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Eertink JJ, Bahce I, Waterton JC, Huisman MC, Boellaard R, Wunder A, Thiele A, Menke-van der Houven van Oordt CW. The development process of 'fit-for-purpose' imaging biomarkers to characterize the tumor microenvironment. Front Med (Lausanne) 2024; 11:1347267. [PMID: 38818386 PMCID: PMC11138661 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2024.1347267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Immune-based treatment approaches are successfully used for the treatment of patients with cancer. While such therapies can be highly effective, many patients fail to benefit. To provide optimal therapy choices and to predict treatment responses, reliable biomarkers for the assessment of immune features in patients with cancer are of significant importance. Biomarkers (BM) that enable a comprehensive and repeatable assessment of the tumor microenvironment (TME), the lymphoid system, and the dynamics induced by drug treatment can fill this gap. Medical imaging, notably positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), providing whole-body imaging BMs, might deliver such BMs. However, those imaging BMs must be well characterized as being 'fit for purpose' for the intended use. This review provides an overview of the key steps involved in the development of 'fit-for-purpose' imaging BMs applicable in drug development, with a specific focus on pharmacodynamic biomarkers for assessing the TME and its modulation by immunotherapy. The importance of the qualification of imaging BMs according to their context of use (COU) as defined by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and National Institutes of Health Biomarkers, EndpointS, and other Tools (BEST) glossary is highlighted. We elaborate on how an imaging BM qualification for a specific COU can be achieved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jakoba J. Eertink
- Department of Medical Oncology, Amsterdam UMC Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Imaging and Biomarkers, Cancer Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Idris Bahce
- Imaging and Biomarkers, Cancer Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Amsterdam UMC Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - John C. Waterton
- Centre for Imaging Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Marc C. Huisman
- Imaging and Biomarkers, Cancer Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Amsterdam UMC Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Ronald Boellaard
- Imaging and Biomarkers, Cancer Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Amsterdam UMC Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Andreas Wunder
- Department of Translational Medicine and Clinical Pharmacology, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Biberach and der Riss, Germany
| | - Andrea Thiele
- Department of Translational Medicine and Clinical Pharmacology, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Biberach and der Riss, Germany
| | - Catharina W. Menke-van der Houven van Oordt
- Department of Medical Oncology, Amsterdam UMC Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Imaging and Biomarkers, Cancer Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
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Gallegos CA, Lu Y, Clements JC, Song PN, Lynch SE, Mascioni A, Jia F, Hartman YE, Massicano AVF, Houson HA, Lapi SE, Warram JM, Markert JM, Sorace AG. [ 89Zr]-CD8 ImmunoPET imaging of glioblastoma multiforme response to combination oncolytic viral and checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy reveals CD8 infiltration differential changes in preclinical models. Theranostics 2024; 14:911-923. [PMID: 38250045 PMCID: PMC10797292 DOI: 10.7150/thno.89206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Rationale: Novel immune-activating therapeutics for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) have shown potential for tumor regression and increased survival over standard therapies. However, immunotherapy efficacy remains inconsistent with response assessment being complicated by early treatment-induced apparent radiological tumor progression and slow downstream effects. This inability to determine early immunotherapeutic benefit results in a drastically decreased window for alternative, and potentially more effective, treatment options. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effects of combination immunotherapy on early CD8+ cell infiltration and its association with long term response in orthotopic syngeneic glioblastoma models. Methods: Luciferase positive GBM orthotopic mouse models (GSC005-luc) were imaged via [89Zr]-CD8 positron emission tomography (PET) one week following treatment with saline, anti-PD1, M002 oncolytic herpes simplex virus (oHSV) or combination immunotherapy. Subsequently, brains were excised, imaged via [89Zr]-CD8 ImmunoPET and evaluated though autoradiography and histology for H&E and CD8 immunohistochemistry. Longitudinal immunotherapeutic effects were evaluated through [89Zr]-CD8 PET imaging one- and three-weeks following treatment, with changes in tumor volume monitored on a three-day basis via bioluminescence imaging (BLI). Response classification was then performed based on long-term BLI signal changes. Statistical analysis was performed between groups using one-way ANOVA and two-sided unpaired T-test, with p < 0.05 considered significant. Correlations between imaging and biological validation were assessed via Pearson's correlation test. Results: [89Zr]-CD8 PET standardized uptake value (SUV) quantification was correlated with ex vivo SUV quantification (r = 0.61, p < 0.01), autoradiography (r = 0.46, p < 0.01), and IHC tumor CD8+ cell density (r = 0.55, p < 0.01). Classification of therapeutic responders, via bioluminescence signal, revealed a more homogeneous CD8+ immune cell distribution in responders (p < 0.05) one-week following immunotherapy. Conclusions: Assessment of early CD8+ cell infiltration and distribution in the tumor microenvironment provides potential imaging metrics for the characterization of oHSV and checkpoint blockade immunotherapy response in GBM. The combination therapies showed enhanced efficacy compared to single agent immunotherapies. Further development of immune-focused imaging methods can provide clinically relevant metrics associated with immune cell localization that can inform immunotherapeutic efficacy and subsequent treatment response in GBM patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos A. Gallegos
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Yun Lu
- Department of Radiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
- Graduate Biomedical Sciences, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Jennifer C. Clements
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Patrick N. Song
- Department of Radiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
- Graduate Biomedical Sciences, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Shannon E. Lynch
- Department of Radiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
- Graduate Biomedical Sciences, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | | | - Fang Jia
- Imaginab, Inc, Inglewood, CA, USA
| | - Yolanda E. Hartman
- Department of Radiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | | | - Hailey A. Houson
- Department of Radiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Suzanne E. Lapi
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
- Department of Chemistry, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
- O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Jason M. Warram
- O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
- Department of Otolaryngology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - James M. Markert
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
- O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Anna G. Sorace
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
- Department of Radiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
- O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
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