Project description:Purpose: To evaluate the presence of a gene expression signature present before treatment as predictive of response to treatment with MAGEâA3 immunotherapeutic in metastatic melanoma patients and to validate its predictivity in adjuvant therapy of early-stage lung cancer. Patients were participants in two Phase II studies of the recombinant MAGEâA3 antigen combined with immunological adjuvants. mRNA from tumor samples (biopsies) collected before MAGE-A3 immunotherapy was analyzed by microarray hybridization and by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The melanoma microarray dataset was used to discover and crossvalidate a gene expression signature and classifier discriminative of Responders (R) versus Non-Responders (NR) patients; the gene signature and classifier were then applied to an adjuvant lung cancer study. Patients that were not included for analysis are denoted as NE (Non-evaluable). GSK Biologicals
Project description:Immunotherapy has revolutionized cancer treatment, yet most patients do not respond. Here, we investigated mechanisms of response by deeply profiling the proteome of clinical samples from advanced stage melanoma patients undergoing either tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL)-based or anti-PD1 immunotherapy. Using high-resolution mass spectrometry, we quantified over 10,300 proteins with high accuracy. Statistical analyses revealed higher oxidative phosphorylation and lipid metabolism in responders in both treatments, and identified proteomic signatures for response. Aiming to elucidate the effects of the metabolic state on the immune response, we examined melanoma cells upon metabolic perturbations or Crisp-Cas9 knockouts. These experiments indicated lipid metabolism as a regulatory mechanism that increases melanoma immunogenicity by elevating antigen presentation, thereby affecting the sensitivity to T-cell mediated killing both in-vitro and in-vivo. Altogether, our proteomic analyses revealed novel association between the melanoma metabolic state and the response to immunotherapy, which can be the basis for future improvement of therapeutic response.
Project description:IL23R signaling dependent genes are significantly upregulated in Crohn’s disease non-responders compared to responders during ongoing anti-TNF therapy
Project description:Immune checkpoint blockade has revolutionized cancer therapy. In particular, inhibition of programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) is effective for the treatment of metastatic melanoma and other cancers. Despite a dramatic increase in progression-free survival, a large proportion of patients do not show durable response. Therefore, predictive biomarkers of clinical response are urgently needed. Here, we employed high-dimensional single cell mass cytometry and a bioinformatics pipeline for the in-depth characterization of the immune cell subsets in the peripheral blood of metastatic melanoma patients before and after anti-PD-1 immunotherapy. During therapy, we observed a clear treatment response to immunotherapy in the T cell compartment. However, prior to commending therapy a strong predictor of progression free and overall survival in response to anti-PD-1 immunotherapy was the frequency of CD14+CD16-HLA-DRhi monocytes. We could confirm this by conventional flow cytometry in an independent validation cohort and propose this as a novel predictive biomarker for therapy decisions in the clinic. In order to determine whether there are cell intrinsic changes in the monocyte signature, we performed RNA sequencing on sorted CD14+CD16-HLA-DRhi cells from HD, NR and R at baseline. Representative samples (n=4, each) of responders/non responders/ and healthy donors were selected from archival samples stored in the dermatology biobank according to the same clinical criteria used in the discovery and validation cohorts for CyTOF and FACS analysis. CD14+CD16-HLA-DRhiLin- (CD3, CD4, CD19, CD45RO) monocytes were sorted from frozen PBMC form blood samples from HD, R and NR at baseline.
Project description:Immunotherapy, such as anti-PD1, has improved the survival of patients with metastatic melanoma; However, predicting which patients will respond to immunotherapy is still unknown. In this study we analyzed pre-immunotherapy treated tumors from 52 patients with metastatic melanoma and monitored their response based on RECIST 1.1 criteria. The responders group contained 21 patients that had a complete or partial response, while the 31 non-responders had stable or progressive disease. Whole exome sequencing (WES) was used to identify biomarkers of anti-PD1 response from somatic mutations between the two groups. Variants in codons G34 and G41 in NFKBIE, a negative regulator of NF-kB, were found exclusively in the responders. NKBIE-related genes within the responder group were also enriched compared to the non-responders. Patients that harbored NFKBIE-related gene mutations also had a higher mutational burden, decreased tumor volume with treatment, and increased progression-free survival. RNA sequencing on a subsection of tumor samples identified differential expression of the TNFA signaling via NFKB pathway, which includes CD83. By overexpressing NFKBIEG34E we were able to demonstrate this mutation is related to increased NF-kB activity, including increased CD83 protein expression when compared with the wildtype. These results suggest that increased NF-kB signaling as a consequence of an NFKBIE mutation may contribute to a favorable anti-PD1 treatment response, including a possible novel role of CD83 in solid tumors.
Project description:Whereas some cancer types (e.g. melanoma) can be efficiently treated with immunotherapy, others lack measurable positive effects (e.g. PDAC ). Moreover, stratification of responders/non-responders is only possible in some cancer types (e.g. melanoma). Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has a dismal prognosis, limited treatment options and survival benefit, and represents a potential cancer entity for successful immunotherapy. Here, we investigated NASH -triggered HCC in the context PD-1-targeted immunotherapy. Using flow cytometry, single cell RNA sequencing, immunohistochemistry and mass spectrometric analyses, we found a progressive increase of CD8+PD-1+ effector T-cells with a unique profile of exhaustion and activation markers rising with murine and human NASH severity. Notably, late-stage HCC treatment with PD-1-targeted immunotherapy enhanced hepatic carcinogenesis in mice. To dissect potential mechanisms of action during tumor-initiation and -progression we analyzed the effects of PD-1-targeted immunotherapy at HCC initiation. Anti-PD-1 treatment induced a pro-tumorigenic environment, enhanced necro-inflammation and increased NAFLD -activation score (NAS), leading to increased liver cancer incidence, tumor number and nodule size. In contrast, anti-CD8 treatment reduced NAS and abrogated the development of liver cancer, thus identifying CD8+PD-1+ T-cells as drivers of liver cancer in NASH-triggered HCC. Increased apoptotic signaling, STAT3 phosphorylation and hepatic proliferation were detected in intra-tumoral liver tissue upon PD-1-targeted immunotherapy. In line, PD-1-/- mice challenged with a NASH diet displayed early onset of hepatocarcinogenesis, corroborating the pro-tumorigenic role of absent or reduced PD-1. Mechanistically PD-1-targeted immunotherapy increased hepatic abundance of CD8+PD-1+Tox+CXCR6+CD8+PD-1+TNF+CD39+Gzmb+ T cells found in NASH livers, creating a pro-tumorigenic liver environment .
Project description:There is a strong correlation between myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) and resistance to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB), but the detailed underlying this correlation are largely unknown. Using single-cell RNA-seq analysis in a bilateral tumor model, we found that immunosuppressive myeloid cells with characteristics of fatty acid oxidative metabolism dominate the immune-cell landscape in ICB-resistant subjects. In addition, we uncovered a previously underappreciated role of a serine/threonine kinase, PIM1, in regulating lipid oxidative metabolism via PPARγ-mediated activities. Enforced PPARγ expression sufficiently rescued metabolic and functional defects of Pim1-/- MDSCs. Consistent with this, pharmacological inhibition of PIM kinase by AZD1208 treatment significantly disrupted myeloid cell–mediated immunosuppression microenvironment and unleashed CD8+ T cell–mediated antitumor immunity, which enhanced PD-L1 blockade in preclinical cancer models. PIM kinase inhibition also sensitized non-responders to PD-L1 blockade by selectively targeting suppressive myeloid cells. Overall, we have identified PIM1 as a metabolic modulator in MDSCs that is associated with ICB resistance and can be therapeutically targeted to overcome ICB resistance.
Project description:Immunotherapy has opened hitherto unknown possibilities to treat cancer. Whereas some cancer types (e.g. melanoma) can be efficiently treated, others lack measurable positive effects (e.g. PDAC). Moreover, stratification of responders/non-responders is only possible in some cancer types (e.g. melanoma). Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has a dismal prognosis, limited treatment options and survival benefit, and represents a potential cancer entity for successful immunotherapy. Here, we investigated NASH-triggered HCC in the context PD-1-targeted immunotherapy. Using flow cytometry, single cell RNA sequencing, immunohistochemistry and mass spectrometric analyses, we found a progressive increase of CD8+PD-1+ effector T-cells with a unique profile of exhaustion and activation markers rising with murine and human NASH severity. Notably, late-stage HCC treatment with PD-1-targeted immunotherapy enhanced hepatic carcinogenesis in mice. Dissecting potential mechanisms of action during tumor-initiation and -progression we analyzed the effects of PD-1-targeted immunotherapy at HCC initiation. PD-1-targeted immunotherapy induced a pro-tumorigenic environment, enhanced necro-inflammation and increased NAFLD-activation score (NAS), leading to increased liver cancer incidence, tumor number and nodule size. In contrast, anti-CD8 or anti-CD8/anti-NK1.1 treatment reduced NAS and abrogated the development of liver cancer, thus identifying CD8+PD-1+ T-cells as drivers of liver cancer in NASH-triggered HCC. Increased apoptotic signaling, STAT3 phosphorylation and hepatic proliferation were detected in intra-tumoral liver tissue upon PD-1-targeted immunotherapy. In line, PD-1-/- mice challenged with a NASH diet displayed early onset of hepatocarcinogenesis, corroborating the pro-tumorigenic role of absent or reduced PD-1. Mechanistically PD-1-targeted immunotherapy mainly affected hepatic abundance of CD8+PD-1+ T-cells, instead of altering the quality of Tox+CXCR6+ expressing CD8+PD-1+TNF+CD39+Gzmb+ T-cells found in NASH livers, leading to an aggressive, pro-tumorigenic liver environment. Single-cell mapping of human NASH-, borderline NASH- or unaffected livers corroborated our preclinical NASH results. Moreover, in human NASH livers a correlation of hepatic CD8+, PD-1+, TNF+ T-cells with fibrosis and NASH severity was observed. Accordingly, HCC patients with NASH etiology display a sharp increase in intra- and peri-tumoral CD8+ PD-1+ T-cells. In a cohort of 65 patients recruited across 6 centers in Germany and Austria, patients with NAFLD/NASH-driven HCC responded worse to PD-1-targeted immunotherapy by Nivolumab or Pembrolizumab compared to non-NAFLD patients. This resulted in significant reduced overall survival, in trends of faster disease progression and reduced progression free survival. Histological analysis of livers derived from HCC patients treated with PD-1-targeted immunotherapy displayed high levels of intra and peri-tumoral CD8+ PD-1+ T-cells and Ki67+ hepatocytes. Taken together, these data indicate that PD-1-targeted immunotherapy induces immune-related adverse effects in NAFLD/NASH-driven HCC through CD8+PD-1+ T-cells. Our data call for stratification of HCC patients subjected to PD-1-targeted immunotherapy, with NAFLD being a negative predictor.
Project description:Immunotherapy improves the survival of patients with advanced melanoma, 40% of whom become long-term responders. However, not all patients respond to immunotherapy. Further knowledge about the processes involved in response and resistance to immunotherapy is still needed. In this study, clinical paraffin samples from fifty-two advanced melanoma patients treated with anti-PD1 inhibitors were assessed by high-throughput proteomics and RNA-seq. The obtained proteomics and transcriptomics data were analyzed using network analyses based on probabilistic graphical models to identify those biological processes involved in response to immunotherapy. Additionally, proteins related to overall survival were studied.