TAMI-27. METABOLIC MANIPULATION OF T CELLS TO TREAT BRAIN TUMORS

2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (Supplement_6) ◽  
pp. vi203-vi204
Author(s):  
Guimei Tian ◽  
Linchun Jin ◽  
Devshri Doshi ◽  
Aida Karachi ◽  
Mariana Dajac ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
T Cells ◽  
T Cell ◽  
Tumor Microenvironment ◽  
Brain Tumors ◽  
Tumor Cells ◽  
T Cell Activation ◽  
Cell Activation ◽  
Glucose Transporter ◽  
Glucose Transporters ◽  
Disease Recurrence

Abstract INTRODUCTION Glioblastoma are a challenge for neuro-oncologists and current therapies are minimally effective. Standard-of- care treatment is almost inevitably followed by disease recurrence. Adoptive T cell transfer has emerged as a viable therapeutic for brain malignancies. While promising, the efficacy of this approach is often limited by a complex immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. These complexities mean that more sophisticated T cell products are required. OBJECTIVES The brain tumor microenvironment provides local restraints via metabolic competition suppressing antitumor immunity, specifically inhibiting infiltration and tumoricidal functions of host and adoptively transferred tumor-reactive T cells. The overall goal of this project is to test new treatments to reverse immune dysfunction in cancer through the regulation of T cell metabolic signaling. We propose that modulating glucose pathway in T cells can potentiate their anti-tumor activity once adoptively transferred. METHODS T cells glucose metabolic pathway was modulated via glucose transporters overexpression. The functionality of metabolically modified T cells was investigated in murine and human models. RESULTS We demonstrated the existence of a competition for glucose between T cells and tumor cells, with tumor cells imposing glucose restriction mediating T cell hyporesponsiveness. Overexpression of glucose transporters such as Glut1 and Glut3 increased T cell glucose utilization and provide survival/growth advantage and enhanced T cell activation in glucose-restricted conditions. We also established that glucose transporter overexpression improves intratumoral infiltration of adoptively transferred T cells. CONCLUSION This project integrates fundamental concepts of tumor and immune metabolism in the design of immunotherapy and confirms that immunometabolism represents a viable target for new cancer therapy to treat brain tumors.

Development and characterization of a HCMV multiantigen therapeutic vaccine for GBM using the UNITE platform.

2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e14565-e14565
Author(s):  
Amit Adhikari ◽  
Juliete Macauley ◽  
Yoshimi Johnson ◽  
Mike Connolly ◽  
Tim Coleman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Flow Cytometry ◽  
T Cells ◽  
T Cell ◽  
Tumor Microenvironment ◽  
Mouse Model ◽  
T Cell Activation ◽  
Cell Activation ◽  
Cd8 T Cell ◽  
T Cell Response

e14565 Background: Glioblastoma (GBM) is an aggressive form of brain cancer with a median survival of 15 months which has remained unchanged despite technological advances in the standard of care. GBM cells specifically express human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) proteins providing a unique opportunity for targeted therapy. Methods: We utilized our UNITE (UNiversal Intracellular Targeted Expression) platform to develop a multi-antigen DNA vaccine (ITI-1001) that codes for the HCMV proteins- pp65, gB and IE-1. The UNITE platform involves lysosomal targeting technology, fusing lysosome-associated protein 1 (LAMP1) with target antigens resulting in increased antigen presentation by MHC-I and II. ELISpot, flow cytometry and ELISA techniques were used to evaluate the vaccine immunogenicity and a syngeneic, orthotopic GBM mouse model that expresses HCMV proteins was used for efficacy studies. The tumor microenvironment studies were done using flow cytometry and MSD assay. Results: ITI-1001 vaccination showed a robust antigen-specific CD4 and CD8 T cell response in addition to a strong humoral response. Using GBM mouse model, therapeutic treatment of ITI-1001 vaccine resulted in ̃56% survival with subsequent long-term immunity. Investigating the tumor microenvironment showed significant CD4 T cell infiltration as well as enhanced Th1 and CD8 T cell activation. Regulatory T cells were also upregulated upon ITI-1001 vaccination and would be an attractive target to further improve this therapy. In addition, tumor burden negatively correlated with number of activated CD4 T cells (CD4 IFNγ+) reiterating the importance of CD4 activation in ITI-1001 efficacy and potentially identifying treatment responders and non-responders. Further characterization of these two groups showed high infiltration of CD3+, CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in responders compared with non- responders along with higher CD8 T cell activation. Conclusions: Thus, we show that vaccination with HCMV antigens using the ITI-1001-UNITE platform generates strong cellular and humoral immune responses, triggering significant anti-tumor activity that leads to enhanced survival in mice with GBM.

DAP10 Costimulates Chimeric Receptor-Mediated T Cell Responses to Tumor Antigen.

Blood ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 106 (11) ◽  
pp. 3052-3052
Author(s):  
Bianca Altvater ◽  
Sibylle Pscherer ◽  
Heribert Juergens ◽  
Claudia Rossig
Keyword(s):  
T Cells ◽  
T Cell ◽  
Tumor Cells ◽  
T Cell Activation ◽  
Adoptive Immunotherapy ◽  
Peripheral Blood ◽  
Cell Activation ◽  
Human Peripheral Blood ◽  
Cytokine Secretion ◽  
Immunotherapy Of Cancer

Abstract Chimeric receptors (chRecs) combining extracellular recognition domains with the T cell receptor ζ an redirect the cellular immune response of primary T-cells to tumor cells. T cell activation by chRec induces efficient cytokine release and cytotoxicity, however, it fails to mediate proliferative responses, limiting the usefulness of chRec-gene-modified T cells for adoptive immunotherapy of cancer. Inclusion of a CD28 costimulatory signaling component in the chRec endodomain enhances antigen-specific proliferation. Whereas the signal mediated by ligation of CD28 is of crucial importance for the activation of resting CD4+ T cells, further molecules with costimulatory functions have contributory roles. NKG2D is a stimulatory receptor that was first identified in NK cells, but is also expressed in cytotoxic T cells and positively modulates CD8+ T cell immune responses. We hypothesized that inclusion of the NKG2D-associated signaling domain DAP10 would enhance the capacity of chRecs to induce tumor-specific activation and proliferation of in vitro expanded effector T cells. Based on a GD2-specific scFv, we generated chRecs containing either the DAP10 signaling chain alone (14.G2a-DAP10) or combined with TCRζ 14.G2a-DAP10ζ), and expressed them in nonspecifically activated human peripheral blood T cells of three individual donors by retroviral gene transfer. As controls, T cells were transduced with 14.G2a-ζ and -CD28ζ chRec. High chRec surface expression was obtained with all four constructs (55±11%, ζ; 85±3, CD28ζ; 68±5%, DAP10; 78±1%; DAP10ζ). Immunophenotypes were dominated by a CD3+CD8+ population in all cell cultures. Whereas DAP10 alone failed to mediate specific tumor cell lysis, 51Cr release assays revealed efficient and comparable lysis of GD2+ tumor targets by T cells transduced with all ζ-containing constructs, with 49±8% (ζ), 52±7% (CD28ζ), and 52±18% (DAP10ζ) cytolysis at an effector-to-target ratio of 40:1. Intracellular cytokine secretion by chRec+ T cells was induced in response to tumor targets by 14.G2a-ζ (up to 37% IFN-γ secreting cells), CD28ζ, and DAPζ (both up to 22%), but not by DAP10 alone (0,2%). Weekly stimulation with tumor cells for 6 weeks induced only limited expansion of T cells transduced with 14.G2a-ζ (7–45fold) or with 14.G2a-DAP10 (14–26-fold). Adding CD28 or DAP10 domains significantly enhanced expansion by a comparable degree (270–483-fold and 126–436-fold, respectively). Thus, while neither CD28 nor DAP10 enhances antigen-specific cytokine secretion and cytolysis, DAP10 signaling can completely replace CD28 signaling in costimulating antigen-specific proliferation of peripheral blood T cells. DAP10-containing chRec may be a powerful new tool for adoptive immunotherapy of cancer.

Preclinical evaluation of AMG 160, a next-generation bispecific T cell engager (BiTE) targeting the prostate-specific membrane antigen PSMA for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC).

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (7_suppl) ◽  
pp. 301-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie Bailis ◽  
Petra Deegen ◽  
Oliver Thomas ◽  
Pamela Bogner ◽  
Joachim Wahl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
T Cells ◽  
T Cell ◽  
Tumor Cells ◽  
T Cell Activation ◽  
Half Life ◽  
Cell Activation ◽  
Phase 1 ◽  
Xenograft Model ◽  
Cytokine Release ◽  
Single Chain

301 Background: mCRPC is a disease of high unmet medical need, especially for patients who fail novel hormonal therapies and chemotherapy. BiTE molecules provide an off the shelf therapy that activates a patient’s own immune system and redirects T cells to kill tumor cells. The BiTE mechanism of action is distinct from other immunotherapies and may unlock immune response in mCRPC. PSMA is a compelling BiTE target that is highly expressed on PCa compared to normal tissue and has increased expression in mCRPC. Methods: AMG 160 is a fully human, half-life extended (HLE) BiTE that targets PSMA on tumor cells and CD3 on T cells. AMG 160 comprises two tandem single chain variable fragments fused to an Fc domain. Results: AMG 160 binds human and non-human primate (NHP) PSMA and CD3, leading to T cell activation and proliferation and cytokine production. AMG 160 redirects T cells to kill PSMA-positive cancer cell lines in vitro, including those with low PSMA levels or androgen-independent signaling. Weekly dosing of AMG 160 induces significant antitumor activity in established PCa xenograft model. The pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics of AMG 160 were tested in NHP. AMG 160 treatment led to BiTE target engagement in vivo, including transient T cell activation and cytokine release in blood, and mixed cellular infiltrates in multiple organs known to express PSMA. AMG 160 treatment was well tolerated. Cytokine release associated with the first dose could be attenuated using a step dose regimen. The half-life of AMG 160 in NHP was about one week. Based on allometric scaling, the PK profile of AMG 160 may be projected to enable dosing every other week in humans. Conclusions: AMG 160 is a potent HLE BiTE with specificity for PSMA-positive tumor cells. A Phase 1 study is planned to evaluate the safety and efficacy of AMG 160 in patients with mCRPC.

Novel HPV-E7 immune modulators to activate HPV-specific T cells to eliminate cervical cancer.

2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e18027-e18027
Author(s):  
Lihua Shi ◽  
Di Zhang ◽  
Susan Tam ◽  
Man-Cheong Fung
Keyword(s):  
T Cells ◽  
T Cell ◽  
Tumor Growth ◽  
Tumor Cells ◽  
T Cell Activation ◽  
Cd8 T Cells ◽  
Cell Activation ◽  
Cell Activity ◽  
Epitope Peptide ◽  
Hpv E7

e18027 Background: Human papilloma virus (HPV) infection can lead to several types of cancers in both men and women. HPV+ tumor cells constitutively express the HPV-E7 antigen which can act as an oncogene to promote tumor growth and malignant transformation. Here, we report the application of novel Tavo Immune Modulator (TIM) biologics molecules which are consisted of a pMHC complex with an epitope peptide derived from HPV-E7 and co-stimulatory modulators of T cell activity. The HPV-E7 TIM molecules can specifically recognize and activate HPV-E7-specific T cells for the elimination of HPV affected cells. Methods: HPV-E7 TIM molecules were engineered as fusion molecules with HLA-A*02:01 MHC complexed with an HPV-E7 (11-20) epitope peptide at the N-termini, and various T cell costimulatory modulators at the C-termini of IgG heavy and light chains. TIM molecules were expressed in Expi293 cells and purified by Protein A affinity chromatography. Specific binding of TIM with HPV-E7 specific T cells was confirmed by immunostaining and flow cytometry. The activation and expansion of antigen specific CD8+ T cells were elucidated in T cell activation and recall assays. Results: HPV-E7 TIM molecules with various T cell co-stimulator molecules were engineered to specifically recognize HPV-specific T cells. Activation of T cells was antigen-specific and depended on the presence of an engineered T cell modulatory component on the TIM framework. The effects of various costimulatory molecules in different combinations on T cell activation were explored and an optimal combination was identified which facilitated high potency antigen-specific T cell activation. Such molecular combinations could facilitate T cell expansion and activation in T cell recall assays. Efficacy of HPV-E7 TIM molecules by inhibiting tumor growth in a syngeneic tumor model is ongoing. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that HPV-E7 TIM molecules selectively recognize and activate HPV-specific CD8+ T cells in the presence of a combination of two T cell costimulatory factors. Such novel biologics provide distinctive approaches in the treatment of HPV-related cancers and warrant further investigation. Additional in vitro and in vivo studies are ongoing to demonstrate the utility in eliminating HPV-infected tumor cells. Full data will be presented at the meeting.

scholarly journals Targeting of the Cancer-Associated Fibroblast—T-Cell Axis in Solid Malignancies

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 1989 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tom J. Harryvan ◽  
Els M. E. Verdegaal ◽  
James C. H. Hardwick ◽  
Lukas J. A. C. Hawinkels ◽  
Sjoerd H. van der Burg
Keyword(s):  
T Cells ◽  
T Cell ◽  
Tumor Microenvironment ◽  
T Cell Activation ◽  
Cell Activation ◽  
Suppressor Cells ◽  
T Cell Response ◽  
Cytotoxic T Cell ◽  
Cell Axis ◽  
Wide Range

The introduction of a wide range of immunotherapies in clinical practice has revolutionized the treatment of cancer in the last decade. The majority of these therapeutic modalities are centered on reinvigorating a tumor-reactive cytotoxic T-cell response. While impressive clinical successes are obtained, the majority of cancer patients still fail to show a clinical response, despite the fact that their tumors express antigens that can be recognized by the immune system. This is due to a series of other cellular actors, present in or attracted towards the tumor microenvironment, including regulatory T-cells, myeloid-derived suppressor cells and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs). As the main cellular constituent of the tumor-associated stroma, CAFs form a heterogeneous group of cells which can drive cancer cell invasion but can also impair the migration and activation of T-cells through direct and indirect mechanisms. This singles CAFs out as an important next target for further optimization of T-cell based immunotherapies. Here, we review the recent literature on the role of CAFs in orchestrating T-cell activation and migration within the tumor microenvironment and discuss potential avenues for targeting the interactions between fibroblasts and T-cells.

Selective targeting of HER2-overexpressing solid tumors with a next-generation CAR-T cell therapy.

2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. 3041-3041
Author(s):  
Jenny Mu ◽  
Justin Edwards ◽  
Liubov Zaritskaya ◽  
Jeffrey Swers ◽  
Ankit Gupta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
T Cells ◽  
T Cell ◽  
Tumor Cells ◽  
T Cell Activation ◽  
Cell Activation ◽  
Antigen Receptor ◽  
Target Antigen ◽  
Target Cells ◽  
Car T

3041 Background: Conventional chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) therapies have achieved limited clinical success in the treatment of solid tumors, in part due to the challenges of identifying tumor antigen(s) that are uniquely expressed on tumor cells. The dearth of such targets requires that current CAR-T therapies be re-engineered to preferentially target tumor cells thereby mitigating potential on-target off-tumor toxicity to normal cells. Herein we describe a novel cell therapy platform comprising Antigen Receptor Complex T (ARC-T) cells that are readily activated, silenced, and reprogrammed in vivo by administration of a novel tumor-targeting soluble protein antigen-receptor X-linker (sparX). The formation of the ARC-T, sparX, and tumor complex is required for the ARC-T to kill the tumor. Because ARC-T activity is entirely dependent on the dose of sparX administered, therapeutic doses of sparX may be defined that preferentially target cells over-expressing a target antigen and thus limit coincident kill of normal cells expressing lower levels of target antigen. Methods: We have created a library of sparX that bind different cell surface antigens, including HER2. The HER2 sparX was tested as both monovalent and bivalent constructs in vitro by assessing ARC-T cell activation, cytokine release and target cell cytotoxicity. In vivo efficacy models utilized NSG mice and incorporated tumor volume measurements and histopathologic assessments to evaluate tumor clearance. Results: In vitro studies demonstrate that co-culture of ARC-T cells, sparX-HER2 and HER2-expressing target cells drives T cell activation, expansion, cytokine secretion and cytotoxicity of target cells in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, by affinity tuning the HER2 binding domain and bivalent formatting of sparX-HER2, we achieved selective killing of HER2-overexpressing breast cancer cells with minimal effect on cells expressing HER2 levels representative of normal tissues. In vivo proof-of-principal studies with ARC-T/sparX-HER2 similarly demonstrate complete eradication of HER2-overexpressing solid tumor cells. Conclusions: These results demonstrate that a single intravenous dose of ARC-T cells can traffic to a solid tumor site and induce tumor eradication upon systemic administration and co-localization of tumor-targeting sparX in a mouse model. Bivalent formatting of sparX-HER2 further enabled ARC-T sensitivity to target antigen density to avoid the on-target off-tumor toxicity that has hindered conventional monovalent CAR-T treatments.

CC-122 Repairs T Cell Activation in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia That Results in a Concomitant Increase in PD-1:PD-L1 and CTLA-4 Immune Checkpoint Expression at the Immunological Synapse

Blood ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 126 (23) ◽  
pp. 1738-1738
Author(s):  
Benedetta Apollonio ◽  
Mariam Fanous ◽  
Mohamed-Reda Benmebarek ◽  
Stephen Devereux ◽  
Patrick Hagner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
T Cells ◽  
T Cell ◽  
Tumor Cells ◽  
T Cell Activation ◽  
Immune Checkpoint ◽  
Cell Activation ◽  
Immunological Synapse ◽  
Lymphocytic Leukemia ◽  
Immune Synapse ◽  
Cell Synapse

Abstract Immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs®) such as lenalidomide and immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) antibodies can enhance autologous anti-tumor T cell immunity and have the potential to elicit durable control of disease in B cell malignancies. These immunotherapies are likely to be most effective when employed in treatment combinations. Thus, the goal of pre-clinical research should be to reveal mechanisms of action (MOA) in the tumor microenvironment (TME) and identify biomarkers to guide development of combination therapy for patients. CC-122 is a novel first-in-class pleiotropic pathway modifier (PPM®) that has potent anti-proliferative, anti-angiogenic and immunomodulatory activities and is currently in Phase I clinical trials for lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Here, we have utilized the immunological synapse bioassay to examine T cell interactions with CLL tumor cells (modeling anti-tumor T cell responses in the TME) following CC-122 treatment and measure the expression of co-signaling complexes at the synapse. Conjugation assays and confocal imaging were used to visualize intercellular conjugate interactions and F-actin polymerization at the immune synapse between CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and autologous CLL tumor cells pulsed with superantigen (acting as antigen-presenting cells, APCs). Peripheral blood was obtained from treatment naive CLL patients (n=40) representative of disease heterogeneity. Treatment of both purified CLL cells and CD4+ or CD8+ T cells with CC-122 (0.01 - 1 μM for 24h) dramatically enhanced the number of T cells recognizing tumor cells (% conjugation) and increased the formation of F-actin immune synapses (area, μm2) compared to vehicle treated cells (P<.01). Notably, CC-122 treatment induced T cells to engage in multiple tumor cell synapse interactions that were more pronounced in restored CD8+ T cell lytic synapses. This immunomodulatory activity was detected across all CLL patient samples and drug concentrations tested. In addition, synapse strength as measured by total fluorescence intensity of F-actin per T cell:APC conjugate increased significantly with CC-122 (P<.01). A critical MOA of lenalidomide is activation of T cell immune synapse signaling. Here, our comparative studies revealed that CC-122 (0.1 - 1 μM) significantly enhanced autologous T cell synapse activity in CLL by 4 - 5 fold versus vehicle (P<.01), whereas lenalidomide (1 μM) enhanced activity by 3 fold vs vehicle. Moreover, CC-122 treatment resulted in increased expression and polarization of tyrosine-phosphorylated proteins at T cell synapses compared to lenalidomide and vehicle treatment (P<.01). This data provides evidence that CC-122 induces functional T cell synapses that control the assembly of signaling complexes between the T cell receptor (TCR) and the F-actin cytoskeletal layer. Following T cell recognition of APCs, co-signaling receptors co-localize at the immune synapse where they synergize with TCR signaling to promote (co-stimulatory receptors) or inhibit (co-inhibitory/'immune checkpoint' receptors) T cell activation. Quantitative image analysis studies revealed that restoration of T cell synapse activity with CC-122 was accompanied by an increased recruitment of inducible co-stimulator (ICOS) to the synapse that was dose-dependent (P<.01). CC-122 treatment also increased polarized expression of CTLA-4 and PD-1 immune checkpoint proteins at the synapse with PD-L1+ tumor cells. The observed up-regulation of co-inhibitory receptors led to combining CC-122 with anti-PD-L1, anti-PD-1 or anti-CTLA-4 blocking antibodies. Results show that these treatment combinations increased T cell synapse activity compared to using these immunotherapies alone (P<.01). In conclusion, our results demonstrate for the first time that CC-122 can activate T cell immune synapse signaling against autologous CLL tumor cells and this immunomodulatory capability is more potent than lenalidomide. We further show that CC-122 activation of T cells is associated with enhanced expression of the co-stimulatory receptor ICOS and co-inhibitory checkpoints CTLA-4 and PD-1 at the synapse site. Importantly, our pre-clinical data demonstrates that this regulatory feedback inhibition can be exploited by the addition of anti-PD-L1, anti-PD-1 or anti-CTLA-4 ICB to CC-122 to more optimally stimulate T cell activity against immunosuppressive tumor cells. Disclosures Hagner: Celgene: Employment, Equity Ownership. Pourdehnad:Celgene: Employment. Gandhi:Celgene: Employment, Equity Ownership. Ramsay:MedImmune: Research Funding; Celgene: Research Funding.

scholarly journals Yap suppresses T cell function and infiltration in the tumor microenvironment

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eleni Stampouloglou ◽  
Anthony Federico ◽  
Emily Slaby ◽  
Stefano Monti ◽  
Gregory L. Szeto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
T Cells ◽  
T Cell ◽  
Tumor Microenvironment ◽  
T Cell Activation ◽  
Cell Biology ◽  
Cell Activation ◽  
Cell Function ◽  
T Cell Responses ◽  
Negative Regulator ◽  
Cell Responses

ABSTRACTA major challenge for cancer immunotherapy is sustaining T cell activation and recruitment in immunosuppressive solid tumors. Here we report that Yap levels are sharply induced upon activation of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and that Yap functions as an immunosuppressive factor and inhibitor of effector differentiation. Loss of Yap in T cells results in enhanced T cell activation, differentiation and function, which translates in vivo to an improved ability for T cells to infiltrate and repress tumors. Gene expression analyses of tumor-infiltrating T cells following Yap deletion implicates Yap as a mediator of global T cell responses in the tumor microenvironment and as a key negative regulator of T cell tumor infiltration and patient survival in diverse human cancers. Collectively, our results indicate that Yap plays critical roles in T cell biology, and suggest that inhibiting Yap activity improves T cell responses in cancer.

scholarly journals Development of a CD123xCD3 Bispecific Antibody (JNJ-63709178) for the Treatment of Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)

Blood ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 128 (22) ◽  
pp. 2824-2824 ◽  
Author(s):  
François Gaudet ◽  
Jennifer F Nemeth ◽  
Ronan McDaid ◽  
Yingzhe Li ◽  
Benjamin Harman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bone Marrow ◽  
T Cells ◽  
T Cell ◽  
Tumor Cells ◽  
T Cell Activation ◽  
Stock Options ◽  
Cell Activation ◽  
Bispecific Antibody ◽  
Tumor Regression

Abstract AML is a cancer of the myeloid lineage that is characterized by the accumulation of abnormal white blood cells in the bone marrow and blood. Existing therapies do not lead to cures, partially due to their inability to eliminate residual leukemic stem cells (LSCs) in the bone marrow. T-cell redirection has been shown to be an effective method of treatment for hematologic malignancies (eg, blinatumomab) and represents an attractive approach to treat AML. CD123 (α-chain of the interleukin-3 receptor) has been shown to be expressed on the surface of AML blasts and LSCs. To eradicate CD123+ cells, we developed a bispecific antibody (JNJ-63709178) using the Genmab DuoBody® technology that can bind both CD123 on tumor cells and CD3 on T cells. JNJ-63709178 is a humanized IgG4 bispecific antibody with silenced Fc function. This antibody is able to recruit T cells to CD123-expressing tumor cells and induce the killing of these tumor cells in vitro (MOLM-13, OCI-AML5 and KG-1; EC50 = 0.51-0.91 nM). In contrast, this antibody does not kill CD123- cell lines, demonstrating the specificity of cytotoxicity. Consistently, the degree of cell killing correlated with the level of T-cell activation (CD69 and CD25) and cytokine release (TGF-β and TNF-α). Control bispecific antibodies containing a null arm (viral epitope) paired with a CD123 arm (CD123xnull) or a CD3 arm (nullxCD3) did not induce cytotoxicity or T-cell activation in the assays tested. JNJ-63709178 had no effect on T-cell activation when incubated with T cells alone. In AML murine xenograft models, JNJ-63709178 was able to suppress tumor growth and induce tumor regression (MOLM-13 and KG-1, respectively) in the presence of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) or T cells. Tumor regression correlated with the infiltration of T cells in the tumor and the expression of T-cell activation markers such as CD25, PD1 and TIM3. Furthermore, this antibody was able to induce the killing of primary CD123+ cancer cells from the blood of patients with AML without the need to supplement with fresh T cells (EC50 = 0.83 nM). These results indicate that JNJ-63709178 can potently and specifically kill CD123+ cancer cells in vitro, in vivo and ex vivo. Pharmacokinetic studies in cynomolgus monkeys support twice weekly dosing for human studies. JNJ-63709178 is currently being investigated in a Phase 1 clinical trial in relapsed and refractory AML (ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT02715011). Disclosures Gaudet: Janssen Pharmaceuticals R&D: Employment, Other: Stock options, Patents & Royalties: pending, not yet issued. Nemeth:Janssen Pharmaceuticals R&D: Employment, Other: stock, Patents & Royalties: patent pending. McDaid:Janssen Pharmaceuticals Research and Development: Employment. Li:Janssen: Employment. Harman:Janssen Pharmaceuticals R&D: Employment. Millar:Janssen Pharmaceuticals R&D: Employment, Other: stock options. Teplyakov:Janssen Pharmaceuticals R&D: Employment. Wheeler:Janssen Pharmaceuticals R&D: Employment. Luo:Janssen Pharmaceuticals R&D: Employment. Tam:Janssen Pharmaceuticals R&D: Employment, Other: stocks, Research Funding. Wu:Janssen Pharmaceuticals R&D: Employment. Chen:Janssen Pharmaceuticals R&D: Employment. Rudnick:Janssen Pharmaceuticals R&D: Employment. Chu:Janssen Pharmaceuticals R&D: Employment. Hughes:Janssen Pharmaceuticals R&D: Employment. Luistro:Janssen: Employment. Chin:Janssen: Employment. Babich:Janssen: Employment. Kalota:Janssen Pharmaceuticals R&D: Employment, Other: stock. Singh:Janssen Pharmaceuticals R&D: Employment, Other: stock options. Salvati:Janssen Pharmaceuticals R&D: Employment, Other: stock options, Patents & Royalties: patent. Elsayed:Janssen: Employment, Other: stock options. Attar:Janssen: Employment.

scholarly journals cDC1 and interferons promote spontaneous CD4+ and CD8+ T cell protective responses to breast cancer

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raphaël Mattiuz ◽  
Carine Brousse ◽  
Marc Ambrosini ◽  
Jean-Charles Cancel ◽  
Gilles Bessou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
T Cells ◽  
T Cell ◽  
Tumor Microenvironment ◽  
T Cell Activation ◽  
Cell Activation ◽  
Tumor Antigens ◽  
Breast Cancer Patients ◽  
Ifn Γ ◽  
Cancer Immunosurveillance

AbstractHere we show that efficient breast cancer immunosurveillance relies on cDC1, conventional CD4+ T cells, CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) and later NK/NK T cells. For this process, cDC1 were required constitutively, but especially during the T cell priming phase. In the tumor microenvironment, cDC1 interacted physically and jointly with both CD4+ T cells and tumorspecific CD8+ T cells. We found that interferon (IFN) responses were necessary for the rejection of breast cancer, including cDC1-intrinsic signaling by IFN-γ and STAT1. Surprisingly, cell-intrinsic IFN-I signaling in cDC1 was not required. cDC1 and IFNs shaped the tumor immune landscape, notably by promoting CD4+ and CD8+ T cell infiltration, terminal differentiation and effector functions. XCR1, CXCL9, IL-12 and IL-15 were individually dispensable for breast cancer immunosurveillance. Consistent with our experimental results in mice, high expression in the tumor microenvironment of genes specific to cDC1, CTL, helper T cells or interferon responses are associated with a better prognosis in human breast cancer patients. Our results show that immune control of breast cancer depends on cDC1 and IFNs as previously reported for immunogenic melanoma or fibrosarcoma tumor models, but that the underlying mechanism differ. Revisiting cDC1 functions in the context of spontaneous immunity to cancer should help defining new ways to mobilize cDC1 functions to improve already existing immunotherapies for the benefits of patients.SynopsisType 1 conventional dendritic cells cross-present tumor antigens to CD8+ T cells. Understanding the regulation of their antitumor functions is important. Cell-intrinsic STAT1/IFN-γ signaling licenses them for efficient CD4+ and CD8+ T cell activation during breast cancer immunosurveillance.

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