| 1. |
|
|
| 2. |
|
|
| 3. |
- Amini, Rose-Marie, et al.
(author)
-
Altered profile of immune regulatory cells in the peripheral blood of lymphoma patients
- 2019
-
In: BMC Cancer. - : BMC. - 1471-2407. ; 19
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Regulatory immune cells may modulate the lymphoma microenvironment and are of great interest due to the increasing prevalence of treatment with immunotherapies in lymphoma patients. The aim was to explore the composition of different immune regulatory cell subsets in the peripheral blood of newly diagnosed lymphoma patients in relation to treatment outcome. Methods: Forty-three newly diagnosed patients with lymphoma were included in the study; 24 with high-grade B-cell lymphoma (HGBCL) and 19 with classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL). Peripheral blood was prospectively collected and immune regulatory cells were identified by multi-color flow cytometry and analyzed in relation to healthy blood donors and clinical characteristics and outcome. Results: The percentage of CD3-positive T-cells was lower (p=0.03) in the peripheral blood of lymphoma patients at diagnosis compared to healthy blood donors regardless of lymphoma subtype, although statistically, neither the percentage of monocytes (p=0.2) nor the T-cell/monocyte ratio (p=0.055) differed significantly. A significant decrease in the percentage of a subset of regulatory NK cells (CD7(+)/CD3(-)/CD56(bright)/CD16(dim/-)) was identified in the peripheral blood of lymphoma patients compared to healthy blood donors (p=0.003). Lymphoma patients also had more granulocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) (p=0.003) compared to healthy blood donors, whereas monocytic MDSCs did not differ significantly (p=0.07). A superior disease-free survival was observed for cHL patients who had an increase in the percentage of granulocytic MDSCs (p=0.04). Conclusions: An altered profile of immune cells in the peripheral blood with a decrease in T-cells and regulatory NK-cells was observed in newly diagnosed lymphoma patients. CHL patients with higher percentages of regulatory NK cells and higher percentages of granulocytic MDSCs might have a better outcome, although the number of patients was low.
|
|
| 4. |
- Andersson, Claes, et al.
(author)
-
Mebendazole is unique among tubulin-active drugs in activating the MEK-ERK pathway
- 2020
-
In: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2045-2322. ; 10:1
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We recently showed that the anti-helminthic compound mebendazole (MBZ) has immunomodulating activity in monocyte/macrophage models and induces ERK signalling. In the present study we investigated whether MBZ induced ERK activation is shared by other tubulin binding agents (TBAs) and if it is observable also in other human cell types. Curated gene signatures for a panel of TBAs in the LINCS Connectivity Map (CMap) database showed a unique strong negative correlation of MBZ with MEK/ERK inhibitors indicating ERK activation also in non-haematological cell lines. L1000 gene expression signatures for MBZ treated THP-1 monocytes also connected negatively to MEK inhibitors. MEK/ERK phosphoprotein activity testing of a number of TBAs showed that only MBZ increased the activity in both THP-1 monocytes and PMA differentiated macrophages. Distal effects on ERK phosphorylation of the substrate P90RSK and release of IL1B followed the same pattern. The effect of MBZ on MEK/ERK phosphorylation was inhibited by RAF/MEK/ERK inhibitors in THP-1 models, CD3/IL2 stimulated PBMCs and a MAPK reporter HEK-293 cell line. MBZ was also shown to increase ERK activity in CD4+ T-cells from lupus patients with known defective ERK signalling. Given these mechanistic features MBZ is suggested suitable for treatment of diseases characterized by defective ERK signalling, notably difficult to treat autoimmune diseases.
|
|
| 5. |
- Blom, Kristin, et al.
(author)
-
Mebendazole-induced M1 polarisation of THP-1 macrophages may involve DYRK1B inhibition
- 2019
-
In: BMC Research Notes. - : Springer Nature. - 1756-0500. ; 12:1
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective: We recently showed that the anti-helminthic compound mebendazole (MBZ) has immunomodulating activity by inducing a M2 to M1 phenotype switch in monocyte/macrophage models. In the present study we investigated the potential role of protein kinases in mediating this effect.Results: MBZ potently binds and inhibits Dual specificity tyrosine-phosphorylation-regulated kinase 1B (DYRK1B) with a Kd and an IC50 of 7 and 360 nM, respectively. The specific DYRK1B inhibitor AZ191 did not mimic the cytokine release profile of MBZ in untreated THP-1 monocytes. However, in THP-1 cells differentiated into macrophages, AZ191 strongly induced a pro-inflammatory cytokine release pattern similar to MBZ and LPS/IFNγ. Furthermore, like MBZ, AZ191 increased the expression of the M1 marker CD80 and decreased the M2 marker CD163 in THP-1 macrophages. In this model, AZ191 also increased phospho-ERK activity although to a lesser extent compared to MBZ. Taken together, the results demonstrate that DYRK1B inhibition could, at least partly, recapitulate immune responses induced by MBZ. Hence, DYRK1B inhibition induced by MBZ may be part of the mechanism of action to switch M2 to M1 macrophages.
|
|
| 6. |
- Burman, Joachim, et al.
(author)
-
The cerebrospinal fluid cytokine signature of multiple sclerosis : A homogenous response that does not conform to the Th1/Th2/Th17 convention
- 2014
-
In: Journal of Neuroimmunology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0165-5728 .- 1872-8421. ; 277:1-2, s. 153-159
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this cross-sectional study, we wanted to identify key cytokines characteristic of different stages of multiple sclerosis (MS). To this end, cerebrospinal fluid from patients with MS was investigated with a multiplexed fluorescent bead-based immunoassay. In total 43 cytokines were assessed and related to clinical and imaging data. Increased levels of CCL22, CXCL10 and sCD40L characterized relapsing-remitting MS patients with the presence of gadolinium-enhancing lesions; decreased CCL2 and increased CXCL1 and CCL5 were typical of relapsing-remitting MS patients irrespectively of the presence of gadolinium-enhancing lesions. These homogenous patterns of cytokine activation do not conform to conventional Th1/Th2/Th17 responses. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
|
|
| 7. |
|
|
| 8. |
|
|
| 9. |
- Eriksson, Emma, et al.
(author)
-
IL-6 Signaling Blockade during CD40-Mediated Immune Activation Favors Antitumor Factors by Reducing TGF-beta, Collagen Type I, and PD-L1/PD-1
- 2019
-
In: Journal of Immunology. - : AMER ASSOC IMMUNOLOGISTS. - 0022-1767 .- 1550-6606. ; 202:3, s. 787-798
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- IL-6 plays a role in cancer pathogenesis via its connection to proteins involved in the formation of desmoplastic stroma and to immunosuppression by driving differentiation of myeloid suppressor cells together with TGF-beta. Inhibition of IL-6 signaling in the tumor microenvironment may, thus, limit desmoplasia and myeloid suppressor cell differentiation. CD40 signaling can further revert myeloid cell differentiation toward antitumor active phenotypes. Hence, the simultaneous use of IL-6 blockade with CD40 stimuli may tilt the tumor microenvironment to promote antitumor immune responses. In this paper, we evaluated the mechanisms of LOAd713, an oncolytic adenovirus designed to block IL-6R signaling and to provide myeloid cell activation via a trimerized membrane-bound isoleucine zipper (TMZ) CD40L. LOAd713-infected pancreatic cancer cells were killed by oncolysis, whereas infection of stellate cells reduced factors involved in stroma formation, including TGF-beta-1 and collagen type I. Virus infection prevented IL-6/GM-CSF-mediated differentiation of myeloid suppressors, but not CD163 macrophages, whereas infection of dendritic cells led to upregulation of maturation markers, including CD83, CD86, IL-12p70, and IFN-gamma. Further, IL-6R blockade prevented upregulation of programed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) and PD-1 on the stimulated dendritic cells. These results suggest that LOAd713 can kill infected tumor cells and has the capacity to affect the tumor microenvironment by stimulating stellate cells and myeloid suppressors with TMZ-CD40L and IL-6R blockade. Gene transfer of murine TMZ-CD40L prolonged survival in an animal model. LOAd713 may be an interesting therapeutic option for cancers connected to IL-6 signaling, such as pancreatic cancer.
|
|
| 10. |
- Hoffmann, Jean-Marc, et al.
(author)
-
Differences in Expansion Potential of Naive Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cells from Healthy Donors and Untreated Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Patients
- 2018
-
In: Frontiers in Immunology. - : FRONTIERS MEDIA SA. - 1664-3224. ; 8
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Introduction: Therapy with chimeric antigen receptor T (CART) cells for hematological malignancies has shown promising results. Effectiveness of CART cells may depend on the ratio of naive (T-N) vs. effector (T-E) T cells, TN cells being responsible for an enduring antitumor activity through maturation. Therefore, we investigated factors influencing the T-N/T-E ratio of CART cells.Materials and methods: CART cells were generated upon transduction of peripheral blood mononuclear cells with a CD19.CAR-CD28-CD137zeta third generation retroviral vector under two different stimulating culture conditions: anti-CD3/anti-CD28 antibodies adding either interleukin (IL)-7/1L-15 or IL-2. CART cells were maintained in culture for 20 days. We evaluated 24 healthy donors (HDs) and 11 patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) for the composition of cell subsets and produced CART cells. Phenotype and functionality were tested using flow cytometry and chromium release assays.Results: IL -7/1L-15 preferentially induced differentiation into T-N, stem cell memory (T-SCM: naive CD27+ CD95+), CD4+ and CXCR3+ CART cells, while IL-2 increased effector memory (T-EM), CD56+ and CD4+ T regulatory (T-Reg) CART cells. The net amplification of different CART subpopulations derived from HDs and untreated CLL patients was compared. Particularly the expansion of CD4+ CART(N) cells differed significantly between the two groups. For HDs, this subtype expanded >60-fold, whereas CD4+ CART(N) cells of untreated CLL patients expanded less than 10-fold. Expression of exhaustion marker programmed cell death 1 on CART(N) cells on day 10 of culture was significantly higher in patient samples compared to HD samples. As the percentage of malignant B cells was expectedly higher within patient samples, an excessive amount of B cells during culture could account for the reduced expansion potential of CART(N) cells in untreated CLL patients. Final T-N/T-E ratio stayed <0.3 despite stimulation condition for patients, whereas this ratio was >2 in samples from HDs stimulated with IL-7/1L-15, thus demonstrating efficient CART(N) expansion.Conclusion: Untreated CLL patients might constitute a challenge for long-lasting CART effects in vivo since only a low number of T-N among the CART product could be generated. Depletion of malignant B cells before starting CART production might be considered to increase the T-N/T-E ratio within the CART product.
|
|
| 11. |
- Irenaeus, Sandra, 1984-
(author)
-
Intratumoral CD40 stimulating therapy in patients with advanced cancer
- 2021
-
Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- CD40-CD40L interaction activates DCs to become highly efficient APCs and skews the adaptive immune response towards a Th I phenotype driving cytotoxic T cells, M1 macrophages and natural killer cells. Furthermore, engagement of CD40L to CD40 positive cancer cells can have direct anti-proliferative effects, induce apoptosis and increase expression of MHC and other co-stimulatory molecules, thereby enhancing cancer cell recognition. Hence, activating the CD40-CD40L pathway may lead to several potential anti-tumoral effects. In this thesis we evaluated activation of the CD40-CD40L pathway in patients with solid cancer by investigating three medicinal products administered mainly through intratumoral injection: ADC1013 - an agonistic CD40 antibody, AdCD40L - a replication deficient adenovirus carrying the gene for CD40L and LOAd703 - an oncolytic adenovirus carrying two immunostimulatory genes: TMZ-CD40L and 4-1BBL. In paper I, ADC-1013 was investigated in patients with metastatic cancer (n=23) in a phase I trial. ADC-1013 was injected intratumorally (n=18) or intravenously (n=5). AdCD40L was investigated in a phase I/II study reported in paper II and III, respectively. In one cohort (paper II), patients with metastatic malignant melanoma (n=9) were treated with four weekly intratumoral injections with AdCD40L preceded by radiotherapy (single fraction 8 Gy) of the metastasis to subsequently be injected. Concomitant low dose cyclophosphamide was administered before the first and fourth intratumoral injection. In another cohort (paper III), patients with metastatic non melanoma solid cancer (n=6) were treated with the same schedule except from radiotherapy. Paper III also reports the results of the first-ever patient treated with AdCD40L. In paper IV, the preliminary results of phase I of a phase I/II study investigating LOAd703 administered intratumorally at a two-week interval are presented. LOAd703 was given as an add-on to standard-of-care chemotherapy, or with gemcitabine conditioning in patients having received established treatments. Patients (n=9) had locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer, metastatic ovarian cancer or colorectal cancer. We conclude that treatment with all three medicinal products was safe and tolerable. For ADC-1013, the therapeutic ratio seemed to be more favorable for intratumoral injections into superficial metastases compared to deep metastases. We demonstrated that AdCD40L can be combined with radiotherapy without increasing toxicity although radiotherapy did not enhance treatment efficacy. Further, LOAd703 was safe to combine with chemotherapy. Although the number of patients treated in each trial was limited, and almost all patients were considered refractory to standard treatment at inclusion, some patients seemed to benefit from treatment which is encouraging.
|
|
| 12. |
- Irenaeus, Sandra, et al.
(author)
-
Intratumoral immunostimulatory AdCD40L gene therapy in patients with advanced solid tumors.
- 2021
-
In: Cancer Gene Therapy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0929-1903 .- 1476-5500. ; 28:10-11, s. 1188-1197
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- AdCD40L is a replication-deficient virus carrying the gene for CD40 ligand which has previously been evaluated in patients with urothelial cancer and malignant melanoma. Herein, we present the results of repeated intratumoral injections of AdCD40L in seven patients with metastatic solid cancer. One patient who developed urothelial cancer derived from a renal transplant was treated with repeated injections of AdCD40L alone. The remaining patients suffered from cholangiocarcinoma, kidney, breast, rectal, or ovarian cancer and received AdCD40L repeatedly (4x) in combination with cyclophosphamide. The treatment was safe and generally well-tolerated. Two patients had clinical benefit of the treatment and one of them was accepted for re-treatment. Circulating proinflammatory cytokines were commonly increased after treatment, but save for TNFα, significances were not reached which could be due to the low number of patients. Similar to earlier findings in AdCD40L-treated melanoma patients, IL8 plasma levels were high in the present study. In conclusion, gene therapy by repeated intratumoral AdCD40L injections alone, or in combination with cyclophosphamide, is feasible and safe in patients with solid cancers. The potential of intratumoral CD40L gene transfer as treatment of cancer was illustrated by the clinical improvement in two out of seven patients.
|
|
| 13. |
- Irenaeus, Sandra, et al.
(author)
-
Local irradiation does not enhance the effect of immunostimulatory AdCD40L gene therapy combined with low dose cyclophosphamide in melanoma patients
- 2017
-
In: Oncotarget. - : Impact Journals, LLC. - 1949-2553. ; 8:45, s. 78573-78587
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: AdCD40L is an immunostimulatory gene therapy under evaluation for advanced melanoma, including ocular melanoma. Herein, we present the final data of a Phase I/IIa trial using AdCD40L alone or in combination with low dose cyclophosphamide +/- radiation therapy.Methods: AdCD40L is a replication-deficient adenovirus carrying the gene for CD40 ligand (CD40L). Twenty-four patients with advanced melanoma were enrolled and treated with AdCD40L monotherapy, or combined with cyclophosphamide +/- single fraction radiotherapy. The patients were monitored for 10 weeks using immunological and radiological evaluations and thereafter for survival.Results: AdCD40L treatment was safe and well tolerated both alone and in combination with cyclophosphamide as well as local radiotherapy. Four out of twenty-four patients had >1 year survival. Addition of cyclophosphamide was beneficial but adding radiotherapy did not further extend survival. High initial plasma levels of IL12 and MIP3b correlated to overall survival, whereas IL8 responses post-treatment correlated negatively with survival. Interestingly, antibody reactions to the virus correlated negatively with post IL6 and pre IL1b levels in blood.Conclusions: AdCD40L was safely administered to patients and effect was improved by cyclophosphamide but not by radiotherapy. Immune activation profile at baseline may predict responders better than shortly after treatment.
|
|
| 14. |
|
|
| 15. |
- Kaartinen, Tanja, et al.
(author)
-
Low interleukin-2 concentration favors generation of early memory T cells over effector phenotypes during chimeric antigen receptor T-cell expansion
- 2017
-
In: Cytotherapy. - : ELSEVIER SCI LTD. - 1465-3249 .- 1477-2566. ; 19:6, s. 689-702
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background. Adoptive T-cell therapy offers new options for cancer treatment. Clinical results suggest that T-cell persistence, depending on T-cell memory, improves efficacy. The use of interleukin (IL)-2 for in vitro T-cell expansion is not straightforward because it drives effector T-cell differentiation but does not promote the formation of T-cell memory. We have developed a cost-effective expansion protocol for chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells with an early memory phenotype.Methods. Lymphocytes were transduced with third-generation lentiviral vectors and expanded using CD3/CD28 microbeads. The effects of altering the IL-2 supplementation (0-300 IU/mL) and length of expansion (10-20 days) on the phenotype of the T-cell products were analyzed.Results. High IL-2 levels led to a decrease in overall generation of early memory T cells by both decreasing central memory T cells and augmenting effectors. T memory stem cells (T-SCM, CD95(+)CD45RO(-)CD45RA(+)CD27(+)) were present variably during T-cell expansion. However, their presence was not IL-2 dependent but was linked to expansion kinetics. CD19-CART cells generated in these conditions displayed in vitro antileukemic activity. In summary, production of CART cells without any cytokine supplementation yielded the highest proportion of early memory T cells, provided a 10 fold cell expansion and the cells were functionally potent.Discussion. The number of early memory T cells in a T-cell preparation can be increased by simply reducing the amount of IL-2 and limiting the length of T-cell expansion, providing cells with potentially higher in vivo performance. These findings are significant for robust and cost:effective T-cell manufacturing.
|
|
| 16. |
- Labani-Motlagh, Alireza, et al.
(author)
-
Systemic immunity upon local oncolytic virotherapy armed with immunostimulatory genes may be supported by tumor-derived exosomes
- 2021
-
In: MOLECULAR THERAPY-ONCOLYTICS. - : Cell Press. - 2372-7705. ; 20, s. 508-518
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Immunostimulatory gene therapy utilizing oncolytic viruses (OVs) as gene vehicles is a promising immunotherapy for cancer. Since viruses are immunogenic, systemic delivery can be troublesome due to neutralizing antibodies. Nevertheless, local delivery by intratumoral injection seems to induce systemic immune reactions. In this study, we demonstrate a novel mechanism of action of armed OV therapy suggesting that exosomes released by tumor cells infected with armed OV may participate to activate the immune system and this may also support systemic immunity. Tumor cell-derived exosomes commonly exert immunosuppressive functions. We hypothesized that exosomes derived from OV-infected tumor cells may instead be immunostimulatory. Human melanoma cells were infected by OVs armed with costimulatory molecules CD40 ligand (CD40L) and 4-1BB ligand (4-1BBL). Exosomes were purified and investigated for the presence of CD40L/4-1BBL mRNA and protein, and for their capacity to stimulate immune responses. The results show that the exosomes cargo transgenes. The exosomes from CD40L/4-1BBL-expressing tumor cells, or the viruses themselves, could stimulate robust dendritic cell (DC) activation with an enhanced level of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) and costimulatory molecules. Hence, exosomes after OV infection can locally activate immune responses at the tumor site and encounter immune cells such as DCs.
|
|
| 17. |
- Labani-Motlagh, Alireza, et al.
(author)
-
The Tumor Microenvironment : A Milieu Hindering and Obstructing Antitumor Immune Responses
- 2020
-
In: Frontiers in Immunology. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 1664-3224. ; 11
-
Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The success of cancer immunotherapy relies on the knowledge of the tumor microenvironment and the immune evasion mechanisms in which the tumor, stroma, and infiltrating immune cells function in a complex network. The potential barriers that profoundly challenge the overall clinical outcome of promising therapies need to be fully identified and counteracted. Although cancer immunotherapy has increasingly been applied, we are far from understanding how to utilize different strategies in the best way and how to combine therapeutic options to optimize clinical benefit. This review intends to give a contemporary and detailed overview of the different roles of immune cells, exosomes, and molecules acting in the tumor microenvironment and how they relate to immune activation and escape. Further, current and novel immunotherapeutic options will be discussed.
|
|
| 18. |
|
|
| 19. |
- Razavi, Azadeh Sadat, et al.
(author)
-
The signaling and the metabolic differences of various CAR T cell designs
- 2023
-
In: International Immunopharmacology. - : Elsevier. - 1567-5769 .- 1878-1705. ; 114
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy is introduced as an effective, rapidly evolving therapeutic to treat cancer, especially cancers derived from hematological cells, such as B cells. CAR T cell gene constructs combine a tumor-targeting device coupled to the T cell receptor (TCR) zeta chain domain with different signaling domains such as domains derived from CD28 or 4-1BB (CD137). The incorporation of each specific co-stimulatory domain targets the immunometabolic pathways of CAR T cells as well as other signaling pathways. Defining the immunometabolic and signaling pathways by which CAR T cells become and remain active, survive, and eliminate their targets may represent a huge step forward in this relatively young research field as the CAR gene can be tailored to gain optimal function also for solid tumors with elaborate immunosuppression and protective stroma. There is a close relationship between different signaling domains applied in CAR T cells, and difficult to evaluate the benefit from different tested CAR gene constructs. In this review, we attempt to collect the latest findings regarding the CAR T cell signaling pathways that affect immunometabolic pathways.
|
|
| 20. |
- Rowinsky, Eric K, et al.
(author)
-
Phase 1 study of the protein deubiquitinase inhibitor VLX1570 in patients with relapsed and/or refractory multiple myeloma.
- 2020
-
In: Investigational new drugs. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0167-6997 .- 1573-0646. ; 38:5, s. 1448-1453
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This phase 1 study sought to characterize the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetic behavior of VLX1570, a small molecule inhibitor of the deubiquitinases (DUBs) that remove sterically bulky ubiquitin chains from proteins during processing in the19S regulatory subunit of the proteasome, in patients with relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma (MM). Fourteen patients were treated with escalating doses of VLX1570 ranging from 0.05 to 1.2 mg/kg as a brief intravenous (IV) infusion on Days 1, 2, 8, 9, 15, and 16 of a 28-day cycle. Due to its poor aqueous solubility, VLX1570 was formulated in polyethylene glycol, polyoxyethylated castor oil, and polysorbate 80 and administered as a brief intravenous (IV) infusion via a central venous catheter. Anti-myeloma effects were noted at doses at or above 0.6 mg/kg, however, two patients treated at the 1.2 mg/kg dose level experienced severe, abrupt, and progressive respiratory insufficiency, which was associated with diffuse pulmonary infiltrates on imaging studies, similar to those rarely noted with bortezomib and other inhibitors of the 20S proteasome, culminating in death. Although the contribution of VLX1570's formulation to the pulmonary toxicity could not be ruled out, the severity and precipitous nature of the toxicity and the steep relationship between dose and toxicity, the study was discontinued. Despite the severe pulmonary toxicity noted with VLX1570, efforts directed at identifying DUB inhibitors with greater therapeutic indices appear warranted based on the unique mechanism of action, robustness of preclinical antitumor activity, and activity of the DUB inhibitors in MM resistant to PIs targeting the 20S proteasome subunit.
|
|
| 21. |
- Saellström, Sara, et al.
(author)
-
Adenoviral CD40 Ligand Immunotherapy in 32 Canine Malignant Melanomas-Long-Term Follow Up
- 2021
-
In: Frontiers in Veterinary Science. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 2297-1769. ; 8
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Malignant melanoma is a serious disease in both humans and dogs, and the high metastatic potential results in poor prognosis for many patients. Its similarities with human melanoma make spontaneous canine melanoma an excellent model for comparative studies of novel therapies and tumor biology. Gene therapy using adenoviruses encoding the immunostimulatory gene CD40L (AdCD40L) has shown promise in initial clinical trials enrolling human patients with various malignancies including melanoma. We report a study of local AdCD40L treatment in 32 cases of canine melanoma (23 oral, 5 cutaneous, 3 ungual and 1 conjunctival). Eight patients were World Health Organization (WHO) stage I, 9 were stage II, 12 stage III, and 3 stage IV. One to six intratumoral injections of AdCD40L were given every seven days, combined with cytoreductive surgery in 20 cases and only immunotherapy in 12 cases. Tumor tissue was infiltrated with T and B lymphocytes after treatment, suggesting immune stimulation. The best overall response based on result of immunotherapy included 7 complete responses, 5 partial responses, 5 stable and 2 progressive disease statuses according to the World Health Organization response criteria. Median survival was 285 days (range 20-3435 d). Our results suggest that local AdCD40L therapy is safe and could have beneficial effects in dogs, supporting further treatment development. Clinical translation to human patients is ongoing.
|
|
| 22. |
|
|
| 23. |
|
|
| 24. |
- Schiza, Aglaia, et al.
(author)
-
Evaluation of Diffusion-Weighted MRI and FDG-PET/CT to Assess Response to AdCD40L treatment in Metastatic Melanoma Patients
- 2019
-
In: Scientific Reports. - : NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP. - 2045-2322. ; 9
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The purpose was to evaluate the potential of diffusion-weighted-magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI) and F-18-fludeoxy-glucose-positron emission tomography integrated with CT (FDG-PET/CT) for prediction of overall survival (OS) following AdCD40L-immunotherapy in patients with metastatic malignant melanoma (MMM). Twenty-four patients with refractory MMM were treated with immunostimulatory AdCD40L gene therapy in a phase I/IIa study. Pre-therapeutic DW-MRI and FDG-PET/CT were performed and then repeated at 5 and 9 weeks post-treatment. Evaluation was conducted according to RECIST 1.1 and EORTC criteria. Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), true diffusion coefficient (D), maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) were measured in the injected lesions. Fold changes (F) in ADC (F ADC), D (FD), SUVmax (FSUVmax) were statistically assessed. F D >= 1 and F ADC >= 1 were associated with better OS in scans at week 5 and 9 respectively. F SUVmax was not correlated to OS. F ADC >= 1 in both post-treatment scans and F D >= 1 at week 5 were related to a significant decrease of size of the injected lesions. These results suggest that in patients with MMM treated with AdCD401, functional parameters of DW-MRI are better early predictors of OS than the established metabolic and morphologic criteria for FDG-PET/CT and MRI, respectively.
|
|
| 25. |
- Svensson, Emma, et al.
(author)
-
Shaping the Tumor Stroma and Sparking Immune Activation by CD40 and 4-1BB Signaling Induced by an Armed Oncolytic Virus.
- 2017
-
In: Clinical Cancer Research. - 1078-0432 .- 1557-3265. ; 23:19, s. 5846-5857
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Purpose: Pancreatic cancer is a severe indication with short expected survival despite surgery and/or combination chemotherapeutics. Checkpoint blockade antibodies are approved for several cancer indications, but pancreatic cancer has remained refractory. However, there are clinical data suggesting that stimulation of the CD40 pathway may be of interest for these patients. Oncolytic viruses armed with immunostimulatory genes represent an interesting approach. Herein, we present LOAd703, a designed adenovirus armed with trimerized CD40L and 4-1BBL that activates the CD40 and 4-1BB pathways, respectively. As many cells in the tumor stroma, including stellate cells and the infiltrating immune cells, express CD40 and some 4-1BB, we hypothesize that LOAd703 activates immunity and simultaneously modulates the biology of the tumor stroma.Experimental Design: Tumor, stellate, endothelial, and immune cells were infected by LOAd703 and investigated by flow cytometry, proteomics, and functional analyses.Results: LOAd703-infected pancreatic cell lines were killed by oncolysis, and the virus was more effective than standard-of-care gemcitabine. In in vivo xenograft models, LOAd703 efficiently reduced established tumors and could be combined with gemcitabine for additional effect. Infected stellate and tumor cells reduced factors that promote tumor growth (Spp-1, Gal-3, HGF, TGFβ and collagen type I), while chemokines were increased. Molecules involved in lymphocyte migration were upregulated on infected endothelial cells. Dendritic cells were robustly stimulated by LOAd703 to produce costimulators, cytokines and chemokines, and such DCs potently expanded both antigen-specific T cells and NK cells.Conclusions: LOAd703 is a potent immune activator that modulates the stroma to support antitumor responses. Clin Cancer Res; 1-12. ©2017 AACR.
|
|
| 26. |
- Wenthe, Jessica, et al.
(author)
-
Boosting CAR T-cell responses in lymphoma by simultaneous targeting of CD40/4-1BB using oncolytic viral gene therapy
- 2021
-
In: Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy. - : Springer Nature. - 0340-7004 .- 1432-0851. ; 70:10, s. 2851-2865
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Pretreatment of B-cell lymphoma patients with immunostimulatory gene therapy using armed oncolytic viruses may prime tumor lesions for subsequent chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, thereby enhancing CAR T-cell functionality and possibly increasing response rates in patients. LOAd703 (delolimogene mupadenorepvec) is an oncolytic adenovirus (serotype 5/35) that encodes for the transgenes CD40L and 4-1BBL, which activate both antigen-presenting cells and T cells. Many adenoviruses failed to demonstrate efficacy in B-cell malignancies, but LOAd703 infect cells via CD46, which enables B cell infection. Herein, we investigated the therapeutic potential of LOAd703 in human B-cell lymphoma models, alone or in combination with CAR T-cell therapy. LOAd703 could infect and replicate in B-cell lymphoma cell lines (BC-3, Karpas422, Daudi, DG-75, U-698) and induced an overall enhanced immunogenic profile with upregulation of co-stimulatory molecules CD80, CD86, CD70, MHC molecules, death receptor Fas and adhesion molecule ICAM-1. Further, CAR T-cell functionality was boosted by stimulation with lymphoma cells infected with LOAd703. This was demonstrated by an augmented release of IFN-γ and granzyme B, increased expression of the degranulation marker CD107a, fewer PD-1 + TIM-3+ CAR T cells in vitro and enhanced lymphoma cell killing both in in vitro and in vivo xenograft models. In addition, LOAd703-infected lymphoma cells upregulated the secretion of several chemokines (CXCL10, CCL17, CCL22, CCL3, CCL4) essential for immune cell homing, leading to enhanced CAR T-cell migration. In conclusion, immunostimulatory LOAd703 therapy is an intriguing approach to induce anti-lymphoma immune responses and to improve CAR T-cell therapy in B-cell lymphoma.
|
|
| 27. |
- Wenthe, Jessica, et al.
(author)
-
Immune priming using DC- and T cell-targeting gene therapy sensitizes both treated and distant B16 tumors to checkpoint inhibition
- 2022
-
In: MOLECULAR THERAPY-ONCOLYTICS. - : Elsevier. - 2372-7705. ; 24, s. 429-442
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Immune checkpoint inhibitors have revolutionized the treatment of metastatic melanoma, but most tumors show resistance. Resistance is connected to a non-T cell inflamed phenotype partially caused by a lack of functional dendritic cells (DCs) that are crucial for T cell priming. Herein, we investigated whether the adenoviral gene vehicle mLOAd703 carrying both DC- and T cell-activating genes can lead to inflammation in a B16-CD46 model and thereby overcome resistance to checkpoint inhibition therapy. B16-CD46 cells were injected subcutaneously in one or both flanks of immuno-competent C57BL/6J mice. mLOAd703 treatments were given intratumorally alone or in combination with intraperitoneal checkpoint inhibition therapy (anti-PD-1, anti-PD-L1, or anti-TIM-3). Tumor, lymph node, spleen, and serum samples were analyzed for the presence of immune cells and cytokines/chemokines. B16-CD46 tumors were non-inflamed and resistant to checkpoint blockade. In contrast, mLOAd703 treatment led to infiltration of the tumor by CD8(+) T cells, natural killer (NK) cells, and CD103(+) DCs, accompanied by a systemic increase of pro-inflammatory cytokines interferon gamma (IFN-gamma), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), and interleukin-27 (IL-27). This response was even more pronounced after combining the virus with checkpoint therapy, in particular with anti-PD-L1 and anti-TIM-3, leading to further reduced tumor growth in injected lesions. Moreover, anti-PD-L1 combination also facilitated abscopal responses in non-injected lesions.
|
|
| 28. |
|
|
| 29. |
|
|
| 30. |
|
|
| 31. |
- Wenthe, Jessica, et al.
(author)
-
Immunostimulatory oncolytic virotherapy for multiple myeloma targeting 4-1BB and/or CD40
- 2020
-
In: Cancer Gene Therapy. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0929-1903 .- 1476-5500. ; 27:12, s. 948-959
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Multiple myeloma (MM) is a plasma cell malignancy that is characterized by immune dysregulation. MM is commonly treated with immunomodulating agents, but still remains incurable. Herein, we proposed and evaluated immunostimulatory Lokon oncolytic adenoviruses (LOAd) for MM treatment. LOAd viruses are serotype 5/35 chimera, which enables infection of hematopoietic cells. Oncolysis is restricted to cells with a dysregulated retinoblastoma protein pathway, which is frequently observed in MM. Further, LOAd viruses are armed with human immunostimulatory transgenes: trimerized membrane-bound CD40L (LOAd700, LOAd703) and 4-1BBL (LOAd703). LOAd viruses were assessed in a panel of MM cell lines (ANBL-6, L363, LP-1, OPM-2, RPMI-8226, and U266-84). All cells were sensitive to infection, leading to viral replication and cell killing as analyzed by quantitative PCR and viability assay. Transgene expression was verified post infection with flow cytometry. Cell phenotypes were further altered with a downregulation of markers connected to MM progression (ICAM-1, CD70, CXCL10, CCL2, and sIL-2Rα) and an upregulation of the death receptor Fas. In a co-culture of immune and MM cells, LOAd viruses promoted activation of cytotoxic T cells as seen by higher CD69, CD107a, and IFNγ expression. This was most prominent with LOAd703. In conclusion, LOAd viruses are of interest for MM therapy.
|
|
| 32. |
- Wenthe, Jessica
(author)
-
LOAd703 and beyond : Advancing immunostimulatory gene therapy for cancer
- 2022
-
Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- In the last decade, immunotherapy has come into the limelight of cancer treatments. Immunotherapy aims to stimulate the body’s own immune system to create or reinvigorate anti-tumor immune responses. Impressive results with long-term remissions have been achieved in patients with B-cell malignancies and malignant melanoma treated with chimeric-antigen receptor (CAR) T cells and immune checkpoint inhibitors, respectively. However, many patients still do not respond to these therapies or relapse. Oncolytic virotherapy represents an immunotherapy approach, in which viruses are programed to selectively replicate in tumor cells, thereby leading to direct tumor cell killing. Moreover, these viruses can be modified to introduce therapeutic transgenes into the tumor microenvironment.In this thesis, I evaluated oncolytic viruses from the Lokon Oncolytic Adenovirus (LOAd) platform. These viruses are engineered to express immunostimulatory transgenes that specifically activate cells central in the induction of anti-tumor immunity, such as dendritic cells (DCs), T cells and natural killer (NK) cells. The herein investigated viruses are LOAd703 and LOAd732, which both express CD40L and 4-1BBL, while LOAd732 additionally expresses IL-2. In paper I, we assessed the immunological status of advanced cancer patients treated with LOAd703 in combination with chemotherapy in the LOKON002 trial. We showed that intratumoral LOAd703 treatment could mediate inflammation in patients’ tumors as seen by an induction of multiple inflammatory genes, including gene profiles associated with response to checkpoint inhibition. In addition, there was a distinct profile for responding patients. In paper II, we demonstrated that LOAd703 therapy is feasible in B-cell lymphoma and that it can be combined with CAR T-cell therapy as priming lymphoma cells with LOAd703 enhanced the secretion of chemokines promoting T-cell migration and boosted the cytotoxic T-cell function leading to better lymphoma cell killing. In paper III, we showed in vivo in a melanoma model that a murine version of LOAd703 could induce anti-tumor immune responses, sensitize tumors to checkpoint inhibitors and facilitate systemic immune responses in a twin-tumor model, in particular when combined with anti-PD-L1. In paper IV, we present a novel virus, LOAd732, and its functionality was confirmed in regards to the oncolytic capability, transgene expression and immunostimulatory effect. LOAd732 activated DCs that were capable of stimulating antigen-specific T cells, as well as NK cells. Moreover, LOAd732-stimulated cells could withstand immunosuppression mediated by cytokines (TGF-β1, IL-10) commonly present in the microenvironment of many tumors.
|
|
| 33. |
- Yu, Di, 1985-, et al.
(author)
-
Preclinical Evaluation of AdVince, an Oncolytic Adenovirus Adapted for Treatment of Liver Metastases from Neuroendocrine Cancer
- 2017
-
In: Neuroendocrinology. - : S. Karger. - 0028-3835 .- 1423-0194. ; 105:1, s. 54-66
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Cancer immunotherapy is becoming a cornerstone in the clinical care of cancer patients due to the breakthrough trials with immune checkpoint blockade antibodies and chimeric antigen receptor T cells. The next breakthrough in cancer immunotherapy is likely to be oncolytic viruses engineered to selectively kill tumor cells and deceive the immune system to believe that the tumor is a foreign entity that needs to be eradicated. We have developed AdVince, an oncolytic adenovirus for treatment of liver metastases from neuroendocrine tumor (NET). AdVince includes the gene promoter from human chromogranin A for selective replication in neuroendocrine cells, miR122 target sequences for reduced liver toxicity, and a cell-penetrating peptide in the capsid for increased infectivity of tumor cells and optimized spread within tumors. This paper describes the preclinical evaluation of AdVince on freshly isolated human gastrointestinal NET cells resected from liver metastases and freshly isolated human hepatocytes as well as in fresh human blood. AdVince selectively replicates in and kills NET cells. Approximately, 73-fold higher concentration of AdVince is needed to induce similar level of cytotoxicity in NET cells as in hepatocytes. AdVince did not activate complement or induce considerable amount of proinflammatory cytokines or chemokines in human blood. The data presented herein indicate that AdVince can be safely evaluated in a phase I/IIa clinical trial for patients with liver-dominant NET.
|
|
