The interation of CAR-NK cell and tumor cells during the in vivo anti-tumor cell therapy
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) engineering of NK cells is an active area of research with early-phase clinical studies showing an excellent safety profile with encouraging clinical responses. However, the transcriptional signatures that control the fate of CAR-NK cell after infusion and their association with tumor control remain poorly understood. Here, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) to depict the evolution of various engineered CAR-NK cells from the ex vivo infusion products to the in vivo peak phase of tumor control and finally to the relapse phase. Single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA) has revolutionized high-thoughout systems-based analysis of cellular and functional heterogeneity, and dynamic changes in the immune response during the anti-tumor immune cell therapy . The goals of this work are to compare transcriptome profiling (RNA-seq) from both engrafted tumor cells and infused CAR-NK cells over time of treatment course to evaluate the kenetic of tumor cell response and effector functional change of CAR-NK cell. Our study represents the first detailed transcriptomic analysis of using CAR-NK cell therapy aganist Raji-engrafted mouse model. Collecting samples from different time points and organs, the data analysis reported here should privide an envision of the dynamic about how tumor response to immune cell therapy of using CAR-NK cells and also how immune effector fucntion of CAR-NK cell was modulated over time during the treatment courses.
Project description:Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) engineering of NK cells is an active area of research with early-phase clinical studies showing an excellent safety profile with encouraging clinical responses. However, the transcriptional signatures that control the fate of CAR-NK cell after infusion and their association with tumor control remain poorly understood. Here, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) to depict the evolution of various engineered CAR-NK cells Single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA) has revolutionized high-thoughout systems-based analysis of cellular and functional heterogeneity, The goals of this work are to compare transcriptome profiling (RNA-seq).
Project description:Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy has revolutionized the clinical treatment of hematological malignancies due to the prominent anti-tumor effects. B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) CAR-T cells have demonstrated promising effects in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma. However, the dynamics of CAR-T cell proliferation and cytotoxicity in a patient remains largely unexplored. Single-cell RNA sequencing samples were collected at three phases: CAR-T products before infusion, CAR-T on day 8 after infusion, and CAR-T on day 15 after infusion. After obtaining the PBMCs for each phase, CAR-T and endogenous T cells were collected by fluorescence-activated cell sorting with anti-Mouse IgG Biotin, FITC Streptavidin, and anti-human CD3 APC.
Project description:Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy has achieved remarkable success in hematological malignancies but remains largely ineffective in solid tumors. A major factor leading to the reduced efficacy of CAR T cell therapy is T cell dysfunction, and the mechanisms mediating this dysfunction are under investigation. Here we establish a robust in vitro model to study mesothelin-redirected CAR T cell dysfunction in pancreatic cancer. Continuous antigen exposure results in hallmark features of exhaustion including reduced proliferation capacity and cytotoxicity, and severe defects in cytokine production. Here we identified a transcriptional signature at both population and single-cell levels in CAR T cells after chronic antigen exposure. In addition, TCR lineage tracing revealed a CD8+ T-to-NK-like T cell plasticity that results in reduced antigen- dependent tumor cell killing. The transcription factors SOX4 and ID3 are specifically expressed in the dysfunctional CAR NK-like T cells and are predicted to be master regulators of the dysfunction gene expression signature and of the post-thymic acquisition of an NK-like T cell fate. Finally, we identified the emergence of CAR NK-like T cells in a subset of patients after infusion of CAR T cells. The findings gleaned from this study reveal new approaches to improve the efficacy of CAR T cell therapy in solid tumors by preventing or revitalizing CAR T cell dysfunction and shed light on the plasticity of human CAR T cells.
Project description:Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy has achieved remarkable success in hematological malignancies but remains largely ineffective in solid tumors. A major factor leading to the reduced efficacy of CAR T cell therapy is T cell dysfunction, and the mechanisms mediating this dysfunction are under investigation. Here we establish a robust in vitro model to study mesothelin-redirected CAR T cell dysfunction in pancreatic cancer. Continuous antigen exposure results in hallmark features of exhaustion including reduced proliferation capacity and cytotoxicity, and severe defects in cytokine production. Here we identified a transcriptional signature at both population and single-cell levels in CAR T cells after chronic antigen exposure. In addition, TCR lineage tracing revealed a CD8+ T-to-NK-like T cell plasticity that results in reduced antigen- dependent tumor cell killing. The transcription factors SOX4 and ID3 are specifically expressed in the dysfunctional CAR NK-like T cells and are predicted to be master regulators of the dysfunction gene expression signature and of the post-thymic acquisition of an NK-like T cell fate. Finally, we identified the emergence of CAR NK-like T cells in a subset of patients after infusion of CAR T cells. The findings gleaned from this study reveal new approaches to improve the efficacy of CAR T cell therapy in solid tumors by preventing or revitalizing CAR T cell dysfunction and shed light on the plasticity of human CAR T cells.
Project description:Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy has achieved remarkable success in hematological malignancies but remains largely ineffective in solid tumors. A major factor leading to the reduced efficacy of CAR T cell therapy is T cell dysfunction, and the mechanisms mediating this dysfunction are under investigation. Here we establish a robust in vitro model to study mesothelin-redirected CAR T cell dysfunction in pancreatic cancer. Continuous antigen exposure results in hallmark features of exhaustion including reduced proliferation capacity and cytotoxicity, and severe defects in cytokine production. Here we identified a transcriptional signature at both population and single-cell levels in CAR T cells after chronic antigen exposure. In addition, TCR lineage tracing revealed a CD8+ T-to-NK-like T cell plasticity that results in reduced antigen- dependent tumor cell killing. The transcription factors SOX4 and ID3 are specifically expressed in the dysfunctional CAR NK-like T cells and are predicted to be master regulators of the dysfunction gene expression signature and of the post-thymic acquisition of an NK-like T cell fate. Finally, we identified the emergence of CAR NK-like T cells in a subset of patients after infusion of CAR T cells. The findings gleaned from this study reveal new approaches to improve the efficacy of CAR T cell therapy in solid tumors by preventing or revitalizing CAR T cell dysfunction and shed light on the plasticity of human CAR T cells.
Project description:Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy has achieved remarkable success in hematological malignancies but remains largely ineffective in solid tumors. A major factor leading to the reduced efficacy of CAR T cell therapy is T cell dysfunction, and the mechanisms mediating this dysfunction are under investigation. Here we establish a robust in vitro model to study mesothelin-redirected CAR T cell dysfunction in pancreatic cancer. Continuous antigen exposure results in hallmark features of exhaustion including reduced proliferation capacity and cytotoxicity, and severe defects in cytokine production. Here we identified a transcriptional signature at both population and single-cell levels in CAR T cells after chronic antigen exposure. In addition, TCR lineage tracing revealed a CD8+ T-to-NK-like T cell plasticity that results in reduced antigen- dependent tumor cell killing. The transcription factors SOX4 and ID3 are specifically expressed in the dysfunctional CAR NK-like T cells and are predicted to be master regulators of the dysfunction gene expression signature and of the post-thymic acquisition of an NK-like T cell fate. Finally, we identified the emergence of CAR NK-like T cells in a subset of patients after infusion of CAR T cells. The findings gleaned from this study reveal new approaches to improve the efficacy of CAR T cell therapy in solid tumors by preventing or revitalizing CAR T cell dysfunction and shed light on the plasticity of human CAR T cells.
Project description:Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy has achieved remarkable success in hematological malignancies but remains largely ineffective in solid tumors. A major factor leading to the reduced efficacy of CAR T cell therapy is T cell dysfunction, and the mechanisms mediating this dysfunction are under investigation. Here we establish a robust in vitro model to study mesothelin-redirected CAR T cell dysfunction in pancreatic cancer. Continuous antigen exposure results in hallmark features of exhaustion including reduced proliferation capacity and cytotoxicity, and severe defects in cytokine production. Here we identified a transcriptional signature at both population and single-cell levels in CAR T cells after chronic antigen exposure. In addition, TCR lineage tracing revealed a CD8+ T-to-NK-like T cell plasticity that results in reduced antigen- dependent tumor cell killing. The transcription factors SOX4 and ID3 are specifically expressed in the dysfunctional CAR NK-like T cells and are predicted to be master regulators of the dysfunction gene expression signature and of the post-thymic acquisition of an NK-like T cell fate. Finally, we identified the emergence of CAR NK-like T cells in a subset of patients after infusion of CAR T cells. The findings gleaned from this study reveal new approaches to improve the efficacy of CAR T cell therapy in solid tumors by preventing or revitalizing CAR T cell dysfunction and shed light on the plasticity of human CAR T cells.
Project description:Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy is a promising immunotherapy against cancer. Although there is a growing interest in other cell types, a comparison of CAR immune effector cells in challenging solid tumor contexts is lacking. Here, we compare mouse and human NKG2D-CAR expressing T cells, NK cells and macrophages against glioblastoma, the most aggressive primary brain tumor. In vitro we show that T cell cancer killing is CAR-dependent, whereas intrinsic cytotoxicity overrules CAR-dependence for NK cells and CAR macrophages reduce glioma cells in co-culture assays. In orthotopic immunocompetent glioma mouse models, systemically administered CAR T cells demonstrate superior accumulation in the tumor and each immune cell type induces distinct changes in the tumor microenvironment. An otherwise low therapeutic efficacy is significantly enhanced by co-expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines in all CAR immune effector cells, underscoring the necessity for multifaceted cell engineering strategies to overcome the immunosuppressive solid tumor microenvironment.
Project description:Immune cell populations are composed of multiple cell types and their functions are tightly connected through their interactions. Cancer immunotherapy enhances the immune system’s ability to recognize and fight cancer and diminish cancer’s ability to evade the immune system. In Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy, T-cells are engineered to eliminate cancer cells by targeting cell surface markers. Problems with CAR-T therapy include relapse due to loss of persistence of CAR-T cells and loss of CD19 expression on leukemia cells. The mechanisms of CAR-T failure need to be elucidated and exploring these mechanisms will identify potential treatment options and improve outcomes. Utilizing single-cell RNA seq (scRNA-seq), we investigated the interactions between CAR-T cells and the immune cells in pediatric ALL patients who’ve received CAR-T therapy. We analyzed the lymphocyte composition and gene expression profile at different time-points of ALL patients through CAR-T cell therapy. We have compared this data in responders with relapse patients after CAR-T infusion. Focusing on significantly altered immune cell populations and their gene markers, we employ in vitro and in vivo models to validate their function.
Project description:We aimed to identify factors that place patients with Large B Cell Lymphoma at higher risk of developing severe immune mediated toxicities after CAR T infusion. Tumor biopsies were taken within one month prior to CAR T infusion for evaluation of gene expression. In pre-treatment patient tumor biopsies, we found that gene expression of myeloid markers was associated with higher toxicity.