scholarly journals A cytokine receptor-masked IL2 prodrug selectively activates tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes for potent antitumor therapy

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Hsu ◽  
Xuezhi Cao ◽  
Benjamin Moon ◽  
joonbeom Bae ◽  
Zhichen Sun ◽  
...  

Abstract Interleukin-2 (IL-2) is an FDA approved treatment for multiple metastatic cancers. However, while IL-2 is a potent activator of CD8 and NK cells, its clinical use is limited by short in vivo half-life, low potency, and severe in vivo toxicity. Current strategies of reducing IL-2 receptor alpha binding and increasing IL-2 receptor beta binding reduce efficacy or increase toxicity. Here, we address these issues by engineering a novel IL-2 prodrug (ProIL2). We mask the activity of a CD8 T cell-preferred IL-2 mutein/Fc fusion protein with IL2 receptor beta linked to a tumor-associated protease substrate. ProIL2 restores activity after cleavage by tumor-associated enzymes, and preferentially activates inside tumors, where it is efficiently cleaved and expands CD8 T cells. This significantly reduces IL-2 associated cytokine storm, body weight loss, and mortality without compromising antitumor efficacy. ProIL2 also overcomes resistance of cancers to immune checkpoint blockade. Lastly, neoadjuvant ProIL2 treatment can effectively eliminate metastatic cancer by inducing an abscopal effect. Taken together, our approach presents an effective tumor targeting therapy with reduced toxicity.

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric J. Hsu ◽  
Xuezhi Cao ◽  
Benjamin Moon ◽  
Joonbeom Bae ◽  
Zhichen Sun ◽  
...  

AbstractAs a potent lymphocyte activator, interleukin-2 (IL-2) is an FDA-approved treatment for multiple metastatic cancers. However, its clinical use is limited by short half-life, low potency, and severe in vivo toxicity. Current IL-2 engineering strategies exhibit evidence of peripheral cytotoxicity. Here, we address these issues by engineering an IL-2 prodrug (ProIL2). We mask the activity of a CD8 T cell-preferential IL-2 mutein/Fc fusion protein with IL2 receptor beta linked to a tumor-associated protease substrate. ProIL2 restores activity after cleavage by tumor-associated enzymes, and preferentially activates inside tumors, where it expands antigen-specific CD8 T cells. This significantly reduces IL-2 toxicity and mortality without compromising antitumor efficacy. ProIL2 also overcomes resistance of cancers to immune checkpoint blockade. Lastly, neoadjuvant ProIL2 treatment can eliminate metastatic cancer through an abscopal effect. Taken together, our approach presents an effective tumor targeting therapy with reduced toxicity.


1995 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 410-418 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y Merrouche ◽  
S Negrier ◽  
C Bain ◽  
V Combaret ◽  
A Mercatello ◽  
...  

PURPOSE Adoptive immunotherapy with tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) and interleukin-2 (IL-2) has been reported to mediate tumor regression in some human cancers. To define better the biologic characteristics of TIL, especially survival and distribution in vivo, we performed a gene-marker study in patients with advanced malignancies. PATIENTS AND METHODS We treated five patients with metastatic melanoma or renal cell carcinoma with adoptive immunotherapy. TIL were genetically modified, before their infusion, using a recombinant retroviral vector that contained the marker gene coding for resistance to neomycin (NeoR). RESULTS All of the patients tolerated the treatment well and none of the theoretic safety hazards due to the retroviral gene transduction was observed. The presence of the NeoR gene in TIL was detected by Southern blot analysis, with an efficiency of transduction that ranged from 1% to 26%. With polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis, we demonstrated that gene-modified TIL can survive for several months after reinjection, since positive blood samples were observed up to day 260 following reinjection. Eight malignant biopsy specimens were obtained from three patients after cell infusion. TIL were detected in only four of these eight tumor deposits on days 7 and 260. CONCLUSION These results confirm the feasibility and safety of using in vitro retroviral gene transduction in human lymphocytes to analyze their in vivo distribution for further therapeutic applications. However, a selective and prolonged retention of TIL at the tumor site was not found in this study.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dilara Sahin ◽  
Natalia Arenas-Ramirez ◽  
Matthias Rath ◽  
Ufuk Karakus ◽  
Monika Hümbelin ◽  
...  

AbstractModified interleukin-2 (IL-2) formulations are being tested in cancer patients. However, IL-2 immunotherapy damages IL-2 receptor (IL-2R)-positive endothelial cells and stimulates IL-2Rα (CD25)-expressing lymphocytes that curtail anti-tumor responses. A first generation of IL-2Rβ (CD122)-biased IL-2s addressed some of these drawbacks. Here, we present a second-generation CD122-biased IL-2, developed by splitting and permanently grafting unmutated human IL-2 (hIL-2) to its antigen-binding groove on the anti-hIL-2 monoclonal antibody NARA1, thereby generating NARA1leukin. In comparison to hIL-2/NARA1 complexes, NARA1leukin shows a longer in vivo half-life, completely avoids association with CD25, and more potently stimulates CD8+ T and natural killer cells. These effects result in strong anti-tumor responses in various pre-clinical cancer models, whereby NARA1leukin consistently surpasses the efficacy of hIL-2/NARA1 complexes in controlling metastatic disease. Collectively, NARA1leukin is a CD122-biased single-molecule construct based on unmutated hIL-2 with potent efficacy against advanced malignancies.


Blood ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 87 (1) ◽  
pp. 190-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
T Reya ◽  
JA Yang-Snyder ◽  
EV Rothenberg ◽  
SR Carding

To determine whether signaling via CD122 (interleukin-2 [IL-2]/IL-15 receptor beta-chain) plays a role in regulating the expansion and differentiation of lymphocyte precursors, we have characterized its expression and evaluated its ability to influence the activity of developing lymphoid cells. A significant fraction of Sca1+Lin- hematopoietic stem cells in day 12 fetal liver were found to be CD122+. CD122-mRNA+ and IL-2-mRNA+ cells were also localized in embryo sections within pharyngeal blood vessels adjacent to and surrounding the thymic analgen. This distribution is consistent with the migration of CD122+ progenitor cells from the liver to the developing thymus where a majority of Sca1+ intrathymic T-cell progenitors were CD122+. Analysis of CD122 expression in the day 12 fetal liver revealed that the majority of B220+ cells were CD122+. Furthermore, CD122 expression was restricted to the earliest B220+ cells (CD43+CD24-; prepro B cells; fraction A) that proliferate vigorously to IL-2 in the absence of any stromal cells, but not to IL-15. Consistent with a role for the IL-2/IL- 2R pathway in lymphocyte development is the progressive loss of B cells seen in IL-2-deficient mice. Together, these observations suggest that CD122 plays a role in regulating normal lymphocyte development in vivo.


Blood ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 87 (1) ◽  
pp. 190-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
T Reya ◽  
JA Yang-Snyder ◽  
EV Rothenberg ◽  
SR Carding

Abstract To determine whether signaling via CD122 (interleukin-2 [IL-2]/IL-15 receptor beta-chain) plays a role in regulating the expansion and differentiation of lymphocyte precursors, we have characterized its expression and evaluated its ability to influence the activity of developing lymphoid cells. A significant fraction of Sca1+Lin- hematopoietic stem cells in day 12 fetal liver were found to be CD122+. CD122-mRNA+ and IL-2-mRNA+ cells were also localized in embryo sections within pharyngeal blood vessels adjacent to and surrounding the thymic analgen. This distribution is consistent with the migration of CD122+ progenitor cells from the liver to the developing thymus where a majority of Sca1+ intrathymic T-cell progenitors were CD122+. Analysis of CD122 expression in the day 12 fetal liver revealed that the majority of B220+ cells were CD122+. Furthermore, CD122 expression was restricted to the earliest B220+ cells (CD43+CD24-; prepro B cells; fraction A) that proliferate vigorously to IL-2 in the absence of any stromal cells, but not to IL-15. Consistent with a role for the IL-2/IL- 2R pathway in lymphocyte development is the progressive loss of B cells seen in IL-2-deficient mice. Together, these observations suggest that CD122 plays a role in regulating normal lymphocyte development in vivo.


2004 ◽  
Vol 19 (6) ◽  
pp. 730-737 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Dillman ◽  
Patric Schiltz ◽  
Carol De Priest ◽  
Neil Barth ◽  
Linda Beutel ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Liping Huang ◽  
Yanan Li ◽  
Yunai Du ◽  
Yiyi Zhang ◽  
Xiuxia Wang ◽  
...  

Abstract One of the main challenges for immune checkpoint blockade antibodies lies in malignancies with limited T-cell responses or immunologically “cold” tumors. Inspired by the capability of fever-like heat in inducing an immune-favorable tumor microenvironment, mild photothermal therapy (PTT) is proposed to sensitize tumors to immune checkpoint inhibition and turn “cold” tumors “hot.” Here we present a combined all-in-one and all-in-control strategy to realize a local symbiotic mild photothermal-assisted immunotherapy (SMPAI). We load both a near-infrared (NIR) photothermal agent IR820 and a programmed death-ligand 1 antibody (aPD-L1) into a lipid gel depot with a favorable property of thermally reversible gel-to-sol phase transition. Manually controlled NIR irradiation regulates the release of aPD-L1 and, more importantly, increases the recruitment of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes and boosts T-cell activity against tumors. In vivo antitumor studies on 4T1 and B16F10 models demonstrate that SMPAI is an effective and promising strategy for treating “cold” tumors.


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