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Hofer T, Pipperger L, Danklmaier S, Das K, Wollmann G. Characterization of the Anti-Viral and Vaccine-Specific CD8 + T Cell Composition upon Treatment with the Cancer Vaccine VSV-GP. Vaccines (Basel) 2024; 12:867. [PMID: 39203993 PMCID: PMC11359161 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines12080867] [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: 06/01/2024] [Revised: 07/18/2024] [Accepted: 07/25/2024] [Indexed: 09/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Numerous factors influence the magnitude and effector phenotype of vaccine-induced CD8+ T cells, thereby potentially impacting treatment efficacy. Here, we investigate the effect of vaccination dose, route of immunization, presence of a target antigen-expressing tumor, and heterologous prime-boost with peptide vaccine partner following vaccination with antigen-armed VSV-GP. Our results indicate that a higher vaccine dose increases antigen-specific CD8+ T cell proportions while altering the phenotype. The intravenous route induces the highest proportion of antigen-specific CD8+ T cells together with the lowest anti-viral response followed by the intraperitoneal, intramuscular, and subcutaneous routes. Moreover, the presence of a B16-OVA tumor serves as pre-prime, thereby increasing OVA-specific CD8+ T cells upon vaccination and thus altering the ratio of anti-tumor versus anti-viral CD8+ T cells. Interestingly, tumor-specific CD8+ T cells exhibit a different phenotype compared to bystander anti-viral CD8+ T cells. Finally, the heterologous combination of peptide and viral vaccine elicits the highest proportion of antigen-specific CD8+ T cells in the tumor and tumor-draining lymph nodes. In summary, we provide a basic immune characterization of various factors that affect anti-viral and vaccine target-specific CD8+ T cell proportions and phenotypes, thereby enhancing our vaccinology knowledge for future vaccine regimen designs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamara Hofer
- Institute of Virology, Medical University of Innsbruck, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria; (T.H.); (L.P.); (S.D.); (K.D.)
- Christian Doppler Laboratory for Viral Immunotherapy of Cancer, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Lisa Pipperger
- Institute of Virology, Medical University of Innsbruck, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria; (T.H.); (L.P.); (S.D.); (K.D.)
- Christian Doppler Laboratory for Viral Immunotherapy of Cancer, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
- Department of Internal Medicine V, Haematology & Oncology, Medical University Innsbruck, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
- Tyrolean Cancer Research Institute, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Sarah Danklmaier
- Institute of Virology, Medical University of Innsbruck, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria; (T.H.); (L.P.); (S.D.); (K.D.)
- Christian Doppler Laboratory for Viral Immunotherapy of Cancer, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
- Tyrolean Cancer Research Institute, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Krishna Das
- Institute of Virology, Medical University of Innsbruck, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria; (T.H.); (L.P.); (S.D.); (K.D.)
- Christian Doppler Laboratory for Viral Immunotherapy of Cancer, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
- ViraTherapeutics GmbH, A-6063 Rum, Austria
| | - Guido Wollmann
- Institute of Virology, Medical University of Innsbruck, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria; (T.H.); (L.P.); (S.D.); (K.D.)
- Christian Doppler Laboratory for Viral Immunotherapy of Cancer, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
- Department of Internal Medicine V, Haematology & Oncology, Medical University Innsbruck, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
- Tyrolean Cancer Research Institute, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria
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Hesnard L, Thériault C, Cahuzac M, Durette C, Vincent K, Hardy MP, Lanoix J, Lavallée GO, Humeau J, Thibault P, Perreault C. Immunogenicity of Non-Mutated Ovarian Cancer-Specific Antigens. Curr Oncol 2024; 31:3099-3121. [PMID: 38920720 PMCID: PMC11203340 DOI: 10.3390/curroncol31060236] [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: 04/04/2024] [Revised: 05/24/2024] [Accepted: 05/27/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) has not significantly benefited from advances in immunotherapy, mainly because of the lack of well-defined actionable antigen targets. Using proteogenomic analyses of primary EOC tumors, we previously identified 91 aberrantly expressed tumor-specific antigens (TSAs) originating from unmutated genomic sequences. Most of these TSAs derive from non-exonic regions, and their expression results from cancer-specific epigenetic changes. The present study aimed to evaluate the immunogenicity of 48 TSAs selected according to two criteria: presentation by highly prevalent HLA allotypes and expression in a significant fraction of EOC tumors. Using targeted mass spectrometry analyses, we found that pulsing with synthetic TSA peptides leads to a high-level presentation on dendritic cells. TSA abundance correlated with the predicted binding affinity to the HLA allotype. We stimulated naïve CD8 T cells from healthy blood donors with TSA-pulsed dendritic cells and assessed their expansion with two assays: MHC-peptide tetramer staining and TCR Vβ CDR3 sequencing. We report that these TSAs can expand sizeable populations of CD8 T cells and, therefore, represent attractive targets for EOC immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leslie Hesnard
- Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC), University of Montreal, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada; (L.H.); (C.T.); (M.C.); (C.D.); (K.V.); (M.-P.H.); (J.L.); (G.O.L.); (J.H.); (P.T.)
| | - Catherine Thériault
- Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC), University of Montreal, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada; (L.H.); (C.T.); (M.C.); (C.D.); (K.V.); (M.-P.H.); (J.L.); (G.O.L.); (J.H.); (P.T.)
| | - Maxime Cahuzac
- Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC), University of Montreal, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada; (L.H.); (C.T.); (M.C.); (C.D.); (K.V.); (M.-P.H.); (J.L.); (G.O.L.); (J.H.); (P.T.)
| | - Chantal Durette
- Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC), University of Montreal, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada; (L.H.); (C.T.); (M.C.); (C.D.); (K.V.); (M.-P.H.); (J.L.); (G.O.L.); (J.H.); (P.T.)
| | - Krystel Vincent
- Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC), University of Montreal, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada; (L.H.); (C.T.); (M.C.); (C.D.); (K.V.); (M.-P.H.); (J.L.); (G.O.L.); (J.H.); (P.T.)
| | - Marie-Pierre Hardy
- Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC), University of Montreal, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada; (L.H.); (C.T.); (M.C.); (C.D.); (K.V.); (M.-P.H.); (J.L.); (G.O.L.); (J.H.); (P.T.)
| | - Joël Lanoix
- Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC), University of Montreal, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada; (L.H.); (C.T.); (M.C.); (C.D.); (K.V.); (M.-P.H.); (J.L.); (G.O.L.); (J.H.); (P.T.)
| | - Gabriel Ouellet Lavallée
- Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC), University of Montreal, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada; (L.H.); (C.T.); (M.C.); (C.D.); (K.V.); (M.-P.H.); (J.L.); (G.O.L.); (J.H.); (P.T.)
| | - Juliette Humeau
- Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC), University of Montreal, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada; (L.H.); (C.T.); (M.C.); (C.D.); (K.V.); (M.-P.H.); (J.L.); (G.O.L.); (J.H.); (P.T.)
| | - Pierre Thibault
- Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC), University of Montreal, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada; (L.H.); (C.T.); (M.C.); (C.D.); (K.V.); (M.-P.H.); (J.L.); (G.O.L.); (J.H.); (P.T.)
- Department of Chemistry, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC H2V 0B3, Canada
| | - Claude Perreault
- Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC), University of Montreal, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada; (L.H.); (C.T.); (M.C.); (C.D.); (K.V.); (M.-P.H.); (J.L.); (G.O.L.); (J.H.); (P.T.)
- Department of Medicine, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC H3C 3J7, Canada
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Mørk SK, Skadborg SK, Albieri B, Draghi A, Bol K, Kadivar M, Westergaard MCW, Stoltenborg Granhøj J, Borch A, Petersen NV, Thuesen N, Rasmussen IS, Andreasen LV, Dohn RB, Yde CW, Noergaard N, Lorentzen T, Soerensen AB, Kleine-Kohlbrecher D, Jespersen A, Christensen D, Kringelum J, Donia M, Hadrup SR, Marie Svane I. Dose escalation study of a personalized peptide-based neoantigen vaccine (EVX-01) in patients with metastatic melanoma. J Immunother Cancer 2024; 12:e008817. [PMID: 38782542 PMCID: PMC11116868 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2024-008817] [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: 05/01/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neoantigens can serve as targets for T cell-mediated antitumor immunity via personalized neopeptide vaccines. Interim data from our clinical study NCT03715985 showed that the personalized peptide-based neoantigen vaccine EVX-01, formulated in the liposomal adjuvant, CAF09b, was safe and able to elicit EVX-01-specific T cell responses in patients with metastatic melanoma. Here, we present results from the dose-escalation part of the study, evaluating the feasibility, safety, efficacy, and immunogenicity of EVX-01 in addition to anti-PD-1 therapy. METHODS Patients with metastatic melanoma on anti-PD-1 therapy were treated in three cohorts with increasing vaccine dosages (twofold and fourfold). Tumor-derived neoantigens were selected by the AI platform PIONEER and used in personalized therapeutic cancer peptide vaccines EVX-01. Vaccines were administered at 2-week intervals for a total of three intraperitoneal and three intramuscular injections. The study's primary endpoint was safety and tolerability. Additional endpoints were immunological responses, survival, and objective response rates. RESULTS Compared with the base dose level previously reported, no new vaccine-related serious adverse events were observed during dose escalation of EVX-01 in combination with an anti-PD-1 agent given according to local guidelines. Two patients at the third dose level (fourfold dose) developed grade 3 toxicity, most likely related to pembrolizumab. Overall, 8 out of the 12 patients had objective clinical responses (6 partial response (PR) and 2 CR), with all 4 patients at the highest dose level having a CR (1 CR, 3 PR). EVX-01 induced peptide-specific CD4+ and/or CD8+T cell responses in all treated patients, with CD4+T cells as the dominating responses. The magnitude of immune responses measured by IFN-γ ELISpot assay correlated with individual peptide doses. A significant correlation between the PIONEER quality score and induced T cell immunogenicity was detected, while better CRs correlated with both the number of immunogenic EVX-01 peptides and the PIONEER quality score. CONCLUSION Immunization with EVX-01-CAF09b in addition to anti-PD-1 therapy was shown to be safe and well tolerated and elicit vaccine neoantigen-specific CD4+and CD8+ T cell responses at all dose levels. In addition, objective tumor responses were observed in 67% of patients. The results encourage further assessment of the antitumor efficacy of EVX-01 in combination with anti-PD-1 therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofie Kirial Mørk
- Department of Oncology, Copenhagen University Hospital, National Center for Cancer Immune Therapy (CCIT-DK), Herlev, Denmark
| | | | - Benedetta Albieri
- Department of Oncology, Copenhagen University Hospital, National Center for Cancer Immune Therapy (CCIT-DK), Herlev, Denmark
| | - Arianna Draghi
- Department of Oncology, Copenhagen University Hospital, National Center for Cancer Immune Therapy (CCIT-DK), Herlev, Denmark
| | - Kalijn Bol
- Medical Oncology, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Mohammad Kadivar
- Department of Health Technology, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | | | - Joachim Stoltenborg Granhøj
- Department of Oncology, Copenhagen University Hospital, National Center for Cancer Immune Therapy (CCIT-DK), Herlev, Denmark
| | - Annie Borch
- Department of Health Technology, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | | | | | | | | | - Rebecca Bach Dohn
- Center for Vaccine Research, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Nis Noergaard
- Department of Urology, Copenhagen University Hospital, Herlev, Denmark
| | - Torben Lorentzen
- Department of Gastroenterology, Copenhagen University Hospital, Herlev, Denmark
| | | | | | | | - Dennis Christensen
- Center for Vaccine Research, Statens Serum Institut, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Marco Donia
- Department of Oncology, Copenhagen University Hospital, National Center for Cancer Immune Therapy (CCIT-DK), Herlev, Denmark
| | - Sine Reker Hadrup
- Department of Health Technology, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Inge Marie Svane
- Department of Oncology, Copenhagen University Hospital, National Center for Cancer Immune Therapy (CCIT-DK), Herlev, Denmark
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Couturaud B, Doix B, Carretero-Iglesia L, Allard M, Pradervand S, Hebeisen M, Rufer N. Overall avidity declines in TCR repertoires during latent CMV but not EBV infection. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1293090. [PMID: 38053994 PMCID: PMC10694213 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1293090] [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: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction The avidity of the T-cell receptor (TCR) for antigenic peptides presented by the MHC (pMHC) on cells is an essential parameter for efficient T cell-mediated immunity. Yet, whether the TCR-ligand avidity can drive the clonal evolution of virus antigen-specific CD8 T cells, and how this process is determined in latent Cytomegalovirus (CMV)- against Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-mediated infection remains largely unknown. Methods To address these issues, we quantified monomeric TCR-pMHC dissociation rates on CMV- and EBV-specific individual TCRαβ clonotypes and polyclonal CD8 T cell populations in healthy donors over a follow-up time of 15-18 years. The parameters involved during the long-term persistence of virus-specific T cell clonotypes were further evaluated by gene expression profiling, phenotype and functional analyses. Results Within CMV/pp65-specific T cell repertoires, a progressive contraction of clonotypes with high TCR-pMHC avidity and low CD8 binding dependency was observed, leading to an overall avidity decline during long-term antigen exposure. We identified a unique transcriptional signature preferentially expressed by high-avidity CMV/pp65-specific T cell clonotypes, including the inhibitory receptor LILRB1. Interestingly, T cell clonotypes of high-avidity showed higher LILRB1 expression than the low-avidity ones and LILRB1 blockade moderately increased T cell proliferation. Similar findings were made for CD8 T cell repertoires specific for the CMV/IE-1 epitope. There was a gradual in vivo loss of high-avidity T cells with time for both CMV specificities, corresponding to virus-specific CD8 T cells expressing enhanced LILRB1 levels. In sharp contrast, the EBV/BMFL1-specific T cell clonal composition and distribution, once established, displayed an exceptional stability, unrelated to TCR-pMHC binding avidity or LILRB1 expression. Conclusions These findings reveal an overall long-term avidity decline of CMV- but not EBV-specific T cell clonal repertoires, highlighting the differing role played by TCR-ligand avidity over the course of these two latent herpesvirus infections. Our data further suggest that the inhibitor receptor LILRB1 potentially restricts the clonal expansion of high-avidity CMV-specific T cell clonotypes during latent infection. We propose that the mechanisms regulating the long-term outcome of CMV- and EBV-specific memory CD8 T cell clonotypes in humans are distinct.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Couturaud
- Department of Oncology, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Epalinges, Switzerland
| | - Bastien Doix
- Department of Oncology, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Epalinges, Switzerland
| | - Laura Carretero-Iglesia
- Department of Oncology, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Epalinges, Switzerland
| | - Mathilde Allard
- Department of Oncology, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Epalinges, Switzerland
| | - Sylvain Pradervand
- Department of Oncology, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Epalinges, Switzerland
- Lausanne Genomic Technologies Facility (LGTF), University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Michael Hebeisen
- Department of Oncology, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Epalinges, Switzerland
| | - Nathalie Rufer
- Department of Oncology, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Epalinges, Switzerland
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Gu W, Xu Y, Chen X, Jiang H. Characteristics of clinical trials for non-small cell lung cancer therapeutic vaccines registered on ClinicalTrials.gov. Front Immunol 2022; 13:936667. [PMID: 36341464 PMCID: PMC9627174 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.936667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Even after complete surgical treatment or chemotherapy, Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) patients are also at substantial risk for recurrence and spread trend. Therapeutic cancer vaccination could increase the anti-tumor immune response and prevent tumor relapse. This study aimed to assess the characteristics of NSCLC therapeutic vaccines registered on ClinicalTrials.gov. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional, descriptive study of clinical trials for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Therapeutic Vaccines Registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (https://clinicaltrials.gov/) through March 17, 2022. Results This study encompassed 117 registered trials included for data analysis. The number of trials was significantly correlated with a beginning year (r = 0.504, P < 0.010). Of these trials, 45.30% were completed, 12.82% were terminated, and 8.55% were withdrawn. More than half of trials (52.99%) were funded by industry, and more than half of trials (52.14%) were located in economically developed North America. Regarding study designs of these trials, 27.35% were randomized, 52.14% were single group assignment, 83.76% were without masking, 35.90% were phase 1, and more than half of the trials (56.41%) recruited less than 50 participants. The highest proportion of vaccine types was protein/peptide vaccines (41.88%). Regarding TNM staging, the highest proportion of the trials is stage III-IV (26.50%). Conclusion The number of clinical trials about the cancer therapeutic vaccines was sustained an increase in recent years. The main characteristic of clinical trials for NSCLC therapeutic vaccines is lack of randomized control, lack of mask, and recruiting less than 50 participants. In recent years, the protein/peptide vaccines for NSCLC active immunotherapy have been well studied.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenyue Gu
- Department of Pathology, The Yancheng School of Clinical Medicine of Nanjing Medical University, Yancheng Third People's Hospital, Yancheng, China
| | - Yangjie Xu
- Department of Oncology, Affiliated Cixi Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Ningbo, China
| | - Xiaohong Chen
- Intensive Care Unit, The Yancheng School of Clinical Medicine of Nanjing Medical University, Yancheng Third People's Hospital, Yancheng, China
| | - Hao Jiang
- Department of Oncology, Zhejiang Hospital, Hangzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Hao Jiang,
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Liu Z, Lv J, Dang Q, Liu L, Weng S, Wang L, Zhou Z, Kong Y, Li H, Han Y, Han X. Engineering neoantigen vaccines to improve cancer personalized immunotherapy. Int J Biol Sci 2022; 18:5607-5623. [PMID: 36263174 PMCID: PMC9576504 DOI: 10.7150/ijbs.76281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapy treatments harnessing the immune system herald a new era of personalized medicine, offering considerable benefits for cancer patients. Over the past years, tumor neoantigens emerged as a rising star in immunotherapy. Neoantigens are tumor-specific antigens arising from somatic mutations, which are proceeded and presented by the major histocompatibility complex on the cell surface. With the advancement of sequencing technology and bioinformatics engineering, the recognition of neoantigens has accelerated and is expected to be incorporated into the clinical routine. Currently, tumor vaccines against neoantigens mainly encompass peptides, DNA, RNA, and dendritic cells, which are extremely specific to individual patients. Due to the high immunogenicity of neoantigens, tumor vaccines could activate and expand antigen-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells to intensify anti-tumor immunity. Herein, we introduce the origin and prediction of neoantigens and compare the advantages and disadvantages of multiple types of neoantigen vaccines. Besides, we review the immunizations and the current clinical research status in neoantigen vaccines, and outline strategies for enhancing the efficacy of neoantigen vaccines. Finally, we present the challenges facing the application of neoantigens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zaoqu Liu
- Department of Interventional Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China.,Interventional Institute of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China.,Interventional Treatment and Clinical Research Center of Henan Province, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
| | - Jinxiang Lv
- Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
| | - Qin Dang
- Department of Colorectal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
| | - Long Liu
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
| | - Siyuan Weng
- Department of Interventional Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
| | - Libo Wang
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
| | - Zhaokai Zhou
- Department of Pediatric Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 40052, China
| | - Ying Kong
- Department of Interventional Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
| | - Huanyun Li
- Department of Interventional Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
| | - Yilin Han
- Department of Interventional Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China
| | - Xinwei Han
- Department of Interventional Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China.,Interventional Institute of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China.,Interventional Treatment and Clinical Research Center of Henan Province, Zhengzhou, Henan 450052, China.,✉ Corresponding author: Xinwei Han.
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7
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Jiang C, Li J, Zhang W, Zhuang Z, Liu G, Hong W, Li B, Zhang X, Chao CC. Potential association factors for developing effective peptide-based cancer vaccines. Front Immunol 2022; 13:931612. [PMID: 35967400 PMCID: PMC9364268 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.931612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2022] [Accepted: 06/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Peptide-based cancer vaccines have been shown to boost immune systems to kill tumor cells in cancer patients. However, designing an effective T cell epitope peptide-based cancer vaccine still remains a challenge and is a major hurdle for the application of cancer vaccines. In this study, we constructed for the first time a library of peptide-based cancer vaccines and their clinical attributes, named CancerVaccine (https://peptidecancervaccine.weebly.com/). To investigate the association factors that influence the effectiveness of cancer vaccines, these peptide-based cancer vaccines were classified into high (HCR) and low (LCR) clinical responses based on their clinical efficacy. Our study highlights that modified peptides derived from artificially modified proteins are suitable as cancer vaccines, especially for melanoma. It may be possible to advance cancer vaccines by screening for HLA class II affinity peptides may be an effective therapeutic strategy. In addition, the treatment regimen has the potential to influence the clinical response of a cancer vaccine, and Montanide ISA-51 might be an effective adjuvant. Finally, we constructed a high sensitivity and specificity machine learning model to assist in designing peptide-based cancer vaccines capable of providing high clinical responses. Together, our findings illustrate that a high clinical response following peptide-based cancer vaccination is correlated with the right type of peptide, the appropriate adjuvant, and a matched HLA allele, as well as an appropriate treatment regimen. This study would allow for enhanced development of cancer vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chongming Jiang
- Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston TX, United States
- Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
- Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
- *Correspondence: Chongming Jiang, ; Cheng-Chi Chao,
| | - Jianrong Li
- Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston TX, United States
- Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
- Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Wei Zhang
- Institute of Super Cell, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China
| | | | - Geng Liu
- Institute of Super Cell, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China
| | - Wei Hong
- Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston TX, United States
- Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
- Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Bo Li
- Institute of Super Cell, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China
| | - Xiuqing Zhang
- Institute of Super Cell, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China
| | - Cheng-Chi Chao
- Department of Pipeline Development, Biomap, Inc, San Francisco, CA, United States
- *Correspondence: Chongming Jiang, ; Cheng-Chi Chao,
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8
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Liu L, Chen J, Zhang H, Ye J, Moore C, Lu C, Fang Y, Fu YX, Li B. Concurrent delivery of immune checkpoint blockade modulates T cell dynamics to enhance neoantigen vaccine-generated antitumor immunity. NATURE CANCER 2022; 3:437-452. [PMID: 35393580 PMCID: PMC9050907 DOI: 10.1038/s43018-022-00352-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2021] [Accepted: 02/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Neoantigen vaccines aiming to induce tumor-specific T cell responses have achieved promising antitumor effects in early clinical trials. However, the underlying mechanism regarding response or resistance to this treatment is unclear. Here we observe that neoantigen vaccine-generated T cells can synergize with the immune checkpoint blockade for effective tumor control. Specifically, we performed single-cell sequencing on over 100,000 T cells and uncovered that combined therapy induces an antigen-specific CD8 T cell population with active chemokine signaling (Cxcr3+/Ccl5+), lower co-inhibitory receptor expression (Lag3-/Havcr2-) and higher cytotoxicity (Fasl+/Gzma+). Furthermore, generation of neoantigen-specific T cells in the draining lymph node is required for combination treatment. Signature genes of this unique population are associated with T cell clonal frequency and better survival in humans. Our study profiles the dynamics of tumor-infiltrating T cells during neoantigen vaccine and immune checkpoint blockade treatments and high-dimensionally identifies neoantigen-reactive T cell signatures for future development of therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Longchao Liu
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Jiahui Chen
- Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Hongyi Zhang
- Lyda Hill Department of Bioinformatics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Jianfeng Ye
- Lyda Hill Department of Bioinformatics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Casey Moore
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Changzheng Lu
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Yan Fang
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Yang-Xin Fu
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA.
| | - Bo Li
- Lyda Hill Department of Bioinformatics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA.
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9
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Gilfillan CB, Hebeisen M, Rufer N, Speiser DE. Constant regulation for stable CD8 T-cell functional avidity and its possible implications for cancer immunotherapy. Eur J Immunol 2021; 51:1348-1360. [PMID: 33704770 PMCID: PMC8252569 DOI: 10.1002/eji.202049016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2020] [Revised: 12/16/2020] [Accepted: 03/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
The functional avidity (FA) of cytotoxic CD8 T cells impacts strongly on their functional capabilities and correlates with protection from infection and cancer. FA depends on TCR affinity, downstream signaling strength, and TCR affinity-independent parameters of the immune synapse, such as costimulatory and inhibitory receptors. The functional impact of coreceptors on FA remains to be fully elucidated. Despite its importance, FA is infrequently assessed and incompletely understood. There is currently no consensus as to whether FA can be enhanced by optimized vaccine dose or boosting schedule. Recent findings suggest that FA is remarkably stable in vivo, possibly due to continued signaling modulation of critical receptors in the immune synapse. In this review, we provide an overview of the current knowledge and hypothesize that in vivo, codominant T cells constantly "equalize" their FA for similar function. We present a new model of constant FA regulation, and discuss practical implications for T-cell-based cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Connie B. Gilfillan
- Department of OncologyUniversity Hospital and University of LausanneLausanneSwitzerland
| | - Michael Hebeisen
- Department of OncologyUniversity Hospital and University of LausanneLausanneSwitzerland
| | - Nathalie Rufer
- Department of OncologyUniversity Hospital and University of LausanneLausanneSwitzerland
| | - Daniel E. Speiser
- Department of OncologyUniversity Hospital and University of LausanneLausanneSwitzerland
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10
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Use of a Novel Peptide Welding Technology Platform for the Development of B- and T-Cell Epitope-Based Vaccines. Vaccines (Basel) 2021; 9:vaccines9050526. [PMID: 34069535 PMCID: PMC8160815 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9050526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2021] [Revised: 04/29/2021] [Accepted: 05/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Peptide vaccines incorporating B- and T-cell epitopes have shown promise in the context of various cancers and infections. These vaccines are relatively simple to manufacture, but more immunogenic formulations are considered a priority. We developed tetrabranched derivatives for this purpose based on a novel peptide welding technology (PWT). PWTs provide molecular scaffolds for the efficient synthesis of ultrapure peptide dendrimers, which allow the delivery of multiple ligands within a single macromolecular structure. Peptide vaccines incorporating T-cell epitopes derived from melanoma and B-cell epitopes derived from human immunodeficiency virus, synthesized using this approach, elicited primary immune responses in vitro and in vivo. Subcutaneous administration of the B-cell epitope-based vaccines also elicited more potent humoral responses than subcutaneous administration of the corresponding peptides alone. Highly immunogenic peptide epitope-based vaccines can therefore be generated quickly and easily using a novel PWT.
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11
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Fan Y, Bai T, Tian Y, Zhou B, Wang Y, Yang L. H 2O 2-Inactivated Salmonella typhimurium RE88 Strain as a New Cancer Vaccine Carrier: Evaluation in a Mouse Model of Cancer. Drug Des Devel Ther 2021; 15:209-222. [PMID: 33488068 PMCID: PMC7815095 DOI: 10.2147/dddt.s282660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Purpose This study aimed to describe a novel cancer vaccine developed using H2O2-inactivated Salmonella typhimurium RE88 [with deletions of AroA (the first enzyme in the aromatic amino acid biosynthesis pathway) and DNA adenine methylase] as the carrier. Methods The pVLT33 plasmid was used to engineer an RE88 strain induced to express ovalbumin (OVA) by isopropylthiogalactoside (RE88-pVLT33-OVA). The immune responses and anticancer effects of H2O2-inactivated RE88-pVLT33-OVA were compared with those of non-inactivated RE88-pVLT33-OVA and OVA (positive control) in mice carrying OVA-expressing tumors (EG7-OVA) cells. Results Anti-ovalbumin IgG (immunoglobulin G) titer following vaccination with H2O2-inactivated RE88-pVLT33-OVA was higher for subcutaneous than for intragastric vaccination. When subcutaneous administration was used, H2O2-inactivated RE88-pVLT33-OVA (2 × 109 CFU (colony forming units)/mouse) achieved an anti-ovalbumin IgG titer higher than that for the same dose of RE88-pVLT33-OVA and comparable to that for 10 µg ovalbumin (positive control). The binding of mouse serum antibodies to EG7-OVA cells was stronger for H2O2-inactivated RE88-pVLT33-OVA (2 × 109 CFU/mouse) than for 10 µg ovalbumin. Furthermore, subcutaneous vaccination with H2O2-inactivated RE88-pVLT33-OVA (2 × 109 CFU/mouse) induced greater activation of splenic T cells and more extensive tumor infiltration with CD4+/CD8+ T cells compared with 10 µg ovalbumin (positive control). The mice vaccinated subcutaneously with H2O2-inactivated RE88-pVLT33-OVA at a dose of 2 × 108 or 6 × 108 CFU/mouse had smaller tumors compared with mice in the negative control groups. Tumor weight in mice vaccinated with H2O2-inactivated RE88-pVLT33-OVA at a dose of 2 × 109 CFU/mouse was significantly lower than that in both negative control groups (P < 0.05) and decreased with the increasing dose of H2O2-inactivated RE88-pVLT33-OVA. H2O2-inactivated RE88-pVLT33-OVA was potentially safer than the non-inactivated strain, could carry exogenous antigens, and had specific epitopes that could be exploited as natural adjuvants to facilitate the induction of cellular and humoral immune responses. Conclusion It was anticipated that H2O2-inactivated RE88-pVLT33-OVA could be used as a novel delivery system for new cancer vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingzi Fan
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center, Chengdu, People's Republic of China.,Department of Laboratory Medicine, Clinical Medical College and the First Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu Medical College, Chengdu, People's Republic of China
| | - Tingting Bai
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Clinical Medical College and the First Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu Medical College, Chengdu, People's Republic of China
| | - Yaomei Tian
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center, Chengdu, People's Republic of China
| | - Bailing Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center, Chengdu, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuanda Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center, Chengdu, People's Republic of China
| | - Li Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center, Chengdu, People's Republic of China
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12
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Tsai SJ, Amerman A, Jewell CM. Altering Antigen Charge to Control Self-Assembly and Processing of Immune Signals During Cancer Vaccination. Front Immunol 2021; 11:613830. [PMID: 33488621 PMCID: PMC7815530 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.613830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2020] [Accepted: 11/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Biomaterial delivery systems offer unique potential to improve cancer vaccines by offering targeted delivery and modularity to address disease heterogeneity. Here, we develop a simple platform using a conserved human melanoma peptide antigen (Trp2) modified with cationic arginine residues that condenses an anionic toll-like receptor agonist (TLRa), CpG, into polyplex-like nanoparticles. We reasoned that these structures could offer several useful features for immunotherapy – such as tunable loading, co-delivery of immune cues, and cargo protection – while eliminating the need for synthetic polymers or other complicating delivery systems. We demonstrate that Trp2/CpG polyplexes can readily form over a range of Trp2:CpG ratios and improve antigen uptake by primary antigen presenting cells. We show antigen loading can be tuned by interchanging Trp2 peptides with defined charges and numbers of arginine residues. Notably, these polyplexes with greater antigen loading enhance the functionality of Trp-2 specific T cells and in a mouse melanoma model, decrease tumor burden and improve survival. This work highlights opportunities to control the biophysical properties of nanostructured materials built from immune signals to enhance immunotherapy, without the added complexity or background immune effects often associated with synthetic carriers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shannon J Tsai
- Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States
| | - Allie Amerman
- Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States
| | - Christopher M Jewell
- Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States.,Robert E. Fischell Institute for Biomedical Devices, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States.,United States Department of Veterans Affairs, VA Maryland Health Care System, Baltimore, MD, United States.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland Medical School, Baltimore, MD, United States.,Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center, Baltimore, MD, United States
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13
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Kumbhari A, Egelston CA, Lee PP, Kim PS. Mature Dendritic Cells May Promote High-Avidity Tuning of Vaccine T Cell Responses. Front Immunol 2020; 11:584680. [PMID: 33193401 PMCID: PMC7662095 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.584680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2020] [Accepted: 10/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Therapeutic vaccines can elicit tumor-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs), but durable reductions in tumor burden require vaccines that stimulate high-avidity CTLs. Recent advances in immunotherapy responses have led to renewed interest in vaccine approaches, including dendritic cell vaccine strategies. However, dendritic cell requirements for vaccines that generate potent anti-tumor T-cell responses are unclear. Here we use mathematical modeling to show that, counterintuitively, increasing levels of immature dendritic cells may lead to selective expansion of high-avidity CTLs. This finding is in contrast with traditional dendritic cell vaccine approaches that have sought to harness ex vivo generated mature dendritic cells. We show that the injection of vaccine antigens in the context of increased numbers of immature dendritic cells results in a decreased overall peptide:MHC complex load that favors high-avidity CTL activation and expansion. Overall, our results provide a firm basis for further development of this approach, both alone and in combination with other immunotherapies such as checkpoint blockade.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adarsh Kumbhari
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Colt A. Egelston
- Department of Immuno-Oncology, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope, Duarte, CA, United States
| | - Peter P. Lee
- Department of Immuno-Oncology, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope, Duarte, CA, United States
| | - Peter S. Kim
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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