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Cancer Cell Jun 2022Recent studies have identified a unique cancer-associated fibroblast (CAF) population termed antigen-presenting CAFs (apCAFs), characterized by the expression of major...
Recent studies have identified a unique cancer-associated fibroblast (CAF) population termed antigen-presenting CAFs (apCAFs), characterized by the expression of major histocompatibility complex class II molecules, suggesting a function in regulating tumor immunity. Here, by integrating multiple single-cell RNA-sequencing studies and performing robust lineage-tracing assays, we find that apCAFs are derived from mesothelial cells. During pancreatic cancer progression, mesothelial cells form apCAFs by downregulating mesothelial features and gaining fibroblastic features, a process induced by interleukin-1 and transforming growth factor β. apCAFs directly ligate and induce naive CD4 T cells into regulatory T cells (Tregs) in an antigen-specific manner. Moreover, treatment with an antibody targeting the mesothelial cell marker mesothelin can effectively inhibit mesothelial cell to apCAF transition and Treg formation induced by apCAFs. Taken together, our study elucidates how mesothelial cells may contribute to immune evasion in pancreatic cancer and provides insight on strategies to enhance cancer immune therapy.
Topics: Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts; Fibroblasts; Humans; Pancreatic Neoplasms; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory; Transforming Growth Factor beta
PubMed: 35523176
DOI: 10.1016/j.ccell.2022.04.011 -
Cancer Discovery Feb 2016Chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) are synthetic receptors that target T cells to cell-surface antigens and augment T-cell function and persistence. Mesothelin is a... (Review)
Review
UNLABELLED
Chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) are synthetic receptors that target T cells to cell-surface antigens and augment T-cell function and persistence. Mesothelin is a cell-surface antigen implicated in tumor invasion, which is highly expressed in mesothelioma and lung, pancreas, breast, ovarian, and other cancers. Its low-level expression in mesothelia, however, commands thoughtful therapeutic interventions. Encouragingly, recent clinical trials evaluating active immunization or immunoconjugates in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma or mesothelioma have shown responses without toxicity. Altogether, these findings and preclinical CAR therapy models using either systemic or regional T-cell delivery argue favorably for mesothelin CAR therapy in multiple solid tumors.
SIGNIFICANCE
Recent success obtained with adoptive transfer of CAR T cells targeting CD19 in patients with refractory hematologic malignancies has generated much enthusiasm for T-cell engineering and raises the prospect of implementing similar strategies for solid tumors. Mesothelin is expressed in a wide range and a high percentage of solid tumors, which we review here in detail. Mesothelin CAR therapy has the potential to treat multiple solid malignancies.
Topics: Clinical Trials as Topic; Female; GPI-Linked Proteins; Humans; Immunotherapy; Mesothelin; Neoplasms; Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell; Recombinant Fusion Proteins; T-Lymphocytes
PubMed: 26503962
DOI: 10.1158/2159-8290.CD-15-0583 -
International Journal of Biological... 2021The application of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) NK cells in solid tumors is hindered by lack of tumor-specific targets and inefficient CAR NK cell efficacy. It has...
The application of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) NK cells in solid tumors is hindered by lack of tumor-specific targets and inefficient CAR NK cell efficacy. It has been reported that mesothelin (MSLN) may be an ideal immunotherapy target for gastric cancer. However, the feasibility of using anti-MSLN CAR NK cells to treat gastric cancer remains to be studied. MSLN expression in primary human gastric cancer, normal tissues and cell lines were detected. MSLN and CD19 targeted CAR NK-92 (MSLN- and CD19-CAR NK) cells were constructed, purified and verified. N87, MKN-28, AGS and Huh-7 cells expressing the GFP and luciferase genes were transduced. Cell- and patient-derived xenograft (PDX) were established via NSG mice. The ability of MSLN-CAR NK cells to kill MSLN-positive gastric cancer cells were evaluated and . MSLN-CAR NK cells can specifically kill MSLN-positive gastric cancer cells (N87, MKN-28 and AGS), rather than MSLN negative cell (Huh-7), . Moreover, compared with parental NK-92 cells and CD19-CAR NK cells, stronger cytokine secretions were secreted in MSLN-CAR NK cells cocultured with N87, MKN-28 and AGS. Furthermore, MSLN-CAR NK cells can effectively eliminate gastric cancer cells in both subcutaneous and intraperitoneal tumor models. They could also significantly prolong the survival of intraperitoneally tumor-bearing mice. More importantly, the potent antitumor effect and considerable NK cell infiltration were observed in the patient-derived xenograft treated with MSLN-CAR NK cells, which further warranted the therapeutic effects of MSLN-CAR NK cells to treat gastric cancer. These results demonstrate that MSLN-CAR NK cells possess strong antitumor activity and represent a promising therapeutic approach to gastric cancer.
Topics: Animals; Cell Line, Tumor; Female; Gene Expression Profiling; Humans; Immunotherapy; Killer Cells, Natural; Mesothelin; Mice; Receptors, Chimeric Antigen; Stomach Neoplasms; Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays
PubMed: 34671203
DOI: 10.7150/ijbs.64630 -
Journal of Hematology & Oncology Jul 2021Although chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-engineered T cells have shown great success in the treatment of B cell malignancies, this strategy has limited efficacy in...
Although chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-engineered T cells have shown great success in the treatment of B cell malignancies, this strategy has limited efficacy in patients with solid tumors. In mouse CAR-T cells, IL-7 and CCL19 expression have been demonstrated to improve T cell infiltration and CAR-T cell survival in mouse tumors. Therefore, in the current study, we engineered human CAR-T cells to secrete human IL-7 and CCL19 (7 × 19) and found that these 7 × 19 CAR-T cells showed enhanced capacities of expansion and migration in vitro. Furthermore, 7 × 19 CAR-T cells showed superior tumor suppression ability compared to conventional CAR-T cells in xenografts of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell lines, primary HCC tissue samples and pancreatic carcinoma (PC) cell lines. We then initiated a phase 1 clinical trial in advanced HCC/PC/ovarian carcinoma (OC) patients with glypican-3 (GPC3) or mesothelin (MSLN) expression. In a patient with advanced HCC, anti-GPC3-7 × 19 CAR-T treatment resulted in complete tumor disappearance 30 days post intratumor injection. In a patient with advanced PC, anti-MSLN-7 × 19 CAR-T treatment resulted in almost complete tumor disappearance 240 days post-intravenous infusion. Our results demonstrated that the incorporation of 7 × 19 into CAR-T cells significantly enhanced the antitumor activity against human solid tumor. Trial registration: NCT03198546. Registered 26 June 2017, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03198546?term=NCT03198546&draw=2&rank=1.
Topics: Animals; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular; Chemokine CCL19; Female; GPI-Linked Proteins; Glypicans; Hep G2 Cells; Humans; Immunotherapy, Adoptive; Interleukin-7; Liver Neoplasms; Mesothelin; Mice; Neoplasms; Ovarian Neoplasms; Pancreatic Neoplasms; T-Lymphocytes; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 34325726
DOI: 10.1186/s13045-021-01128-9 -
Cancer Discovery Nov 2021Malignant pleural diseases, comprising metastatic lung and breast cancers and malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), are aggressive solid tumors with poor therapeutic...
Malignant pleural diseases, comprising metastatic lung and breast cancers and malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), are aggressive solid tumors with poor therapeutic response. We developed and conducted a first-in-human, phase I study of regionally delivered, autologous, mesothelin-targeted chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy. Intrapleural administration of 0.3M to 60M CAR T cells/kg in 27 patients (25 with MPM) was safe and well tolerated. CAR T cells were detected in peripheral blood for >100 days in 39% of patients. Following our demonstration that PD-1 blockade enhances CAR T-cell function in mice, 18 patients with MPM also received pembrolizumab safely. Among those patients, median overall survival from CAR T-cell infusion was 23.9 months (1-year overall survival, 83%). Stable disease was sustained for ≥6 months in 8 patients; 2 exhibited complete metabolic response on PET scan. Combination immunotherapy with CAR T cells and PD-1 blockade agents should be further evaluated in patients with solid tumors. SIGNIFICANCE: Regional delivery of mesothelin-targeted CAR T-cell therapy followed by pembrolizumab administration is feasible, safe, and demonstrates evidence of antitumor efficacy in patients with malignant pleural diseases. Our data support the investigation of combination immunotherapy with CAR T cells and PD-1 blockade agents in solid tumors...
Topics: Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; Humans; Immunotherapy, Adoptive; Mesothelin; Mesothelioma; Pleural Diseases
PubMed: 34266984
DOI: 10.1158/2159-8290.CD-21-0407 -
Nature Biomedical Engineering Nov 2021The efficacy of adoptive cell therapy for solid tumours is hampered by the poor accumulation of the transferred T cells in tumour tissue. Here, we show that forced...
The efficacy of adoptive cell therapy for solid tumours is hampered by the poor accumulation of the transferred T cells in tumour tissue. Here, we show that forced expression of C-X-C chemokine receptor type 6 (whose ligand is highly expressed by human and murine pancreatic cancer cells and tumour-infiltrating immune cells) in antigen-specific T cells enhanced the recognition and lysis of pancreatic cancer cells and the efficacy of adoptive cell therapy for pancreatic cancer. In mice with subcutaneous pancreatic tumours treated with T cells with either a transgenic T-cell receptor or a murine chimeric antigen receptor targeting the tumour-associated antigen epithelial cell adhesion molecule, and in mice with orthotopic pancreatic tumours or patient-derived xenografts treated with T cells expressing a chimeric antigen receptor targeting mesothelin, the T cells exhibited enhanced intratumoral accumulation, exerted sustained anti-tumoral activity and prolonged animal survival only when co-expressing C-X-C chemokine receptor type 6. Arming tumour-specific T cells with tumour-specific chemokine receptors may represent a promising strategy for the realization of adoptive cell therapy for solid tumours.
Topics: Animals; Cell- and Tissue-Based Therapy; Immunotherapy, Adoptive; Mesothelin; Mice; Pancreatic Neoplasms; Receptors, CXCR6; Receptors, Chemokine; T-Lymphocytes
PubMed: 34083764
DOI: 10.1038/s41551-021-00737-6 -
Journal For Immunotherapy of Cancer Feb 2023Limited persistence of functional CAR T cells in the immunosuppressive solid tumor microenvironment remains a major hurdle in the successful translation of CAR T cell...
BACKGROUND
Limited persistence of functional CAR T cells in the immunosuppressive solid tumor microenvironment remains a major hurdle in the successful translation of CAR T cell therapy to treat solid tumors. Fine-tuning of CAR T cell activation by mutating CD3ζ chain immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motifs (ITAMs) in CD19-CAR T cells (containing the CD28 costimulatory domain) has proven to extend functional CAR T cell persistence in preclinical models of B cell malignancies.
METHODS
In this study, two conventional second-generation MSLN-CAR T cell constructs encoding for either a CD28 co-stimulatory (M28z) or 4-1BB costimulatory (MBBz) domain and a novel mesothelin (MSLN)-directed CAR T cell construct encoding for the CD28 costimulatory domain and CD3ζ chain containing a single ITAM (M1xx) were evaluated using in vitro and in vivo preclinical models of ovarian cancer. Two ovarian cancer cell lines and two orthotopic models of ovarian cancer in NSG mice were used: SKOV-3 cells inoculated through microsurgery in the ovary and to mimic a disseminated model of advanced ovarian cancer, OVCAR-4 cells injected intraperitoneally. MSLN-CAR T cell treatment efficacy was evaluated by survival analysis and the characterization and quantification of the different MSLN-CAR T cells were performed by flow cytometry, quantitative PCR and gene expression analysis.
RESULTS
M1xx CAR T cells elicited superior antitumor potency and persistence, as compared with the conventional second generation M28z and MBBz CAR T cells. Ex vivo M28z and MBBz CAR T cells displayed a more exhausted phenotype than M1xx CAR T cells as determined by co-expression of PD-1, LAG-3 and TIM-3. Furthermore, M1xx CAR T cells showed superior ex vivo IFNy, TNF and GzB production and were characterized by a self-renewal gene signature.
CONCLUSIONS
Altogether, our study demonstrates the enhanced therapeutic potential of MSLN-CAR T cells expressing a mutated CD3ζ chain containing a single ITAM for the treatment of ovarian cancer. CAR T cells armored with calibrated activation potential may improve the clinical responses in solid tumors.
Topics: Humans; Female; Animals; Mice; Mesothelin; Receptors, Chimeric Antigen; T-Lymphocytes; CD28 Antigens; Ovarian Neoplasms; Tumor Microenvironment
PubMed: 36746513
DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2022-005691 -
Cellular & Molecular Immunology Sep 2021Programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1)-mediated immunosuppression has been proposed to contribute to the limited clinical efficacy of chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T)...
Programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1)-mediated immunosuppression has been proposed to contribute to the limited clinical efficacy of chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cells in solid tumors. We generated PD-1 and T cell receptor (TCR) deficient mesothelin-specific CAR-T (MPTK-CAR-T) cells using CRISPR-Cas9 technology and evaluated them in a dose-escalation study. A total of 15 patients received one or more infusions of MPTK-CAR-T cells without prior lymphodepletion. No dose-limiting toxicity or unexpected adverse events were observed in any of the 15 patients. The best overall response was stable disease (2/15 patients). Circulating MPTK-CAR-T cells peaked at days 7-14 and became undetectable beyond 1 month. TCR-positive CAR-T cells rather than TCR-negative CAR-T cells were predominantly detected in effusion or peripheral blood from three patients after infusion. We further confirmed the reduced persistence of TCR-deficient CAR-T cells in animal models. Our results establish the preliminary feasibility and safety of CRISPR-engineered CAR-T cells with PD-1 disruption and suggest that the natural TCR plays an important role in the persistence of CAR-T cells when treating solid tumors.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Immunotherapy, Adoptive; Mesothelin; Neoplasms; Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor; Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell; Receptors, Chimeric Antigen; T-Lymphocytes
PubMed: 34381179
DOI: 10.1038/s41423-021-00749-x -
Cell Feb 2016T cells can be re-directed to kill cancer cells using chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) or T cell receptors (TCRs). This approach, however, is constrained by the rarity...
T cells can be re-directed to kill cancer cells using chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) or T cell receptors (TCRs). This approach, however, is constrained by the rarity of tumor-specific single antigens. Targeting antigens also found on bystander tissues can cause life-threatening adverse effects. A powerful way to enhance ON-target activity of therapeutic T cells is to engineer them to require combinatorial antigens. Here, we engineer a combinatorially activated T cell circuit in which a synthetic Notch receptor for one antigen induces the expression of a CAR for a second antigen. These dual-receptor AND-gate T cells are only armed and activated in the presence of dual antigen tumor cells. These T cells show precise therapeutic discrimination in vivo-sparing single antigen "bystander" tumors while efficiently clearing combinatorial antigen "disease" tumors. This type of precision dual-receptor circuit opens the door to immune recognition of a wider range of tumors. VIDEO ABSTRACT.
Topics: Animals; Antigens, CD19; Antigens, Surface; Bystander Effect; Cell Communication; Cell Line, Tumor; Disease Models, Animal; GPI-Linked Proteins; Humans; Immunotherapy; Jurkat Cells; Lymphocyte Activation; Mesothelin; Mice; Neoplasms; Receptors, Notch; T-Lymphocytes
PubMed: 26830879
DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2016.01.011 -
Translational Lung Cancer Research Jun 2017Malignant pleural mesothelioma is an aggressive tumor of the pleura with an overall poor prognosis. Even with surgical resection, for which only a subset of patients are... (Review)
Review
Malignant pleural mesothelioma is an aggressive tumor of the pleura with an overall poor prognosis. Even with surgical resection, for which only a subset of patients are eligible, long term disease free survival is rare. Standard first-line systemic treatment consists of a platinum analog, an anti-metabolite, and sometimes anti-angiogenic therapy, but there is currently no well-established standard therapy for refractory or relapsed disease. This review focuses on efforts to develop improved systemic therapy for the treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) including cytotoxic systemic therapy, a variety of tyrosine kinase inhibitors and their downstream effector pathways, pharmacologic targeting of the epigenome, novel approaches to target proteins expressed on mesothelioma cells (such as mesothelin), arginine depletion therapy, and the emerging role of immunotherapy. Overall, these studies demonstrate the challenges of improving systemic therapy for MPM and highlight the need to develop therapeutic strategies to control this disease.
PubMed: 28713675
DOI: 10.21037/tlcr.2017.06.01