| 1. |
- Anwar, Mohiemen, et al.
(author)
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Ixovex-1, a novel oncolytic E1B-mutated adenovirus
- 2022
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In: Cancer Gene Therapy. - : Springer Nature. - 0929-1903 .- 1476-5500. ; 29:11, s. 1628-1635
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- There is a great demand for improved oncolytic viruses that selectively replicate within cancer cells while sparing normal cells. Here, we describe a novel oncolytic adenovirus, Ixovex-1, that obtains a cancer-selective replication phenotype by modulating the level of expression of the different, alternatively spliced E1B mRNA isoforms. Ixovex-1 is a recombinant adenovirus that carries a single point mutation in the E1B-93R 3' splice acceptor site that results in overexpression of the E1B-156R splice isoform. In this paper, we studied the characteristics of this novel oncolytic adenovirus by validating its in vitro behaviour in a panel of normal cells and cancer cells. We additionally studied its anti-tumour efficacy in vivo. Ixovex-1 significantly inhibited tumour growth and prolonged survival of mice in an immune-deficient lung carcinoma tumour implantation model. In complementation experiments, overexpression of E1B-156R was shown to increase the oncolytic index of both Ad5wt and ONYX-015. In contrast to prior viruses of similar type, Ixovex-1 includes a functional E3B region for better in vivo efficacy. Throughout this study, the Ixovex-1 virus has been proven to be superior in competency compared to a virus with multiple deletions.
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| 2. |
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Fotaki, Grammatiki, et al.
(author)
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Cancer vaccine based on a combination of an infection-enhanced adenoviral vector and pro-inflammatory allogeneic DCs leads to sustained antigen-specific immune responses in three melanoma models
- 2018
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In: Oncoimmunology. - 2162-4011 .- 2162-402X. ; 7:3
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Autologous patient-derived dendritic cells (DCs) modified ex vivo to present tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) are frequently used as cancer vaccines. However, apart from the stringent logistics in producing DCs on a patient basis, accumulating evidence indicate that ex vivo engineered DCs are poor in migration and in fact do not directly present TAA epitopes to naïve T cells in vivo. Instead, it is proposed that bystander host DCs take up material from vaccine-DCs, migrate and subsequently initiate antitumor T-cell responses. We used mouse models to examine the possibility of using pro-inflammatory allogeneic DCs (alloDCs) to activate host DCs and enable them to promote antigen-specific T-cell immunity. We found that alloDCs were able to initiate host DC activation and migration to draining lymph node leading to T-cell activation. The pro-inflammatory milieu created by alloDCs also led to recruitment of NK cells and neutrophils at the site of injection. Vaccination with alloDCs combined with Ad5M(gp100), an infection-enhanced adenovirus encoding the human melanoma-associated antigen gp100 resulted in generation of CD8+ T cells with a T-cell receptor (TCR) specific for the gp10025-33 epitope (gp100-TCR+). Ad5M(gp100)-alloDC vaccination in combination with transfer of gp100-specific pmel-1 T cells resulted in prolonged survival of B16-F10 melanoma-bearing mice and altered the composition of the tumor microenvironment (TME). We hereby propose that alloDCs together with TAA- or neoepitope-encoding Ad5M can become an “off-the-shelf” cancer vaccine, which can reverse the TME-induced immunosuppression and induce host cellular anti-tumor immune responses in patients without the need of a time-consuming preparation step of autologous DCs.
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| 5. |
- Fotaki, Grammatiki, et al.
(author)
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Pro-inflammatory allogeneic DCs promote activation of bystander immune cells and thereby license antigen-specific T-cell responses
- 2018
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In: Oncoimmunology. - 2162-4011 .- 2162-402X. ; 7:3
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Accumulating evidence support an important role for endogenous bystander dendritic cells (DCs) in the efficiency of autologous patient-derived DC-vaccines, as bystander DCs take up material from vaccine-DCs, migrate to draining lymph node and initiate antitumor T-cell responses. We examined the possibility of using allogeneic DCs as vaccine-DCs to activate bystander immune cells and promote antigen-specific T-cell responses. We demonstrate that human DCs matured with polyI:C, R848 and IFN-γ (denoted COMBIG) in combination with an infection-enhanced adenovirus vector (denoted Ad5M) exhibit a pro-inflammatory state. COMBIG/Ad5M-matured allogeneic DCs (alloDCs) efficiently activated T-cells and NK-cells in allogeneic co-culture experiments. The secretion of immunostimulatory factors during the co-culture promoted the maturation of bystander-DCs, which efficiently cross-presented a model-antigen to activate antigen-specific CD8+ T-cells in vitro. We propose that alloDCs, in combination with Ad5M as loading vehicle, may be a cost-effective and logistically simplified DC vaccination strategy to induce anti-tumor immune responses in cancer patients.
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| 6. |
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
- Georganaki, Maria, et al.
(author)
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Tumor endothelial cell up-regulation of IDO1 is an immunosuppressive feed-back mechanism that reduces the response to CD40-stimulating immunotherapy
- 2020
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In: Oncoimmunology. - : TAYLOR & FRANCIS INC. - 2162-4011 .- 2162-402X. ; 9:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- CD40-stimulating immunotherapy can elicit potent anti-tumor responses by activating dendritic cells and enhancing T-cell priming. Tumor vessels orchestrate T-cell recruitment during immune response, but the effect of CD40-stimulating immunotherapy on tumor endothelial cells has not been evaluated. Here, we have investigated how tumor endothelial cells transcriptionally respond to CD40-stimulating immunotherapy by isolating tumor endothelial cells from agonistic CD40 mAb- or isotype-treated mice bearing B16-F10 melanoma, and performing RNA-sequencing. Gene set enrichment analysis revealed that agonistic CD40 mAb therapy increased interferon (IFN)-related responses in tumor endothelial cells, including up-regulation of the immunosuppressive enzyme Indoleamine 2, 3-Dioxygenase 1 (IDO1). IDO1 was predominantly expressed in endothelial cells within the tumor microenvironment, and its expression in tumor endothelium was positively correlated to T-cell infiltration and to increased intratumoral expression of IFN gamma. In vitro, endothelial cells up-regulated IDO1 in response to T-cell-derived IFN gamma, but not in response to CD40-stimulation. Combining agonistic CD40 mAb therapy with the IDO1 inhibitor epacadostat delayed tumor growth in B16-F10 melanoma, associated with increased activation of tumor-infiltrating T-cells. Hereby, we show that the tumor endothelial cells up-regulate IDO1 upon CD40-stimulating immunotherapy in response to increased IFN gamma-secretion by T-cells, revealing a novel immunosuppressive feedback mechanism whereby tumor vessels limit T-cell activation.
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| 9. |
- Hillerdal, Victoria, et al.
(author)
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Systemic treatment with CAR-engineered T cells against PSCA delays subcutaneous tumor growth and prolongs survival of mice
- 2014
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In: BMC Cancer. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1471-2407. ; 14, s. 30-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background:Adoptive transfer of T cells genetically engineered with a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) has successfully been used to treat both chronic and acute lymphocytic leukemia as well as other hematological cancers. Experimental therapy with CAR-engineered T cells has also shown promising results on solid tumors. The prostate stem cell antigen (PSCA) is a protein expressed on the surface of prostate epithelial cells as well as in primary and metastatic prostate cancer cells and therefore a promising target for immunotherapy of prostate cancer. Methods:We developed a third-generation CAR against PSCA including the CD28, OX-40 and CD3 zeta signaling domains. T cells were transduced with a lentivirus encoding the PSCA-CAR and evaluated for cytokine production (paired Student's t-test), proliferation (paired Student's t-test), CD107a expression (paired Student's t-test) and target cell killing in vitro and tumor growth and survival in vivo (Log-rank test comparing Kaplan-Meier survival curves).Results:PSCA-CAR T cells exhibit specific interferon (IFN)-gamma and interleukin (IL)-2 secretion and specific proliferation in response to PSCA-expressing target cells. Furthermore, the PSCA-CAR-engineered T cells efficiently kill PSCA-expressing tumor cells in vitro and systemic treatment with PSCA-CAR-engineered T cells significantly delays subcutaneous tumor growth and prolongs survival of mice.Conclusions:Our data confirms that PSCA-CAR T cells may be developed for treatment of prostate cancer.
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| 10. |
- Huang, Hua, 1986-, et al.
(author)
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ELTD1-deletion reduces vascular abnormality and improves T-cell recruitment after PD-1 blockade in glioma.
- 2021
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In: Neuro-Oncology. - : Oxford University Press. - 1522-8517 .- 1523-5866. ; 24:3, s. 398-411
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Tumor vessels in glioma are molecularly and functionally abnormal, contributing to treatment resistance. Proteins differentially expressed in glioma vessels can change vessel phenotype and be targeted for therapy. ELTD1 (Adgrl4) is an orphan member of the adhesion G-protein-coupled receptor family upregulated in glioma vessels, and has been suggested as a potential therapeutic target. However, the role of ELTD1 in regulating vessel function in glioblastoma is poorly understood.METHODS: ELTD1 expression in human gliomas and its association with patient survival was determined using tissue microarrays and public databases. The role of ELTD1 in regulating tumor vessel phenotype was analyzed using orthotopic glioma models and ELTD1 -/- mice. Endothelial cells isolated from murine gliomas were transcriptionally profiled to determine differentially expressed genes and pathways. The consequence of ELTD1-deletion on glioma immunity was determined by treating tumor bearing mice with PD-1-blocking antibodies.RESULTS: ELTD1 levels were upregulated in human glioma vessels, increased with tumor malignancy, and were associated with poor patient survival. Progression of orthotopic gliomas was not affected by ELTD1-deletion, however, tumor vascular function was improved in ELTD1 -/- mice. Bioinformatic analysis of differentially expressed genes indicated increased inflammatory response and decreased proliferation in tumor endothelium in ELTD1 -/- mice. Consistent with an enhanced inflammatory response, ELTD1-deletion improved T-cell infiltration in GL261-bearing mice after PD-1 checkpoint blockade.CONCLUSION: Our data demonstrate that ELTD1 participates in inducing vascular dysfunction in glioma, and suggests that targeting of ELTD1 may normalize the vessels and improve the response to immunotherapy.
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| 11. |
- Jin, Chuan, 1986-, et al.
(author)
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CAR T cells expressing a bacterial virulence factor trigger potent bystander antitumour responses in solid cancers
- 2022
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In: Nature Biomedical Engineering. - : Springer Nature. - 2157-846X. ; 6:7, s. 830-841
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR T cells) are effective against haematologic malignancies. However, in solid tumours, their potency is hampered by local immunosuppression and by the heterogeneous expression of the antigen that the CAR targets. Here we show that CAR T cells expressing a pluripotent pro-inflammatory neutrophil-activating protein (NAP) from Helicobacter pylori trigger endogenous bystander T-cell responses against solid cancers. In mice with subcutaneous murine pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas, neuroblastomas or colon carcinomas, CAR(NAP) T cells led to slower tumour growth and higher survival rates than conventional mouse CAR T cells, regardless of target antigen, tumour type and host haplotype. In tumours with heterogeneous antigen expression, NAP secretion induced the formation of an immunologically 'hot' microenvironment that supported dendritic cell maturation and bystander responses, as indicated by epitope spreading and infiltration of cytotoxic CD8(+) T cells targeting tumour-associated antigens other than the CAR-targeted antigen. CAR T cells armed with NAP neither increased off-tumour toxicity nor hampered the efficacy of CAR T cells, and hence may have advantageous translational potential. T cells expressing a pluripotent pro-inflammatory neutrophil-activating protein from Helicobacter pylori trigger endogenous bystander T-cell responses against solid cancers.
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| 12. |
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| 13. |
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| 14. |
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| 15. |
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| 16. |
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| 17. |
- Jin, Chuan, et al.
(author)
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Safe engineering of CAR T cells for adoptive cell therapy of cancer using long-term episomal gene transfer
- 2016
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In: EMBO Molecular Medicine. - : EMBO. - 1757-4676 .- 1757-4684. ; 8:7, s. 702-711
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy is a new successful treatment for refractory B-cell leukemia. Successful therapeutic outcome depends on long-term expression of CAR transgene in T cells, which is achieved by delivering transgene using integrating gamma retrovirus (RV) or lentivirus (LV). However, uncontrolled RV/LV integration in host cell genomes has the potential risk of causing insertional mutagenesis. Herein, we describe a novel episomal long-term cell engineering method using non-integrating lentiviral (NILV) vector containing a scaffold/matrix attachment region (S/MAR) element, for either expression of transgenes or silencing of target genes. The insertional events of this vector into the genome of host cells are below detection level. CD19 CAR T cells engineered with a NILV-S/MAR vector have similar levels of CAR expression as T cells engineered with an integrating LV vector, even after numerous rounds of cell division. NILV-S/MAR-engineered CD19 CAR T cells exhibited similar cytotoxic capacity upon CD19(+) target cell recognition as LV-engineered T cells and are as effective in controlling tumor growth in vivo We propose that NILV-S/MAR vectors are superior to current options as they enable long-term transgene expression without the risk of insertional mutagenesis and genotoxicity.
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| 18. |
- Lugano, Roberta, et al.
(author)
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Tumor angiogenesis : causes, consequences, challenges and opportunities
- 2020
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In: Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences (CMLS). - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1420-682X .- 1420-9071. ; 77:9, s. 1745-1770
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Tumor vascularization occurs through several distinct biological processes, which not only vary between tumor type and anatomic location, but also occur simultaneously within the same cancer tissue. These processes are orchestrated by a range of secreted factors and signaling pathways and can involve participation of non-endothelial cells, such as progenitors or cancer stem cells. Anti-angiogenic therapies using either antibodies or tyrosine kinase inhibitors have been approved to treat several types of cancer. However, the benefit of treatment has so far been modest, some patients not responding at all and others acquiring resistance. It is becoming increasingly clear that blocking tumors from accessing the circulation is not an easy task to accomplish. Tumor vessel functionality and gene expression often differ vastly when comparing different cancer subtypes, and vessel phenotype can be markedly heterogeneous within a single tumor. Here, we summarize the current understanding of cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in tumor angiogenesis and discuss challenges and opportunities associated with vascular targeting.
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| 19. |
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| 20. |
- Ma, Jing
(author)
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Cancer Immunotherapy : Oncolytic viruses and CAR-T cells
- 2020
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Various forms of cancer immunotherapy have developed rapidly with improved survival and quality of life for cancer patients. Cancer immunotherapy aims to educate the patient’s immune system to eliminate cancer cells, including immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), adoptive cell transfer (mostly T cells), oncolytic viruses (OVs) and cancer vaccines. Especially ICIs have induced durable responses in patients with many different types of cancers. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy has shown good efficacy in treating hematologic malignancies. However, there is still a significant number of patients that do not benefit from these treatments due to immune evasion. Strategies to modify cancer immunotherapies with immunomodulating agent needs to be investigated to maximize the effect of immunotherapy. Helicobacter pylori Neutrophil Activating Protein (HP-NAP) could be used as an immunomodulating agent to recruit, activate and mature immune cells, such as dendritic cells (DCs), monocytes and neutrophils, and also induce T helper type 1 (Th1)-polarized response. In this thesis, we examined to arm oncolytic virus or CAR-T cells with HP-NAP.Papers I and II investigate oncolytic viruses. In paper I, we investigated wild-type Adenovirus (Ad), Semliki forest virus (SFV) and Vaccinia virus (VV), for their ability to mediate lysis of tumor cells, which was found to be associated with the release of danger-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) and subsequently triggered phagocytosis and maturation of DCs. However, only SFV-infected tumor cells triggered significant Th1-cytokine release by DCs and induced antigen-specific T cell activation, while VV induced immunosuppressive responses. In Paper II, we armed VV and SFV with the tumor-associated antigen GD2 and HP-NAP. We found that arming these OVs with HP-NAP resulted in distinct anti-tumor immune response and therapeutic benefit. VV-GD2m-NAP showed significantly increased therapeutic efficacy compared to VV-GD2m, associated with elevated antiGD2 antibody production. In contrast, there was no additive antitumor effect for SFV-GD2m-NAP compared with SFV-GD2m. Due to intrinsic properties of OVs, engineering OVs with immunomodulating agents needs careful consideration. Engineering SFV or similar viruses, which is very immunogenic, should focus on improving oncolysis, de-bulking tumor and release of tumor-associated antigens, while for VV or similar viruses, with immunosuppressive properties, the focus can be on arming the virus with immune modulators to improve anti-tumor immune response. Papers III and IV investigate CAR-T cells. In paper III, CAR-T cells were engineered to inducible secrete HP-NAP upon antigen recognition (CAR(NAP)-Ts). CAR(NAP)-Ts successfully reduced tumor growth and prolonged survival of mice in several solid tumor models with epitope spreading and initiated endogenous anti-tumor immune responses. Secreted HP-NAP created an immunologically hot tumor microenvironment with enhanced infiltration of immune cells (DCs, neutrophils, macrophages, and cytotoxic natural killer cells). In paper IV, we developed CAR T cells targeting CD20 (rituCD20CAR T cells). We found that rituCD20CAR T cells could efficiently kill CD20-positive lymphoma cell lines (U2932, Karpas422, DB, U698, Raji, Daudi) as well as primary mantle cell CD20-positive lymphoma (CD20+ MCL) cells accompanying with IFNγ secretion. Both rituCD20CAR and NAP-armed rituCD20CAR(NAP) T-cell treatment delayed tumor growth and prolonged mice survival in the murine lymphoma A20-hCD20 model. In summary, combing OVs and CAR-T cells with the immunomodulating agent HP-NAP is a promising way of maximizing the benefit of immunotherapy to combat cancers.
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| 21. |
- Ma, Jing, et al.
(author)
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Characterization of virus-mediated immunogenic cancer cell death and the consequences for oncolytic virus-based immunotherapy of cancer
- 2020
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In: Cell Death and Disease. - : NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP. - 2041-4889. ; 11:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Oncolytic viruses have the potential to induce immunogenic cell death (ICD) that may provoke potent and long-lasting anti-cancer immunity. Here we aimed to characterize the ICD-inducing ability of wild-type Adenovirus (Ad), Semliki Forest virus (SFV) and Vaccinia virus (VV). We did so by investigating the cell death and immune-activating properties of virus-killed tumor cells. Ad-infection of tumor cells primarily activates autophagy, but also activate events of necroptotic and pyroptotic cell death. SFV infection on the other hand primarily activates immunogenic apoptosis while VV activates necroptosis. All viruses mediated lysis of tumor cells leading to the release of danger-associated molecular patterns, triggering of phagocytosis and maturation of dendritic cells (DCs). However, only SFV-infected tumor cells triggered significant T helper type 1 (Th1)-cytokine release by DCs and induced antigen-specific T-cell activation. Our results elucidate cell death processes activated upon Ad, SFV, and VV infection and their potential to induce T cell-mediated anti-tumor immune responses. This knowledge provides important insight for the choice and design of therapeutically successful virus-based immunotherapies.
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| 22. |
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| 23. |
- Ma, Jing, et al.
(author)
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Concurrent expression of HP-NAP enhances antitumor efficacy of oncolytic vaccinia virus but not for Semliki Forest virus
- 2021
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In: MOLECULAR THERAPY-ONCOLYTICS. - : Cell Press. - 2372-7705. ; 21, s. 356-366
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Oncolytic viruses (OVs) represent promising therapeutic agents for cancer therapy by selective oncolysis and induction of anti-tumor immunity. OVs can be engineered to express tumor-associated antigens and immune-modulating agents to provoke stronger antitumor immunity. Here, we engineered vaccinia virus (VV) and Semliki Forest virus (SFV) to express neuroblastoma-associated antigen disialoganglioside (GD2) and the immune modulator Helicobacter pylori neutrophil-activating protein (NAP) and compared their therapeutic potency. Oncolytic VV did not exhibit any antitumor benefits, whereas SFV was able to delay subcutaneous neuroblastoma (NXS2) tumor growth. Additional expression of the GD2 mimotope (GD2m) by VV-GD2m or SFV-GD2m did not improve their anti-tumor capacity compared to the parent viruses. Further arming these OVs with NAP resulted in contrasting anti-tumor efficacy. VV (VV-GD2m-NAP) significantly improved therapeutic efficacy compared to VV-GD2m, which was also associated with a significantly elevated anti-GD2 antibody, whereas there was no additive antitumor efficacy for SFV-GD2m-NAP compared to SFV-GD2m, nor was the anti-GD2 antibody response improved. Instead, NAP induced higher neutralizing antibodies against SFV. These observations suggest that distinct immune stimulation profiles are elicited when the same immunostimulatory factor is expressed by different OVs. Therefore, careful consideration and detailed characterization are needed when engineering OVs with immune-modulators.
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| 24. |
- Martikainen, Miika, et al.
(author)
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IFN-I-tolerant oncolytic Semliki Forest virus in combination with anti-PD1 enhances T cell response against mouse glioma
- 2021
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In: MOLECULAR THERAPY-ONCOLYTICS. - : Cell Press. - 2372-7705. ; 21, s. 37-46
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Oncolytic virotherapy holds promise of effective immunotherapy against otherwise nonresponsive cancers such as glioblastoma. Our previous findings have shown that although oncolytic Semliki Forest virus (SFV) is effective against various mouse glioblastoma models, its therapeutic potency is hampered by type I interferon (IFN-I)-mediated antiviral signaling. In this study, we constructed a novel IFN-I-resistant SFV construct, SFV-AM6, and evaluated its therapeutic potency in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo in the IFN-I competent mouse GL261 glioma model. In vitro analysis shows that SFV-AM6 causes immunogenic apoptosis in GL261 cells despite high IFN-I signaling. MicroRNA-124 de-targeted SFV-AM6-124T selectively replicates in glioma cells, and it can infect orthotopic GL261 gliomas when administered intraperitoneally. The combination of SFV-AM6-124T and anti-programmed death 1 (PD1) immunotherapy resulted in increased immune cell infiltration in GL261 gliomas, including an increased tumor-reactive CD8(+) fraction. Our results show that SFV-AM6-124T can overcome hurdles of innate anti-viral signaling. Combination therapy with SFV-AM6-124T and antiPD1 promotes the inflammatory response and improves the immune microenvironment in the GL261 glioma model.
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| 25. |
- Molisak, Agnieszka, et al.
(author)
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CRISPR/Cas9 as a tool to disrupt wild-type and A53T SNCA in sporadic and familial Parkinson’s disease
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Other publication (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is characterized by pathological accumulation of α-synuclein (αSyn) as Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites in the brain. Current treatment strategies can only alleviate the symptoms but do not interfere with the disease progression. With the discovery of the CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing tool, it has become possible to target the generation of pathological protein aggregates at the DNA level. Disrupting the αSyn gene (SNCA) could prevent the formation of Lewy-related pathologies. Here, we have designed two CRISPR/Cas9-based approaches by using guide RNAs (gRNAs) that are targeting either wild-type (WT) SNCA (pan-SNCA) or mutant A53T SNCA that causes early-onset familial PD. We could demonstrate that plasmid vector-mediated transfection of the pan-SNCA gRNA led to robust allelic disruption in HEK293T cells and human fibroblasts and that the editing efficiency was further increased with the use of a lentiviral transduction system. In addition, the SNCA A53T gRNA was specific towards the mutation site, but resulted in low and inconsistent targeting efficiencies in human patient fibroblasts carrying the SNCA A53T mutation. Our results indicate that SNCA can be targeted by CRISPR/Cas9, although the system efficiency varies across different cell types. In the future, systemically administered gene-editing treatments based on CRISPR/Cas9 could provide a valid therapeutic approach for PD patients.
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| 26. |
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| 27. |
- Ramachandran, Mohanraj, 1988-, et al.
(author)
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An infection-enhanced oncolytic adenovirus secreting H. pylori neutrophil-activating protein with therapeutic effects on neuroendocrine tumors
- 2013
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In: Molecular Therapy. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 1525-0016 .- 1525-0024. ; 21:11, s. 2008-2018
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Helicobacter pylori neutrophil-activating protein (HP-NAP) is a major virulence factor involved in H. pylori infection. HP-NAP can mediate antitumor effects by recruiting neutrophils and inducing Th1-type differentiation in the tumor microenvironment. It therefore holds strong potential as a therapeutic gene. Here, we armed a replication-selective, infection-enhanced adenovirus with secretory HP-NAP, Ad5PTDf35-[Delta24-sNAP], and evaluated its therapeutic efficacy against neuroendocrine tumors. We observed that it could specifically infect and eradicate a wide range of tumor cells lines from different origin in vitro. Insertion of secretory HP-NAP did not affect the stability or replicative capacity of the virus and infected tumor cells could efficiently secrete HP-NAP. Intratumoral administration of the virus in nude mice xenografted with neuroendocrine tumors improved median survival. Evidence of biological HP-NAP activity was observed 24 hours after treatment with neutrophil infiltration in tumors and an increase of proinflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and MIP2-alpha in the systemic circulation. Furthermore, evidence of Th1-type immune polarization was observed as a result of increase in IL-12/23 p40 cytokine concentrations 72 hours postvirus administration. Our observations suggest that HP-NAP can serve as a potent immunomodulator in promoting antitumor immune response in the tumor microenvironment and enhance the therapeutic effect of oncolytic adenovirus.
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| 28. |
- Ramachandran, Mohanraj
(author)
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Cancer Immunotherapy : Evolving Oncolytic viruses and CAR T-cells
- 2016
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- In the last decade cancer immunotherapy has taken huge strides forward from bench to bedside and being approved as drugs. Cancer immunotherapy harnesses the power of patient’s own immune system to fight cancer. Approaches are diverse and include antibodies, therapeutic vaccines, adoptively transferred T-cells, immune checkpoint inhibitors, oncolytic viruses and immune cell activators such as toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists. Excellent clinical responses have been observed for certain cancers with checkpoint antibodies and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-engineered T-cells. It is however becoming evident that strategies need to be combined for broader effective treatment responses because cancers evolve to escape immune recognition. A conditionally replication-competent oncolytic adenovirus (Ad5PTDf35-[Δ24]) was engineered to secrete Helicobacter pylori Neutrophil Activating Protein (HP-NAP, a TLR-2 agonist) to combine viral oncolysis and immune stimulation. Treatment with Ad5PTDf35-[Δ24-sNAP] improved survival of mice bearing human neuroendocrine tumors (BON). Expression of HP-NAP in the tumor microenvironment promoted neutrophil infiltration, proinflammatory cytokine secretion and increased necrosis. We further studied the ability of HP-NAP to activate dendritic cells (DCs) a key player in priming T-cell responses. HP-NAP phenotypically matured and activated DCs to secrete the T-helper type-1 (Th-1) polarizing cytokine IL-12. HP-NAP-matured DCs were functional; able to migrate to draining lymph nodes and prime antigen-specific T-cell proliferation. CAR T-cells were engineered to secrete HP-NAP upon T-cell activation. Secreted HP-NAP was able to mature DCs, leading to a reciprocal effect on the CAR T-cells with improved cytotoxicity in vitro. Semliki Forest virus (SFV), an oncolytic virus with natural neuro-tropism was tagged with central nervous system (CNS)-specific microRNA target sequences for miR124, miR125 and miR134 to selectively attenuate virus replication in healthy CNS cells. Systemic infection of mice with the SFV4miRT did not cause encephalitis, while it retained its ability to replicate in tumor cells and cure a big proportion of mice bearing syngeneic neuroblastoma and gliomas. Therapeutic efficacy of SFV4miRT inversely correlated with type-I antiviral interferon response (IFN-β) mounted by tumor cells. In summary, combining immunotherapeutic strategies with HP-NAP is a promising approach to combat cancers and SFV4miRT is an excellent candidate for treatment of neuroblastomas and gliomas.
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| 29. |
- Ramachandran, Mohanraj, 1988-, et al.
(author)
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Safe and effective treatment of experimental neuroblastoma and glioblastoma using systemically administered triple microRNA-detargeted oncolytic Semliki Forest virus
- 2017
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In: Clinical Cancer Research. - : American Association for Cancer Research. - 1078-0432 .- 1557-3265. ; 23:6, s. 1519-1530
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- PURPOSE:Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) and high-risk neuroblastoma are cancers with poor outcome. Immunotherapy in the form of neurotropic oncolytic viruses is a promising therapeutic strategy for these malignancies. Here we evaluate the oncolytic potential of the neurovirulent and partly interferon (IFN)-β-resistant Semliki Forest virus (SFV)-4 in GBMs and neuroblastomas. To reduce neurovirulence we constructed SFV4miRT, which is attenuated in normal CNS cells through insertion of microRNA target sequences for miR124, miR125, miR134 Experimental Design:Oncolytic activity of SFV4miRT was examined in mouse neuroblastoma and GBM cell lines and in patient-derived human glioblastoma cell cultures (HGCC). In vivo neurovirulence and therapeutic efficacy was evaluated in two syngeneic orthotopic glioma models (CT-2A, GL261) and syngeneic subcutaneous neuroblastoma model (NXS2). The role of IFN-β in inhibiting therapeutic efficacy was investigated.RESULTS:The introduction of microRNA target sequences reduced neurovirulence of SFV4 in terms of attenuated replication in mouse CNS cells and ability to cause encephalitis when administered intravenously. A single intravenous injection of SFV4miRT prolonged survival and cured 4 of 8 mice (50%) with NXS2 and 3 of 11 mice (27%) with CT-2A, but not for GL261 tumor bearing mice. In vivo therapeutic efficacy in different tumor models inversely correlated to secretion of IFN-β by respective cells upon SFV4 infection in vitro Similarly, killing efficacy of HGCC lines inversely correlated to IFN-β response and interferon-α⁄β receptor (IFNAR)-1 expression.CONCLUSIONS:SFV4miRT has reduced neurovirulence, while retaining its oncolytic potential. SFV4miRT is an excellent candidate for treatment of GBMs and neuroblastomas with low IFN-β secretion.
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| 30. |
- Ramachandran, Mohanraj, 1988-, et al.
(author)
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Tailoring vascular phenotype through AAV therapy promotes anti-tumor immunity in glioma
- 2023
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In: Cancer Cell. - : Elsevier BV. - 1535-6108 .- 1878-3686. ; 41:6, s. 1134-1151
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Glioblastomas are aggressive brain tumors that are largely immunotherapy resistant. This is associated with immunosuppression and a dysfunctional tumor vasculature, which hinder T cell infiltration. LIGHT/TNFSF14 can induce high endothelial venules (HEVs) and tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS), suggesting that its therapeutic expression could promote T cell recruitment. Here, we use a brain endothelial cell-targeted ad-eno-associated viral (AAV) vector to express LIGHT in the glioma vasculature (AAV-LIGHT). We found that systemic AAV-LIGHT treatment induces tumor-associated HEVs and T cell-rich TLS, prolonging survival in aPD-1-resistant murine glioma. AAV-LIGHT treatment reduces T cell exhaustion and promotes TCF1+CD8+ stem-like T cells, which reside in TLS and intratumoral antigen-presenting niches. Tumor regres-sion upon AAV-LIGHT therapy correlates with tumor-specific cytotoxic/memory T cell responses. Our work reveals that altering vascular phenotype through vessel-targeted expression of LIGHT promotes efficient anti-tumor T cell responses and prolongs survival in glioma. These findings have broader implications for treatment of other immunotherapy-resistant cancers.
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| 31. |
- Ramachandran, Mohanraj, 1988-, et al.
(author)
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The cancer-immunity cycle as rational design for synthetic cancer drugs : Novel DC vaccines and CAR T-cells
- 2017
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In: Seminars in Cancer Biology. - : Elsevier BV. - 1044-579X .- 1096-3650. ; 45, s. 23-35
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Cell therapy is an advanced form of cancer immunotherapy that has had remarkable clinical progress in the past decade in the search for cure of cancer. Most success has been achieved for chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cells where CAR T-cells targeting CD19 show very high complete response rates for patients with refractory acute B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and are close to approval for this indication. CD19 CAR T-cells are also effective against B-cell chronic lymphoblastic leukemia (CLL) and B-cell lymphomas. Although encouraging, CAR T-cells have not yet proven clinically effective for solid tumors. This is mainly due to the lack of specific and homogenously expressed targets to direct the T-cells against and a hostile immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment in solid tumors. Cancer vaccines based on dendritic cells (DC) are also making progress although clinical efficacy is still lacking. The likelihood of success is however increasing now when individual tumors can be sequences and patient-specific neoepitopes identified. Neoepitopes and/or neoantigens can then be included in patient based DC vaccines. This review discusses recent advancements of DC vaccines and CAR T-cells with emphasis on the cancer-immunity cycle, and current efforts to design novel cell therapies.
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| 32. |
- Ramachandran, Mohanraj, et al.
(author)
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Vector-Encoded Helicobacter pylori Neutrophil-Activating Protein Promotes Maturation of Dendritic Cells with Th1 Polarization and Improved Migration
- 2014
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In: Journal of Immunology. - : The American Association of Immunologists. - 0022-1767 .- 1550-6606. ; 193:5, s. 2287-2296
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Helicobacter pylori neutrophil-activating protein (HP-NAP) is a major virulence factor involved in H. pylori infection. Both HP-NAP protein and oncolytic viruses encoding HP-NAP have been suggested as immunotherapeutic anticancer agents and adjuvants for vaccination but with little known about its mode of action to activate adaptive immunity. Dendritic cells (DCs) are key players in bridging innate and adaptive immune responses, and in this study we aim to evaluate the effect of HP-NAP on DC maturation, migration, and induction of adaptive immune response. Maturation markers CD83, CD80, CD86, HLA-DR, CD40, and CCR7 were upregulated on human DCs after treatment with supernatants from HP-NAP adenovirus-infected cells. HP-NAP-activated DCs had a Th1 cytokine secretion profile, with high IL-12 and relatively low IL-10 secretion, and migrated toward CCL19. Ag-specific T cells were efficiently expanded by Ag-presenting HP-NAP-activated DCs, which is an important property of functionally mature DCs. Furthermore, intradermal injections of HP-NAP-encoding adenovirus in C57BL/6 mice enhanced resident DC migration to draining lymph nodes, which was verified by imaging lymph nodes by two-photon microscopy and by phenotyping migrating cells by flow cytometry. In conclusion, therapeutic effects of HP-NAP are mediated by maturation of DCs and subsequent activation of Ag-specific T cells in addition to provoking innate immunity.
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| 33. |
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| 34. |
- Sarén, Tina, et al.
(author)
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Complementarity-determining region clustering may cause CAR-T cell dysfunction
- 2023
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In: Nature Communications. - : Springer Nature. - 2041-1723. ; 14:1, s. 4732-
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy is rapidly advancing as cancer treatment, however, designing an optimal CAR remains challenging. A single-chain variable fragment (scFv) is generally used as CAR targeting moiety, wherein the complementarity-determining regions (CDRs) define its specificity. We report here that the CDR loops can cause CAR clustering, leading to antigen-independent tonic signalling and subsequent CAR-T cell dysfunction. We show via CARs incorporating scFvs with identical framework and varying CDR sequences that CARs may cluster on the T cell surface, which leads to antigen-independent CAR-T cell activation, characterized by increased cell size and interferon (IFN)-γ secretion. This results in CAR-T cell exhaustion, activation-induced cell death and reduced responsiveness to target-antigen-expressing tumour cells. CDR mutagenesis confirms that the CAR-clustering is mediated by CDR-loops. In summary, antigen-independent tonic signalling can be induced by CDR-mediated CAR clustering, which could not be predicted from the scFv sequences, but could be tested for by evaluating the activity of unstimulated CAR-T cells.
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| 35. |
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| 36. |
- Sarén, Tina, et al.
(author)
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Insertion of the Type-I IFN Decoy Receptor B18R in a miRNA-Tagged Semliki Forest Virus Improves Oncolytic Capacity but Results in Neurotoxicity
- 2017
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In: MOLECULAR THERAPY-ONCOLYTICS. - : CELL PRESS. - 2372-7705. ; 7, s. 67-75
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Oncolytic Semliki Forest virus (SFV) has been suggested as a potential candidate for the treatment of glioblastoma and neuroblastoma. However, the oncolytic capacity of SFV is restricted by the anti-viral type-I interferon (IFN) response. The aim of this study was to increase the oncolytic capacity of a microRNA target tagged SFV against glioblastoma by arming it with the Vaccinia-virus-encoded type-I IFN decoy receptor B18R (SFV4B18RmiRT) to neutralize type-I IFN response. Expression of B18R by SFV4B18RmiRT aided neutralization of IFN-b, which was shown by reduced STAT-1 phosphorylation and improved virus spread in plaque assays. B18R expression by SFV4 increased its oncolytic capacity in vitro against murine glioblastoma (CT-2A), regardless of the presence of exogenous IFN-b. Both SFV4B18RmiRT and SFV4miRT treatments controlled tumor growth in mice with syngeneic orthotopic gliomablastoma (CT-2A). However, treatment with SFV4B18RmiRT induced severe neurological symptoms in some mice because of virus replication in the healthy brain. Neither neurotoxicity nor virus replication in the brain was observed when SFV4miRT was administered. In summary, our results indicate that the oncolytic capacity of SFV4 was improved in vitro and in vivo by incorporation of B18R, but neurotoxicity of the virus was increased, possibly due to loss of microRNA targets.
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| 37. |
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| 38. |
- Sarén, Tina, et al.
(author)
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Single-Cell RNA Analysis Reveals Cell-Intrinsic Functions of CAR T Cells Correlating with Response in a Phase II Study of Lymphoma Patients
- 2023
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In: Clinical Cancer Research. - : American Association for Cancer Research Inc.. - 1078-0432 .- 1557-3265. ; 29:20, s. 4139-4152
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Purpose: Although CD19 chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-T) therapy has shown remarkable success in B-cell malignancies, a substantial fraction of patients do not obtain a long-term clinical response. This could be influenced by the quality of the individual CAR-T infusion product. To shed some light on this, clinical outcome was correlated to characteristics of CAR-T infusion products. Patients and Methods: In this phase II study, patients with B-cell lymphoma (n ¼ 23) or leukemia (n ¼ 1) received one or two infusions of third-generation CD19-directed CAR-Ts (2 × 108/m2). The clinical trial was registered at clinicaltrials. gov: NCT03068416. We investigated the transcriptional profile of individual CD19 CAR-T infusion products using targeted single-cell RNA sequencing and multicolor flow cytometry. Results: Two CAR-T infusions were not better than one in the settings used in this study. As for the CAR-T infusion products, we found that effector-like CD8þCAR-Ts with a high polyfunctionality, high cytotoxic and cytokine production profile, and low dysfunctional signature were associated with clinical response. An extended ex vivo expansion time during CAR-T manufacturing negatively influenced the proportion of effector CD8þCAR-Ts in the infusion product. Conclusions: We identified cell-intrinsic characteristics of effector CD8þCAR-Ts correlating with response that could be used as an indicator for clinical outcome. The results in the study also serve as a guide to CAR-T manufacturing practices.
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| 39. |
- Sarén, Tina, et al.
(author)
-
Single-Cell RNA Analysis Reveals Cell-Intrinsic Functions of CAR T Cells Correlating with Response in a Phase II Study of Lymphoma Patients
- 2023
-
In: Clinical Cancer Research. - : American Association for Cancer Research Inc.. - 1078-0432 .- 1557-3265. ; 29:20, s. 4139-4152
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Purpose: Although CD19 chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-T) therapy has shown remarkable success in B-cell malignancies, a substantial fraction of patients do not obtain a long-term clinical response. This could be influenced by the quality of the individual CAR-T infusion product. To shed some light on this, clinical outcome was correlated to characteristics of CAR-T infusion products. Patients and Methods: In this phase II study, patients with B-cell lymphoma (n ¼ 23) or leukemia (n ¼ 1) received one or two infusions of third-generation CD19-directed CAR-Ts (2 × 108/m2). The clinical trial was registered at clinicaltrials. gov: NCT03068416. We investigated the transcriptional profile of individual CD19 CAR-T infusion products using targeted single-cell RNA sequencing and multicolor flow cytometry. Results: Two CAR-T infusions were not better than one in the settings used in this study. As for the CAR-T infusion products, we found that effector-like CD8þCAR-Ts with a high polyfunctionality, high cytotoxic and cytokine production profile, and low dysfunctional signature were associated with clinical response. An extended ex vivo expansion time during CAR-T manufacturing negatively influenced the proportion of effector CD8þCAR-Ts in the infusion product. Conclusions: We identified cell-intrinsic characteristics of effector CD8þCAR-Ts correlating with response that could be used as an indicator for clinical outcome. The results in the study also serve as a guide to CAR-T manufacturing practices. ©2023 The Authors; Published by the American Association for Cancer Research.
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| 40. |
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| 41. |
- Vaccaro, Alessandra, et al.
(author)
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Of mice and lymphoid aggregates : modeling tertiary lymphoid structures in cancer
- 2023
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In: Frontiers in Immunology. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 1664-3224. ; 14
-
Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) are lymph node-like aggregates that can form in association with chronic inflammation or cancer. Mature TLS are organized into B and T cell zones, and are not encapsulated but include all cell types necessary for eliciting an adaptive immune response. TLS have been observed in various cancer types and are generally associated with a positive prognosis as well as increased sensitivity to cancer immunotherapy. However, a comprehensive understanding of the roles of TLS in eliciting anti-tumor immunity as well as the mechanisms involved in their formation and function is still lacking. Further studies in orthotopic, immunocompetent cancer models are necessary to evaluate the influence of TLS on cancer therapies, and to develop new treatments that promote their formation in cancer. Here, we review key insights obtained from functional murine studies, discuss appropriate models that can be used to study cancer-associated TLS, and suggest guidelines on how to identify TLS and distinguish them from other antigen-presenting niches.
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| 42. |
- van de Walle, Tiarne, et al.
(author)
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Tertiary Lymphoid Structures in the Central Nervous System : Implications for Glioblastoma
- 2021
-
In: Frontiers in Immunology. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 1664-3224. ; 12
-
Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Glioblastoma is the most common and aggressive brain tumor, which is uniformly lethal due to its extreme invasiveness and the absence of curative therapies. Immune checkpoint inhibitors have not yet proven efficacious for glioblastoma patients, due in part to the low prevalence of tumor-reactive T cells within the tumor microenvironment. The priming of tumor antigen-directed T cells in the cervical lymph nodes is complicated by the shortage of dendritic cells and lack of appropriate lymphatic vessels within the brain parenchyma. However, recent data suggest that naive T cells may also be primed within brain tumor-associated tertiary lymphoid structures. Here, we review the current understanding of the formation of these structures within the central nervous system, and hypothesize that promotion of tertiary lymphoid structures could enhance priming of tumor antigen-targeted T cells and sensitize glioblastomas to cancer immunotherapy.
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| 43. |
- van Hooren, Luuk, et al.
(author)
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Agonistic CD40 therapy induces tertiary lymphoid structures but impairs responses to checkpoint blockade in glioma.
- 2021
-
In: Nature communications. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2041-1723. ; 12:1
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Gliomas are brain tumors characterized by an immunosuppressive microenvironment. Immunostimulatory agonistic CD40 antibodies (αCD40) are in clinical development for solid tumors, but are yet to be evaluated for glioma. Here, we demonstrate that systemic delivery of αCD40 in preclinical glioma models induces the formation of tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) in proximity of meningeal tissue. In treatment-naïve glioma patients, the presence of TLS correlates with increased T cell infiltration. However, systemic delivery of αCD40 induces hypofunctional T cells and impairs the response to immune checkpoint inhibitors in pre-clinical glioma models. This is associated with a systemic induction of suppressive CD11b+ B cells post-αCD40 treatment, which accumulate in the tumor microenvironment. Our work unveils the pleiotropic effects of αCD40 therapy in glioma and reveals that immunotherapies can modulate TLS formation in the brain, opening up for future opportunities to regulate the immune response.
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| 44. |
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| 45. |
- Yu, Di, et al.
(author)
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Adenovirus Serotype 5 Vectors with Tat-PTD Modified Hexon and Serotype 35 Fiber Show Greatly Enhanced Transduction Capacity of Primary Cell Cultures
- 2013
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In: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 8:1, s. e54952-
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Recombinant adenovirus serotype 5 (Ad5) vectors represent one of the most efficient gene delivery vectors in life sciences. However, Ad5 is dependent on expression of the coxsackievirus-adenovirus- receptor (CAR) on the surface of target cell for efficient transduction, which limits it's utility for certain cell types. Herein we present a new vector, Ad5PTDf35, which is an Ad5 vector having serotype 35 fiber-specificity and Tat-PTD hexon-modification. This vector shows dramatically increased transduction capacity of primary human cell cultures including T cells, monocytes, macrophages, dendritic cells, pancreatic islets and exocrine cells, mesenchymal stem cells and tumor initiating cells. Biodistribution in mice following systemic administration (tail-vein injection) show significantly reduced uptake in the liver and spleen of Ad5PTDf35 compared to unmodified Ad5. Therefore, replication-competent viruses with these modifications may be further developed as oncolytic agents for cancer therapy. User-friendly backbone plasmids containing these modifications were developed for compatibility to the AdEasy-system to facilitate the development of surface-modified adenoviruses for gene delivery to difficult-to-transduce cells in basic, pre-clinical and clinical research.
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