scholarly journals Pre-existing immune status associated with response to combination of sipuleucel-T and ipilimumab in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. e002254
Author(s):  
Meenal Sinha ◽  
Li Zhang ◽  
Sumit Subudhi ◽  
Brandon Chen ◽  
Jaqueline Marquez ◽  
...  

BackgroundSipuleucel-T is a US Food and Drug Administration-approved autologous cellular immunotherapy that improves survival in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). We examined whether administering ipilimumab after sipuleucel-T could modify immune and/or clinical responses to this treatment.MethodsA total of 50 patients with mCRPC were enrolled into a clinical trial (NCT01804465, ClinicalTrials.gov) where they received ipilimumab either immediately or delayed 3 weeks following completion of sipuleucel-T treatment. Blood was collected at various timepoints of the study. Luminex assay for anti-prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) and anti-PA2024-specific serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) and ELISpot for interferon-γ (IFN-γ) production against PAP and PA2024 were used to assess antigen-specific B and T cell responses, respectively. Clinical response was defined as >30% reduction in serum prostate-specific antigen levels compared with pretreatment levels. The frequency and state of circulating immune cells were determined by mass cytometry by time-of-flight and statistical scaffold analysis.ResultsWe found the combination to be well tolerated with no unexpected adverse events occurring. The timing of ipilimumab did not significantly alter the rates of antigen-specific B and T cell responses, the primary endpoint of the clinical trial. Clinical responses were observed in 6 of 50 patients, with 3 having responses lasting longer than 3 months. The timing of ipilimumab did not significantly associate with clinical response or toxicity. The combination treatment did induce CD4 and CD8 T cell activation that was most pronounced with the immediate schedule. Lower frequencies of CTLA-4 positive circulating T cells, even prior to treatment, were associated with better clinical outcomes. Interestingly, these differences in CTLA-4 expression were associated with prior localized radiation therapy (RT) to the prostate or prostatic fossa. Prior radiation treatment was also associated with improved radiographic progression-free survival.ConclusionCombining CTLA-4 blockade with sipuleucel-T resulted in modest clinical activity. The timing of CTLA-4 blockade following sipuleucel-T did not alter antigen-specific responses. Clinical responses were associated with both lower baseline frequencies of CTLA-4 expressing T cells and a history of RT. Prior cancer therapy may therefore result in long-lasting immune changes that influence responsiveness to immunotherapy with sipuleucel-T and anti-CTLA-4.

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (537) ◽  
pp. eaaz3577 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sumit K. Subudhi ◽  
Luis Vence ◽  
Hao Zhao ◽  
Jorge Blando ◽  
Shalini S. Yadav ◽  
...  

Tumors with high mutational burden (TMB) tend to be responsive to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) because there are neoantigens available for targeting by reinvigorated T cells, whereas those with low TMB demonstrate limited clinical responses. To determine whether antigen-specific T cell responses can be elicited after treatment with ICB in cancers that have a low TMB, we conducted a clinical trial with ipilimumab in 30 patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. We identified two distinct cohorts by survival and progression times: “favorable” (n = 9) and “unfavorable” (n = 10). Patients in the favorable cohort had high intratumoral CD8 T cell density and IFN-γ response gene signature and/or antigen-specific T cell responses. Two patients with a relatively low TMB had T cell responses against unique neoantigens. Moreover, six of nine patients in the favorable group are still alive at the time of analysis, with survival ranging from 33 to 54 months after treatment. All 10 patients in the unfavorable cohort have succumbed to their disease and had survival ranging from 0.6 to 10.3 months. Collectively, our data indicate that immunological correlates associated with effector T cell responses are observed in patients with metastatic prostate cancer who benefit from ICB.


2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e23116-e23116
Author(s):  
Emmanuel S. Antonarakis ◽  
David I. Quinn ◽  
Adam S. Kibel ◽  
Daniel Peter Petrylak ◽  
Tuyen Vu ◽  
...  

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Gulley ◽  
William Dahut ◽  
Philip M. Arlen ◽  
Kwong Tsang ◽  
Jeffrey Schlom

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (Suppl 3) ◽  
pp. A438-A438
Author(s):  
Mara Shainheit ◽  
Devin Champagne ◽  
Gabriella Santone ◽  
Syukri Shukor ◽  
Ece Bicak ◽  
...  

BackgroundATLASTM is a cell-based bioassay that utilizes a cancer patient‘s own monocyte-derived dendritic cells and CD4+ and CD8+ T cells to screen their mutanome and identify neoantigens that elicit robust anti-tumor T cell responses, as well as, deleterious InhibigensTM.1 GEN-009, a personalized vaccine comprised of 4–20 ATLAS-identified neoantigens combined with Hiltonol®, harnesses the power of neoantigen-specific T cells to treat individuals with solid tumors. The safety and efficacy of GEN-009 is being assessed in a phase 1/2a clinical trial (NCT03633110).MethodsA cohort of 15 adults with solid tumors were enrolled in the study. During the screening period, patients received standard of care PD-1-based immunotherapies appropriate for their tumor type. Subsequently, patients were immunized with GEN-009 with additional doses administered at 3, 6, 12, and 24 weeks. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were collected at baseline, pre-vaccination (D1), as well as 29, 50, 92, and 176 days post first dose. Vaccine-induced immunogenicity and persistence were assessed by quantifying neoantigen-specific T cell responses in ex vivo and in vitro stimulation dual-analyte fluorospot assays. Polyfunctionality of neoantigen-specific T cells was evaluated by intracellular cytokine staining. Additionally, potential correlations between the ATLAS-identified profile and vaccine-induced immunogenicity were assessed.ResultsGEN-009 augmented T cell responses in 100% of evaluated patients, attributable to vaccine and not checkpoint blockade. Furthermore, neoantigen-induced secretion of IFNγ and/or TNFα by PBMCs, CD4+, and CD8+ T cells was observed in all patients. Responses were primarily from polyfunctional TEM cells and detectable in both CD4+ and CD8+ T cell subsets. Some patients had evidence of epitope spreading. Unique response patterns were observed for each patient with no apparent relationship between tumor types and time to emergence, magnitude or persistence of response. Ex vivo vaccine-induced immune responses were observed as early as 1 month, and in some cases, persisted for 176 days. Clinical efficacy possibly attributable to GEN-009 was observed in several patients, but no correlation has yet been identified with neoantigen number or magnitude of immune response.ConclusionsATLAS empirically identifies stimulatory neoantigens using the patient‘s own immune cells. GEN-009, which is comprised of personalized, ATLAS-identified neoantigens, elicits early, long-lasting and polyfunctional neoantigen-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses in individuals with advanced cancer. Several patients achieved clinical responses that were possibly attributable to vaccine; efforts are underway to explore T cell correlates of protection. These data support that GEN-009, in combination with checkpoint blockade, represents a unique approach to treat solid tumors.AcknowledgementsWe are grateful to the patients and their families who consented to participate in the GEN-009-101 clinical trial.Trial RegistrationNCT03633110Ethics ApprovalThis study was approved by Western Institutional Review Board, approval number 1-1078861-1. All subjects contributing samples provided signed individual informed consent.ReferenceDeVault V, Starobinets H, Adhikari S, Singh S, Rinaldi S, Classon B, Flechtner J, Lam H. Inhibigens, personal neoantigens that drive suppressive T cell responses, abrogate protection of therapeutic anti-tumor vaccines. J. Immunol 2020; 204(1 Supplement):91.15.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (Suppl 3) ◽  
pp. A469-A469
Author(s):  
Bernard Fox ◽  
Tarsem Moudgil ◽  
Traci Hilton ◽  
Noriko Iwamoto ◽  
Christopher Paustian ◽  
...  

BackgroundOutcomes for recurrent or metastatic (R/M) head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) are dismal and responses to anti-PD-1 appear best in tumors with PD-1+ T cells in proximity to PD-L1+ cells, arguing that improved outcome is associated with a pre-existing anti-cancer immune response. Based on this, we hypothesize that vaccines which prime and/or expand T cells to a spectrum of antigens overexpressed by HNSCC combined with T cell agonists, like anti-GITR, that provide costimulatory signals will improve the anti-PD-1 response rates. We have developed a cancer vaccine, DPV-001, that contains more than 300 proteins for genes overexpressed by HNSCC, encapsulated in a CLEC9A-targeted microvesicle and containing TLR/NOD agonists and DAMPs. Recently, we reported that combining anti-GITR + vaccine + anti-PD-1 augmented therapeutic efficacy in a preclinical model and now plan a phase 1b trial of this combination in patients with advanced HNSCC.MethodsSera from patients receiving DPV-001 as adjuvant therapy for definitively treated NSCLC, were analyzed for IgG responses to human proteins by MAP bead arrays and results compared to TCGA gene expression data sets for HNSCC. HNSCC cell lines were evaluated by RNASeq and peptides were eluted from HLA, analyzed by mass spectroscopy and correlated against MAP bead arrays and TCGA data sets. Tumor-reactive T cells from a vaccinated patient were enriched and expanded, and used in cytokine release assay (CRA) against autologous NSCLC and partially HLA matched allogeneic HNSCC cell lines.ResultsPatients receiving DPV-001 (N=13) made 147 IgG responses to at least 70 proteins for genes overexpressed by HNSCC. Preliminary evaluation of the HNSCC peptidome against the results of MAP bead array identify antigens that are target of a humoral immune response. Additionally, tumor-reactive T cells from DPV-001 vaccinated patient recognize two partially HLA-matched HNSCC targets, but not a mis-matched target.ConclusionsRecent observations from our lab and others have correlated IgG Ab responses with T cell responses to epitopes of the same protein. Based on the data summarized above, we hypothesize that we have induced T cell responses against a broad spectrum of shared cancer antigens that are common among adenocarcinomas and squamous cell cancers. Our planned clinical trial will vaccinate and boost the induced responses by costimulation with anti-GITR and then sequence in delayed anti-PD-1 to relieve checkpoint inhibition. MAP bead arrays and the peptidome library generated above will be used to assess anti-cancer B and T cell responses.Trial RegistrationNCT04470024Ethics ApprovalThe original clinical trial was approved by the Providence Portland Medical Center IRB, approval # 13-046. The proposed clinical trial has not yet been reviewed by the IRB.


2004 ◽  
Vol 22 (11) ◽  
pp. 2122-2132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Howard L. Kaufman ◽  
Wei Wang ◽  
Judith Manola ◽  
Robert S. DiPaola ◽  
Yoo-Joung Ko ◽  
...  

Purpose A phase II clinical trial was conducted to evaluate the feasibility and tolerability of a prime/boost vaccine strategy using vaccinia virus and fowlpox virus expressing human prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in patients with biochemical progression after local therapy for prostate cancer. The induction of PSA-specific immunity was also evaluated. Patients and Methods A randomized clinical trial was conducted by the Eastern Cooperative Oncology group and 64 eligible patients were randomly assigned to receive four vaccinations with fowlpox-PSA (rF-PSA), three rF-PSA vaccines followed by one vaccinia-PSA (rV-PSA) vaccine, or one rV-PSA vaccine followed by three rF-PSA vaccines. The major end point was PSA response at 6 months, and immune monitoring included measurements of anti-PSA and anti-vaccinia antibody titers and PSA-specific T-cell responses. Results The prime/boost schedule was well tolerated with few adverse events. Of the eligible patients, 45.3% of men remained free of PSA progression at 19.1 months and 78.1% demonstrated clinical progression-free survival. There was a trend favoring the treatment group that received a priming dose of rV-PSA. Although no significant increases in anti-PSA antibody titers were detected, 46% of patients demonstrated an increase in PSA-reactive T-cells. Conclusion Therapy with poxviruses expressing PSA and delivered in a prime/boost regimen was feasible and associated with minimal toxicity in the cooperative group setting. A significant proportion of men remained free of PSA and clinical progression after 19 months follow-up, and nearly half demonstrated an increase in PSA-specific T-cell responses. Phase III studies are needed to define the role of vaccination in men with prostate cancer or those who are at risk for the disease.


2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (6_suppl) ◽  
pp. 125-125
Author(s):  
Vivek Narayan ◽  
Julie Barber-Rotenberg ◽  
Joseph Fraietta ◽  
Wei-Ting Hwang ◽  
Simon F. Lacey ◽  
...  

125 Background: Prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is a highly expressed tumor-associated antigen potentially amenable to chimeric antigen receptor-modified T (CAR-T) cell therapy for castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). However, a primary challenge to the success of CAR-T therapy in CRPC is the immunosuppressive microenvironment, characterized by high levels of TGFβ. The immunosuppressive functions of TGFβ can be inhibited in T cells using a dominant negative TGFβ receptor (TGFβRdn), thereby enhancing antitumor immunity. Methods: We conducted a first-in-human phase 1 clinical trial to evaluate the feasibility, safety and preliminary efficacy of PSMA-directed/TGFβ-insensitive CAR-T cells (CART-PSMA-TGFβRdn) in patients with metastatic CRPC (NCT03089203). In a 3+3 dose-escalation design, patients received a single dose of 1-3 x 107/m2 (Cohort 1) or 1-3 x 108/m2 (Cohort 2) CART-PSMA-TGFβRdn cells without lymphodepleting (LD) chemotherapy. In Cohort 3, one patient received 1-3 x 108/m2 CART-PSMA-TGFβRdn cells following a LD chemotherapy regimen of cyclophosphamide and fludarabine (Cy/Flu). In Cohort -3, three patients received 1-3 x 107/m2 CART-PSMA-TGFβRdn cells following Cy/Flu. Patients underwent metastatic tumor biopsies at baseline and on day 10 following treatment. Quantitative PCR of CART-PSMA-TGFβRdn DNA was performed at serial timepoints to evaluate for CAR-T expansion and persistence in peripheral blood and trafficking to target tissues. Multiplex cytokine analysis assessed CART-PSMA-TGFβRdn bioactivity. Results: Ten patients received CART-PSMA-TGFβRdn therapy across dose-level cohorts. All CART-PSMA-TGFβRdn infusion products met target transduction efficiency. Evaluation of CAR-T cellular kinetics demonstrated dose-dependent peripheral blood T cell expansion, as well as tumor tissue trafficking in post-treatment tumor biopsies. At Cohort 2 and above, 5 of 7 treated patients developed grade ≥2 cytokine release syndrome (CRS). Marked increases in inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, IL-15, IL-2, IFNγ) correlated with high-grade CRS events. One grade 5 adverse event (sepsis) occurred in Cohort 3. PSA decline was observed in 6 of 10 patients (median decline -33.2%, range -11.6% to -98.3%), and PSA30 response occurred in 4 of 10 patients (including one patient achieving PSA < 0.1 ng/mL). Conclusions: Adoptive cellular therapy with CART-PSMA-TGFβRdn is safe and feasible in patients with metastatic CRPC. A dose-dependent and lymphodepletion chemotherapy-dependent relationship was observed with CART-PSMA-TGFβRdn cell expansion, cytokine expression, CRS, and anti-tumor effect. Correlative cell trafficking and paired tumor Nanostring analyses will be presented. Future clinical investigations seek to enhance anti-tumor efficacy, while optimizing the therapeutic window. Clinical trial information: NCT03089203.


Blood ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 122 (21) ◽  
pp. 1980-1980
Author(s):  
Kimberly Noonan ◽  
Lakshmi Rudraraju ◽  
Anna Ferguson ◽  
Amy Sidorski ◽  
Andrea Casildo ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Prevnar, is a multi-valent conjugate vaccine given to children and adults over 50 for the prevention of Streptococcus pneumonia, otis media and pneumococcal pneumonia. The conjugate in Prevnar is a CRM-197 protein molecule which is a nontoxic recombinant Diphtheria toxin. Prevnar serves as an excellent tool in monitoring overall immune response changes in myeloma patients’ pre and post treatment. Humoral B-cell responses can be measured by antibody responses to the pneumococcal antigens, while T cell responses to CRM-197. Clinical Study We previously conducted a study to determine the efficacy of lenalidomide to augment vaccine specific responses in patients with myeloma. Two cohorts of patients were studied. In cohort A (N=10), the first Prevnar vaccine was given two weeks prior to starting lenalidomide and the second vaccine on day 14 of cycle 2 of lenalidomide. In cohort B (N=7), both Prevnar vaccines were given on lenalidomide (day 14 of cycle 2 and 4). As we previously reported patients in cohort B had an overall better B and T cell response to Prevnar compared to cohort A. These responses were due to an overall change in B and T cell phenotype attained with lenalidomide therapy. Results Prospectively, patients in cohort B also had an unexpected overall increase in disease response and in response duration. In Cohort A only 10% of patients responded to therapy while 60% of patients in Cohort B had a clinical response. The patients with a measurable clinical response had a 5-fold increase in the percentage of tumor specific bone marrow (BM) T cells after two vaccinations with Prevnar whereas the non-responding patients had no increase in tumor specific BM T cells. Parelleling the anti-tumor response, responders showed a 15 fold increase in CRM-197 specific BM T cells after the second vaccination. Patients with no clinical response showed minimal CRM-197 T cell immunity. CRM-197 is a specific inhibitor of HB-EGF; syndecan-1 (CD138) is an HB-EGF co-receptor as well as a marker for myeloma plasma cells. We hypothesized that HB-EGF specific responses produced by vaccination with the Prevnar vaccine, and CRM-197 specifically, may have contributed to the overall increased clinical responses in our clinical trial. Responding patients had a 5-fold increase in HB-EGF specific BM T cells after vaccine 2 while clinical non-responders had no increase in HB-EGF specific BM T cells. T cells specificity for purified HB-EGF correlated with both CRM-197 and tumor specific responses. Finally the myeloma cell lines U266, H929, KMS-11 and KMS-12 co-stained for CD138 and HB-EGF with 47% of CD138+ myeloma cells co-expressing HB-EGF. Conclusions We hypothesize that the CRM-197 moiety of the Prevnar vaccine can prime T cell responses against HB-EGF on plasma cells. This immune response, in turn, weakens the tumor stromal interactions in the tumor microenvironment and potentially enhances the anti-tumor efficacy of immunomodulatory drugs such as lenalidomide. Therefore, Prevnar may possibly serve as a candidate anti-myeloma vaccine. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


Blood ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 132 (Supplement 1) ◽  
pp. 3423-3423
Author(s):  
Jochen Greiner ◽  
Marlies Götz ◽  
Michael Schmitt ◽  
Hartmut Döhner ◽  
Markus Wiesneth ◽  
...  

Abstract In order to maintain remission and to prolong overall-survival after allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT) and donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI), cytotoxic T-cell responses against malignant cells play a pivotal role, however they are not well characterized so far. In this study, we focused on the detection of immune responses in patients before and after DLI. A broader epitope-specific T cell activity is associated with clinical response of patients treated with DLI and a concurrent reduction of regulatory T cell frequency may contribute to clinical response in patients after DLI. For a better characterization of the T cell responses, frequency and diversity of leukemia-associated antigen (LAA)-specific cytotoxic T cells was assessed using ELISpot and pMHC multimer assays. Furthermore, the frequency of regulatory T cells (Treg) before and after DLI was analyzed. Results were correlated to the clinical course of the patients. Independently of their clinical response, 7/11 patients (63.6%) showed an immunological response through an increase in the number of recognized epitopes over the course of DLI. There was a significant increase (p=0.02) in epitope recognition comparing early screening and maximum response after DLI and a significant increase in the mean augmentation from 1 to 4 of the spotted epitopes in the course of DLI was detected in the cohort of clinical responders (R) compared to non-responders (NR) who did not show any dynamics in epitope recognition with a median of 3 to 4 recognized LAA. The proportion of the CD4+CD25highFoxP3+ Treg within the CD4+CD25high T cell fraction decreased significantly in R from a median of 72.9% to 54.6% when comparing the variation at the time points before and after DLI (p=0.04). In NR there was no significant change in the Treg fraction in the course of DLI. In general, significantly more LAA-derived T cell epitopes (p=0.02) were recognized in R when compared to NR. Moreover, the frequency of Treg in R decreased significantly (p=0.008) while remaining stable in NR. Taken together, an increase of specific CTL responses against several LAA after DLI was detected. This study suggests that decreasing numbers of Treg as well as enhanced LAA diversity in T cell responses contribute to clinical outcome of patients treated with DLI. Disclosures Döhner: AbbVie: Consultancy, Honoraria; AROG Pharmaceuticals: Research Funding; Bristol Myers Squibb: Research Funding; AROG Pharmaceuticals: Research Funding; Agios: Consultancy, Honoraria; Bristol Myers Squibb: Research Funding; Agios: Consultancy, Honoraria; Astellas: Consultancy, Honoraria; Sunesis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Astellas: Consultancy, Honoraria; Pfizer: Research Funding; Seattle Genetics: Consultancy, Honoraria; Jazz: Consultancy, Honoraria; Seattle Genetics: Consultancy, Honoraria; AbbVie: Consultancy, Honoraria; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Pfizer: Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Celator: Consultancy, Honoraria; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Astex Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Honoraria; Astex Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Honoraria; Jazz: Consultancy, Honoraria; Celator: Consultancy, Honoraria; Sunesis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding.


Author(s):  
Federica Cappuccini ◽  
Richard Bryant ◽  
Emily Pollock ◽  
Lucy Carter ◽  
Clare Verrill ◽  
...  

AbstractProstate cancer (PCa) has been under investigation as a target for antigen-specific immunotherapies in metastatic disease settings for a decade. However, neither of the two clinically most developed prostate cancer vaccines, Sipuleucel-T and ProstVac, induce strong T cell immunity. In this first-in-man study, VANCE, we evaluated a novel vaccination platform based on two replication-deficient viruses, chimpanzee adenovirus (ChAd) and MVA (Modified Vaccinia Ankara), targeting the oncofetal self-antigen 5T4 in early stage PCa. Forty patients, either newly diagnosed with early stage prostate cancer and scheduled for radical prostatectomy or patients with stable disease on an active surveillance protocol, were recruited to the study to assess the vaccine safety and T cell immunogenicity. Secondary and exploratory endpoints included immune infiltration into the prostate, prostate specific antigen (PSA) change and assessment of phenotype and functionality of antigen-specific T cells. The vaccine had an excellent safety profile. Vaccination-induced 5T4-specific T cell responses were measured in blood by ex vivo IFN-γ ELISpot and were detected in the majority of patients with a mean level in responders of 198 spot-forming cells (SFC) per million peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Flow cytometry analysis demonstrated the presence of both CD8+ and CD4+ polyfunctional 5T4-specific T cells in the circulation. 5T4-reactive tumour infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) were isolated from post-treatment prostate tissue. Some of the patients had a transient PSA rise 2-8 weeks following vaccination, possibly indicating an inflammatory response in the target organ. The potent T cell responses elicited support the evaluation of these vectored vaccine in efficacy trials.


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