CD30 Expression and Its Functions during the Disease Progression of Adult T-Cell Leukemia/Lymphoma

The efficacy and safety of brentuximab vedotin for peripheral T-cell lymphoma: A systemic review and meta-analysis

Peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) is an extensive class of heterogeneous diseases with dismal outcomes. Brentuximab vedotin (BV) is an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) comprising a CD30-directed antibody. This review aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of BV for treating PTCL. We searched the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases for studies evaluating the efficacy of BV alone or in combination with other drugs for treating PTCL. The primary outcome measures included objective response rate (ORR), complete remission (CR), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). The secondary outcomes included 5-year OS, 5-year PFS, and adverse events. 22 studies involving 1137 patients were included. These studies reported the use patterns of BV, ORR, CR, PFS, OS, and adverse events. The pooled ORR and CR rates were 68% (95% CI: 59%-75%) and 43% (95% CI: 34%-53%). For survival outcomes, the longest median PFS was 8.3 months, and the longest median OS was 26.3 months. The most common adverse event was peripheral neuropathy and neutropenia. The analysis suggested that BV alone or in combination with other drugs improved the response and survival rates in PTCL patients and was associated with tolerable adverse effects.

Cancer Biomarkers and Precision Oncology: A Review of Recent Trends and Innovations

The discovery of cancer-specific biomarkers has resulted in major advancements in the field of cancer diagnostics and therapeutics, therefore significantly lowering cancer-related morbidity and mortality. Cancer biomarkers can be generally classified as prognostic biomarkers that predict specific disease outcomes and predictive biomarkers that predict disease response to targeted therapeutic interventions. As research in the area of predictive biomarkers continues to grow, precision medicine becomes far more integrated in cancer treatment. This article presents a general overview on the most recent advancements in the area of cancer biomarkers, immunotherapy, artificial intelligence, and pharmacogenomics of the Middle East.

Distinct soluble immune checkpoint profiles characterize COVID-19 severity, mortality and SARS-CoV-2 variant infections

Introduction

Over the past four years, the COVID-19 pandemic has posed serious global health challenges. The severe form of disease and death resulted from the failure of immune regulatory mechanisms, closely highlighted by the dual proinflammatory cytokine and soluble immune checkpoint (sICP) storm. Identifying the individual factors impacting on disease severity, evolution and outcome, as well as any additional interconnections, have become of high scientific interest.

Methods

In this study, we evaluated a novel panel composed of ten sICPs for the predictive values of COVID-19 disease severity, mortality and Delta vs. Omicron variant infections in relation to hyperinflammatory biomarkers. The serum levels of sICPs from confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infected patients at hospital admission were determined by Luminex, and artificial neural network analysis was applied for defining the distinct patterns of molecular associations with each form of disease: mild, moderate, and severe.

Results

Notably, distinct sICP profiles characterized various stages of disease and Delta infections: while sCD40 played a central role in all defined diagrams, the differences emerged from the distribution levels of four molecules recently found and relatively less investigated (sCD30, s4-1BB, sTIM-1, sB7-H3), and their associations with various hematological and biochemical inflammatory biomarkers. The artificial neural network analysis revealed the prominent role of serum sTIM-1 and Galectin-9 levels at hospital admission in discriminating between survivors and non-survivors, as well as the role of specific anti-interleukin therapy (Tocilizumab, Anakinra) in improving survival for patients with initially high sTIM-1 levels. Furthermore, strong associations between sCD40 and Galectin-9 with suPAR defined the Omicron variant infections, while the positive match of sCD40 with sTREM-1 serum levels characterized the Delta-infected patients.

Conclusions

Of importance, this study provides a comprehensive analysis of circulatory immune factors governing the COVID-19 pathology, and identifies key roles of sCD40, sTIM-1, and Galectin-9 in predicting mortality.

Antibody-drug conjugates in cancer therapy: mechanisms and clinical studies

Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) consist of monoclonal antibodies that target tumor cells and cytotoxic drugs linked through linkers. By leveraging antibodies' targeting properties, ADCs deliver cytotoxic drugs into tumor cells via endocytosis after identifying the tumor antigen. This precise method aims to kill tumor cells selectively while minimizing harm to normal cells, offering safe and effective therapeutic benefits. Recent years have seen significant progress in antitumor treatment with ADC development, providing patients with new and potent treatment options. With over 300 ADCs explored for various tumor indications and some already approved for clinical use, challenges such as resistance due to factors like antigen expression, ADC processing, and payload have emerged. This review aims to outline the history of ADC development, their structure, mechanism of action, recent composition advancements, target selection, completed and ongoing clinical trials, resistance mechanisms, and intervention strategies. Additionally, it will delve into the potential of ADCs with novel markers, linkers, payloads, and innovative action mechanisms to enhance cancer treatment options. The evolution of ADCs has also led to the emergence of combination therapy as a new therapeutic approach to improve drug efficacy.

Advances in CAR-T-cell therapy in T-cell malignancies

Significant advances have been made in chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T)-cell therapy for the treatment of recurrent or refractory B-cell hematologic malignancies. However, CAR-T-cell therapy has not yet achieved comparable success in the management of aggressive T-cell malignancies. This article reviews the challenges of CAR-T-cell therapy in treating T-cell malignancies and summarizes the progress of preclinical and clinical studies in this area. We present an analysis of clinical trials of CAR-T-cell therapies for the treatment of T-cell malignancies grouped by target antigen classification. Moreover, this review focuses on the major challenges encountered by CAR-T-cell therapies, including the nonspecific killing due to T-cell target antigen sharing and contamination with cell products during preparation. This review discusses strategies to overcome these challenges, presenting novel therapeutic approaches that could enhance the efficacy and applicability of CAR-T-cell therapy in the treatment of T-cell malignancies. These ideas and strategies provide important information for future studies to promote the further development and application of CAR-T-cell therapy in this field.

Predicting the mechanism of action of YQYYJD prescription in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer using transcriptomics analysis

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

The efficacy of the herbal formula Yiqi Yangyin Jiedu (YQYYJD) in the treatment of advanced lung cancer has been reported in clinical trials. However, the key anti-lung cancer herbs and molecular mechanisms underlying its inhibition of lung cancer are not well-understood.

AIM OF THE STUDY

To identify the key anti-lung cancer herbs in the YQYYJD formula and investigate their therapeutic effect and potential mechanism of action in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) using transcriptomics and bioinformatics techniques.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A mouse Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) subcutaneous inhibitory tumor model was established with 6 mice in each group. Mice were treated with the YQYYJD split formula: Yiqi Formula (YQ), Yangyin Formula (YY), and Ruanjian Jiedu Formula (RJJD) for 14 days. The tumor volume and mouse weight were recorded, and the status of tumor occurrence was further observed by taking photos. The tumor was stained with hematoxylin-eosin to observe its histopathological changes. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of the proliferation marker Ki67 and the apoptotic marker Caspase-3 in tumor tissues. Flow cytometry was used to detect the number of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and cytokines interleukin-2 (IL-2) and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) in the spleen and tumor tissues. The differential genes of key drugs against tumors were obtained by transcriptome sequencing of tumors. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Gene and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses were performed on differential genes to obtain pathways and biological processes where targets were aggregated. TIMER2.0 and TISIDB databases were used to evaluate the impact of drugs on immune cell infiltration and immune-related genes. The binding activity of the key targets and compounds was verified by molecular docking.

RESULTS

YQ, YY, and RJJD inhibited the growth of subcutaneous transplanted tumors in LLC mice to varying degrees and achieved antitumor effects by inhibiting the expression of tumor cell proliferation, apoptosis, and metastasis-related proteins. Among the three disassembled prescriptions, YQ better inhibited the growth of subcutaneous transplanted tumors in LLC mice, significantly promoted tumor necrosis, significantly increased the expression of Caspase-3 protein in tumor tissue, and significantly decreased the expression of Ki-67 (P < 0.05), thereby increasing the infiltration of CD8+ T cells. YQ significantly increased the expression of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in tumor and splenic tissues of tumor-bearing mice and up-regulated the expression of IL-2 and IFN-γ. Transcriptome sequencing and bioinformatics results showed that after YQ intervention, differentially expressed genes were enriched in more than one tumor-related pathway and multiple immune regulation-related biological functions. There were 12 key immune-related target genes.

CONCLUSION

YQ was the key disassembled prescription of YQYYJD, exerting significant antitumor effects and immune regulation effects on NSCLC. It may have relieved T cell exhaustion and regulated the immune microenvironment to exert antitumor effects by changing lung cancer-related targets, pathways, and biological processes.

Antibody-Drug Conjugate Made of Zoledronic Acid and the Anti-CD30 Brentuximab-Vedotin Exert Anti-Lymphoma and Immunostimulating Effects

Relevant advances have been made in the management of relapsed/refractory (r/r) Hodgkin Lymphomas (HL) with the use of the anti-CD30 antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) brentuximab-vedotin (Bre-Ved). Unfortunately, most patients eventually progress despite the excellent response rates and tolerability. In this report, we describe an ADC composed of the aminobisphosphonate zoledronic acid (ZA) conjugated to Bre-Ved by binding the free amino groups of this antibody with the phosphoric group of ZA. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry, and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-mass spectrometry analyses confirmed the covalent linkage between the antibody and ZA. The novel ADC has been tested for its reactivity with the HL/CD30+ lymphoblastoid cell lines (KMH2, L428, L540, HS445, and RPMI6666), showing a better titration than native Bre-Ved. Once the HL-cells are entered, the ADC co-localizes with the lysosomal LAMP1 in the intracellular vesicles. Also, this ADC exerted a stronger anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic (about one log fold) effect on HL-cell proliferation compared to the native antibody Bre-Ved. Eventually, Bre-Ved-ZA ADC, in contrast with the native antibody, can trigger the proliferation and activation of cytolytic activity of effector-memory Vδ2 T-lymphocytes against HL-cell lines. These findings may support the potential use of this ADC in the management of r/r HL.

The synergistic immunotherapeutic impact of engineered CAR-T cells with PD-1 blockade in lymphomas and solid tumors: a systematic review

Currently, therapies such as chimeric antigen receptor-T Cell (CAR-T) and immune checkpoint inhibitors like programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) blockers are showing promising results for numerous cancer patients. However, significant advancements are required before CAR-T therapies become readily available as off-the-shelf treatments, particularly for solid tumors and lymphomas. In this review, we have systematically analyzed the combination therapy involving engineered CAR-T cells and anti PD-1 agents. This approach aims at overcoming the limitations of current treatments and offers potential advantages such as enhanced tumor inhibition, alleviated T-cell exhaustion, heightened T-cell activation, and minimized toxicity. The integration of CAR-T therapy, which targets tumor-associated antigens, with PD-1 blockade augments T-cell function and mitigates immune suppression within the tumor microenvironment. To assess the impact of combination therapy on various tumors and lymphomas, we categorized them based on six major tumor-associated antigens: mesothelin, disialoganglioside GD-2, CD-19, CD-22, CD-133, and CD-30, which are present in different tumor types. We evaluated the efficacy, complete and partial responses, and progression-free survival in both pre-clinical and clinical models. Additionally, we discussed potential implications, including the feasibility of combination immunotherapies, emphasizing the importance of ongoing research to optimize treatment strategies and improve outcomes for cancer patients. Overall, we believe combining CAR-T therapy with PD-1 blockade holds promise for the next generation of cancer immunotherapy.

Circulating soluble CD30 is associated with renal tertiary lymphoid structures and the progression of IgA nephropathy

BACKGROUND

Renal tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs) are involved in renal pathology and prognosis of IgA nephropathy (IgAN). CD30 and its ligands participate in the formation of renal TLSs. However, the relationship between circulating CD30 and renal prognosis is unclear. The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between circulating CD30 and prognosis in patients with IgAN.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective study including 351 patients with biopsy proved IgAN. We collected clinical and pathologic features at the time of biopsy and recorded renal follow-up outcomes. Circulating CD30 levels in IgAN patients at the time of biopsy were measured via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The association between elevated CD30 levels and the composite endpoint (defined as a ≥ 50 % decline in eGFR from baseline, end-stage renal disease, or death) was investigated using Cox regression analysis.

RESULTS

During a median follow-up period of 5.12 years, 44 (12.5 %) patients in the cohort reached the composite endpoint. Kaplan-Meier survival curve analysis revealed a significant association between higher circulating CD30 levels and a poorer renal prognosis (log-rank P < 0.001). Cox regression analysis showed that high CD30 was an independent factor for the composite endpoints in multivariable-adjusted models (HR 3.397, 95 % CI: 1.230-9.384, P = 0.018). These associations were also observed in a subgroup of patients with concomitant renal TLSs formation (10.443, 95 % CI: 1.680-65.545, P = 0.012), proteinuria > 1 g/d (HR 12.287, 95 % CI: 1.499-100.711, P = 0.019), and female patients (HR 22.372, 95 % CI: 1.797-278.520, P = 0.016).

CONCLUSION

Elevated level of circulating CD30 is an independent risk factor for renal disease progression in patients with IgAN.

Mechanism of action and therapeutic targeting of CD30 molecule in lymphomas

At present, the treatment of lymphoma has entered the era of precision medicine, and CD30, as a transmembrane protein, has become an important marker to help the diagnosis and formulation of treatment plans for lymphomas. This protein is widely expressed in various types of lymphomas and can play a role through nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), and other pathways, and ultimately lead to the up-regulation of CD30 expression to give tumor cells a survival advantage. Brentuximab vedotin (BV), as an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) targeting CD30, is one of the first new drugs to significantly improve survival in patients with CD30+lymphomas. However, the biological function of CD30 has not been fully elucidated. Therefore, this review highlights the CD30-mediated tumor-promoting mechanisms and the molecular factors that regulate CD30 expression. We hope that a better understanding of CD30 biology will provide new insights into clinical treatment and improve the survival and quality of life of lymphoma patients.