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Johanns TM, Garfinkle EA, Miller KE, Livingstone AJ, Roberts KF, Rao Venkata LP, Dowling JL, Chicoine MR, Dacey RG, Zipfel GJ, Kim AH, Mardis ER, Dunn GP. Integrating Multisector Molecular Characterization into Personalized Peptide Vaccine Design for Patients with Newly Diagnosed Glioblastoma. Clin Cancer Res 2024; 30:2729-2742. [PMID: 38639919 PMCID: PMC11215407 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-23-3077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2023] [Revised: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE Outcomes for patients with glioblastoma (GBM) remain poor despite multimodality treatment with surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. There are few immunotherapy options due to the lack of tumor immunogenicity. Several clinical trials have reported promising results with cancer vaccines. To date, studies have used data from a single tumor site to identify targetable antigens, but this approach limits the antigen pool and is antithetical to the heterogeneity of GBM. We have implemented multisector sequencing to increase the pool of neoantigens across the GBM genomic landscape that can be incorporated into personalized peptide vaccines called NeoVax. PATIENTS AND METHODS In this study, we report the findings of four patients enrolled onto the NeoVax clinical trial (NCT0342209). RESULTS Immune reactivity to NeoVax neoantigens was assessed in peripheral blood mononuclear cells pre- and post-NeoVax for patients 1 to 3 using IFNγ-ELISPOT assay. A statistically significant increase in IFNγ producing T cells at the post-NeoVax time point for several neoantigens was observed. Furthermore, a post-NeoVax tumor biopsy was obtained from patient 3 and, upon evaluation, revealed evidence of infiltrating, clonally expanded T cells. CONCLUSIONS Collectively, our findings suggest that NeoVax stimulated the expansion of neoantigen-specific effector T cells and provide encouraging results to aid in the development of future neoantigen vaccine-based clinical trials in patients with GBM. Herein, we demonstrate the feasibility of incorporating multisector sampling in cancer vaccine design and provide information on the clinical applicability of clonality, distribution, and immunogenicity of the neoantigen landscape in patients with GBM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanner M. Johanns
- Division of Medical Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri.
- Andrew M. and Jane M. Bursky Center for Human Immunology and Immunotherapy Programs, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri.
- The Brain Tumor Center at Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri.
| | - Elizabeth A.R. Garfinkle
- The Steve and Cindy Rasmussen Institute for Genomic Medicine, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, Ohio.
| | - Katherine E. Miller
- The Steve and Cindy Rasmussen Institute for Genomic Medicine, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, Ohio.
| | | | - Kaleigh F. Roberts
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri.
| | - Lakshmi P. Rao Venkata
- The Steve and Cindy Rasmussen Institute for Genomic Medicine, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, Ohio.
| | - Joshua L. Dowling
- The Brain Tumor Center at Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri.
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri.
| | - Michael R. Chicoine
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Missouri in Columbia, Columbia, Missouri.
| | - Ralph G. Dacey
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri.
| | - Gregory J. Zipfel
- The Brain Tumor Center at Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri.
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri.
| | - Albert H. Kim
- The Brain Tumor Center at Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri.
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri.
| | - Elaine R. Mardis
- The Steve and Cindy Rasmussen Institute for Genomic Medicine, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, Ohio.
- Department of Pediatrics, Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, Ohio.
| | - Gavin P. Dunn
- Department of Neurosurgery, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
- Brain Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy Program, Department of Neurosurgery, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
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Chellen T, Bausart M, Maus P, Vanvarenberg K, Limaye N, Préat V, Malfanti A. In situ administration of STING-activating hyaluronic acid conjugate primes anti-glioblastoma immune response. Mater Today Bio 2024; 26:101057. [PMID: 38660475 PMCID: PMC11040137 DOI: 10.1016/j.mtbio.2024.101057] [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: 02/07/2024] [Revised: 04/04/2024] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma (GBM) is an aggressive brain tumor, with a highly immunosuppressive tumor immune microenvironment (TIME). In this work, we investigated the use of the STimulator of INterferon Genes (STING) pathway as an effective means to remodel the GBM TIME through the recruitment of both innate and adaptive immune cell populations. Using hyaluronic acid (HA), we developed a novel polymer-drug conjugate of a non-nucleotide STING agonist (MSA2), called HA-MSA2 for the in situ treatment of GBM. In JAWSII cells, HA-MSA2 exerted a greater increase of STING signaling and upregulation of STING-related downstream cyto-/chemokines in immune cells than the free drug. HA-MSA2 also elicited cancer cell-intrinsic immunostimulatory gene expression and promoted immunogenic cell death of GBM cells. In the SB28 GBM model, local delivery of HA-MSA2 induced a delay in tumor growth and a significant extension of survival. The analysis of the TIME showed a profound shift in the GBM immune landscape after HA-MSA2 treatment, with higher infiltration by innate and adaptive immune cells including dendritic, natural killer (NK) and CD8 T cell populations. The therapeutic potential of this novel polymer conjugate warrants further investigation, particularly with other chemo-immunotherapeutics or cancer vaccines as a promising combinatorial therapeutic approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teenesha Chellen
- UCLouvain, Louvain Drug Research Institute, Advanced Drug Delivery and Biomaterials, Avenue Mounier 73 B1.73.12, 1200, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Mathilde Bausart
- UCLouvain, Louvain Drug Research Institute, Advanced Drug Delivery and Biomaterials, Avenue Mounier 73 B1.73.12, 1200, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Pierre Maus
- UCLouvain, de Duve Institute, Genetics of Autoimmune Diseases and Cancer, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Kevin Vanvarenberg
- UCLouvain, Louvain Drug Research Institute, Advanced Drug Delivery and Biomaterials, Avenue Mounier 73 B1.73.12, 1200, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Nisha Limaye
- UCLouvain, de Duve Institute, Genetics of Autoimmune Diseases and Cancer, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Véronique Préat
- UCLouvain, Louvain Drug Research Institute, Advanced Drug Delivery and Biomaterials, Avenue Mounier 73 B1.73.12, 1200, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Alessio Malfanti
- UCLouvain, Louvain Drug Research Institute, Advanced Drug Delivery and Biomaterials, Avenue Mounier 73 B1.73.12, 1200, Brussels, Belgium
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, University of Padova, Via F. Marzolo 5, 35131 Padova, Italy
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3
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Abdel-Rahman SA, Gabr M. Small Molecule Immunomodulators as Next-Generation Therapeutics for Glioblastoma. Cancers (Basel) 2024; 16:435. [PMID: 38275876 PMCID: PMC10814352 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16020435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2023] [Revised: 01/14/2024] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma (GBM), the most aggressive astrocytic glioma, remains a therapeutic challenge despite multimodal approaches. Immunotherapy holds promise, but its efficacy is hindered by the highly immunosuppressive GBM microenvironment. This review underscores the urgent need to comprehend the intricate interactions between glioma and immune cells, shaping the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) in GBM. Immunotherapeutic advancements have shown limited success, prompting exploration of immunomodulatory approaches targeting tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and microglia, constituting a substantial portion of the GBM TME. Converting protumor M2-like TAMs to antitumor M1-like phenotypes emerges as a potential therapeutic strategy for GBM. The blood-brain barrier (BBB) poses an additional challenge to successful immunotherapy, restricting drug delivery to GBM TME. Research efforts to enhance BBB permeability have mainly focused on small molecules, which can traverse the BBB more effectively than biologics. Despite over 200 clinical trials for GBM, studies on small molecule immunomodulators within the GBM TME are scarce. Developing small molecules with optimal brain penetration and selectivity against immunomodulatory pathways presents a promising avenue for combination therapies in GBM. This comprehensive review discusses various immunomodulatory pathways in GBM progression with a focus on immune checkpoints and TAM-related targets. The exploration of such molecules, with the capacity to selectively target key immunomodulatory pathways and penetrate the BBB, holds the key to unlocking new combination therapy approaches for GBM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Somaya A. Abdel-Rahman
- Department of Radiology, Molecular Imaging Innovations Institute (MI3), Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mansoura University, Mansoura 35516, Egypt
| | - Moustafa Gabr
- Department of Radiology, Molecular Imaging Innovations Institute (MI3), Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA
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Wang M, Bergès R, Malfanti A, Préat V, Bastiancich C. Local delivery of doxorubicin prodrug via lipid nanocapsule-based hydrogel for the treatment of glioblastoma. Drug Deliv Transl Res 2023:10.1007/s13346-023-01456-y. [PMID: 37889402 DOI: 10.1007/s13346-023-01456-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
Glioblastoma (GBM) recurrences appear in most cases around the resection cavity borders and arise from residual GBM cells that cannot be removed by surgery. Here, we propose a novel treatment that combines the advantages of nanomedicine and local drug delivery to target these infiltrating GBM cells. We developed an injectable lipid nanocapsule (LNC)-based formulation loaded with lauroyl-doxorubicin prodrug (DOXC12). Firstly, we demonstrated the efficacy of intratumoral administration of DOXC12 in GL261 GBM-bearing mice, which extended mouse survival. Then, we formulated an injectable hydrogel by mixing the appropriate amount of prodrug with the lipophilic components of LNC. We optimized the hydrogel by incorporating cytidine-C16 (CytC16) to achieve a mechanical stiffness adapted for an application in the brain post-surgery (DOXC12-LNCCL). DOXC12-LNCCL exhibited high DOXC12 encapsulation efficiency (95%) and a size of approximately 60 nm with sustained drug release for over 1 month in vitro. DOXC12-LNCCL exhibited enhanced cytotoxicity compared to free DOXC12 (IC50 of 349 and 86 nM, respectively) on GL261 GBM cells and prevented the growth of GL261 spheroids cultured on organotypic brain slices. In vivo, post-surgical treatment with DOXC12-LNCCL significantly improved the survival of GL261-bearing mice. The combination of this local treatment with the systemic administration of anti-inflammatory drug ibuprofen further delayed the onset of recurrences. In conclusion, our study presents a promising therapeutic approach for the treatment of GBM. By targeting residual GBM cells and reducing the inflammation post-surgery, we present a new strategy to delay the onset of recurrences in the gap period between surgery and standard of care therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingchao Wang
- UCLouvain, Louvain Drug Research Institute, Advanced Drug Delivery and Biomaterials, Avenue Mounier 73, 1200, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Raphaël Bergès
- Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, INP, Inst Neurophysiopathol, 27 Boulevard Jean Moulin, Marseille, 13005, France
| | - Alessio Malfanti
- UCLouvain, Louvain Drug Research Institute, Advanced Drug Delivery and Biomaterials, Avenue Mounier 73, 1200, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Véronique Préat
- UCLouvain, Louvain Drug Research Institute, Advanced Drug Delivery and Biomaterials, Avenue Mounier 73, 1200, Brussels, Belgium.
| | - Chiara Bastiancich
- UCLouvain, Louvain Drug Research Institute, Advanced Drug Delivery and Biomaterials, Avenue Mounier 73, 1200, Brussels, Belgium.
- Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, INP, Inst Neurophysiopathol, 27 Boulevard Jean Moulin, Marseille, 13005, France.
- Department of Drug Science and Technology, University of Turin, Via Pietro Giuria 9, Turin, 10125, Italy.
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Kamensek U, Cemazar M, Kranjc Brezar S, Jesenko T, Kos S, Znidar K, Markelc B, Modic Z, Komel T, Gorse T, Rebersek E, Jakopic H, Sersa G. What We Learned about the Feasibility of Gene Electrotransfer for Vaccination on a Model of COVID-19 Vaccine. Pharmaceutics 2023; 15:1981. [PMID: 37514166 PMCID: PMC10385748 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15071981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2023] [Revised: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
DNA vaccination is one of the emerging approaches for a wide range of applications, including prophylactic vaccination against infectious diseases and therapeutic vaccination against cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of our previously optimized protocols for gene electrotransfer (GET)-mediated delivery of plasmid DNA into skin and muscle tissues on a model of COVID-19 vaccine. Plasmids encoding the SARS-CoV-2 proteins spike (S) and nucleocapsid (N) were used as the antigen source, and a plasmid encoding interleukin 12 (IL-12) was used as an adjuvant. Vaccination was performed in the skin or muscle tissue of C57BL/6J mice on days 0 and 14 (boost). Two weeks after the boost, blood, spleen, and transfected tissues were collected to determine the expression of S, N, IL-12, serum interferon-γ, the induction of antigen-specific IgG antibodies, and cytotoxic T-cells. In accordance with prior in vitro experiments that indicated problems with proper expression of the S protein, vaccination with S did not induce S-specific antibodies, whereas significant induction of N-specific antibodies was detected after vaccination with N. Intramuscular vaccination outperformed skin vaccination and resulted in significant induction of humoral and cell-mediated immunity. Moreover, both boost and adjuvant were found to be redundant for the induction of an immune response. Overall, the study confirmed the feasibility of the GET for DNA vaccination and provided valuable insights into this approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Urska Kamensek
- Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, Zaloska Cesta 2, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Jamnikarjeva Ulica 101, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Maja Cemazar
- Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, Zaloska Cesta 2, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Primorska, Polje 42, SI-6310 Izola, Slovenia
| | | | - Tanja Jesenko
- Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, Zaloska Cesta 2, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Vrazov Trg 2, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Spela Kos
- Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, Zaloska Cesta 2, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Katarina Znidar
- Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, Zaloska Cesta 2, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Bostjan Markelc
- Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, Zaloska Cesta 2, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ljubljana, Zdravstvena Pot 5, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Ziva Modic
- Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, Zaloska Cesta 2, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Vrazov Trg 2, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Tilen Komel
- Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, Zaloska Cesta 2, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Vrazov Trg 2, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Tim Gorse
- Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Jamnikarjeva Ulica 101, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Eva Rebersek
- Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Jamnikarjeva Ulica 101, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Helena Jakopic
- Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Jamnikarjeva Ulica 101, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Gregor Sersa
- Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, Zaloska Cesta 2, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ljubljana, Zdravstvena Pot 5, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
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Bausart M, Rodella G, Dumont M, Ucakar B, Vanvarenberg K, Malfanti A, Préat V. Combination of local immunogenic cell death-inducing chemotherapy and DNA vaccine increases the survival of glioblastoma-bearing mice. NANOMEDICINE : NANOTECHNOLOGY, BIOLOGY, AND MEDICINE 2023; 50:102681. [PMID: 37105343 DOI: 10.1016/j.nano.2023.102681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2022] [Revised: 03/22/2023] [Accepted: 04/13/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023]
Abstract
Immunotherapy efficacy as monotherapy is negligible for glioblastoma (GBM). We hypothesized that combining therapeutic vaccination using a plasmid encoding an epitope derived from GBM-associated antigen (pTOP) with local delivery of immunogenic chemotherapy using mitoxantrone-loaded PEGylated PLGA-based nanoparticles (NP-MTX) would improve the survival of GBM-bearing mice by stimulating an antitumor immune response. We first proved that MTX retained its ability to induce cytotoxicity and immunogenic cell death of GBM cells after encapsulation. Intratumoral delivery of MTX or NP-MTX increased the frequency of IFN-γ-secreting CD8 T cells. NP-MTX mixed with free MTX in combination with pTOP DNA vaccine increased the median survival of GL261-bearing mice and increased M1-like macrophages in the brain. The addition of CpG to this combination abolished the survival benefit but led to increased M1 to M2 macrophage ratio and IFN-γ-secreting CD4 T cell frequency. These results highlight the benefits of combination strategies to potentiate immunotherapy and improve GBM outcome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathilde Bausart
- UCLouvain, Louvain Drug Research Institute, Advanced Drug Delivery and Biomaterials, 1200 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Giulia Rodella
- UCLouvain, Louvain Drug Research Institute, Advanced Drug Delivery and Biomaterials, 1200 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Mathilde Dumont
- UCLouvain, Louvain Drug Research Institute, Advanced Drug Delivery and Biomaterials, 1200 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Bernard Ucakar
- UCLouvain, Louvain Drug Research Institute, Advanced Drug Delivery and Biomaterials, 1200 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Kevin Vanvarenberg
- UCLouvain, Louvain Drug Research Institute, Advanced Drug Delivery and Biomaterials, 1200 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Alessio Malfanti
- UCLouvain, Louvain Drug Research Institute, Advanced Drug Delivery and Biomaterials, 1200 Brussels, Belgium.
| | - Véronique Préat
- UCLouvain, Louvain Drug Research Institute, Advanced Drug Delivery and Biomaterials, 1200 Brussels, Belgium.
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Bausart M, Bozzato E, Joudiou N, Koutsoumpou X, Manshian B, Préat V, Gallez B. Mismatch between Bioluminescence Imaging (BLI) and MRI When Evaluating Glioblastoma Growth: Lessons from a Study Where BLI Suggested "Regression" while MRI Showed "Progression". Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:cancers15061919. [PMID: 36980804 PMCID: PMC10047859 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15061919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2022] [Revised: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Orthotopic glioblastoma xenografts are paramount for evaluating the effect of innovative anti-cancer treatments. In longitudinal studies, tumor growth (or regression) of glioblastoma can only be monitored by noninvasive imaging. For this purpose, bioluminescence imaging (BLI) has gained popularity because of its low cost and easy access. In the context of the development of new nanomedicines for treating glioblastoma, we were using luciferase-expressing GL261 cell lines. Incidentally, using BLI in a specific GL261 glioblastoma model with cells expressing both luciferase and the green fluorescent protein (GL261-luc-GFP), we observed an apparent spontaneous regression. By contrast, the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) analysis revealed that the tumors were actually growing over time. For other models (GL261 expressing only luciferase and U87 expressing both luciferase and GFP), data from BLI and MRI correlated well. We found that the divergence in results coming from different imaging modalities was not due to the tumor localization nor the penetration depth of light but was rather linked to the instability in luciferase expression in the viral construct used for the GL261-luc-GFP model. In conclusion, the use of multi-modality imaging prevents possible errors in tumor growth evaluation, and checking the stability of luciferase expression is mandatory when using BLI as the sole imaging modality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathilde Bausart
- Advanced Drug Delivery and Biomaterials (ADDB) Research Group, Louvain Drug Research Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain), 1200 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Elia Bozzato
- Advanced Drug Delivery and Biomaterials (ADDB) Research Group, Louvain Drug Research Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain), 1200 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Nicolas Joudiou
- Nuclear and Electron Spin Technologies (NEST) Platform, Louvain Drug Research Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain), 1200 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Xanthippi Koutsoumpou
- Department of Imaging and Pathology, Translational Cell and Tissue Research Unit, Katholiek Universiteit Leuven (KULeuven), 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Bella Manshian
- Department of Imaging and Pathology, Translational Cell and Tissue Research Unit, Katholiek Universiteit Leuven (KULeuven), 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Véronique Préat
- Advanced Drug Delivery and Biomaterials (ADDB) Research Group, Louvain Drug Research Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain), 1200 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Bernard Gallez
- Biomedical Magnetic Resonance (REMA) Research Group, Louvain Drug Research Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain), 1200 Brussels, Belgium
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Catania G, Rodella G, Vanvarenberg K, Préat V, Malfanti A. Combination of hyaluronic acid conjugates with immunogenic cell death inducer and CpG for glioblastoma local chemo-immunotherapy elicits an immune response and induces long-term survival. Biomaterials 2023; 294:122006. [PMID: 36701998 DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2023.122006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2022] [Revised: 12/30/2022] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
The efficacy of standard glioblastoma (GBM) treatments has been limited due to the highly immunosuppressive tumor immune microenvironment, interpatient tumor heterogenicity and anatomical barriers, such as the blood brain barrier. In the present work, we hypothesized that a new local therapy based on the combination of doxorubicin (DOX) as an immunogenic cell death (ICD) inducer and CpG, a Toll-like receptor (TLR)-9 agonist, would act synergistically to eradicate GBM. DOX and CpG were first tested in an orthotopic GL261 GBM model showing enhanced survival. To improve the outcome with a reduced dose, we designed bioresponsive hyaluronic acid (HA)-drug conjugates for effective in situ chemoimmunotherapy. HA was derivatized with CpG. The new HA-CpG conjugate showed high efficacy in re-educating protumoral M2-like microglia into an antitumoral M1-like phenotype, inducing the expression of immune-stimulatory cytokines. DOX was also conjugated to HA. DOX conjugation increased ICD induction in GL261 cells. Finally, a combination of the conjugates was explored in an orthotopic GL261 GBM model. The local delivery of combined HA-DOX + HA-CpG into the tumor mass elicited antitumor CD8+ T cell responses in the brain tumor microenvironment and reduced the infiltration of M2-like tumor-associated macrophages and myeloid-derived suppressor cells. Importantly, the combination of HA-DOX and HA-CpG induced long-term survival in >66% of GBM-bearing animals than other treatments (no long-term survivor observed), demonstrating the benefits of conjugating synergistic drugs to HA nanocarrier. These results emphasize that HA-drug conjugates constitute an effective drug delivery platform for local chemoimmunotherapy against GBM and open new perspectives for the treatment of other brain cancers and brain metastasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppina Catania
- UCLouvain, Louvain Drug Research Institute, Advanced Drug Delivery and Biomaterials, Avenue Mounier 73 B1.73.12, 1200, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Giulia Rodella
- UCLouvain, Louvain Drug Research Institute, Advanced Drug Delivery and Biomaterials, Avenue Mounier 73 B1.73.12, 1200, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Kevin Vanvarenberg
- UCLouvain, Louvain Drug Research Institute, Advanced Drug Delivery and Biomaterials, Avenue Mounier 73 B1.73.12, 1200, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Véronique Préat
- UCLouvain, Louvain Drug Research Institute, Advanced Drug Delivery and Biomaterials, Avenue Mounier 73 B1.73.12, 1200, Brussels, Belgium.
| | - Alessio Malfanti
- UCLouvain, Louvain Drug Research Institute, Advanced Drug Delivery and Biomaterials, Avenue Mounier 73 B1.73.12, 1200, Brussels, Belgium.
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9
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Liu X, Yang Y, Zheng X, Liu M, Wang G. Enhancedanti-tumor efficacy through a combination of intramuscularly expressed DNA vaccine and plasmid-encoded PD-1 antibody. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1169850. [PMID: 37138873 PMCID: PMC10150030 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1169850] [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: 02/20/2023] [Accepted: 03/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Immune check inhibitors (ICIs) have moderate response rates (~20%-30%) in some malignancies clinically, and, when used in combination with other immunotherapeutic strategies such as DNA tumor vaccines, there is evidence to suggest that they could optimize the efficacy of cancer treatment. In this study, we validated that intramuscular injection of plasmid DNA (pDNA) encoding OVA combined with pDNA encoding α-PD-1 (abbreviated as α-PD-1 in the following treatment groups) may enhance therapeutic efficacy by means of in situ gene delivery and enhanced muscle-specific potent promoter. Mice treated with pDNA-OVA or pDNA-α-PD-1 alone showed weak tumor inhibition in the MC38-OVA-bearing model. In comparison, the combined treatment of pDNA-OVA and pDNA-α-PD-1 resulted in superior tumor growth inhibition and a significantly improved survival rate of over 60% on day 45. In the B16-F10-OVA metastasis model, the addition of the DNA vaccine enhanced resistance to tumor metastasis and increased the populations of CD8+ T cells in blood and spleen. In conclusion, the current research shows that a combination of pDNA-encoded PD-1 antibody and DNA vaccine expressed in vivo is an efficient, safe, and economical strategy for tumor therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xun Liu
- National Engineering Research Center for Biomaterials, College of Biomedical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Yueyao Yang
- National Engineering Research Center for Biomaterials, College of Biomedical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Xiufeng Zheng
- Department of Medical Oncology/Gastric Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Ming Liu
- Department of Medical Oncology/Gastric Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
- *Correspondence: Gang Wang, ; Ming Liu,
| | - Gang Wang
- National Engineering Research Center for Biomaterials, College of Biomedical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
- *Correspondence: Gang Wang, ; Ming Liu,
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Martínez-Puente DH, Pérez-Trujillo JJ, Zavala-Flores LM, García-García A, Villanueva-Olivo A, Rodríguez-Rocha H, Valdés J, Saucedo-Cárdenas O, Montes de Oca-Luna R, Loera-Arias MDJ. Plasmid DNA for Therapeutic Applications in Cancer. Pharmaceutics 2022; 14:pharmaceutics14091861. [PMID: 36145609 PMCID: PMC9503848 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14091861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2022] [Revised: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Recently, the interest in using nucleic acids for therapeutic applications has been increasing. DNA molecules can be manipulated to express a gene of interest for gene therapy applications or vaccine development. Plasmid DNA can be developed to treat different diseases, such as infections and cancer. In most cancers, the immune system is limited or suppressed, allowing cancer cells to grow. DNA vaccination has demonstrated its capacity to stimulate the immune system to fight against cancer cells. Furthermore, plasmids for cancer gene therapy can direct the expression of proteins with different functions, such as enzymes, toxins, and cytotoxic or proapoptotic proteins, to directly kill cancer cells. The progress and promising results reported in animal models in recent years have led to interesting clinical results. These DNA strategies are expected to be approved for cancer treatment in the near future. This review discusses the main strategies, challenges, and future perspectives of using plasmid DNA for cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - José Juan Pérez-Trujillo
- Histology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon (UANL), Monterrey 64460, Mexico
| | - Laura Mireya Zavala-Flores
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Northeast Biomedical Research Center (CIBIN) of IMSS, Nuevo Leon Delegation, Monterrey 64720, Mexico
| | - Aracely García-García
- Histology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon (UANL), Monterrey 64460, Mexico
| | - Arnulfo Villanueva-Olivo
- Histology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon (UANL), Monterrey 64460, Mexico
| | - Humberto Rodríguez-Rocha
- Histology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon (UANL), Monterrey 64460, Mexico
| | - Jesús Valdés
- Departamento de Bioquímica, CINVESTAV-México, Av. IPN 2508, Colonia San Pedro Zacatenco, Mexico City 07360, Mexico
| | - Odila Saucedo-Cárdenas
- Histology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon (UANL), Monterrey 64460, Mexico
| | - Roberto Montes de Oca-Luna
- Histology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon (UANL), Monterrey 64460, Mexico
- Correspondence: (R.M.d.O.-L.); (M.d.J.L.-A.); Tel.: +52-81-8329-4195 (R.M.d.O.-L. & M.d.J.L.-A.)
| | - María de Jesús Loera-Arias
- Histology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon (UANL), Monterrey 64460, Mexico
- Correspondence: (R.M.d.O.-L.); (M.d.J.L.-A.); Tel.: +52-81-8329-4195 (R.M.d.O.-L. & M.d.J.L.-A.)
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