factors leading to cell product persistence, enhancing trafficking of transferred cells to the tumor, ensuring the metabolic fitness of the transferred product, and strategies to avoid tumor escape through antigen loss. We also review trogocytosis, an important emerging challenge that likely equally applies to CAR-T and CAR-NK cells. Finally, we discuss how these limitations are already being addressed in CAR-NK therapies, and what future directions may be possible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marisa K. Kilgour
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada
| | | | - Seung-Hwan Lee
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
- Center for Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Michele Ardolino
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
- Center for Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Scott McComb
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
- Center for Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
- Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Alissa Visram
- Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada
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28
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Noguchi K, Ikawa Y, Takenaka M, Sakai Y, Fujiki T, Kuroda R, Chappell M, Ghiaccio V, Rivella S, Wada T. Protocol for a high titer of BaEV-Rless pseudotyped lentiviral vector: Focus on syncytium formation and detachment. J Virol Methods 2023; 314:114689. [PMID: 36739979 DOI: 10.1016/j.jviromet.2023.114689] [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: 11/06/2022] [Revised: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
The development of hematopoietic stem cell (HSCs) gene therapy for DNA repair disorders, such as Fanconi anemia and Bloom syndrome, is challenging because of the induction of HSCs apoptosis by cytokine stimulation. Although the Baboon envelope pseudotyped lentiviral vector (BaEV-Rless-LV) has been reported as a non-stimulatory gene transfer tool, the virus titer of BaEV-Rless-LV is too low for use in clinical applications. Transfected 293 T cells with helper plasmids, including the BaEV-Rless plasmid, showed morphological changes, such as syncytium formation and detachment. To establish a novel protocol for producing a high titer of BaEV-Rless-LV, we optimized three aspects of a basic virus production protocol by focusing on modifying culture conditions and the use of reagents: the virus titer increased 3-fold when the amount of BaEV-Rless plasmid was increased 1.2-fold; the highest titer was obtained when the viral supernatant was harvested at 48-h post-transfection, despite complete syncytium formation and detachment of the 293 T cells; and the use of poly-L-lysine-coated culture plates to enhance the adhesion and proliferation of 293 T cells and prevent detachment doubled the titer. Collectively, our novel protocol resulted in a 10-fold titer increase compared to the basic protocol and may be useful in clinical applications for treating DNA repair disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazuhiro Noguchi
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, Japan
| | - Yasuhiro Ikawa
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, Japan.
| | - Mika Takenaka
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, Japan
| | - Yuta Sakai
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, Japan
| | - Toshihiro Fujiki
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, Japan
| | - Rie Kuroda
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, Japan
| | - Maxwell Chappell
- Department of Hematology, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, United States
| | - Valentina Ghiaccio
- Department of Hematology, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, United States
| | - Stefano Rivella
- Department of Hematology, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, United States
| | - Taizo Wada
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Institute of Medical, Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences, Kanazawa University, Japan
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29
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Pastor S, Wicinski J, Charafe-Jauffret E, Verhoeyen E, Guittard G, Ginestier C. Production of CRISPRi-engineered primary human mammary epithelial cells with baboon envelope pseudotyped lentiviral vectors. STAR Protoc 2023; 4:102055. [PMID: 36853718 PMCID: PMC9871349 DOI: 10.1016/j.xpro.2023.102055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2022] [Revised: 12/01/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Primary human mammary epithelial cells (pHMECs) are known to be remarkably difficult to engineer genetically. Here, we present a protocol for efficient transduction of pHMECs using a baboon retroviral envelope glycoprotein for pseudotyping of lentiviral vectors (BaEV-LVs). We describe the preparation of the BaEV-LVs, the isolation of pHMECs from breast samples, and the subsequent transduction of pHMECs. We also detail the use of CRISPRi technology to efficiently silence gene expression in pHMECs, which can then be used for functional assays. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Richart et al. (2022).1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonia Pastor
- CRCM, Inserm, CNRS, Institut Paoli-Calmettes, Aix-Marseille University, Immunity and Cancer Team, Marseille, France
| | - Julien Wicinski
- CRCM, Inserm, CNRS, Institut Paoli-Calmettes, Aix-Marseille University, Epithelial Stem Cells and Cancer Lab, Equipe Labellisée LIGUE Contre le Cancer, Marseille, France
| | - Emmanuelle Charafe-Jauffret
- CRCM, Inserm, CNRS, Institut Paoli-Calmettes, Aix-Marseille University, Epithelial Stem Cells and Cancer Lab, Equipe Labellisée LIGUE Contre le Cancer, Marseille, France
| | - Els Verhoeyen
- C3M, Université Côte d'Azur, Inserm, 06204 Nice, France; CIRI - International Center for Infectiology Research, Inserm, U1111, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, UMR5308, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, Université Lyon, 69007 Lyon, France
| | - Geoffrey Guittard
- CRCM, Inserm, CNRS, Institut Paoli-Calmettes, Aix-Marseille University, Immunity and Cancer Team, Marseille, France.
| | - Christophe Ginestier
- CRCM, Inserm, CNRS, Institut Paoli-Calmettes, Aix-Marseille University, Epithelial Stem Cells and Cancer Lab, Equipe Labellisée LIGUE Contre le Cancer, Marseille, France.
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30
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Colas C, Volodina O, Béland K, Pham TNQ, Li Y, Dallaire F, Soulard C, Lemieux W, Colamartino ABL, Tremblay-Laganière C, Dicaire R, Guimond J, Vobecky S, Poirier N, Patey N, Cohen ÉA, Haddad E. Generation of functional human T cell development in NOD/SCID/IL2rγ null humanized mice without using fetal tissue: Application as a model of HIV infection and persistence. Stem Cell Reports 2023; 18:597-612. [PMID: 36736326 PMCID: PMC9969074 DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2023.01.003] [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: 05/31/2022] [Revised: 01/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/05/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Humanization of mice with functional T cells currently relies on co-implantation of hematopoietic stem cells from fetal liver and autologous fetal thymic tissue (so-called BLT mouse model). Here, we show that NOD/SCID/IL2rγnull mice humanized with cord blood- derived CD34+ cells and implanted with allogeneic pediatric thymic tissues excised during cardiac surgeries (CCST) represent an alternative to BLT mice. CCST mice displayed a strong immune reconstitution, with functional T cells originating from CD34+ progenitor cells. They were equally susceptible to mucosal or intraperitoneal HIV infection and had significantly higher HIV-specific T cell responses. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) robustly suppressed viremia and reduced the frequencies of cells carrying integrated HIV DNA. As in BLT mice, we observed a complete viral rebound following ART interruption, suggesting the presence of HIV reservoirs. In conclusion, CCST mice represent a practical alternative to BLT mice, broadening the use of humanized mice for research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chloé Colas
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada; CHU Sainte-Justine Research Center, Montreal, QC H3T 1C5, Canada
| | - Olga Volodina
- Montreal Clinical Research Institute (IRCM), Montreal, QC H2W 1R7, Canada
| | - Kathie Béland
- CHU Sainte-Justine Research Center, Montreal, QC H3T 1C5, Canada
| | - Tram N Q Pham
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada; Montreal Clinical Research Institute (IRCM), Montreal, QC H2W 1R7, Canada
| | - Yuanyi Li
- CHU Sainte-Justine Research Center, Montreal, QC H3T 1C5, Canada
| | - Frédéric Dallaire
- Montreal Clinical Research Institute (IRCM), Montreal, QC H2W 1R7, Canada
| | - Clara Soulard
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada; CHU Sainte-Justine Research Center, Montreal, QC H3T 1C5, Canada
| | - William Lemieux
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada; CHU Sainte-Justine Research Center, Montreal, QC H3T 1C5, Canada
| | - Aurélien B L Colamartino
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada; CHU Sainte-Justine Research Center, Montreal, QC H3T 1C5, Canada
| | - Camille Tremblay-Laganière
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada; CHU Sainte-Justine Research Center, Montreal, QC H3T 1C5, Canada
| | - Renée Dicaire
- CHU Sainte-Justine Research Center, Montreal, QC H3T 1C5, Canada
| | | | - Suzanne Vobecky
- Department of Cardiac Surgery, CHU Sainte-Justine, Montreal, QC H3T 1C5, Canada
| | - Nancy Poirier
- Department of Cardiac Surgery, CHU Sainte-Justine, Montreal, QC H3T 1C5, Canada
| | - Natasha Patey
- CHU Sainte-Justine Research Center, Montreal, QC H3T 1C5, Canada; Department of Pathology, CHU Sainte-Justine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC H3T 1C5, Canada
| | - Éric A Cohen
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada; Montreal Clinical Research Institute (IRCM), Montreal, QC H2W 1R7, Canada.
| | - Elie Haddad
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada; CHU Sainte-Justine Research Center, Montreal, QC H3T 1C5, Canada; Department of Pediatrics, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC H3T 1C5, Canada.
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31
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Morimoto T, Nakazawa T, Maeoka R, Nakagawa I, Tsujimura T, Matsuda R. Natural Killer Cell-Based Immunotherapy against Glioblastoma. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24032111. [PMID: 36768432 PMCID: PMC9916747 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24032111] [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: 12/31/2022] [Revised: 01/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive and malignant primary brain tumor in adults. Despite multimodality treatment involving surgical resection, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and tumor-treating fields, the median overall survival (OS) after diagnosis is approximately 2 years and the 5-year OS is poor. Considering the poor prognosis, novel treatment strategies are needed, such as immunotherapies, which include chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy, immune checkpoint inhibitors, vaccine therapy, and oncolytic virus therapy. However, these therapies have not achieved satisfactory outcomes. One reason for this is that these therapies are mainly based on activating T cells and controlling GBM progression. Natural killer (NK) cell-based immunotherapy involves the new feature of recognizing GBM via differing mechanisms from that of T cell-based immunotherapy. In this review, we focused on NK cell-based immunotherapy as a novel GBM treatment strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takayuki Morimoto
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nara Medical University, Kashihara 634-8521, Japan
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nara City Hospital, Nara 630-8305, Japan
- Correspondence: (T.M.); (T.N.); Tel.: +81-744-22-3051 (T.M.); +81-745-84-9335 (T.N.)
| | - Tsutomu Nakazawa
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nara Medical University, Kashihara 634-8521, Japan
- Grandsoul Research Institute for Immunology, Inc., Uda 633-2221, Japan
- Clinic Grandsoul Nara, Uda 633-2221, Japan
- Correspondence: (T.M.); (T.N.); Tel.: +81-744-22-3051 (T.M.); +81-745-84-9335 (T.N.)
| | - Ryosuke Maeoka
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nara Medical University, Kashihara 634-8521, Japan
| | - Ichiro Nakagawa
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nara Medical University, Kashihara 634-8521, Japan
| | - Takahiro Tsujimura
- Grandsoul Research Institute for Immunology, Inc., Uda 633-2221, Japan
- Clinic Grandsoul Nara, Uda 633-2221, Japan
| | - Ryosuke Matsuda
- Department of Neurosurgery, Nara Medical University, Kashihara 634-8521, Japan
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32
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CAR-NK as a Rapidly Developed and Efficient Immunotherapeutic Strategy against Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 15:cancers15010117. [PMID: 36612114 PMCID: PMC9817948 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15010117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Revised: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-modified T cell therapy has been rapidly developing in recent years, ultimately revolutionizing immunotherapeutic strategies and providing significant anti-tumor potency, mainly in treating hematological neoplasms. However, graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and other adverse effects, such as cytokine release syndromes (CRS) and neurotoxicity associated with CAR-T cell infusion, have raised some concerns about the broad application of this therapy. Natural killer (NK) cells have been identified as promising alternative platforms for CAR-based therapies because of their unique features, such as a lack of human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-matching restriction, superior safety, and better anti-tumor activity when compared with CAR-T cells. The lack of CRS, neurotoxicity, or GVHD, in the case of CAR-NK therapy, in addition to the possibility of using allogeneic NK cells as a CAR platform for "off-the-shelf" therapy, opens new windows for strategic opportunities. This review underlines recent design achievements in CAR constructs and summarizes preclinical studies' results regarding CAR-NK therapies' safety and anti-tumor potency. Additionally, new approaches in CAR-NK technology are briefly described, and currently registered clinical trials are listed.
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33
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[Progress in chimeric antigen receptor NK cell therapy for hematological malignancies]. ZHONGHUA XUE YE XUE ZA ZHI = ZHONGHUA XUEYEXUE ZAZHI 2022; 43:1051-1056. [PMID: 36709115 PMCID: PMC9939332 DOI: 10.3760/cma.j.issn.0253-2727.2022.12.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
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34
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In Vivo Hematopoietic Stem Cell Genome Editing: Perspectives and Limitations. Genes (Basel) 2022; 13:genes13122222. [PMID: 36553489 PMCID: PMC9778055 DOI: 10.3390/genes13122222] [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: 09/16/2022] [Revised: 11/11/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The tremendous evolution of genome-editing tools in the last two decades has provided innovative and effective approaches for gene therapy of congenital and acquired diseases. Zinc-finger nucleases (ZFNs), transcription activator- like effector nucleases (TALENs) and CRISPR-Cas9 have been already applied by ex vivo hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) gene therapy in genetic diseases (i.e., Hemoglobinopathies, Fanconi anemia and hereditary Immunodeficiencies) as well as infectious diseases (i.e., HIV), and the recent development of CRISPR-Cas9-based systems using base and prime editors as well as epigenome editors has provided safer tools for gene therapy. The ex vivo approach for gene addition or editing of HSCs, however, is complex, invasive, technically challenging, costly and not free of toxicity. In vivo gene addition or editing promise to transform gene therapy from a highly sophisticated strategy to a "user-friendly' approach to eventually become a broadly available, highly accessible and potentially affordable treatment modality. In the present review article, based on the lessons gained by more than 3 decades of ex vivo HSC gene therapy, we discuss the concept, the tools, the progress made and the challenges to clinical translation of in vivo HSC gene editing.
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35
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Liu WN, So WY, Harden SL, Fong SY, Wong MXY, Tan WWS, Tan SY, Ong JKL, Rajarethinam R, Liu M, Cheng JY, Suteja L, Yeong JPS, Iyer NG, Lim DWT, Chen Q. Successful targeting of PD-1/PD-L1 with chimeric antigen receptor-natural killer cells and nivolumab in a humanized mouse cancer model. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eadd1187. [PMID: 36417514 PMCID: PMC9683725 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.add1187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2022] [Accepted: 10/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
In recent decades, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-engineered immune effector cells have demonstrated promising antileukemic activity. Nevertheless, their efficacy remains unsatisfactory on solid cancers, plausibly due to the influence of tumor microenvironments (TME). In a novel mouse cancer model with a humanized immune system, tumor-infiltrating immunosuppressive leukocytes and exhausted programmed death protein-1 (PD-1)high T cells were found, which better mimic patient TME, allowing the screening and assessment of immune therapeutics. Particularly, membrane-bound programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) level was elevated on a tumor cell surface, which serves as an attractive target for natural killer (NK) cell-mediated therapy. Hematopoietic stem cell-derived CAR-NK (CAR pNK) cells targeting the PD-L1 showed enhanced in vitro and in vivo anti-solid tumor function. The CAR pNK cells and nivolumab resulted in a synergistic anti-solid tumor response. Together, our study highlights a robust platform to develop and evaluate the antitumor efficacy and safety of previously unexplored therapeutic regimens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wai Nam Liu
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, 138673, Singapore
| | - Wing Yan So
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, 138673, Singapore
| | - Sarah L. Harden
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, 138673, Singapore
| | - Shin Yie Fong
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, 138673, Singapore
| | - Melissa Xin Yu Wong
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, 138673, Singapore
| | - Wilson Wei Sheng Tan
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, 138673, Singapore
| | - Sue Yee Tan
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, 138673, Singapore
| | - Jessica Kai Lin Ong
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, 138673, Singapore
| | - Ravisankar Rajarethinam
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, 138673, Singapore
| | - Min Liu
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, 138673, Singapore
| | - Jia Ying Cheng
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, 138673, Singapore
| | | | - Joe Poh Sheng Yeong
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, 138673, Singapore
| | - N. Gopalakrishna Iyer
- Duke-NUS Medical School, 169857, Singapore
- Department of Head and Neck Surgery, National Cancer Centre Singapore, 169610, Singapore
| | - Darren Wan-Teck Lim
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, 138673, Singapore
- Division of Medical Oncology, National Cancer Center Singapore, 169610, Singapore
| | - Qingfeng Chen
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, 138673, Singapore
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 117593, Singapore
- Singapore Immunology Network, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, 138648, Singapore
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36
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Wang X, Yang X, Yuan X, Wang W, Wang Y. Chimeric antigen receptor-engineered NK cells: new weapons of cancer immunotherapy with great potential. Exp Hematol Oncol 2022; 11:85. [PMID: 36324149 PMCID: PMC9628181 DOI: 10.1186/s40164-022-00341-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-engineered T (CAR-T) cells have obtained prominent achievement in the clinical immunotherapy of hematological malignant tumors, leading to a rapid development of cellular immunotherapy in cancer treatment. Scientists are also aware of the prospective advantages of CAR engineering in cellular immunotherapy. Due to various limitations such as the serious side effects of CAR-T therapy, researchers began to investigate other immune cells for CAR modification. Natural killer (NK) cells are critical innate immune cells with the characteristic of non-specifically recognizing target cells and with the potential to become "off-the-shelf" products. In recent years, many preclinical studies on CAR-engineered NK (CAR-NK) cells have shown their remarkable efficacy in cancer therapy and their superiority over autologous CAR-T cells. In this review, we summarize the generation, mechanisms of anti-tumor activity and unique advantages of CAR-NK cells, and then analyze some challenges and recent clinical trials about CAR-NK cells therapy. We believe that CAR-NK therapy is a promising prospect for cancer immunotherapy in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Wang
- grid.16821.3c0000 0004 0368 8293Shanghai Institute of Hematology, State Key Laboratory of Medical Genomics, National Research Center for Translational Medicine at Shanghai, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025 China
| | - Xuejiao Yang
- grid.16821.3c0000 0004 0368 8293Shanghai Institute of Hematology, State Key Laboratory of Medical Genomics, National Research Center for Translational Medicine at Shanghai, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025 China
| | - Xiang Yuan
- grid.13291.380000 0001 0807 1581Department of Thoracic Oncology, Cancer Center and State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041 China
| | - Wenbo Wang
- grid.24516.340000000123704535Department of Oncology, Shanghai Tenth People’s Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200072 China
| | - Yueying Wang
- grid.16821.3c0000 0004 0368 8293Shanghai Institute of Hematology, State Key Laboratory of Medical Genomics, National Research Center for Translational Medicine at Shanghai, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025 China
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Seliger B, Koehl U. Underlying mechanisms of evasion from NK cells as rational for improvement of NK cell-based immunotherapies. Front Immunol 2022; 13:910595. [PMID: 36045670 PMCID: PMC9422402 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.910595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2022] [Accepted: 07/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells belong to the family of innate immune cells with the capacity to recognize and kill tumor cells. Different phenotypes and functional properties of NK cells have been described in tumor patients, which could be shaped by the tumor microenvironment. The discovery of HLA class I-specific inhibitory receptors controlling NK cell activity paved the way to the fundamental concept of modulating immune responses that are regulated by an array of inhibitory receptors, and emphasized the importance to explore the potential of NK cells in cancer therapy. Although a whole range of NK cell-based approaches are currently being developed, there are still major challenges that need to be overcome for improved efficacy of these therapies. These include escape of tumor cells from NK cell recognition due to their expression of inhibitory molecules, immune suppressive signals of NK cells, reduced NK cell infiltration of tumors, an immune suppressive micromilieu and limited in vivo persistence of NK cells. Therefore, this review provides an overview about the NK cell biology, alterations of NK cell activities, changes in tumor cells and the tumor microenvironment contributing to immune escape or immune surveillance by NK cells and their underlying molecular mechanisms as well as the current status and novel aspects of NK cell-based therapeutic strategies including their genetic engineering and their combination with conventional treatment options to overcome tumor-mediated evasion strategies and improve therapy efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Seliger
- Institute of Medical Immunology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, Leipzig, Germany
- *Correspondence: Barbara Seliger,
| | - Ulrike Koehl
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Clinical Immunology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Cellular Therapeutics, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
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38
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Baghery Saghchy Khorasani A, Yousefi AM, Bashash D. CAR NK cell therapy in hematologic malignancies and solid tumors; obstacles and strategies to overcome the challenges. Int Immunopharmacol 2022; 110:109041. [PMID: 35839565 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2022.109041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Revised: 06/29/2022] [Accepted: 07/07/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Adoptive cell treatment (ACT) utilizing chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) diverts the specificity of safe cells against a target-specific antigen and portrays exceptional potential for cancer treatment. While CAR T cell treatment has risen as a breakthrough with unprecedented results within the therapeutic procedures of human malignancies, different deficiencies including challenging and costly generation processes, strict patient qualification criteria, and undesirable toxicity have ruined its application. Unlike T cells, the application of natural killer (NK) cells has attracted consideration as a reasonable alternative owing to the major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-independency, shorter life expectancy, the potential to create an off-the-shelf immune product, and potent antitumor properties. In this article, we provide an updated review of the differences between CAR T and CAR NK cells, current enhancements in CAR NK design, the available sources for collecting NK cells, and strategies for the transduction step of the CARs to NK cells. Furthermore, we focus on the published and ongoing preclinical and clinical studies of CAR NK treatment strategies both in hematologic malignancies and solid tumors. We also discuss limitations and plausible solutions to improve the perseverance, function, safety, and efficacy of CAR NK cells with a special focus on solid tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Amir-Mohammad Yousefi
- Department of Hematology and Blood Banking, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Davood Bashash
- Department of Hematology and Blood Banking, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
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Rossi F, Fredericks N, Snowden A, Allegrezza MJ, Moreno-Nieves UY. Next Generation Natural Killer Cells for Cancer Immunotherapy. Front Immunol 2022; 13:886429. [PMID: 35720306 PMCID: PMC9202478 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.886429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 04/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
In recent years, immunotherapy for cancer has become mainstream with several products now authorized for therapeutic use in the clinic and are becoming the standard of care for some malignancies. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapies have demonstrated substantial efficacy for the treatment of hematological malignancies; however, they are complex and currently expensive to manufacture, and they can generate life-threatening adverse events such as cytokine release syndrome (CRS). The limitations of current CAR-T cells therapies have spurred an interest in alternative immunotherapy approaches with safer risk profiles and with less restrictive manufacturing constraints. Natural killer (NK) cells are a population of immune effector cells with potent anti-viral and anti-tumor activity; they have the capacity to swiftly recognize and kill cancer cells without the need of prior stimulation. Although NK cells are naturally equipped with cytotoxic potential, a growing body of evidence shows the added benefit of engineering them to better target tumor cells, persist longer in the host, and be fitter to resist the hostile tumor microenvironment (TME). NK-cell-based immunotherapies allow for the development of allogeneic off-the-shelf products, which have the potential to be less expensive and readily available for patients in need. In this review, we will focus on the advances in the development of engineering of NK cells for cancer immunotherapy. We will discuss the sourcing of NK cells, the technologies available to engineer NK cells, current clinical trials utilizing engineered NK cells, advances on the engineering of receptors adapted for NK cells, and stealth approaches to avoid recipient immune responses. We will conclude with comments regarding the next generation of NK cell products, i.e., armored NK cells with enhanced functionality, fitness, tumor-infiltration potential, and with the ability to overcome tumor heterogeneity and immune evasion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fiorella Rossi
- Janssen Research and Development, LLC, Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, Spring House, PA, United States
| | - Nathaniel Fredericks
- Janssen Research and Development, LLC, Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, Spring House, PA, United States
| | - Andrew Snowden
- Janssen Research and Development, LLC, Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, Spring House, PA, United States
| | - Michael J Allegrezza
- Janssen Research and Development, LLC, Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, Spring House, PA, United States
| | - Uriel Y Moreno-Nieves
- Janssen Research and Development, LLC, Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, Spring House, PA, United States
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Dong H, Ham JD, Hu G, Xie G, Vergara J, Liang Y, Ali A, Tarannum M, Donner H, Baginska J, Abdulhamid Y, Dinh K, Soiffer RJ, Ritz J, Glimcher LH, Chen J, Romee R. Memory-like NK cells armed with a neoepitope-specific CAR exhibit potent activity against NPM1 mutated acute myeloid leukemia. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2122379119. [PMID: 35696582 PMCID: PMC9231490 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2122379119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) remains a therapeutic challenge, and a paucity of tumor-specific targets has significantly hampered the development of effective immune-based therapies. Recent paradigm-changing studies have shown that natural killer (NK) cells exhibit innate memory upon brief activation with IL-12 and IL-18, leading to cytokine-induced memory-like (CIML) NK cell differentiation. CIML NK cells have enhanced antitumor activity and have shown promising results in early phase clinical trials in patients with relapsed/refractory AML. Here, we show that arming CIML NK cells with a neoepitope-specific chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) significantly enhances their antitumor responses to nucleophosphmin-1 (NPM1)-mutated AML while avoiding off-target toxicity. CIML NK cells differentiated from peripheral blood NK cells were efficiently transduced to express a TCR-like CAR that specifically recognizes a neoepitope derived from the cytosolic oncogenic NPM1-mutated protein presented by HLA-A2. These CAR CIML NK cells displayed enhanced activity against NPM1-mutated AML cell lines and patient-derived leukemic blast cells. CAR CIML NK cells persisted in vivo and significantly improved AML outcomes in xenograft models. Single-cell RNA sequencing and mass cytometry analyses identified up-regulation of cell proliferation, protein folding, immune responses, and major metabolic pathways in CAR-transduced CIML NK cells, resulting in tumor-specific, CAR-dependent activation and function in response to AML target cells. Thus, efficient arming of CIML NK cells with an NPM1-mutation-specific TCR-like CAR substantially improves their innate antitumor responses against an otherwise intracellular mutant protein. These preclinical findings justify evaluating this approach in clinical trials in HLA-A2+ AML patients with NPM1c mutations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Dong
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana–Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215
| | - James Dongjoo Ham
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Guangan Hu
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Guozhu Xie
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Juliana Vergara
- Division of Cellular Therapy and Stem Cell Transplant, Dana–Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215
| | - Yong Liang
- Division of Cellular Therapy and Stem Cell Transplant, Dana–Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215
| | - Alaa Ali
- Division of Cellular Therapy and Stem Cell Transplant, Dana–Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215
| | - Mubin Tarannum
- Division of Cellular Therapy and Stem Cell Transplant, Dana–Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215
| | - Hannah Donner
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Joanna Baginska
- Center for Immuno-oncology, Dana–Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215
| | - Yasmin Abdulhamid
- Division of Cellular Therapy and Stem Cell Transplant, Dana–Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215
| | - Khanhlinh Dinh
- Division of Cellular Therapy and Stem Cell Transplant, Dana–Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215
| | - Robert J. Soiffer
- Division of Cellular Therapy and Stem Cell Transplant, Dana–Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215
| | - Jerome Ritz
- Division of Cellular Therapy and Stem Cell Transplant, Dana–Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215
| | - Laurie H. Glimcher
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana–Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215
| | - Jianzhu Chen
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Rizwan Romee
- Division of Cellular Therapy and Stem Cell Transplant, Dana–Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215
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XIST loss impairs mammary stem cell differentiation and increases tumorigenicity through Mediator hyperactivation. Cell 2022; 185:2164-2183.e25. [PMID: 35597241 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2022.04.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2021] [Revised: 01/10/2022] [Accepted: 04/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
X inactivation (XCI) is triggered by upregulation of XIST, which coats the chromosome in cis, promoting formation of a heterochromatic domain (Xi). XIST role beyond initiation of XCI is only beginning to be elucidated. Here, we demonstrate that XIST loss impairs differentiation of human mammary stem cells (MaSCs) and promotes emergence of highly tumorigenic and metastatic carcinomas. On the Xi, XIST deficiency triggers epigenetic changes and reactivation of genes overlapping Polycomb domains, including Mediator subunit MED14. MED14 overdosage results in increased Mediator levels and hyperactivation of the MaSC enhancer landscape and transcriptional program, making differentiation less favorable. We further demonstrate that loss of XIST and Xi transcriptional instability is common among human breast tumors of poor prognosis. We conclude that XIST is a gatekeeper of human mammary epithelium homeostasis, thus unveiling a paradigm in the control of somatic cell identity with potential consequences for our understanding of gender-specific malignancies.
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42
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Rahnama R, Christodoulou I, Bonifant CL. Gene-Based Natural Killer Cell Therapies for the Treatment of Pediatric Hematologic Malignancies. Hematol Oncol Clin North Am 2022; 36:745-768. [PMID: 35773048 PMCID: PMC10158845 DOI: 10.1016/j.hoc.2022.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Pediatric blood cancers are among the most common malignancies that afflict children. Intensive chemotherapy is not curative in many cases, and novel therapies are urgently needed. NK cells hold promise for use as immunotherapeutic effectors due to their favorable safety profile, intrinsic cytotoxic properties, and potential for genetic modification that can enhance specificity and killing potential. NK cells can be engineered to express CARs targeting tumor-specific antigens, to downregulate inhibitory and regulatory signals, to secrete cytokine, and to optimize interaction with small molecule engagers. Understanding NK cell biology is key to designing immunotherapy for clinical translation.
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43
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Bernard PL, Delconte R, Pastor S, Laletin V, Costa Da Silva C, Goubard A, Josselin E, Castellano R, Krug A, Vernerey J, Devillier R, Olive D, Verhoeyen E, Vivier E, Huntington ND, Nunes J, Guittard G. Targeting CISH enhances natural cytotoxicity receptor signaling and reduces NK cell exhaustion to improve solid tumor immunity. J Immunother Cancer 2022; 10:jitc-2021-004244. [PMID: 35589278 PMCID: PMC9121483 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-004244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The success and limitations of current immunotherapies have pushed research toward the development of alternative approaches and the possibility to manipulate other cytotoxic immune cells such as natural killer (NK) cells. Here, we targeted an intracellular inhibiting protein ‘cytokine inducible SH2-containing protein’ (CISH) in NK cells to evaluate the impact on their functions and antitumor properties. Methods To further understand CISH functions in NK cells, we developed a conditional Cish-deficient mouse model in NK cells (Cishfl/flNcr1Ki/+). NK cells cytokine expression, signaling and cytotoxicity has been evaluated in vitro. Using intravenous injection of B16F10 melanoma cell line and EO711 triple negative breast cancer cell line, metastasis evaluation was performed. Then, orthotopic implantation of breast tumors was performed and tumor growth was followed using bioluminescence. Infiltration and phenotype of NK cells in the tumor was evaluated. Finally, we targeted CISH in human NK-92 or primary NK cells, using a technology combining the CRISPR(i)-dCas9 tool with a new lentiviral pseudotype. We then tested human NK cells functions. Results In Cishfl/flNcr1Ki/+ mice, we detected no developmental or homeostatic difference in NK cells. Global gene expression of Cishfl/flNcr1Ki/+ NK cells compared with Cish+/+Ncr1Ki/+ NK cells revealed upregulation of pathways and genes associated with NK cell cycling and activation. We show that CISH does not only regulate interleukin-15 (IL-15) signaling pathways but also natural cytotoxicity receptors (NCR) pathways, triggering CISH protein expression. Primed Cishfl/flNcr1Ki/+ NK cells display increased activation upon NCR stimulation. Cishfl/flNcr1Ki/+ NK cells display lower activation thresholds and Cishfl/flNcr1Ki/+ mice are more resistant to tumor metastasis and to primary breast cancer growth. CISH deletion favors NK cell accumulation to the primary tumor, optimizes NK cell killing properties and decreases TIGIT immune checkpoint receptor expression, limiting NK cell exhaustion. Finally, using CRISPRi, we then targeted CISH in human NK-92 or primary NK cells. In human NK cells, CISH deletion also favors NCR signaling and antitumor functions. Conclusion This study represents a crucial step in the mechanistic understanding and safety of Cish targeting to unleash NK cell antitumor function in solid tumors. Our results validate CISH as an emerging therapeutic target to enhance NK cell immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre-Louis Bernard
- Immunity and Cancer Team, Onco-Hemato Immuno-Onco Department, OHIO, Institut Paoli-Calmettes, Inserm, CNRS, Cancer Research Centre, CRCM, Marseille, France
| | - Rebecca Delconte
- Immunology Program, Sloan-Kettering Institute, New York City, New York, USA
| | - Sonia Pastor
- Immunity and Cancer Team, Onco-Hemato Immuno-Onco Department, OHIO, Institut Paoli-Calmettes, Inserm, CNRS, Cancer Research Centre, CRCM, Marseille, France
| | - Vladimir Laletin
- Immunity and Cancer Team, Onco-Hemato Immuno-Onco Department, OHIO, Institut Paoli-Calmettes, Inserm, CNRS, Cancer Research Centre, CRCM, Marseille, France
| | - Cathy Costa Da Silva
- Immunity and Cancer Team, Onco-Hemato Immuno-Onco Department, OHIO, Institut Paoli-Calmettes, Inserm, CNRS, Cancer Research Centre, CRCM, Marseille, France
| | - Armelle Goubard
- Immunity and Cancer Team, Onco-Hemato Immuno-Onco Department, OHIO, Institut Paoli-Calmettes, Inserm, CNRS, Cancer Research Centre, CRCM, Marseille, France
| | - Emmanuelle Josselin
- Immunity and Cancer Team, Onco-Hemato Immuno-Onco Department, OHIO, Institut Paoli-Calmettes, Inserm, CNRS, Cancer Research Centre, CRCM, Marseille, France
| | - Rémy Castellano
- Immunity and Cancer Team, Onco-Hemato Immuno-Onco Department, OHIO, Institut Paoli-Calmettes, Inserm, CNRS, Cancer Research Centre, CRCM, Marseille, France
| | - Adrien Krug
- INSERM, Unité 1111, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité Mixte de Recherche (UMR) 5308, CIRI-International Center for Infectiology Research, Nice, France
| | - Julien Vernerey
- Immunity and Cancer Team, Onco-Hemato Immuno-Onco Department, OHIO, Institut Paoli-Calmettes, Inserm, CNRS, Cancer Research Centre, CRCM, Marseille, France
| | - Raynier Devillier
- Immunity and Cancer Team, Onco-Hemato Immuno-Onco Department, OHIO, Institut Paoli-Calmettes, Inserm, CNRS, Cancer Research Centre, CRCM, Marseille, France
| | - Daniel Olive
- Immunity and Cancer Team, Onco-Hemato Immuno-Onco Department, OHIO, Institut Paoli-Calmettes, Inserm, CNRS, Cancer Research Centre, CRCM, Marseille, France
| | - Els Verhoeyen
- INSERM, Unité 1111, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité Mixte de Recherche (UMR) 5308, CIRI-International Center for Infectiology Research, Nice, France
| | - Eric Vivier
- Innate Pharma Research Labs, Innate Pharma; Centre d'Immunologie de Marseille-Luminy, CIML; Service d'Immunologie, Marseille Immunopole, Hôpital de la Timone, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Marseille, Aix Marseille Université, Inserm, CNRS, Marseille, France
| | - Nicholas D Huntington
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Jacques Nunes
- Immunity and Cancer Team, Onco-Hemato Immuno-Onco Department, OHIO, Institut Paoli-Calmettes, Inserm, CNRS, Cancer Research Centre, CRCM, Marseille, France
| | - Geoffrey Guittard
- Immunity and Cancer Team, Onco-Hemato Immuno-Onco Department, OHIO, Institut Paoli-Calmettes, Inserm, CNRS, Cancer Research Centre, CRCM, Marseille, France
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Vaněk O, Kalousková B, Abreu C, Nejadebrahim S, Skořepa O. Natural killer cell-based strategies for immunotherapy of cancer. ADVANCES IN PROTEIN CHEMISTRY AND STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY 2022; 129:91-133. [PMID: 35305726 DOI: 10.1016/bs.apcsb.2022.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells are a family of lymphocytes with a natural ability to kill infected, harmed, or malignantly transformed cells. As these cells are part of the innate immunity, the cytotoxic mechanisms are activated upon recognizing specific patterns without prior antigen sensitization. This recognition is crucial for NK cell function in the maintenance of homeostasis and immunosurveillance. NK cells not only act directly toward malignant cells but also participate in the complex immune response by producing cytokines or cross-talk with other immune cells. Cancer may be seen as a break of all immune defenses when malignant cells escape the immunity and invade surrounding tissues creating a microenvironment supporting tumor progression. This process may be reverted by intervening immune response with immunotherapy, which may restore immune recognition. NK cells are important effector cells for immunotherapy. They may be used for adoptive cell transfer, genetically modified with chimeric antigen receptors, or triggered with appropriate antibodies and other antibody-fragment-based recombinant therapeutic proteins tailored specifically for NK cell engagement. NK cell receptors, responsible for target recognition and activation of cytotoxic response, could also be targeted in immunotherapy, for example, by various bi-, tri-, or multi-specific fusion proteins designed to bridge the gap between tumor markers present on target cells and activation receptors expressed on NK cells. However, this kind of immunoactive therapeutics may be developed only with a deep functional and structural knowledge of NK cell receptor: ligand interactions. This review describes the recent developments in the fascinating protein-engineering field of NK cell immunotherapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ondřej Vaněk
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.
| | - Barbora Kalousková
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Celeste Abreu
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Shiva Nejadebrahim
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Ondřej Skořepa
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
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45
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Soldierer M, Bister A, Haist C, Thivakaran A, Cengiz SC, Sendker S, Bartels N, Thomitzek A, Smorra D, Hejazi M, Uhrberg M, Scheckenbach K, Monzel C, Wiek C, Reinhardt D, Niktoreh N, Hanenberg H. Genetic Engineering and Enrichment of Human NK Cells for CAR-Enhanced Immunotherapy of Hematological Malignancies. Front Immunol 2022; 13:847008. [PMID: 35464442 PMCID: PMC9022481 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.847008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2021] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The great clinical success of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells has unlocked new levels of immunotherapy for hematological malignancies. Genetically modifying natural killer (NK) cells as alternative CAR immune effector cells is also highly promising, as NK cells can be transplanted across HLA barriers without causing graft-versus-host disease. Therefore, off-the-shelf usage of CAR NK cell products might allow to widely expand the clinical indications and to limit the costs of treatment per patient. However, in contrast to T cells, manufacturing suitable CAR NK cell products is challenging, as standard techniques for genetically engineering NK cells are still being defined. In this study, we have established optimal lentiviral transduction of primary human NK cells by systematically testing different internal promoters for lentiviral CAR vectors and comparing lentiviral pseudotypes and viral entry enhancers. We have additionally modified CAR constructs recognizing standard target antigens for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) therapy—CD19, CD33, and CD123—to harbor a CD34-derived hinge region that allows efficient detection of transduced NK cells in vitro and in vivo and also facilitates CD34 microbead-assisted selection of CAR NK cell products to >95% purity for potential clinical usage. Importantly, as most leukemic blasts are a priori immunogenic for activated primary human NK cells, we developed an in vitro system that blocks the activating receptors NKG2D, DNAM-1, NKp30, NKp44, NKp46, and NKp80 on these cells and therefore allows systematic testing of the specific killing of CAR NK cells against ALL and AML cell lines and primary AML blasts. Finally, we evaluated in an ALL xenotransplantation model in NOD/SCID-gamma (NSG) mice whether human CD19 CAR NK cells directed against the CD19+ blasts are relying on soluble or membrane-bound IL15 production for NK cell persistence and also in vivo leukemia control. Hence, our study provides important insights into the generation of pure and highly active allogeneic CAR NK cells, thereby advancing adoptive cellular immunotherapy with CAR NK cells for human malignancies further.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maren Soldierer
- Department of Pediatrics III, University Children's Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Arthur Bister
- Department of Pediatrics III, University Children's Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.,Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Corinna Haist
- Department of Pediatrics III, University Children's Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.,Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Aniththa Thivakaran
- Department of Pediatrics III, University Children's Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Sevgi Can Cengiz
- Department of Pediatrics III, University Children's Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Stephanie Sendker
- Department of Pediatrics III, University Children's Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Nina Bartels
- Department of Experimental Medical Physics, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Antonia Thomitzek
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Denise Smorra
- Department of Pediatrics III, University Children's Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Maryam Hejazi
- Institute for Transplantation Diagnostics and Cell Therapeutics, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Markus Uhrberg
- Institute for Transplantation Diagnostics and Cell Therapeutics, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Kathrin Scheckenbach
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Cornelia Monzel
- Department of Experimental Medical Physics, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Constanze Wiek
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Dirk Reinhardt
- Department of Pediatrics III, University Children's Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Naghmeh Niktoreh
- Department of Pediatrics III, University Children's Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Helmut Hanenberg
- Department of Pediatrics III, University Children's Hospital Essen, University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.,Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
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Primary CD33-targeting CAR-NK cells for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia. Blood Cancer J 2022; 12:61. [PMID: 35418180 PMCID: PMC9007937 DOI: 10.1038/s41408-022-00660-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Revised: 02/18/2022] [Accepted: 02/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a malignant disorder derived from neoplastic myeloid progenitor cells characterized by abnormal proliferation and differentiation. Although novel therapeutics have recently been introduced, AML remains a therapeutic challenge with insufficient cure rates. In the last years, immune-directed therapies such as chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells were introduced, which showed outstanding clinical activity against B-cell malignancies including acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). However, the application of CAR-T cells appears to be challenging due to the enormous molecular heterogeneity of the disease and potential long-term suppression of hematopoiesis. Here we report on the generation of CD33-targeted CAR-modified natural killer (NK) cells by transduction of blood-derived primary NK cells using baboon envelope pseudotyped lentiviral vectors (BaEV-LVs). Transduced cells displayed stable CAR-expression, unimpeded proliferation, and increased cytotoxic activity against CD33-positive OCI-AML2 and primary AML cells in vitro. Furthermore, CD33-CAR-NK cells strongly reduced leukemic burden and prevented bone marrow engraftment of leukemic cells in OCI-AML2 xenograft mouse models without observable side effects.
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Ruppel KE, Fricke S, Köhl U, Schmiedel D. Taking Lessons from CAR-T Cells and Going Beyond: Tailoring Design and Signaling for CAR-NK Cells in Cancer Therapy. Front Immunol 2022; 13:822298. [PMID: 35371071 PMCID: PMC8971283 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.822298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2021] [Accepted: 02/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer immunotherapies utilize the capabilities of the immune system to efficiently target malignant cells. In recent years, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) equipped T cells showed promising results against B cell lymphomas. Autologous CAR-T cells require patient-specific manufacturing and thus extensive production facilities, resulting in high priced therapies. Along with potentially severe side effects, these are the major drawbacks of CAR-T cells therapies. Natural Killer (NK) cells pose an alternative for CAR equipped immune cells. Since NK cells can be safely transferred from healthy donors to cancer patients, they present a suitable platform for an allogeneic “off-the-shelf” immunotherapy. However, administration of activated NK cells in cancer therapy has until now shown poor anti-cancer responses, especially in solid tumors. Genetic modifications such as CARs promise to enhance recognition of tumor cells, thereby increasing anti-tumor effects and improving clinical efficacy. Although the cell biology of T and NK cells deviates in many aspects, the development of CAR-NK cells frequently follows within the footsteps of CAR-T cells, meaning that T cell technologies are simply adopted to NK cells. In this review, we underline the unique properties of NK cells and their potential in CAR therapies. First, we summarize the characteristics of NK cell biology with a focus on signaling, a fine-tuned interaction of activating and inhibitory receptors. We then discuss why tailored NK cell-specific CAR designs promise superior efficacy compared to designs developed for T cells. We summarize current findings and developments in the CAR-NK landscape: different CAR formats and modifications to optimize signaling, to target a broader pool of antigens or to increase in vivo persistence. Finally, we address challenges beyond NK cell engineering, including expansion and manufacturing, that need to be addressed to pave the way for CAR-NK therapies from the bench to the clinics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Eva Ruppel
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI), Department for GMP Process Development & ATMP Design, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Stephan Fricke
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI), Department for GMP Process Development & ATMP Design, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Ulrike Köhl
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI), Leipzig, Germany
- Institute for Clinical Immunology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Cellular Therapeutics, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Dominik Schmiedel
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI), Department for GMP Process Development & ATMP Design, Leipzig, Germany
- *Correspondence: Dominik Schmiedel,
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Karvouni M, Vidal-Manrique M, Lundqvist A, Alici E. Engineered NK Cells Against Cancer and Their Potential Applications Beyond. Front Immunol 2022; 13:825979. [PMID: 35242135 PMCID: PMC8887605 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.825979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Accepted: 01/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Cell therapy is an innovative therapeutic concept where viable cells are implanted, infused, or grafted into a patient to treat impaired or malignant tissues. The term was first introduced circa the 19th century and has since resulted in multiple breakthroughs in different fields of medicine, such as neurology, cardiology, and oncology. Lately, cell and gene therapy are merging to provide cell products with additional or enhanced properties. In this context, adoptive transfer of genetically modified cytotoxic lymphocytes has emerged as a novel treatment option for cancer patients. To this day, five cell therapy products have been FDA approved, four of which for CD19-positive malignancies and one for B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA)-positive malignancies. These are personalized immunotherapies where patient T cells are engineered to express chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) with the aim to redirect the cells against tumor-specific antigens. CAR-T cell therapies show impressive objective response rates in clinical trials that, in certain instances, may reach up to 80%. However, the life-threatening side effects associated with T cell toxicity and the manufacturing difficulties of developing personalized therapies hamper their widespread use. Recent literature suggests that Natural Killer (NK) cells, may provide a safer alternative and an 'off-the-shelf' treatment option thanks to their potent antitumor properties and relatively short lifespan. Here, we will discuss the potential of NK cells in CAR-based therapies focusing on the applications of CAR-NK cells in cancer therapy and beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Karvouni
- Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine-Huddinge, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Marcos Vidal-Manrique
- Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine-Huddinge, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Andreas Lundqvist
- Department of Oncology‐Pathology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Evren Alici
- Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine-Huddinge, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
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49
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Gurney M, Kundu S, Pandey S, O’Dwyer M. Feeder Cells at the Interface of Natural Killer Cell Activation, Expansion and Gene Editing. Front Immunol 2022; 13:802906. [PMID: 35222382 PMCID: PMC8873083 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.802906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2021] [Accepted: 01/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Genome engineered natural killer (NK) cell therapies are emerging as a promising cancer immunotherapy platform with potential advantages and remaining uncertainties. Feeder cells induce activation and proliferation of NK cells via cell surface receptor-ligand interactions, supported by cytokines. Feeder cell expanded NK cell products have supported several NK cell adoptive transfer clinical trials over the past decade. Genome engineered NK cell therapies, including CAR-NK cells, seek to combine innate and alloreactive NK cell anti-tumor activity with antigen specific targeting or additional modifications aimed at improving NK cell persistence, homing or effector function. The profound activating and expansion stimulus provided by feeder cells is integral to current applications of clinical-scale genome engineering approaches in donor-derived, primary NK cells. Herein we explore the complex interactions that exist between feeder cells and both viral and emerging non-viral genome editing technologies in NK cell engineering. We focus on two established clinical-grade feeder systems; Epstein-Barr virus transformed lymphoblastoid cell lines and genetically engineered K562.mbIL21.4-1BBL feeder cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark Gurney
- Department: Apoptosis Research Centre, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - Soumyadipta Kundu
- Department: Apoptosis Research Centre, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland
- ONK Therapeutics, Galway, Ireland
| | | | - Michael O’Dwyer
- Department: Apoptosis Research Centre, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland
- ONK Therapeutics, Galway, Ireland
- *Correspondence: Michael O’Dwyer,
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50
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Novel insights in CAR-NK cells beyond CAR-T cell technology; promising advantages. Int Immunopharmacol 2022; 106:108587. [PMID: 35149294 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2022.108587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2021] [Revised: 01/25/2022] [Accepted: 01/26/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
CAR-T (chimeric antigen receptor T cell) technology, which has recently showed successful results in the treatment of hematological tumors, has been the focus of attention as one of the most potent approaches in tumor immunotherapy. However, side effects and limitations of this application, such as the risk of graft versus host disease (GvHD), make it challenging to be as accessible as other treatments. Natural killer cells (NK) could be transplanted without alloreactivity, making them as an off-the-shelf product. CAR-NK (chimeric antigen receptor NK cell) therapy can circumvent some serious limitations of CAR-T cell therapy. Application of CAR-NK cells have some considerable advantages over CAR-T cells. These include lack of cytokine release syndrome (CRS), neurotoxicity, and GvHD when using allogenic CAR-T cell. These features lessen the risk of tumor antigen loss and disease relapse. Moreover, NK cells which were derived from different sources, can make the CAR therapy more feasible. In this narrative review, we outlined the key features of CAR-NK cells as an alternative to CAR-T cell therapy in cancer immunotherapy and highlighted the main advantages.
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