Project description:Chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR T) cells targeting CD19 have achieved breakthroughs in the treatment of haematological malignancies, but many clinical studies have also shown that a proportion of patients relapse after remission. In this study, we designed a series of tandem CARs (TanCARs) and found that TanCAR7 T cells retained relatively potent antitumour activity compared with single CAR T cell upon target antigen recognition. It may be associated with stable immunological synapse formation and rapid degranulation. Our transcriptional analysis underscores the potential of scFv domains binding to direct different T cell fates.
Project description:CD19-specific CARs that comprise CD28 and CD3z signaling domains program highly performing effector functions that mediate potent tumor elimination, but they impart a relatively limited T cell lifespan. Increasing functional T cell persistence without reducing effector potency is therefore likely to further enhance the therapeutic success of 1928z CAR T cells. We demonstrate that the number and position of ITAMs in 1928z CAR T cells influence functional, phenotypic and transcriptional programs, resulting in profound effects on antitumor efficacy. Improved therapeutic potency of CAR T cells can thus be achieved by calibrating activation strength, thereby retaining memory functions and preventing exhaustion, without compromising effector functions. Our transcriptional analysis underscores the potential of ITAM dosage and position to direct different T cell fates. We were able to identify a novel CAR design, termed 1XX, which programs a favorable balance of effector and memory signatures, inducing increased persistence of highly functional CARs with the replicative capacity of long-lived memory cells and potent effector functions.
Project description:Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapies have shown great success in treating hematologic malignancies. Nonetheless, their therapeutic effect on solid tumors remains to be improved. Recently, macrophages have attracted great attention, given their ability to infiltrate solid tumors, phagocytize tumor cells as well as their immunomodulatory capacities. The first generation of CD3ζ-based CAR-macrophages demonstrated that the CAR could stimulate macrophage phagocytosis in a tumor antigen-dependent way. Here, we genetically engineered induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived macrophages (iMACs) with TLR4 intracellular TIR domain-containing CARs against EGFRvIII and GPC3, which yielded markedly enhanced antitumor effect in two different solid tumor models including glioblastoma, and hepatocellular carcinoma in which complete remission was achieved with CAR-iMACs alone or in combination with CD47 antibody. Moreover, the tandem CD3ζ-TIR-CAR, or the “second-generation” design of TIR-based dual signaling CAR, endowed iMACs with both target engulfment/efferocytosis capacity against antigen-expressing solid tumor cells, and potency of antigen-dependent M1 state polarization and M2 state resistance in an NF-κB dependent manner. We also illustrated a surprising mechanism of tumor cell elimination by CAR-induced efferocytosis against tumor cell apoptotic bodies. Taken together, we established the next generation CAR-iMACs equipped with orthogonal phagocytosis and polarization capacity for better antitumor functions in treating solid tumors.
Project description:Adenosine (Ado) mediates immune suppression in the tumor microenvironment and exhausted CD8+ HA-CAR-T cells commonly express CD39 and CD73, which mediate proximal steps in Ado generation. Here we sought to enhance HA-CAR-T cell potency by knocking out CD39, CD73 or adenosine receptor 2a (A2aR), but observed only modest effects. In contrast, overexpression of Ado deaminase (ADA-OE), which metabolizes Ado to inosine (INO), induced stemness features and potently enhanced HA-CAR-T functionality. Similarly, and to a greater extent, exposure of HA-CAR-T cells to INO augmented HA-CAR-T cell function and induced hallmark features of T cell stemness. INO induced profound metabolic reprogramming, diminishing glycolysis and increasing oxidative phosphorylation, glutaminolysis and polyamine synthesis, and reprogrammed the epigenome toward greater stemness. Clinical scale manufacturing using INO generated enhanced potency HA-CAR-T cell products meeting criteria for clinical dosing. These results identify INO as a potent modulator of T cell metabolism and epigenetic stemness programming and deliver a new enhanced potency platform for immune cell manufacturing.
Project description:Adenosine (Ado) mediates immune suppression in the tumor microenvironment and exhausted CD8+ HA-CAR-T cells commonly express CD39 and CD73, which mediate proximal steps in Ado generation. Here we sought to enhance HA-CAR-T cell potency by knocking out CD39, CD73 or adenosine receptor 2a (A2aR), but observed only modest effects. In contrast, overexpression of Ado deaminase (ADA-OE), which metabolizes Ado to inosine (INO), induced stemness features and potently enhanced HA-CAR-T functionality. Similarly, and to a greater extent, exposure of HA-CAR-T cells to INO augmented HA-CAR-T cell function and induced hallmark features of T cell stemness. INO induced profound metabolic reprogramming, diminishing glycolysis and increasing oxidative phosphorylation, glutaminolysis and polyamine synthesis, and reprogrammed the epigenome toward greater stemness. Clinical scale manufacturing using INO generated enhanced potency HA-CAR-T cell products meeting criteria for clinical dosing. These results identify INO as a potent modulator of T cell metabolism and epigenetic stemness programming and deliver a new enhanced potency platform for immune cell manufacturing.
Project description:Chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) are synthetic receptors that target and reprogram T cells to acquire augmented antitumor properties1. CD19-specific CARs that comprise CD28 and CD3? signaling motifs2 have induced remarkable responses in patients with refractory leukemia3-5 and lymphoma6 and were recently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration7. These CARs program highly performing effector functions that mediate potent tumor elimination4,8 despite the limited persistence they confer on T cells3-6,8. Extending their functional persistence without compromising their potency should improve current CAR therapies. Strong T cell activation drives exhaustion9,10, which may be accentuated by the redundancy of CD28 and CD3? signaling11,12 as well as the spatiotemporal constraints imparted by the structure of second-generation CARs2. Thus, we hypothesized that calibrating the activation potential of CD28-based CARs would differentially reprogram T cell function and differentiation. Here, we show that CARs encoding a single immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motif direct T cells to different fates by balancing effector and memory programs, thereby yielding CAR designs with enhanced therapeutic profiles.
Project description:The intensive nutrient requirements needed to sustain T cell activation and proliferation combined with competition for nutrients within the tumor microenvironment raise the prospect that glucose availability may limit CAR T cell function. Here, we sought to test the hypothesis that stable overexpression (OE) of the glucose transporter GLUT1 in primary human CAR-T cells would improve their function and antitumor potency. We observed that GLUT1OE in CAR-T cells increased glucose consumption, glycolysis, glycolytic reserve and oxidative phosphorylation and these effects were associated with decreased T cell exhaustion and increased Th17 differentiation. GLUT1OE also induced broad metabolic reprogramming associated with increased glutathione41 mediated resistance to reactive oxygen species, and increased inosine accumulation. When challenged with tumors, GLUT1OE CAR-T cells secreted more proinflammatory cytokines and mediated enhanced cytotoxicity in vitro and demonstrated superior tumor control and persistence in vivo. Our collective findings support a model wherein glucose availability is rate limiting for optimal effector CAR-T cell function and demonstrate that enhancing glucose availability via GLUT1OE provides a new approach to augment antitumor immune function.
Project description:Anti-CD19 CAR T cells can induce remissions in some patients with B-cell malignancies. However, new immunotherapeutic targets are urgently needed for the many who relapse. We recently described CD72 as a promising target in B-cell leukemia and lymphoma, developing fully synthetic nanobody-based CAR-T cells (nanoCARs) against this antigen. Toward clinical translation, here we humanize our previous nanobody framework regions, derived from llama, and surprisingly discover a clone ("H24") with enhanced potency against B-cell tumors both in vitro and in vivo. In vitro, H24 nanoCARs showed improved cytokine secretion and favorable immunophenotypic properties. RNA sequencing before and after tumor exposure reveals humanized H24 CD72 nanoCARs have unique transcriptional programs compared to CD19 CAR T cells. We further find that H24 nanoCARs lead to sustained CD72 downregulation on tumors treated in vivo. Underpinning this improved potency, H24 had higher binding affinity to CD72 compared to a fully llama framework. Further affinity maturation moderately increased cytotoxicity versus antigen-low tumors. This work supports clinical translation of H24 CD72 nanoCARs, reveals potential mechanisms of resistance to this cellular therapy, and unexpectedly demonstrates that nanoCAR potency can be improved by framework alterations alone, without any change to the complementarity determining regions (CDRs) of the nanobody sequence.
Project description:Poor CAR T persistence limits CAR T cell therapies for B cell malignancies and solid tumors1,2. The expression of memory-associated genes such as TCF7 (protein name TCF1) is linked to response and long-term persistence in patients3–7, thereby implicating memory programs in therapeutic efficacy. Here, we demonstrate that the pioneer transcription factor, FOXO1, is responsible for promoting memory programs and restraining exhaustion in human CAR T cells. Pharmacologic inhibition or gene editing of endogenous FOXO1 in human CAR T cells diminished the expression of memory-associated genes, promoted an exhaustion-like phenotype, and impaired antitumor activity in vitro and in vivo. FOXO1 overexpression induced a gene expression program consistent with T cell memory and increased chromatin accessibility at FOXO1 binding motifs. FOXO1-overexpressing cells retained function, memory potential, and metabolic fitness during settings of chronic stimulation and exhibited enhanced persistence and antitumor activity in vivo. In contrast, TCF1 overexpression failed to enforce canonical memory programs or enhance CAR T cell potency. Importantly, endogenous FOXO1 activity correlated with CAR T and TIL responses in patients, underscoring its clinical relevance in cancer immunotherapy. Our results demonstrate that memory reprogramming through FOXO1 can enhance the persistence and potency of human CAR T cells and highlights the utility of pioneer factors, which bind condensed chromatin and induce local epigenetic remodeling, for optimizing therapeutic T cell states.