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Zeven K, De Groof TW, Ceuppens H, Awad RM, Ertveldt T, de Mey W, Meeus F, Raes G, Breckpot K, Devoogdt N. Development and evaluation of nanobody tracers for noninvasive nuclear imaging of the immune-checkpoint TIGIT. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1268900. [PMID: 37799715 PMCID: PMC10548220 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1268900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction T cell Ig and ITIM domain receptor (TIGIT) is a next-generation immune checkpoint predominantly expressed on activated T cells and NK cells, exhibiting an unfavorable prognostic association with various malignancies. Despite the emergence of multiple TIGIT-blocking agents entering clinical trials, only a fraction of patients responded positively to anti-TIGIT therapy. Consequently, an urgent demand arises for noninvasive techniques to quantify and monitor TIGIT expression, facilitating patient stratification and enhancing therapeutic outcomes. Small antigen binding moieties such as nanobodies, are promising candidates for such tracer development. Methods We generated a panel of anti-human or anti-mouse TIGIT nanobodies from immunized llamas. In addition, we designed a single-chain variable fragment derived from the clinically tested monoclonal antibody Vibostolimab targeting TIGIT, and assessed its performance alongside the nanobodies. In vitro characterization studies were performed, including binding ability and affinity to cell expressed or recombinant TIGIT. After Technetium-99m labeling, the nanobodies and the single-chain variable fragment were evaluated in vivo for their ability to detect TIGIT expression using SPECT/CT imaging, followed by ex vivo biodistribution analysis. Results Nine nanobodies were selected for binding to recombinant and cell expressed TIGIT with low sub-nanomolar affinities and are thermostable. A six-fold higher uptake in TIGIT-overexpressing tumor was demonstrated one hour post- injection with Technetium-99m labeled nanobodies compared to an irrelevant control nanobody. Though the single-chain variable fragment exhibited superior binding to TIGIT-expressing peripheral blood mononuclear cells in vitro, its in vivo behavior yielded lower tumor-to-background ratios at one hour post- injection, indicating that nanobodies are better suited for in vivo imaging than the single-chain variable fragment. Despite the good affinity, high specificity and on-target uptake in mice in this setting, imaging of TIGIT expression on tumor- infiltrating lymphocytes within MC38 tumors remained elusive. This is likely due to the low expression levels of TIGIT in this model. Discussion The excellent affinity, high specificity and rapid on-target uptake in mice bearing TIGIT- overexpressing tumors showed the promising diagnostic potential of nanobodies to noninvasively image high TIGIT expression within the tumor. These findings hold promise for clinical translation to aid patient selection and improve therapy response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katty Zeven
- Laboratory of Molecular Imaging and Therapy (MITH), Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium
| | - Timo W.M. De Groof
- Laboratory of Molecular Imaging and Therapy (MITH), Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium
| | - Hannelore Ceuppens
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Therapy (LMCT), Department of Biomedical Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium
| | - Robin Maximilian Awad
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Therapy (LMCT), Department of Biomedical Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium
| | - Thomas Ertveldt
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Therapy (LMCT), Department of Biomedical Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium
| | - Wout de Mey
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Therapy (LMCT), Department of Biomedical Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium
| | - Fien Meeus
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Therapy (LMCT), Department of Biomedical Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium
| | - Geert Raes
- Laboratory for Cellular and Molecular Immunology (CMIM), Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium
- Myeloid Cell Immunology Lab, Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie (VIB) Center for Inflammation Research, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Karine Breckpot
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Therapy (LMCT), Department of Biomedical Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium
| | - Nick Devoogdt
- Laboratory of Molecular Imaging and Therapy (MITH), Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium
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Ertveldt T, Krasniqi A, Ceuppens H, Puttemans J, Dekempeneer Y, De Jonghe K, de Mey W, Lecocq Q, De Vlaeminck Y, Awad RM, Goyvaerts C, De Veirman K, Morgenstern A, Bruchertseifer F, Keyaerts M, Devoogdt N, D'Huyvetter M, Breckpot K. Targeted α-Therapy Using 225Ac Radiolabeled Single-Domain Antibodies Induces Antigen-Specific Immune Responses and Instills Immunomodulation Both Systemically and at the Tumor Microenvironment. J Nucl Med 2023; 64:751-758. [PMID: 37055223 DOI: 10.2967/jnumed.122.264752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Revised: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 04/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Targeted radionuclide therapy (TRT) using targeting moieties labeled with α-particle-emitting radionuclides (α-TRT) is an intensely investigated treatment approach as the short range of α-particles allows effective treatment of local lesions and micrometastases. However, profound assessment of the immunomodulatory effect of α-TRT is lacking in literature. Methods: Using flow cytometry of tumors, splenocyte restimulation, and multiplex analysis of blood serum, we studied immunologic responses ensuing from TRT with an antihuman CD20 single-domain antibody radiolabeled with 225Ac in a human CD20 and ovalbumin expressing B16-melanoma model. Results: Tumor growth was delayed with α-TRT and increased blood levels of various cytokines such as interferon-γ, C-C motif chemokine ligand 5, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1. Peripheral antitumoral T-cell responses were detected on α-TRT. At the tumor site, α-TRT modulated the cold tumor microenvironment (TME) to a more hospitable and hot habitat for antitumoral immune cells, characterized by a decrease in protumoral alternatively activated macrophages and an increase in antitumoral macrophages and dendritic cells. We also showed that α-TRT increased the percentage of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1)-positive (PD-L1pos) immune cells in the TME. To circumvent this immunosuppressive countermeasure we applied immune checkpoint blockade of the programmed cell death protein 1-PD-L1 axis. Combination of α-TRT with PD-L1 blockade potentiated the therapeutic effect, however, the combination aggravated adverse events. A long-term toxicity study revealed severe kidney damage ensuing from α-TRT. Conclusion: These data suggest that α-TRT alters the TME and induces systemic antitumoral immune responses, which explains why immune checkpoint blockade enhances the therapeutic effect of α-TRT. However, further optimization is warranted to avoid adverse events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Ertveldt
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Therapy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Ahmet Krasniqi
- Department of Medical Imaging, In Vivo Cellular and Molecular Imaging Laboratory, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Hannelore Ceuppens
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Therapy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Janik Puttemans
- Department of Medical Imaging, In Vivo Cellular and Molecular Imaging Laboratory, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Yana Dekempeneer
- Department of Medical Imaging, In Vivo Cellular and Molecular Imaging Laboratory, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Kevin De Jonghe
- Department of Medical Imaging, In Vivo Cellular and Molecular Imaging Laboratory, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Wout de Mey
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Therapy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Quentin Lecocq
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Therapy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Yannick De Vlaeminck
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Therapy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Robin Maximilian Awad
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Therapy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Cleo Goyvaerts
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Therapy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Kim De Veirman
- Department of Hematology and Immunology, Myeloma Center Brussels, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Alfred Morgenstern
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Directorate for Nuclear Safety and Security, Karlsruhe Institut, Germany; and
| | - Frank Bruchertseifer
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Directorate for Nuclear Safety and Security, Karlsruhe Institut, Germany; and
| | - Marleen Keyaerts
- Department of Medical Imaging, In Vivo Cellular and Molecular Imaging Laboratory, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, UZ Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Nick Devoogdt
- Department of Medical Imaging, In Vivo Cellular and Molecular Imaging Laboratory, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Matthias D'Huyvetter
- Department of Medical Imaging, In Vivo Cellular and Molecular Imaging Laboratory, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Karine Breckpot
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Therapy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium;
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de Mey W, Locy H, De Ridder K, De Schrijver P, Autaers D, Lakdimi A, Esprit A, Franceschini L, Thielemans K, Verdonck M, Breckpot K. An mRNA mix redirects dendritic cells towards an antiviral program, inducing anticancer cytotoxic stem cell and central memory CD8 + T cells. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1111523. [PMID: 36860873 PMCID: PMC9969480 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1111523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 01/26/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Dendritic cell (DC)-maturation stimuli determine the potency of these antigen-presenting cells and, therefore, the quality of the T-cell response. Here we describe that the maturation of DCs via TriMix mRNA, encoding CD40 ligand, a constitutively active variant of toll-like receptor 4 and the co-stimulatory molecule CD70, enables an antibacterial transcriptional program. Besides, we further show that the DCs are redirected into an antiviral transcriptional program when CD70 mRNA in TriMix is replaced with mRNA encoding interferon-gamma and a decoy interleukin-10 receptor alpha, forming a four-component mixture referred to as TetraMix mRNA. The resulting TetraMixDCs show a high potential to induce tumor antigen-specific T cells within bulk CD8+ T cells. Tumor-specific antigens (TSAs) are emerging and attractive targets for cancer immunotherapy. As T-cell receptors recognizing TSAs are predominantly present on naive CD8+ T cells (TN), we further addressed the activation of tumor antigen-specific T cells when CD8+ TN cells are stimulated by TriMixDCs or TetraMixDCs. In both conditions, the stimulation resulted in a shift from CD8+ TN cells into tumor antigen-specific stem cell-like memory, effector memory and central memory T cells with cytotoxic capacity. These findings suggest that TetraMix mRNA, and the antiviral maturation program it induces in DCs, triggers an antitumor immune reaction in cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Kirsten De Ridder
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Therapy, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Phaedra De Schrijver
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Therapy, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Dorien Autaers
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Therapy, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Asma Lakdimi
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Therapy, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Arthur Esprit
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Therapy, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Lorenzo Franceschini
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Therapy, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
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de Mey W, De Schrijver P, Autaers D, Pfitzer L, Fant B, Locy H, Esprit A, Lybaert L, Bogaert C, Verdonck M, Thielemans K, Breckpot K, Franceschini L. A synthetic DNA template for fast manufacturing of versatile single epitope mRNA. Molecular Therapy - Nucleic Acids 2022; 29:943-954. [PMID: 36159589 PMCID: PMC9464653 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2022.08.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 08/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
A flexible, affordable, and rapid vaccine platform is necessary to unlock the potential of personalized cancer vaccines in order to achieve full clinical efficiency. mRNA cancer vaccine manufacture relies on the rigid sequence design of multiepitope constructs produced by laborious bacterial cloning and time-consuming plasmid preparation. Here, we introduce a synthetic DNA template (SDT) assembly process, which allows cost- and time-efficient manufacturing of single (neo)epitope mRNA. We benchmarked SDT-derived mRNA against mRNA derived from a plasmid DNA template (PDT), showing that monocyte-derived dendritic cells (moDCs) electroporated with SDT-mRNA or PDT-mRNA, encoding HLA-I- or HLA-II-restricted (neo)epitopes, equally activated T cells that were modified to express the cognate T cell receptors. Furthermore, we validated the SDT-mRNA platform for neoepitope immunogenicity screening using the characterized HLA-A2-restricted neoepitope DHX40B and four new candidate HLA-A2-restricted melanoma neoepitopes. Finally, we compared SDT-mRNA with PDT-mRNA for vaccine development purposes. moDCs electroporated with mRNA encoding the HLA-A2-restricted, mutated Melan-A/Mart-1 epitope together with TriMix mRNA-generated high levels of functional Melan-A/Mart-1-specific CD8+ T cells. In conclusion, SDT single epitope mRNA can be manufactured in a more flexible, cost-efficient, and time-efficient way compared with PDT-mRNA, allowing prompt neoepitope immunogenicity screening, and might be exploited for the development of personalized cancer vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wout de Mey
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Therapy, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 103/E, 1090 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Phaedra De Schrijver
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Therapy, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 103/E, 1090 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Dorien Autaers
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Therapy, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 103/E, 1090 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Lena Pfitzer
- myNEO, Ottergemsesteenweg-Zuid 808, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Bruno Fant
- myNEO, Ottergemsesteenweg-Zuid 808, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Hanne Locy
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Therapy, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 103/E, 1090 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Arthur Esprit
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Therapy, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 103/E, 1090 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Lien Lybaert
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Therapy, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 103/E, 1090 Brussels, Belgium
- myNEO, Ottergemsesteenweg-Zuid 808, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | | | - Magali Verdonck
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Therapy, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 103/E, 1090 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Kris Thielemans
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Therapy, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 103/E, 1090 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Karine Breckpot
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Therapy, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 103/E, 1090 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Lorenzo Franceschini
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Therapy, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 103/E, 1090 Brussels, Belgium
- Corresponding author Lorenzo Franceschini, Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Therapy, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 103/E, 1090 Brussels, Belgium.
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Ertveldt T, De Beck L, De Ridder K, Locy H, de Mey W, Goyvaerts C, Lecocq Q, Ceuppens H, De Vlaeminck Y, Awad RM, Keyaerts M, Devoogdt N, D'Huyvetter M, Breckpot K, Krasniqi A. Targeted Radionuclide Therapy with Low and High-Dose Lutetium-177-Labeled Single Domain Antibodies Induces Distinct Immune Signatures in a Mouse Melanoma Model. Mol Cancer Ther 2022; 21:1136-1148. [PMID: 35499391 PMCID: PMC9377759 DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.mct-21-0791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2021] [Revised: 02/16/2022] [Accepted: 04/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Targeted radionuclide therapy (TRT) using probes labeled with Lutetium-177 (177Lu) represents a new and growing type of cancer therapy. We studied immunologic changes in response to TRT with 177Lu labeled anti-human CD20 camelid single domain antibodies (sdAb) in a B16-melanoma model transfected to express human CD20, the target antigen, and ovalbumin, a surrogate tumor antigen. High-dose TRT induced melanoma cell death, calreticulin exposure, and ATP-release in vitro. Melanoma-bearing mice received fractionated low and high-dose TRT via tumor targeting anti-human CD20 sdAbs, as opposed to control sdAbs. Tumor growth was delayed with both doses. Low- and high-dose TRT increased IL10 serum levels. Low-dose TRT also decreased CCL5 serum levels. At the tumor, high-dose TRT induced a type I IFN gene signature, while low-dose TRT induced a proinflammatory gene signature. Low- and high-dose TRT increased the percentage of PD-L1pos and PD-L2pos myeloid cells in tumors with a marked increase in alternatively activated macrophages after high-dose TRT. The percentage of tumor-infiltrating T cells was not changed, yet a modest increase in ovalbumin-specific CD8pos T-cells was observed after low-dose TRT. Contradictory, low and high-dose TRT decreased CD4pos Th1 cells in addition to double negative T cells. In conclusion, these data suggest that low and high-dose TRT induce distinct immunologic changes, which might serve as an anchoring point for combination therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Ertveldt
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Therapy, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.,Corresponding Authors: Karine Breckpot, Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Therapy, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 103, Brussels 1090, Belgium. Phone: 322-477-4566; Fax: 322-477-4506; E-mail: ; and Thomas Ertveldt, E-mail:
| | - Lien De Beck
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Therapy, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Kirsten De Ridder
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Therapy, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Hanne Locy
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Therapy, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Wout de Mey
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Therapy, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Cleo Goyvaerts
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Therapy, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Quentin Lecocq
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Therapy, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Hannelore Ceuppens
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Therapy, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Yannick De Vlaeminck
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Therapy, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Robin Maximilian Awad
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Therapy, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Marleen Keyaerts
- Laboratory for In Vivo Cellular and Molecular Imaging, Department of Medical Imaging, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.,Department of Nuclear Medicine, UZ Brussel, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Nick Devoogdt
- Laboratory for In Vivo Cellular and Molecular Imaging, Department of Medical Imaging, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Matthias D'Huyvetter
- Laboratory for In Vivo Cellular and Molecular Imaging, Department of Medical Imaging, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Karine Breckpot
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Therapy, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.,Corresponding Authors: Karine Breckpot, Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Therapy, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 103, Brussels 1090, Belgium. Phone: 322-477-4566; Fax: 322-477-4506; E-mail: ; and Thomas Ertveldt, E-mail:
| | - Ahmet Krasniqi
- Laboratory for In Vivo Cellular and Molecular Imaging, Department of Medical Imaging, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
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Esprit A, de Mey W, Bahadur Shahi R, Thielemans K, Franceschini L, Breckpot K. Neo-Antigen mRNA Vaccines. Vaccines (Basel) 2020; 8:E776. [PMID: 33353155 PMCID: PMC7766040 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines8040776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2020] [Revised: 12/14/2020] [Accepted: 12/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The interest in therapeutic cancer vaccines has caught enormous attention in recent years due to several breakthroughs in cancer research, among which the finding that successful checkpoint blockade treatments reinvigorate neo-antigen-specific T cells and that successful adoptive cell therapies are directed towards neo-antigens. Neo-antigens are cancer-specific antigens, which develop from somatic mutations in the cancer cell genome that can be highly immunogenic and are not subjected to central tolerance. As the majority of neo-antigens are unique to each patient's cancer, a vaccine technology that is flexible and potent is required to develop personalized neo-antigen vaccines. In vitro transcribed mRNA is such a technology platform and has been evaluated for delivery of neo-antigens to professional antigen-presenting cells both ex vivo and in vivo. In addition, strategies that support the activity of T cells in the tumor microenvironment have been developed. These represent a unique opportunity to ensure durable T cell activity upon vaccination. Here, we comprehensively review recent progress in mRNA-based neo-antigen vaccines, summarizing critical milestones that made it possible to bring the promise of therapeutic cancer vaccines within reach.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Karine Breckpot
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Therapy (LMCT), Department of Biomedical Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, B-1090 Brussels, Belgium; (A.E.); (W.d.M.); (R.B.S.); (K.T.); (L.F.)
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Locy H, de Mey S, de Mey W, De Ridder M, Thielemans K, Maenhout SK. Immunomodulation of the Tumor Microenvironment: Turn Foe Into Friend. Front Immunol 2018; 9:2909. [PMID: 30619273 PMCID: PMC6297829 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.02909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 151] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2018] [Accepted: 11/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapy, where the patient's own immune system is exploited to eliminate tumor cells, has become one of the most prominent new cancer treatment options in the last decade. The main hurdle for classical cancer vaccines is the need to identify tumor- and patient specific antigens to include in the vaccine. Therefore, in situ vaccination represents an alternative and promising approach. This type of immunotherapy involves the direct intratumoral administration of different immunomodulatory agents and uses the tumor itself as the source of antigen. The ultimate aim is to convert an immunodormant tumor microenvironment into an immunostimulatory one, enabling the immune system to eradicate all tumor lesions in the body. In this review we will give an overview of different strategies, which can be exploited for the immunomodulation of the tumor microenvironment and their emerging role in the treatment of cancer patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanne Locy
- Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Therapy (LMCT), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Sven de Mey
- Department of Radiotherapy, UZ Brussel, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Wout de Mey
- Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Therapy (LMCT), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Mark De Ridder
- Department of Radiotherapy, UZ Brussel, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Kris Thielemans
- Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Therapy (LMCT), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Sarah K. Maenhout
- Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Therapy (LMCT), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
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