1
|
Zhu X, Chen J, Li W, Xu Y, Shan J, Hong J, Zhao Y, Xu H, Ma J, Shen J, Qian C. Hypoxia-Responsive CAR-T Cells Exhibit Reduced Exhaustion and Enhanced Efficacy in Solid Tumors. Cancer Res 2024; 84:84-100. [PMID: 37874330 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-23-1038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2023] [Revised: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/25/2023]
Abstract
Expanding the utility of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells in solid tumors requires improving their efficacy and safety. Hypoxia is a feature of most solid tumors that could be used to help CAR-T cells discriminate tumors from normal tissues. In this study, we developed hypoxia-responsive CAR-T cells by engineering the CAR to be under regulation of hypoxia-responsive elements and selected the optimal structure (5H1P-CEA CAR), which can be activated in the tumor hypoxic microenvironment to induce CAR-T cells with high polyfunctionality. Hypoxia-responsive CAR T cells were in a "resting" state with low CAR expression under normoxic conditions. Compared with conventional CAR-T cells, hypoxia-responsive CAR-T cells maintained lower differentiation and displayed enhanced oxidative metabolism and proliferation during cultivation, and they sowed a capacity to alleviate the negative effects of hypoxia on T-cell proliferation and metabolism. Furthermore, 5H1P-CEA CAR-T cells exhibited decreased T-cell exhaustion and improved T-cell phenotype in vivo. In patient-derived xenograft models, hypoxia-responsive CAR-T cells induced more durable antitumor activity than their conventional counterparts. Overall, this study provides an approach to limit CAR expression to the hypoxic tumor microenvironment that could help to enhance CAR T-cell efficacy and safety in solid tumors. SIGNIFICANCE Engineering CAR-T cells to upregulate CAR expression under hypoxic conditions induces metabolic reprogramming, reduces differentiation, and increases proliferation to enhance their antitumor activity, providing a strategy to improve efficacy and safety.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiuxiu Zhu
- College of Bioengineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China
- Center for Precision Medicine of Cancer, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Translational Research for Cancer Metastasis and Individualized Treatment, Chongqing University Cancer Hospital, Chongqing, China
| | - Jun Chen
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Gene and Cell Therapy, Chongqing Precision Biotech Co., Ltd., Chongqing, China
- Chongqing New High-End Research and Development Institution, Chongqing Institute of Precision Medicine and Biotechnology Co, Ltd., Chongqing, China
| | - Wuling Li
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Gene and Cell Therapy, Chongqing Precision Biotech Co., Ltd., Chongqing, China
- Chongqing New High-End Research and Development Institution, Chongqing Institute of Precision Medicine and Biotechnology Co, Ltd., Chongqing, China
| | - Yanmin Xu
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Gene and Cell Therapy, Chongqing Precision Biotech Co., Ltd., Chongqing, China
- Chongqing New High-End Research and Development Institution, Chongqing Institute of Precision Medicine and Biotechnology Co, Ltd., Chongqing, China
| | - Juanjuan Shan
- Center for Precision Medicine of Cancer, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Translational Research for Cancer Metastasis and Individualized Treatment, Chongqing University Cancer Hospital, Chongqing, China
| | - Juan Hong
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Gene and Cell Therapy, Chongqing Precision Biotech Co., Ltd., Chongqing, China
- Chongqing New High-End Research and Development Institution, Chongqing Institute of Precision Medicine and Biotechnology Co, Ltd., Chongqing, China
| | - Yongchun Zhao
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Gene and Cell Therapy, Chongqing Precision Biotech Co., Ltd., Chongqing, China
- Chongqing New High-End Research and Development Institution, Chongqing Institute of Precision Medicine and Biotechnology Co, Ltd., Chongqing, China
| | - Huailong Xu
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Gene and Cell Therapy, Chongqing Precision Biotech Co., Ltd., Chongqing, China
| | - Jiabin Ma
- Chongqing New High-End Research and Development Institution, Chongqing Institute of Precision Medicine and Biotechnology Co, Ltd., Chongqing, China
| | - Junjie Shen
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Gene and Cell Therapy, Chongqing Precision Biotech Co., Ltd., Chongqing, China
- Chongqing New High-End Research and Development Institution, Chongqing Institute of Precision Medicine and Biotechnology Co, Ltd., Chongqing, China
| | - Cheng Qian
- College of Bioengineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China
- Center for Precision Medicine of Cancer, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Translational Research for Cancer Metastasis and Individualized Treatment, Chongqing University Cancer Hospital, Chongqing, China
| |
Collapse
|