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T cells expressing anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) can induce complete remissions (CRs) of diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The long-term durability of these remissions is unknown. We administered anti-CD19 CAR T cells preceded by cyclophosphamide and fludarabine conditioning chemotherapy to patients with relapsed DLBCL. Five of the seven evaluable patients obtained CRs. Four of the five CRs had long-term durability with durations of remission of 56, 51, 44, and 38 months; to date, none of these four cases of lymphomas have relapsed. Importantly, CRs continued after recovery of non-malignant polyclonal B cells in three of four patients with long-term complete remissions. In these three patients, recovery of CD19+ polyclonal B cells took place 28, 38, and 28 months prior to the last follow-up, and each of these three patients remained in CR at the last follow-up. Non-malignant CD19+ B cell recovery with continuing CRs demonstrated that remissions of DLBCL can continue after the disappearance of functionally effective anti-CD19 CAR T cell populations. Patients had a low incidence of severe infections despite long periods of B cell depletion and hypogammaglobulinemia. Only one hospitalization for an infection occurred among the four patients with long-term CRs. Anti-CD19 CAR T cells caused long-term remissions of chemotherapy-refractory DLBCL without substantial chronic toxicities. Five of seven patients receiving anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells obtained complete remissions. Four of the five CRs had long-term durability with durations of remissions ranging from 38 to 56 months. Remissions persisted despite recovery of normal B cells in three of the four patients with long-term remissions.

BackgroundAdvances in pediatric oncology have occurred for some cancers; however, new therapies for sarcoma have been inadequate. Cellular immunotherapy using chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells has shown dramatic benefits in leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma but has been far less successful in pediatric solid tumors such as rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) and osteosarcoma (OS). Balancing issues of “on-target, off-tumor toxicity”, investigators have identified B7-H3 as a broadly expressed tumor antigen with otherwise restricted expression on normal tissues. We hypothesized that rapid homing via a chemokine receptor and CAR engagement through B7-H3 would enhance CAR T cell efficacy in solid tumors.MethodsWe generated B7-H3 CAR T cells that also express the Interleukin-8 (IL-8) receptor, CXCR2. Cytokine production, flow cytometry, Seahorse assays and RNA sequencing were used to compare the B7-H3 CXCR2 (BC2) CAR T cells with B7-H3 CAR T cells. We developed an IL-8 overexpressing human RMS mouse model to test homing and cytotoxicity in vivo.ResultsWe demonstrate that IL-8 is expressed by RMS and OS and expression significantly increases after radiation. Overexpression of an IL-8 receptor, CXCR2, on B7-H3 CAR T cells enhances homing into IL-8 expressing tumors, augments T cell metabolism and leads to significant tumor regression.ConclusionThese findings warrant further investigation into the use of BC2 CAR T cells as a treatment for patients with RMS, OS and other B7-H3-expressing, IL-8 producing solid tumors.

BackgroundPhosphatidylserine (PS) exposed on apoptotic cells promotes immune clearance of dead cells without inducing inflammation. Conversely, PS exposure on live tumor cells promotes an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment that hinders antitumor immune responses. After confirming elevated PS levels in various tumor cell lines and cancer tissues, we aimed to investigate its potential as a target antigen for chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) therapy.MethodsWe used two different approaches to target PS. First, we employed the adaptor proteins, EDAnnexin or BCMAnnexin comprising annexin V and EDA (extra domain A of fibronectin) or B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) antigens, to redirect the lytic activity of EDA CAR-T or BCMA CAR-T cells toward PS-expressing tumor cells. In a second approach, we developed an annexin V-based CAR (Anxa CAR-T) to directly recognize PS-positive tumor cells.ResultsThe adaptors proteins EDAnnexin and BCMAnnexin successfully redirected EDA CAR-T or BCMA CAR-T cell activity, leading to an efficient recognition of PS+ tumor cells in vitro. However, the established immunological synapse differs significantly from that observed when CAR-T cells recognize the tumor cells directly. In vivo administration of the adaptor proteins, combined with the corresponding CAR-T cells, displayed antitumor activity in mice bearing PS+ tumors. Regarding the second approach, Anxa CAR-T cells effectively recognized and killed PS+ tumor cells in vitro. Nonetheless, PS exposure on T-cell membranes during T-cell activation impeded efficient Anxa CAR-T cell manufacturing due to fratricide. By optimizing retroviral dose to reduce Anxa CAR expression on the cell membrane, or by using the multikinase inhibitor dasatinib, the fratricide effect was mitigated, enabling successful Anxa CARLow-T cell production. Remarkably, Anxa CARLow-T cells demonstrated antitumor activity in in vivo murine models of PS+ hepatocarcinoma and teratocarcinoma. No signs of toxicity were observed after Anxa CAR-T cell administration.ConclusionsPS holds promise as a target antigen for CAR-T cell therapy, underscoring the need to address fratricide as a key challenge in the development of PS-targeting CAR-T cells.

BackgroundTriple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) represents a subtype of breast cancer with poorest prognosis due to limited effective targeted therapies. Chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) therapy has shown remarkable efficacy in treating hematological cancers, but its application in TNBC requires further development. One major obstacle is the lack of suitable tumor-specific target in TNBC. Inspired by recent success of trophoblast cell-surface antigen 2 (TROP2) antibody-drug conjugate in TNBC, we developed a second-generation CAR that specifically targets TROP2 and formally evaluated its antitumor activity and safety profile using in vitro and in vivo models.MethodsA CAR molecule targeting TROP2 was constructed based on the clinically-validated humanized antibody Sacituzumab and expressed in primary human T cells using a retroviral vector. Tumor cytotoxicity, cytokine production and T-cell proliferation of TROP2 CAR-T cells were tested against multiple TNBC cell lines in vitro. Antitumor efficacy was evaluated using orthotopic and metastatic models of cell line-derived xenograft in NSG mice and in patient-derived xenograft (PDX) model. The safety profile of TROP2 CAR-T cells was assessed using TROP2-humanized immunocompetent mice and an “AND”-logic gated SynNotch CAR targeting B7-H3 and TROP2 was engineered to minimize off-tumor, on-target toxicity of TROP2 CAR-T cells.ResultsHuman TROP2 CAR-T cells demonstrated robust antitumor activity in vitro and in orthotopic/metastatic/PDX xenograft mouse models. TROP2 CAR-T cells caused lethal on-target, off-tumor toxicity in TROP2-humanized immunocompetent mice, causing severe tissue damage in lungs and systemic inflammation. The B7-H3/TROP2 “AND”-logic gated SynNotch CAR-T cells showed comparable antitumor efficacy without causing apparent adverse effects as in TROP2 CAR-T cells.ConclusionsThese data indicate that while CAR-T therapy targeting TROP2 possesses potent antitumor activity against TNBC cell lines and PDX, its potential side effects could be lethal due to TROP2 expression in vital organs such as the lung. Using an “AND”-logic gated CAR is a viable solution to overcome its in vivo toxicity. Our study lays the groundwork for future development of TROP2 CAR-T cell therapy for TNBC.

BackgroundAdoptive transfer of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-expressing natural killer (NK) cells has demonstrated success against hematological malignancies. Efficacy against solid tumors has been limited by poor NK cell survival and function in the suppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). To enhance efficacy against solid tumors, stimulatory cytokines have been incorporated into CAR-NK cell therapeutic approaches. However, current cytokine strategies have limitations, including systemic toxicities, exogenous dependencies, and unwanted TME bystander effects. Here, we aimed to overcome these limitations by modifying CAR-NK cells to express a constitutively active interleukin (IL)-7 receptor, termed C7R, capable of providing intrinsic CAR-NK cell activation that does not rely on or produce exogenous signals nor activate bystander cells.MethodsWe examined persistence, antitumor function, and transcriptional profiles of CAR-NK cells coexpressing C7R in a novel tumor immune microenvironment (TiME) co-culture system and against hematologic and solid tumor xenografts in vivo.ResultsPeripheral blood NK cells expressing a CAR directed against the solid tumor antigen GD2 and modified with C7R demonstrated enhanced tumor killing and persistence in vitro compared with CAR-NK cells without cytokine support and similar functions to CAR-NK cells supplemented with recombinant IL-15. C7R.CAR-NK cells exhibited enhanced survival and proliferation within neuroblastoma TiME xenografts in vivo but produced poor long-term tumor control compared with CAR-NK cells supplemented with IL-15. Similar results were seen using C7R-expressing CD19.CAR-NK cells against CD19+leukemia xenografts. Gene expression analysis revealed that chronic signaling via C7R induced a transcriptional signature consistent with intratumor stressed NK cells with blunted effector function. We identified gene candidates associated with chronic cytokine-stressed NK cells that could be targeted to reduce CAR-NK cell stress within the solid TME.ConclusionC7R promoted CAR-NK cell survival in hostile TMEs independent of exogenous signals but resulted in poor antitumor function in vivo. Our data reveals the detrimental role of continuous IL-7 signaling in CAR-NK cells and provides insights into proper application of cytokine signals when attempting to enhance CAR-NK cell antitumor activity.

BackgroundAdoptive T-cell therapy has demonstrated clinical activity in B-cell malignancies, offering hope for its application to a broad spectrum of cancers. However, a significant portion of patients with solid tumors experience primary or secondary resistance to this treatment modality. Target antigen loss resulting either from non-uniform antigen expression or defects in antigen processing and presentation machinery is one well-characterized resistance mechanism. Constitutively expressed membrane-anchored interleukin-12 (caIL-12) has demonstrated enhanced antitumor activity and low systemic exposure in multiple preclinical adoptive T-cell treatment models with homogeneous tumor antigen expression. In this study, we assess the therapeutic impact of caIL-12 on target antigen-negative variants in syngeneic mouse models.MethodsTarget antigen-positive tumors were generated by transducing B16F10 melanoma cells (B16) or Lewis Lung Carcinoma cells (LLC) with a construct expressing the OVA antigen, SIINFEKL, tagged to ubiquitin (B16-U-OVA, LLC-U-OVA), while B16 or LLC tumors served as antigen-negative variants. C57BL/6J mice were subcutaneously injected with heterogeneous tumors composed of 80% B16-U-OVA and 20% B16. Bilateral tumors were established by injecting the left flank with B16-U-OVA or LLC-U-OVA tumors and the right flank injected with B16 or LLC tumors. The tumor-bearing mice then underwent 5.5 Gy total body irradiation, followed by adoptive transfer of OT-I TCR-T cells engineered with or without caIL-12.ResultsTCR-T cells (OT-I) delivered caIL-12 to the B16-U-OVA tumor sites and induced robust tumor control and survival benefits in mice bearing a heterogeneous tumor with OVA-negative variants. caIL-12 exerted its effect on OVA-negative B16 variants primarily by priming and activating endogenous antitumor CD8 T cells via antigen spreading. In addition, antigen spreading induced by OT-I-caIL-12 resulted in controlling OVA-negative tumors implanted at distant sites. This therapeutic effect required antigen-specific TCR-T cells and caIL-12 to colocalize at the tumor site, along with endogenous CD8 T cells capable of recognizing shared tumor antigens.ConclusionExpression of caIL-12 by tumor-targeting T cells demonstrated therapeutic effect against target-antigen-negative tumor variants, primarily through the induction of antigen spreading. These findings highlight the potential of caIL-12 to address challenges of antigen escape and tumor heterogeneity that may limit the efficacy of T-cell therapy against solid tumors.

To develop combination immunotherapies for gastric cancers, immunologically well-characterized preclinical models are crucial. Here, we leveraged two transplantable murine gastric cancer cell lines, YTN2 and YTN16, derived from the same parental line but differing in their susceptibility to immune rejection. We established their differential sensitivity to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) and identified neoantigens. Although anti-CTLA-4 mAbs eradicated YTN16 tumors in 4 of 5 mice, anti-PD-1 and anti-PD-L1 mAbs failed to eradicate YTN16 tumors. Using whole-exome and RNA sequencing, we identified two and three neoantigens in YTN2 and YTN16, respectively. MHC class I ligandome analysis detected the expression of only one of these neoantigens, mutated Cdt1, but the exact length of MHC binding peptide was determined. Dendritic cell vaccine loaded with neoepitope peptides and adoptive transfer of neoantigen-specific CD8+ T cells successfully inhibited the YTN16 tumor growth. Targeting mutated Cdt1 had better efficacy for controlling the tumor. Therefore, mutated Cdt1 was the dominant neoantigen in these tumor cells. More mCdt1 peptides were bound to MHC class I and presented on YTN2 surface than YTN16. This might be one of the reasons why YTN2 was rejected while YTN16 grew in immune-competent mice.

BackgroundChimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cell therapy has been shown remarkable efficacy in the treatment of hematological malignancies in recent years. However, a considerable proportion of patients would experience tumor recurrence and deterioration. Insufficient CAR-T cell persistence is the major reason for relapse. Multiple strategies to enhance the long-term antitumor effects of CAR-T cells have been explored and developed. In this study, we focused on tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), which have emerged immunomodulatory potential besides direct tumoricidal effects.MethodsHere, we screened 50 approved TKIs drugs and identified that afatinib (AFA) markedly enhanced the expressing of CD62L and inhibited reactive oxygen species level in T cells. And the underlying mechanisms of AFA medicating T cells were explored by detecting signal transduction, and metabolism pattern. Furthermore, we co-cultured AFA with CAR-T cells during the preparation stage and multianalyses of differentiation characteristics, metabolic profiling, and RNA sequencing revealed that AFA induce comprehensive metabolism remodeling and fate reprogramming. Based on it, we finally identified the antitumor efficacy of AFA-pretreatment CAR-T compared with negative-control CAR-T.ResultsWe identified that AFA blocked the T-cell receptor (TCR) and phosphoinositide 3-kinase-protein kinase B-mechanistic target of rapamycin signaling pathways, induced metabolic reprogramming and modulated T-cell differentiation. When combined with CAR-T cells, AFA inhibited the exhaustion and enhanced the persistence and cytotoxicity. Our results revealed that the pretreatment of AFA enables to boost CAR-T cells with strong antitumor cytotoxicity in leukemia mouse model.ConclusionsOur study systematically demonstrated that AFA pretreatment effectively enhanced CAR-T cells antitumor performance, which presents a novel optimization strategy for potent and durable CAR-T cell therapy.

BackgroundThe tumor microenvironment is frequently hypoxic and characterized by a scarcity of nutritional resources including a shortage of glucose. As effector T cells have high energy demands, tumor metabolism can contribute to T-cell dysfunction and exhaustion.MethodsIn this study, we determined hypoxia in spleen and tumor tissue from tumor-bearing C57BL/6J mice using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), histology and flow cytometry. Next, CD8+ T cells isolated from C57BL6J mice or P14+ mice were transduced with Thy1.1 (Control) or Thy1.1-Myoglobin (Mb) packaged retrovirus. Expression of Mb was confirmed with RT-PCR and western blot. Cellular metabolism was determined by flow cytometry, transmission electron microscopy, focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy, Seahorse, metabolomics and luminescence assays. Mb expressing or control P14+ or OT-I+ T cells were transferred in B16F10-gp33 or MC38-ova tumor-bearing mice respectively and analyzed using flow cytometry and histology. B16F10-gp33 tumor-bearing mice were additionally treated with anti-programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) checkpoint inhibitor.ResultsHere we demonstrate that expression of the oxygen-binding protein myoglobin in T cells can boost their mitochondrial and glycolytic metabolic functions. Metabolites and tricarboxylic acid compounds were highly increased in the presence of myoglobin (Mb), which was associated with increased ATP levels. Mb-expressing T cells exhibited low expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α after activation and during infiltration into the tumor microenvironment (TME). Accordingly, Mb expression increased effector T-cell function against tumor cells in vitro with concomitant reductions in superoxide levels. Following adoptive transfer into tumor-bearing mice, Mb expression facilitated increased infiltration into the TME. Although T cells expressing Mb exhibited increased expression of effector cytokines, PD-1 was still detected and targetable by anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibodies, which in combination with transfer of Mb-expressing T cells demonstrated maximal efficacy in delaying tumor growth.ConclusionTaken together, we show that expression of Mb in T cells can increase their metabolism, infiltration into the tumor tissue, and effector function against cancer cells.

Purpose of ReviewIn this paper, we review the current state and modalities of adoptive cell therapies (ACT) in non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). We also discuss the challenges hampering the use of ACT and the approaches to overcome these barriers.Recent FindingsSeveral trials are ongoing investigating the three main modalities of T cell-based ACT: tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), genetically engineered T-cell receptors (TCRs), and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells. The latter, in particular, has revolutionized the treatment of hematologic malignancies. However, the efficacy against solid tumor is still sparse. Major limitations include the following: severe toxicities, restricted infiltration and activation within the tumors, antigen escape and heterogeneity, and manufacturing issues.SummaryACT is a promising tool to improve the outcome of metastatic NSCLC, but significant translational and clinical research is needed to improve its application and expand the use in NSCLC.