Patent Application
20240139251
The present application is being filed along with a Sequence Listing XML in electronic format. The Sequence Listing XML is provided as an XML file entitled P3096-1-US_SEQ_AF, created Dec. 8, 2023, which is 244 Kb in size. The information in the electronic format of the Sequence Listing XML is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The present disclosure relates to treatments of cancers. Specifically, the present disclosure relates to antigen-specific T cells and their uses for suppressing the growth or metastasis of cancers.
T cells are of a rare cell population, in which merely 5 to 10% of CD4+ T cells are found in peripheral blood. Proliferation of T cells can be promoted by stimulating with cytokines, such as IL-2, IL-4, and IL-5, in addition to anti-CD28 antibodies. However, the level is still insufficient for any clinical applications, such as application that involves increasing the number of activated T cells and transferring them back to human (e.g., chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy).
One way to activate T cell or to induce differentiation of T cell is via activating signal transduction pathway mediated by CD3 using anti-CD3 antibodies. To date, the activation of human T cells via the CD3 antigen complex have been carried out with mouse anti-human IgG2a isotype (OKT3) monoclonal antibody, which induces a mitogenic response equal to that of concanavalin A (Con A). However, one major concern of a non-human origin monoclonal antibody (e.g., murine OKT3 Ab) is its immunogenicity to the recipient, in some cases, caused dangerous allergic reactions. Human T cells activated by murine OKT3 Abs inevitably carry murine protein fragments on the surfaces, thereby posting a potential threat to their recipient.
In view of the foregoing, there remains in the related field a need of less immunogenic antibodies that may replace murine OKT3 antibodies, and a need of an improved method of activating human T cells without using murine OKT3 antibodies.
The present disclosure provides T cells differentiated and proliferated by BsAbs of the present disclosure, and their uses for treating cancers.
Accordingly, it is the first objective of the present disclosure to provide a method of inducing differentiation and/or proliferation of T cells from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), i.e., producing tumor antigen-specific T cells from PBMCs. The method includes, culturing PBMCs with bi-specific antibodies (BsAbs) in a culture medium so as to induce the proliferation and/or differentiation of T cells from the PBMCs, in which each BsAbs comprises a tumor antigen binding site and a CD3 binding site. According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the BsAbs are not murine OKT3 antibodies.
According to embodiments of the present disclosure, each BsAbs is in the structure of single chain variable fragment (scFv), an antigen-binding fragment (Fab), a F(ab′)2 or an IgG.
According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the tumor antigen binding site of each BsAbs binds to any of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), or prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA).
According to optional embodiments of the present disclosure, the culture medium may further comprise a cytokine selected from the group consisting of IL-2, TGF-β, or a combination thereof. In one preferred embodiment, the culture medium comprises both of the IL-2 and the TGF-β, and the T cells thus formed are regulator T cells.
According to some preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, the culture medium comprises IL-2, and does not comprise TGF-β. In these embodiments, the T cells thus formed are CD3+ and CD8+ T cell (also designated as “CD3+/CD8+ T cell” or “CD3+CD8+ T cell”, i.e., the T cell having CD3 and CD8 expressed on its surface).
According to embodiments of the present disclosure, in each BsAbs, the tumor antigen binding site comprises a tumor antigen scFv at least 90% identical to any of SEQ ID NOs: 69, 77, 84, 90, 96, 102, 108, 114, or 120; and the CD3 binding site comprises an anti-CD3 VL-Ck domain at least 90% identical to SEQ ID NO: 67, and an anti-CD3 VH-CH1 domain at least 90% identical to SEQ ID NO: 68.
According to embodiments of the present disclosure, in each BsAbs, the tumor antigen binding site comprises an anti-tumor antigen scFv at least 90% identical to any of SEQ ID NOs: 70, 78, 85, 91, 97, 109, or 121; and the CD3 binding site comprises an anti-CD3 scFv at least 90% identical to SEQ ID NOs: 66 or 79.
According to embodiments of the present disclosure, in each BsAbs, the tumor antigen binding site comprises an anti-tumor antigen VL-Ck domain at least 90% identical to SEQ ID NOs: 64, 75, 82, 88, 94, 100, 106, 112, or 118; and an anti-tumor antigen VH-CH1 domain at least 90% identical to SEQ ID NOs: 65, 76, 83, 89, 95, 101, 107, 113, or 119; and the CD3 binding site comprises an anti-CD3 scFv at least 90% identical to SEQ ID NO: 66 or 79.
According to embodiments of the present disclosure, in each BsAbs, the tumor antigen binding site comprises an anti-tumor antigen VL-Ck domain at least 90% identical to SEQ ID NOs:73, 80, 86, 92, 98, 104, 110, 116 or 122, and an anti-tumor antigen VH-CH1-Fc domain at least 90% identical to SEQ ID NOs: 74, 81, 87, 93, 99, 105, 111, 117, or 123; and the CD3 binding site comprises an anti-CD3 VL-Ck domain at least 90% identical to SEQ ID NO: 71, and an anti-CD3 VH-CH1-Fc domain at least 90% identical to SEQ ID NO: 72.
In practice, antigen-specific T cells prepared in accordance by the present method may be mixed with the humanized BsAb described above to form a mixture, and the mixture is then administered to a subject in need of a treatment of cancer.
Accordingly, it is the third objective of the present disclosure to provide a pharmaceutical kit for the treatment of cancer. The pharmaceutical kit comprises, the T cells differentiated and proliferated in accordance with the present method, and a humanized BsAb of the present disclosure.
It is the fourth objective of the present disclosure to provide a method of treating a subject afflicted with a cancer. The method includes the step of, administered to the subject an effective amount of the T cells prepared by the method described above, or an effective amount of a murine OKT3 T cell modified with the present BsAb.
According to some embodiments, the murine OKT3 T cell are modified to arm with the BsAb of the present disclosure on its surface by cultivating with the present BsAb in a culture medium. In addition or optionally, the culture medium may further comprise a cytokine selected from the group consisting of IL-2, IL-7, and a combination thereof.
Preferably, the T cells of the present disclosure are administered to the subject in the amount of 1×104 to 1×107 cells/Kg body weight of the subject. The amount can be administered in a single dose, or alternatively in more than one smaller doses.
Cancers, preferably those that are positive with the expression of EGFR, PSMA, or PD-L1 are treatable by the present method. Examples of the cancer treatable by the present method includes, but is not limited to, bladder cancer, biliary cancer, bone cancer, brain tumor, breast cancer, cervical cancer, colorectal cancer, colon cancer, esophageal cancer, epidermal carcinoma, gastric cancer, gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST), glioma, hematopoietic tumors of lymphoid lineage, hepatic cancer, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Kaposi's sarcoma, leukemia, lung cancer, lymphoma, intestinal cancer, melanoma, myeloid leukemia, pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer, retinoblastoma, ovary cancer, renal cell carcinoma, spleen cancer, squamous cell carcinoma, thyroid cancer, and thyroid follicular cancer.
According to one specific embodiment of the present disclosure, the cancer is triple-negative breast cancer. According to another specific embodiment of the present disclosure, the cancer is a malignant pancreatic cancer.
The details of one or more embodiments of the invention are set forth in the accompanying description below. Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the detail descriptions, and from claims.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description, appended claims and the accompanying drawings, where:
The detailed description provided below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of the present examples and is not intended to represent the only forms in which the present example may be constructed or utilized. The description sets forth the functions of the example and the sequence of steps for constructing and operating the example. However, the same or equivalent functions and sequences may be accomplished by different examples.
I. Definition
The term “antibody” is used in the broadest sense and specifically covers monoclonal antibodies, polyclonal antibodies, multi-specific antibodies (e.g., bi-specific antibodies), and antibody fragments so long as they exhibit the desired biological activity, that is, to specifically bind to an antigen when it preferentially recognizes its target antigen in a complex mixture of proteins and/or other molecules.
The term “monoclonal antibody” as used herein refers to an antibody obtained from a population of substantially homogeneous antibodies, and is not to be constructed as requiring production of the antibody by any particular method. In contrast to polyclonal antibodies which typically include different antibodies directed to different epitopes, each monoclonal antibody is directed against a single determinant (i.e., epitope) on the antigen. The monoclonal antibodies of the present disclosure may be made by hybridoma method or by recombinant DNA methods. The monoclonal antibodies herein specifically include “chimeric” or “recombinant” antibodies, in which a portion of the heavy and/or light chain is identical with or homologous to corresponding sequences in antibodies derived from a particular species or belonging to a antibody class or subclass, while the remainder of the chain identical with or homologous to corresponding sequences in antibodies derived from another species or belonging to another antibody class or subclass, as well as fragments of such antibodies, as long as they exhibit the desired biological activity.
“Humanized” forms of non-human (e.g., murine) antibodies are chimeric antibodies which contain minimal sequence derived from non-human immunoglobulin. Humanized antibodies are human immunoglobulins in which hypervariable region residues are replaced by hypervariable region residues from a non-human species such as mouse, rat, rabbit, or non-human primate having the desired specificity or affinity. In some instances, Fv framework region (FR) residues of the human immunoglobulin are replaced by corresponding non-human residues. In general, the humanized antibody will comprise substantially all of at least one, and typically two, variable domains, in which all or substantially all of the FR regions are those of a human immunoglobulin sequence. The humanized antibody may optionally comprise at least a portion of an immunoglobulin constant region (Fc), typically that of a human immunoglobulin.
The term “bi-specific antibody (BsAb)” refers to an antibody having specificities for at least two different antigens. In preferred embodiments, the BsAb of the present disclosure has two antigen-binding sites, in which one is directed against a tumor antigen (e.g., EGFR, PD-L1, HER2, PSMA and etc), while the other is directed against a T cell co-receptor (e.g., CD3).
The term “linker” and “peptide linker” are interchangeably used in the present disclosure and refers to a peptide having natural or synthetic amino acid residues for connecting two polypeptides. For example, the peptide linker may be used to connect the VH and the VL to form the single chain variable fragment (e.g., scFv); or to connect the scFv to the full length antibody to form a BsAb of the present disclosure. Preferably, the linker is a peptide having at least 5 amino acid residues in length, such as 5 to 100 amino acid residues in length, more preferably 10 to 30 amino acid residues in length. The linker within scFv is a peptide of at least 5 amino acid residues in length, preferably 15 to 20 amino acid residues in length. Preferably, the linker comprises a sequence of (GnS)m, with G=glycine, S=serine, and n and m are independently a number between 1 to 4. In one example, the linker comprises a sequence of (G2S)4. In another example, the linker comprises a sequence or (G4S)3.
The terms “cancer” and “tumor” are used alternatively in the present disclosure and preferably refer to the physiological condition in mammals and especially in humans that is typically characterized by un-regulated cell growth. Cancers in this respect include metastases cancers, and/or drug-resistant cancers. Cancers, preferably those exhibit increased expression levels of αvβ3, α5β1, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA4), CD3, CD19, CD20, CD30, CD50, CIAX, cMuc1, ED-B, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), epithelia cell adhesion molecules (EpCAM), erythropoietin-producing hepatocellular A3 (EPHA3), familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), gpA33, Globo-H, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), HER3, insulin like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF1R), OC183B2, platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR), programed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1), prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA), Ley, MET, tumor-associated glycoprotein 72 (TAG72), Tenascin, vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR), VEGFR-2, and/or VEGFR-3. Accordingly, cancers or tumors treatable by the present disclosure are breast, lung, colon, colorectal, spleen, kidney, liver, bladder, head and neck, ovary, prostate, brain, pancreas, skin, bone, blood, thymus, uterus, testicles, cervix, and neuron. More specifically, the cancer is selected from the group consisting of bladder cancer, biliary cancer, bone cancer, brain tumor, breast cancer, cervical cancer, colorectal cancer, colon cancer, esophageal cancer, epidermal carcinoma, gastric cancer, gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST), glioma, hematopoietic tumors of lymphoid lineage, hepatic cancer, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Kaposi's sarcoma, leukemia, lung cancer, lymphoma, intestinal cancer, melanoma, myeloid leukemia, pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer, retinoblastoma, ovary cancer, renal cell carcinoma, spleen cancer, squamous cell carcinoma, thyroid cancer, or thyroid follicular cancer. In one example, the caner is a malignant pancreatic cancer. In another example, the cancer is triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC).
The term “an effective amount” as used herein refers to an amount effective, at dosages, and for periods of time necessary, to achieve the desired therapeutically desired result with respect to the treatment of cancers.
The term “administered,” “administering” or “administration” are used interchangeably herein to refer means either directly administering a BsAb of the present disclosure, T cells differentiated and proliferated by the BsAb of the present disclosure, or a combination thereof.
The term “subject” or “patient” refers to an animal including the human species that is treatable with the compositions and/or methods of the present disclosure. The term “subject” or “patient” intended to refer to both the male and female gender unless one gender is specifically indicated. Accordingly, the term “subject” or “patient” comprises any mammal which may benefit from treatment of cancer. Examples of a “subject” or “patient” include, but are not limited to, a human, rat, mouse, guinea pig, monkey, pig, goat, cow, horse, dog, cat, bird and fowl. In an exemplary embodiment, the patient is a human.
The term “identical” or “percent identity” as used herein refers to two or more sequences or subsequences that are the same or have a specified percentage of amino acid residues that are the same, when compared and aligned for maximum correspondence. To determine the percent identity, the sequences are aligned for optimal comparison purposes (e.g., gaps can be introduced in the sequence of a first amino acid sequence for optimal alignment with a second amino acid sequence). The amino acid residues at corresponding amino acid positions are then compared. When a position in the first sequence is occupied by the same amino acid residue as the corresponding position in the second sequence, then the molecules are identical at that position. The percent identity between the two sequences is a function of the number of identical positions shared by the sequences (i.e., % identity=number of identical positions/total number of positions (e.g., overlapping positions)×100). In certain embodiments, the two sequences are the same length.
The singular forms “a,” “and,” and “the” are used herein to include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
II. Description of the Invention
It is the first aspect of the present disclosure to provide antigen-specific T cells, particularly T cells that are activated (or produced) by recombinant bi-specific antibodies (BsAbs) of the present disclosure. According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the antigen-specific T cells bear specific anti-tumor antigen fragment on the surfaces.
Accordingly, such antigen-specific T cells would bind more strongly to tumor cells including malignant tumor cells and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells, thereby may suppress the growth and metastasis of the tumor cells.
1. The BsAbs of the Present Disclosure
Antibodies belong to the immunoglobulin class of proteins that includes IgG, IgA, IgE, IgM, and IgD. The most abundant immunoglobulin found in serum is IgG, which has four chains, two light chains and two heavy chains; each light chain has two domains and each heavy chain has four domains. The antigen-binding site is located in the fragment antigen binding (Fab) region that contains a variable light (VL) and variable heavy (VH) chain domains as well as a constant light (CL) and constant heavy (CH1) domains. The CH2 and CH3 domain region of the heavy chain is called fragment crystallizable (Fc) region. A full length antibody heavy chain is therefore a polypeptide consisting of, from N-terminus to C-terminus, a VH, a CH1, a hinge region (HR), a CH2, and a CH3; abbreviated as VH-CH1-HR-CH2-CH3. A full length antibody light chain is a polypeptide consisting in N-terminus to C-terminus direction of a VL and a CL, abbreviated as VL-CL, in which the CL can be κ (kappa) or λ (lambda). The IgG is regarded as a heterotetramer having two heavy chains that are held together by disulfide bonds (—S—S—) between the CL domain and the CH1 domain and between the hinge regions of the two heavy chains.
As stated above in the “definition” section, the BsAbs refer to Abs having specificities for different antigens; hence, BsAbs of the present disclosure is a recombinant Ab engineered to contain sequences capable of binding to two different antigens, which are a tumor antigen and a CD3 antigen (also known as “CD3 complex”, a T cell co-receptor involved in the activation of both cytotoxic T cells (CD8+ T cells) and T helper cells (CD4+ cells)). Accordingly, each BsAbs of the present disclosure contains an anti-tumor antigen sequence (i.e., an anti-tumor antigen fragment) and an anti-CD3 sequence (i.e., an anti-CD3 fragment). Various recombinant BsAbs have been developed in the present disclosure, and are used to induce the activation (differentiation and/or proliferation) of antigen specific T cells from PBMCs, in which the antigen specific T cells bear on their surfaces the anti-tumor antigen fragment of BsAbs.
Reference is made to
In some embodiments, the BsAb of the present disclosure is monomeric, divalent bi-specific antibody, in which a VH-CH1 domain and a light chain VL-Ck directed to a tumor antigen (i.e., anti-tumor antigen Fab) is fused to an anti-CD3 scFv (scFv) consisting of a heavy chain domain (VH) and a light chain variable domain (VL), abbreviated as VH-VL (
DNAs encoding the present BsAbs are derived from known antibodies, their genes are cloned and fused to create DNA constructs of desired humanized BsAbs. Detailed production method is set forth in the Examples.
Accordingly, recombinant BsAb having binding sites to the CD3 of a T cell, and a tumor antigen selected from the group consisting of PSMA, EGFR, PD-L1, CEA, FAP, EpCAM, HER2, and VCAM-1, are created.
According to some embodiments, anti-PSMA/anti-CD3 BsAbs are produced. In on example, the anti-PSMA/anti-CD3 BsAb comprises a PSMA binding site comprising aVH-CH1 domain of SEQ ID NO: 65 and a VL-Ck domain of SEQ ID NO: 64; and a CD3 binding site comprising an anti-CD3 scFv of SEQ ID NO: 66. In another example, the anti-PSMA/anti-CD3 BsAb comprises a PSMA binding site comprising an anti-PSMA scFv of SEQ ID NO: 69; and a CD3 binding site comprising aVH-CH1 domain of SEQ ID NO: 68 and a VL-Ck domain of SEQ ID NO: 67. In a further example, the anti-PSMA/anti-CD3 BsAb comprises a PSMA binding site comprising an anti-PSMA scFv of SEQ ID NO: 70; and a CD3 binding site comprising an anti-CD3 scFv of SEQ ID NO: 66. In still a further example, the anti-PSMA/anti-CD3 BsAb has a “knob into hole” structure, in which the CD3 binding site comprises a VL-Ck knob domain of SEQ ID NO: 71 and a VH-CH1 knob domain of SEQ ID NO: 72; and the PSMA binding site comprises a VL-Ck hole domain of SEQ ID NO: 73 and a VH1-CH1 hole domain of SEQ ID NO: 74.
According to some embodiments, anti-EGFR/anti-CD3 BsAbs are produced. In on example, the anti-EGFR/anti-CD3 BsAb comprises an EGFR binding site comprising aVH-CH1 domain of SEQ ID NO: 75 and a VL-Ck domain of SEQ ID NO: 76; and a CD3 binding site comprising an anti-CD3 scFv of SEQ ID NO: 66. In another example, the anti-EGFR/anti-CD3 BsAb comprises an EGFR binding site comprising an anti-EGFR scFv of SEQ ID NO: 77; and a CD3 binding site comprising aVH-CH1 domain of SEQ ID NO: 68 and a VL-Ck domain of SEQ ID NO: 67. In a further example, the anti-EGFR/anti-CD3 BsAb comprises an EGFR binding site comprising an anti-EGFR scFv of SEQ ID NO: 78; and a CD3 binding site comprising an anti-CD3 scFv of SEQ ID NO: 79. In still a further example, the anti-EGFR/anti-CD3 BsAb has a “knob into hole” structure, in which the CD3 binding site comprises a VL-Ck knob domain of SEQ ID NO: 71 and a VH-CH1 knob domain of SEQ ID NO: 72; and the EGFR binding site comprises a VL-Ck hole domain of SEQ ID NO: 80 and a VH1-CH1 hole domain of SEQ ID NO: 81.
According to some embodiments, anti-PD-L1/anti-CD3 BsAbs are produced. In on example, the anti-PD-L1/anti-CD3 BsAb comprises a PD-L1 binding site comprising aVH-CH1 domain of SEQ ID NO: 83 and a VL-Ck domain of SEQ ID NO: 82; and a CD3 binding site comprising an anti-CD3 scFv of SEQ ID NO: 66. In another example, the anti-PD-L1/anti-CD3 BsAb comprises a PD-L1 binding site comprising an anti-PD-L1 scFv of SEQ ID NO: 84; and a CD3 binding site comprising aVH-CH1 domain of SEQ ID NO: 68 and a VL-Ck domain of SEQ ID NO: 67. In a further example, the anti-PD-L1/anti-CD3 BsAb comprises a PD-L1 binding site comprising an anti-PD-L1 scFv of SEQ ID NO: 85; and a CD3 binding site comprising an anti-CD3 scFv of SEQ ID NO: 79. In still a further example, the anti-PD-L1/anti-CD3 BsAb has a “knob into hole” structure, in which the CD3 binding site comprises a VL-Ck knob domain of SEQ ID NO: 71 and a VH-CH1 knob domain of SEQ ID NO: 72; and the PD-L1 binding site comprises a VL-Ck hole domain of SEQ ID NO: 86 and a VH1-CH1 hole domain of SEQ ID NO: 87.
According to some embodiments, anti-HER2/anti-CD3 BsAbs are produced. In on example, the anti-HER2/anti-CD3 BsAb comprises a HER2 binding site comprising aVH-CH1 domain of SEQ ID NO: 89 and a VL-Ck domain of SEQ ID NO: 88; and a CD3 binding site comprising an anti-CD3 scFv of SEQ ID NO: 66. In another example, the anti-HER2/anti-CD3 BsAb comprises a HER2 binding site comprising an anti-HER2 scFv of SEQ ID NO: 90; and a CD3 binding site comprising aVH-CH1 domain of SEQ ID NO: 68 and a VL-Ck domain of SEQ ID NO: 67. In a further example, the anti-HER2/anti-CD3 BsAb comprises a HER2 binding site comprising an anti-HER2 scFv of SEQ ID NO: 91; and a CD3 binding site comprising an anti-CD3 scFv of SEQ ID NO: 79. In still a further example, the anti-HER2/anti-CD3 BsAb has a “knob into hole” structure, in which the CD3 binding site comprises a VL-Ck knob domain of SEQ ID NO: 71 and a VH-CH1 knob domain of SEQ ID NO: 72; and the HER2 binding site comprises a VL-Ck hole domain of SEQ ID NO: 92 and a VH1-CH1 hole domain of SEQ ID NO: 93.
According to some embodiments, anti-FAP/anti-CD3 BsAbs are produced. In on example, the anti-FAP/anti-CD3 BsAb comprises an FAP binding site comprising aVH-CH1 domain of SEQ ID NO: 95 and a VL-Ck domain of SEQ ID NO: 94; and a CD3 binding site comprising an anti-CD3 scFv of SEQ ID NO: 66. In another example, the anti-FAP/anti-CD3 BsAb comprises an FAP binding site comprising an anti-FAP scFv of SEQ ID NO: 96; and a CD3 binding site comprising aVH-CH1 domain of SEQ ID NO: 68 and a VL-Ck domain of SEQ ID NO: 67. In a further example, the anti-FAP/anti-CD3 BsAb comprises an FAP binding site comprising an anti-FAP scFv of SEQ ID NO: 97; and a CD3 binding site comprising an anti-CD3 scFv of SEQ ID NO: 79. In still a further example, the anti-FAP/anti-CD3 BsAb has a “knob into hole” structure, in which the CD3 binding site comprises a VL-Ck knob domain of SEQ ID NO: 71 and a VH-CH1 knob domain of SEQ ID NO: 72; and the FAP binding site comprises a VL-Ck hole domain of SEQ ID NO: 98 and a VH1-CH1 hole domain of SEQ ID NO: 99.
According to some embodiments, anti-EpCAM MOC31/anti-CD3 BsAbs are produced. In on example, the anti-EpCAM MOC31/anti-CD3 BsAb comprises an EpCAM MOC31 binding site comprising a VH-CH1 domain of SEQ ID NO: 101 and a VL-Ck domain of SEQ ID NO: 100; and a CD3 binding site comprising an anti-CD3 scFv of SEQ ID NO: 66. In another example, the anti-EpCAM MOC31/anti-CD3 BsAb comprises an EpCAM MOC31 binding site comprising an anti-EpCAM MOC31 scFv of SEQ ID NO: 102; and a CD3 binding site comprising aVH-CH1 domain of SEQ ID NO: 68 and a VL-Ck domain of SEQ ID NO: 67. In a further example, the anti-EpCAM MOC31/anti-CD3 BsAb comprises an EpCAM MOC31 binding site comprising an anti-EpCAM MOC31 scFv of SEQ ID NO: 103; and a CD3 binding site comprising an anti-CD3 scFv of SEQ ID NO: 79. In still a further example, the anti-EpCAM MOC31/anti-CD3 BsAb has a “knob into hole” structure, in which the CD3 binding site comprises a VL-Ck knob domain of SEQ ID NO: 71 and a VH-CH1 knob domain of SEQ ID NO: 72; and the EpCAM MOC31 binding site comprises a VL-Ck hole domain of SEQ ID NO: 104 and a VH1-CH1 hole domain of SEQ ID NO: 105.
According to some embodiments, anti-EpCAM MT201/anti-CD3 BsAbs are produced. In on example, the anti-EpCAM MT201/anti-CD3 BsAb comprises an EpCAM MT201 binding site comprising a VH-CH1 domain of SEQ ID NO: 107 and a VL-Ck domain of SEQ ID NO: 106; and a CD3 binding site comprising an anti-CD3 scFv of SEQ ID NO: 66. In another example, the anti-EpCAM MT201/anti-CD3 BsAb comprises an EpCAM MT201 binding site comprising an anti-EpCAM MT201 scFv of SEQ ID NO: 108; and a CD3 binding site comprising aVH-CH1 domain of SEQ ID NO: 68 and a VL-Ck domain of SEQ ID NO: 67. In a further example, the anti-EpCAM MT201/anti-CD3 BsAb comprises an EpCAM MT201 binding site comprising an anti-EpCAM MT201 scFv of SEQ ID NO: 109; and a CD3 binding site comprising an anti-CD3 scFv of SEQ ID NO: 79. In still a further example, the anti-EpCAM MT201/anti-CD3 BsAb has a “knob into hole” structure, in which the CD3 binding site comprises a VL-Ck knob domain of SEQ ID NO: 71 and a VH-CH1 knob domain of SEQ ID NO: 72; and the EpCAM MT201 binding site comprises a VL-Ck hole domain of SEQ ID NO: 110 and a VH1-CH1 hole domain of SEQ ID NO: 111.
According to some embodiments, anti-CEA/anti-CD3 BsAbs are produced. In on example, the anti-CEA/anti-CD3 BsAb comprises a CEA binding site comprising a VH-CH1 domain of SEQ ID NO: 113 and a VL-Ck domain of SEQ ID NO: 112; and a CD3 binding site comprising an anti-CD3 scFv of SEQ ID NO: 66. In another example, the anti-CEA/anti-CD3 BsAb comprises a CEA binding site comprising an anti-CEA scFv of SEQ ID NO: 114; and a CD3 binding site comprising aVH-CH1 domain of SEQ ID NO: 68 and a VL-Ck domain of SEQ ID NO: 67. In a further example, the anti-CEA/anti-CD3 BsAb comprises a CEA binding site comprising an anti-CEA scFv of SEQ ID NO: 115; and a CD3 binding site comprising an anti-CD3 scFv of SEQ ID NO: 79. In still a further example, the anti-CEA/anti-CD3 BsAb has a “knob into hole” structure, in which the CD3 binding site comprises a VL-Ck knob domain of SEQ ID NO: 71 and a VH-CH1 knob domain of SEQ ID NO: 72; and the CEA binding site comprises a VL-Ck hole domain of SEQ ID NO: 116 and a VH1-CH1 hole domain of SEQ ID NO: 117.
According to some embodiments, anti-VCAM1/anti-CD3 BsAbs are produced. In on example, the anti-VCAM1/anti-CD3 BsAb comprises a VCAM1 binding site comprising a VH-CH1 domain of SEQ ID NO: 119 and a VL-Ck domain of SEQ ID NO: 118; and a CD3 binding site comprising an anti-CD3 scFv of SEQ ID NO: 66. In another example, the anti-VCAM1/anti-CD3 BsAb comprises a VCAM1 binding site comprising an anti-VCAM1 scFv of SEQ ID NO: 120; and a CD3 binding site comprising aVH-CH1 domain of SEQ ID NO: 68 and a VL-Ck domain of SEQ ID NO: 67. In a further example, the anti-VCAM1/anti-CD3 BsAb comprises a VCAM1 binding site comprising an anti-VCAM1 scFv of SEQ ID NO: 121; and a CD3 binding site comprising an anti-CD3 scFv of SEQ ID NO: 79. In still a further example, the anti-VCAM1/anti-CD3 BsAb has a “knob into hole” structure, in which the CD3 binding site comprises a VL-Ck knob domain of SEQ ID NO: 71 and a VH-CH1 knob domain of SEQ ID NO: 72; and the VCAM1 binding site comprises a VL-Ck hole domain of SEQ ID NO: 122 and a VH1-CH1 hole domain of SEQ ID NO: 123.
According to further embodiments of the present disclosure, humanized OKT3 Anti-CD3 VH and CL are produced, these sequences (see Tables 39 to 42) may fused with relevant anti-tumor antigen sequences described in the present disclosure to produce desired BsAbs.
2. Antigen Specific T Cells Activated by the Present BsAbs
The BsAbs of the present disclosure are used to produce antigen specific T cells from PBMCs. Accordingly, one aspect of the present disclosure is directed to the production of antigen specific T cells, which respectively have the BsAbs bound on their surfaces, i.e., being armed with the BsAbs, and thus exhibit binding affinity to the corresponding tumor antigen via the anti-tumor antigen fragment of the BsAbs.
Accordingly, the present disclosure encompasses a method of inducing differentiation and/or proliferation of T cells from PBMCs. The method comprises, culturing PBMCs harvested from a subject with bi-specific antibodies (BsAbs) of the present disclosure in a medium, so as to induce the activation (proliferation and/or differentiation) of the T cells (e.g., CD3+CD8+ T cells) from the PBMCs, wherein, each BsAbs comprises a tumor antigen binding site that recognizes and binds to a corresponding tumor antigen, and a CD3 binding site that recognizes and binds to the CD3 molecule of T cells. In this case, the BsAb is useful for binding to and activating the circulating T cells in the PBMCs to proliferate and/or differentiate into specific T cell subsets (e.g., CD3+, CD4+ or CD8+ T cells) via its CD3 binding site, and allowing the activated T cells to specifically target to cancerous cells expressing the tumor antigen via its tumor antigen binding site. According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the BsAbs are not murine OKT3 antibodies.
PBMCs may be isolated from fresh blood of a subject using any methods known to a skilled artisan, such as by density centrifugation (Ficoll-Paque™), as different components of the blood have different densities and can be separated accordingly.
To achieve differentiation and proliferation of T cells, the isolated PBMCs are cultivated with any of BsAbs of the present disclosure in a normal culture medium for a sufficient period of time, for example, at least 7 days, such as 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14 days; and preferably for at least 14 days. In some embodiments, the number of CD3+ T cells multiplies after cultivation for 7 days. In other embodiments, cultivation is continued for 14 days, and the number of CD3+ T cells increases for 3 folds. In addition or optionally, the culture medium may include a cytokine, such as IL-2, IL-7 and a combination thereof.
As described above, each T cells thus produced comprises a tumor antigen binding site on its surface that recognizes and binds to a corresponding tumor antigen. In some examples, each T cells thus produced comprises an anti-PSMA fragment on its surface, and accordingly exhibits binding affinity to PSMA-positive cell. In other examples, each T cells thus produced comprises an anti-EGFR fragment on its surface, and accordingly exhibits binding affinity to EGFR-positive cell. In further examples, each T cells thus produced comprises anti-PD-L1 fragment on its surface, and accordingly exhibits binding affinity to PD-L1-positive cell.
According to certain embodiments of the present disclosure, cytotoxic T cells (CD3+CD8+ T cells) are produced after cultivating PBMCs with the BsAbs of the present disclosure for at least 7 days (for example, 7 days or 14 days). In these embodiments, the culture medium comprises IL-2 only, without any additional cytokines (e.g., TGF-β).
According to further embodiments of the present disclosure, periphery derived regulatory T cells are produced after cultivating PBMCs with the BsAbs of the present disclosure for at least 7 days, in which cell marker FoxP3 appeared on the surface of the T cells. In such case, the culture medium further comprises anti-CD28 antibodies, in addition to the cytokine, IL-2.
According to embodiments of the present disclosure, antigen specific T cells (including the periphery derived regulatory T cells) of the present disclosure not only exhibit stronger binding affinity toward tumor cells, but also produce higher levels of cytokines, including, but are not limited to, IL-2, IFN-γ, TNF-α, granzyme B and perforin. Accordingly, these T cells exhibit much higher level of cytotoxicity toward tumor cells, including malignant cancer cells and TNBC cells, as compared with T cells activated by murine OKT3 Abs.
3. Methods of Treating Cancers
3.1 Treating Cancer by Use of Antigen Specific T Cells
Accordingly, it is a further aspect of the present disclosure to provide a method of treating cancers. The method takes advantages of antigen specific T cells described in Section 2, in which an effective amount of the T cells per se, or T cells that are further modified with BsAbs, is administered to a subject afflicted with a cancer, so as to suppress or inhibit the growth of the cancer cells.
Reference is made to
In some embodiments, an effective amount of the antigen specific T cells (i.e., without further modification with the BsAbs) are administered directly to the subject for treating cancer. In other embodiments, an effective amount of the antigen specific T cells further modified with the BsAbs are administered to the subject for treating cancer.
The amount of T cells administered to the subject is from about 1×104 to 1×107 cells/Kg body weight of the subject. In certain embodiments, the amount of T cells is administered to the subject from about 1×105 to 1×106 cells/Kg body weight of the subject. The dose can be administered in a single dose, or alternatively in more than one smaller doses.
3.2 Treating Cancer by Use of Murine OKT3 T Cells Modified with the Present BsAbs
In some embodiments, instead of using the antigen specific T cells described above in Section 2, murine OKT3 T cells (i.e., T cells derived by activating PBMCs via murine OKT3 Abs) further modified with the BsAbs of the present disclosure are used for the treatment of a cancer. Reference is made to
According to embodiments of the present disclosure, at least 500 ng, such as 500, 600, 700, 800, 900, 1,000, 1,100, 1,200, 1,300, 1,400, 1,500, 1,600, 1,700, 1,800, 1,900, 2,000, 2,100, 2,200, 2,300, 2,400, 2,500, 2,600, 2,700, 2,800, 2,900, and 3,000 ng of BsAbs of the present disclosure is sufficient to modify murine OKT3 T cells (e.g., 3×105 cells) so that the desired anti-tumor antigen of the BsAbs of the present disclosure are expressed on their surfaces. In some examples, murine OKT3 T cells are further modified with anti-PSMA/anti-CD3 BsAbs of the present disclosure. In further examples, murine OKT3 T cells modified with anti-PSMA/anti-CD3 BsAbs of the present disclosure produce much higher level of cytokines, including, but are not limited to, IL-2, IFN-γ, TNF-α, Granzyme B and Perforin, as compared to unmodified murine OKT3 T cells. Accordingly, these modified murine OKT3 T cells exhibit much higher level of cytotoxicity toward tumor cells, including malignant cancer cells and TNBC cells, as compared with unmodified murine OKT3 T cells.
The BsAbs, antigen specific T cells, as well as the modified murine OKT3 T cells of the present disclosure may be administered to a mammal, preferably human, by any route that may effectively transport the BsAbs or T cells to desired site of action, such as oral, nasal, pulmonary, transdermal, such as passive or iontophoretic delivery, or parenteral, e.g., rectal, depot, subcutaneous, intravenous, intramuscular, intranasal, intra-cerebella, ophthalmic solution or an ointment. It will be appreciated that the dosage of the present disclosure will vary from patient to patient not only for the cancer therapeutic agent selected, the route of administration, and the ability of the BsAb, the T cells, and/or a combination thereof, to elicit a desired response in the patient, but also factors such as disease state or severity of the condition to be alleviated, age, sex, weight of the patient, the state of being of the patient, and the severity of the pathological condition being treated, concurrent medication or special diets then being followed by the patient, and other factors which those skilled in the art will recognize, with the appropriate dosage ultimately being at the discretion of the attendant physician. Dosage regimens may be adjusted to provide the improved therapeutic response. A therapeutically effective amount is also one in which any toxic or detrimental effects of the cancer therapeutic agent are outweighed by the therapeutically beneficial effects. Preferably, the BsAb, T cells, or a combination thereof, are administered at a dosage and for a time such that the growth of the cancer cells are suppressed.
The present invention will now be described more specifically with reference to the following embodiments, which are provided for the purpose of demonstration rather than limitation.
Materials and Methods.
Cells and Animals
Human T lymphocyte cell line Jurkat T cells (CD3+), human prostate adenocarcinoma cell line LNCaP (PSMA+/PD-L1+), human colon adenocarcinoma cell line HT-29 (EGFR+), malignant pancreatic cell line MIA PaCa-2 (PD-L1+), triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) cell line MDA-MB-231 (EGFR+/PD-L1+) and Expi293™ cells were used in the present disclosure.
In general, HT-29, MIA PaCa-2 and MDA-MB-231 cells were cultured in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (Sigma, St Louis, MO, USA) supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum (HyClone, Logan, UT), 100 U/mL penicillin and 100 μg/mL streptomycin at 37° C. in an atmosphere of 5% CO2 in air. Jurkat T and LNCaP cells were grown in RPMI-1640 containing the same supplements. Expi293™ cells were maintained in Expi293™ Expression medium at 37° C. in an atmosphere of 5% CO2 in air.
SCID mice (6-8 weeks old) were obtained from the National Laboratory Animal Center, Taipei, Taiwan. All animal experiments were performed in accordance with institutional guidelines and approved by the Laboratory Animal Facility and Pathology Core Committee of Taipei Medical University (Taipei, Taiwan).
Production of Recombinant BsAbs
To generate the BsAbs of the present disclosure, nucleic acids encoding the anti-tumor antigen (e.g., anti-PSMA, anti-EGFR, anti-PD-L1 and etc) and anti-CD3 were grafted and fused with other DNA sequence (e.g., signal peptide, IRES, linker and etc) into desired constructs via whole gene synthesis.
The thus produced DNA constructs were then amplified in Expi293™ cells (7.5×107 cell/25.5 mL, with the addition of 30 μg nucleic acids for transfection), which were cultured at 37° C. in an atmosphere of 8% CO2 in air. BsAbs were purified from the culture media collected after 6 days by Ni-Affinity chromatography, and the concentration was determined by use of Pierce™ BCA Protein Assay kit.
Production of Humanized OKT3 VH and VL
To select human framework sequences for complementarity-determining region (CDR) grafting, we compared the VH and VL sequences of the OKT3 with the National Center for Biotechnology Information database of human immunoglobulin germline sequences in the variable and joining regions using the IgBLAST program. The IGHV1-4603/IGHJ4 was found to be the most homologous to the variable/joining regions of OKT3 VH. The IGKV1-39{circumflex over ( )}01/IgKJ4 was found to be the most homologous to the variable and joining regions of OKT3 VL. For construction of the humanized OKT3 VH, the CDRs determined by the rule of Kabat et al. (Sequences of Proteins of Immunological Interest. 5th ed. Bethesda, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, National Institutes of Health; 1991:103-511) and 2 residues (Thr 71 and Lys 73) of OKT3 VH were similarly grafted into IGHV1-46{circumflex over ( )}03/IGHJ4. For construction of the humanized OKT3 VL, the CDRs determined by the rule of Kabat et al. and 1 residue (Tyr 71) of OKT3 VL were similarly grafted into IGKV1-39{circumflex over ( )}01/IgKJ4. The humanized OKT3 VH and VL segments were constructed via whole gene synthesis.
Analysis of the Purfifed BsAbs
BsAbs were electrophoresed in a 10% SDS-PAGE gels under reducing or non-reducing conditions and then stained by Coomassie® Blue.
Differentiation of T Cells
CD8+ T cells. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) isolated from the blood of healthy subjects or naïve CD8 T cells were washed with phosphate buffer solution (PBS) and re-suspended in AIM-V medium at the concentration of 2×106 cells/mL. The suspended cells were then cultivated with BsAbs (1-1,000 ng/mL) and humanized IL-2 (3,000 IU/mL) at 37° C. in an atmosphere of 5% CO2 in air for designated time. Some of the T cells were collected respectively at 7 and 14 days, and analyzed by flow cytometry.
CD4+ T cells. Differentiation of CD4+ T cells was relatively the same as that for CD8+ T cells, except PBMCs were re-suspended in AIM-V medium at the concentration of 1×106 cells/mL, and cultivated in the presence of BsAbs (1-1,000 ng/mL) and humanized IL-2 (2,000 IU/mL) and IL-7 (20 IU/mL).
Regulatory T cells. Differentiation of regulatory T cells was relatively the same as that for CD8 T cells, except PBMCs or naïve CD4 T cells were suspended in AIM-V medium at the concentration of 1×106 cells/mL, and cultivated in the presence of BsAbs (1-1,000 ng/mL), anti-CD28 antibody (100 ng/mL), humanized IL-2 (2,000 IU/mL) and D-mannose (25 mM).
Flow Cytometer Analysis
Tumor-specific antigen recognition and/or targeting. BsAbs (1 g/mL) were incubated with LNCaP (PSMA+/PD-L1+), HT-29 (EGFR+), MDA-MB-231 (EGFR+/PD-L1+), MIA PaCa-2 (PD-L1+), or Jurkat (CD3+) cells (3×105 cells) at 4° C. for 60 min followed by incubation with mouse anti-histidine antibody (1 μg/mL) and FITC-labeled Goat F(ab)2 anti-mouse immunoglobulin second antibody (1 μg/mL) at 4° C. The fluorescence was measured by FACScalibur™ flow cytometer (Becton Dickinson, Mountain View, CA, USA) then analyzed with Flowjo® (Tree Star Inc., San Carlos, CA, USA).
T cells differentiation. Differentiated T cells (3×105 cells) were mixed with FITC-labeled conjugated anti-human CD3 antibody (1 μg/mL), FITC-labeled conjugated anti-human CD4 antibody (1 μg/mL), FITC-labeled conjugated anti-human CD8 antibody (1 μg/mL), or PE-conjugated anti-human FoxP3 antibody at 4° C. After washing with cold PBS, the fluorescence on the viable cells was measured by FACScalibur™ flow cytometer (Becton Dickinson, Mountain View, CA, USA) then analyzed with Flowjo® (Tree Star Inc., San Carlos, CA, USA).
Amount of BsAbs remained on the surface of T cells. T cells or T cells armed with BsAbs of Example 1 (3×105 cells) were cultivated in a medium containing 20% FCS, and were harvested at 0, 24, 48, and 72 hrs, respectively. After washed with PBS, the harvested T cells were mixed with mouse anti-histidine antibody (1 μg/mL), and FITC-labeled Goat F(ab)2 anti-mouse immunoglobulin second antibody (1 μg/mL) at 4° C. The fluorescence was then measured by FACScalibur™ flow cytometer (Becton Dickinson, Mountain View, CA, USA) then analyzed with Flowjo® (Tree Star Inc., San Carlos, CA, USA).
Cytotoxicity Assay
Tumor cells (104 cells/well) were seeded in 96-well plates and cultivated at 37° C. in an atmosphere of 5% CO2 in air for 24 hrs. Then, the differentiated T cells (e.g., T cells of Example 2) or OKT3 T cells were added to the tumor cells at E/T ratio of 3:1, 5:1 or 10:1, and continued to cultivate for 16 hrs. The cells were subsequently harvested and the supernatant was analyzed by CytoTox96® Non-Radioactive Cytotoxicity Kit for evaluating the cytotoxicity effect of each differentiated T cells.
ELISA
The level of IL-2, INF-γ, TNF-α, Granzyme B and Perforin secreted from the differentiated T cells were respectively measured by commercial available ELISA kits in accordance with the manufacturer's instruction. Briefly, supernatant of the tumor cells treated with T cells of Example 2 or OKT3 T cells was collected and seeded in 96-well (100 μL/well) and incubated at 36° C. in an incubator for 1.5 hr. After washing with washing buffer, antibodies (100 μL/well) were added, and the mixtures were returned to the incubator and continued incubation at 36° C. for 1 hr. After washing, horse radish peroxidase (HRP) (100 μL/well) was added and continue the incubation for another 30 min. After washing, tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) (100 μL/well) was added, and the mixture was incubated in the dark at 36° C. for 15 min. Then, stop solution (100 μL/well) was added, and the absorbance (405 nm) of wells was measured in a microplate reader.
In Vivo Imaging of SCID Mice Bearing EGFR+ Tumors
SCID mice were respectively injected on their back with HT-29 (EGFR+) cells (2×106 cells/100 μL) to induce formation of tumor. The tumor was allowed to grow for 14-17 days until it was about 80-100 mm3 in size, then NIR797-labeled OKT3 T cells further modified with anti-EGFR/anti-CD3 BsAb (107 cells) were injected intravenously into the animals. Pentobarbital anesthetized mice were sequentially imaged with an IVIS spectrum optical imaging system (excitation, 745 nm; emission, 840 nm; Perkin-Elmer, Inc., MA, USA) at 4 and 24 hrs, respectively, after injection. Mice were then sacrificed, and the tumors and organs (including heart, lung, kidney, liver, stomach, muscle, bone, bowl, intestine, pancreas, and blood) were collected and also analyzed by IVIS spectrum optical imaging system.
Treatment of SCID Mice Bearing EGFR+ Tumors
SCID mice were respectively injected on their back with HT-29 (EGFR+) cells (2×106 cells/100 μL) to induce formation of tumor. The tumor was allowed to grow for 10-14 days until it was about 30-50 mm3 in size, then NIR797-labeled T cells further modified with anti-EGFR/anti-CD3 BsAb (107 cells/mice) were injected intravenously into the animals. Each mice were weighted and the size of the tumor measured (length×width×height×1/2) twice a week during the treatment period. Mice were then sacrificed, and the tumors were dissected and analyzed by H&E staining, or by immunostaining with anti-CD3 Abs.
Statistical Analysis
Statistical significance of differences between mean values was estimated with JMP 9.0 software (SAS Institute, Inc., Cary, NC) using the nonparametric Mann-Whitney test. P-values in the cytotoxicity assay and in vivo toxicity<0.05 and the P-values in the in vivo treatment<0.01 were considered to be statistically significant. *p<0.05; **p<0.01; ***p<0.001; ns (not significant): >0.05.
1.1 Production of Anti-Tumor/Anti-CD3 BsAbs
In this example, recombinant humanized bi-specific Abs respectively having the structures as depicted in
Accordingly, BsAbs comprised an anti-CD3 and an anti-tumor antigen (i.e., anti-PSMA, anti-EGFR, anti-PD-L1, anti-HER2, and anti-FAP, anti-EpCAM(MOC31), anti-EpCAM(M0201), anti-CEA, and anti-VCAM-1) were prepared. Components and respective nucleic acid and amino acid sequences of the present BsAbs are summarized in Tables 1 to 36. The BsAbs were produced via Expi-293™ expression system, and the yield of each BsAbs was above 100 mg/L, with an assembling accuracy over 95%.
1.2 Characterization of Anti-PSMA Fab/Anti-CD3 scFv, Anti-CD3 Fab/Anti-PSMA scFv, Anti-PSMA scFv/Anti-CD3 scFv and Anti-CD3 Knob/Anti-PSMA Hole BsAbs
Bi-functional activities of the BsAbs were examined in this example by flow cytometry. Results are depicted in
Each of the anti-PSMA Fab/anti-CD3 scFv, anti-CD3 Fab/anti-PSMA scFv, anti-PSMA scFv/anti-CD3 scFv and anti-CD3 knob/anti-PSMA hole BsAbs was capable of binding to CD3-positive T cells (i.e., Jurkat T cells) and to PSMA-positive prostate cancerous cells (i.e., LNCaP cells), while the anti-EGFR Fab/anti-CD3 scFv specifically recognized EGFR-positive cancerous cells (i.e., HT29 cells); and the anti-CD3 Fab/anti-PD-L1 scFv specifically recognized CD3-positive T cells (i.e., Jurkat T cells) and PD-L1-positive prostate cancerous cells (i.e., LNCaP cells). The data in
1.3 Production of Humanized OKT3 Anti-Tumor/Anti-CD3 BsAbs
In this example, recombinant humanized OKT3 VH and VL sequences were produced in accordance with procedures described in the “Material and Methods” section. The humanized OKT3 VH and VL amino acid sequence, and respective CDRs are provided in Tables 37 and 38.
The humanized OKT3 VH and VL sequences could then fused with anti-tumor sequences described above in Tables 1 to 36 and thereby constructing desired humanized OKT3 anti-tumor/anti-CD3 BsAbs. Sequences of humanized OKT3 anti-CD3 scFv for constructing anti-tumor Fab/anti-CD3 scFv are provided in Table 39; sequences of humanized OKT3 anti-CD3 VL-Ck and VH-CH1 for constructing anti-CD3 Fab/anti-tumor scFv are provided in Table 40; sequences of humanized OKT3 anti-CD3 scFv for constructing anti-tumor scFv/anti-CD3 scFv are provided in Table 41; and sequences of humanized OKT3 anti-CD3 VL knob and VH knob for constructing anti-CD3 knob/anti-tumor hole are provided in Table 42.
To produce T cells armed with BsAbs of Example 1, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated from the blood of healthy subjects, and differentiated by culturing in a media containing cytokine IL-2 plus murine monoclonal antibody OKT3 or cytokine IL-2 plus the BsAbs of Example 1.2 (i.e., anti-PSMA Fab/anti-CD3 scFv, anti-CD3 Fab/anti-PSMA scFv, anti-PSMA scFv/anti-CD3 scFv, and anti-CD3 knob/anti-PSMA hole BsAbs). The cultured cells were respectively harvested on days 7 and 14, and analyzed by flow cytometer with the aid of FITC-conjugated anti-CD3, anti-CD4, and anti-CD8 antibodies. Quantified results are summarized in Table 43 and
The data in Table 43 indicates that the human BsAbs of the Example 1.2 were as effective as murine OKT3 in inducing differentiation of CD3+/CD8+ cells from PBMCs. Further, except those induced by anti-PSMA scFv/anti-CD3 scFv BsAb, the populations of CD3+ cells induced by the BsAbs of Example 1.2 were over 80% after 7 days in culture, and over 90% after 14 days in culture, and the total numbers of the CD3+/CD8+ cells were about 4-5 folds after 18 days in culture (
To confirm whether the differentiated T cells indeed were armed with the BsAbs of Example 1.2, the anti-antigen fragments (e.g., anti-PSMA and anti-CD3) on the surfaces of the proliferated T cells were analyzed by flow cytometer with the aid of FITC-conjugated goat anti-human Fab antibody. Results are illustrated in
The data in
3.1 Cytotoxicity Effect of T Cells of Example 2
The cancer cell killing effect of CD3+/CD8+ T cells respectively differentiated by the murine OKT3 and BsAbs of Example 1.2 were evaluated in LNCaP (PSMA+) cells by CytoTox 96® Non-Radioactive Cytotoxicity Assay (Promega, G1780) in accordance with the manufacture's instruction. Results are summarized in Table 44 and
It was found that about 8.4%, 11.6% and 19.3% of LNCaP cells were killed by CD3+/CD8+ T cells induced by murine OKT3 at the effect cells to target cells ratio (E/T ratio) of 3:1, 5:1 and 10:1, respectively; whereas about 65%, 87% and 97% of LNCaP cells were killed by T cells armed with anti-PSMAFab/anti-CD3scFv BsAb at the same E/T ratio. Similar improved cytotoxicity effects were also found with T cells armed with anti-CD3 Fab/anti-PSMA scFv, anti-PSMA scFv/anti-CD3 scFv, and anti-CD3 knob/anti-PSMA hole BsAbs (
Imagine analysis further revealed that upon contacting with the tumor cells, significant portion of the T cells of Example 2 (or T cells armed with anti-CD3 Fab/anti-PSMA scFv, anti-PSMA scFv/anti-CD3 scFv, or anti-CD3 knob/anti-PSMA hole BsAbs of Example 1) bound specifically onto the surface of LNCaP cells, whereas T cells differentiated by murine OKT3 remained mostly un-bound even after incubation for 8 hrs (
3.2 Characterization of the Cancer Cell Killing Efficacy of T Cells of Example 2
To further analyze the cancer cell killing efficacy exhibited by T cells of Example 2 (or CD3+/CD8+ T cells armed with BsAbs of Example 1), the cytokines secreted therefrom were collected and analyzed by ELISA, and the result indicated that the levels of IL-2, INF-γ, TNF-α, Granzyme B, and Perforin were all significantly higher than that secreted from T cells differentiated by murine OKT3 (
3.3 Enhanced Cancer Cell-Killing Effect by the T Cells of Example 2 Further Modified with BsAbs of Example 1.2
In this example, BsAbs of Example 1.2 were further added to the culture media of the T cells of Example 2 at the E/TE/T ration of 3:1, 5:1, and 10:1, and cultivated for 18 hrs, then the mixture was added to PSMA+ cancer cells (i.e., LNCaP cells). The cancer cell killing effect was evaluated by cytotoxicity assay as that in Example 3.1, and the levels of cytokines in the supernatant collected from the LNCaP cells were analyzed by ELISA. Results are depicted in
As depicted in
3.4 Effect of T Cells Armed with Anti-CD3/Anti-PD-L1 BsAbs of Example 1 on Malignant Pancreatic Cancer or Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC)
Malignant pancreatic cancer and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) are both infamous for their high mortalities and extremely limited chance of being cured. In this example, effects of T cells armed with anti-CD3/anti-PD-L1 BsAbs of Example 1.2 on these two infamous cancers were tested using a malignant pancreatic cell line MIA PaCa-2 and a TNBC cell line MDA-MB-231.
In malignant pancreatic cancer cells, T cells armed with anti-CD3/anti-PD-L1 BsAbs of Example 1.2 exhibited much higher cytotoxic effects, as compared to that of the control T cells (i.e., differentiated T cells induced by murine OKT3), and the killing efficacy was enhanced even more if the T cells were further modified with anti-CD3/anti-PD-L1 BsAbs of Example 1.2. The cancer killing effect of the T cells armed with anti-CD3/anti-PD-L1 BsAbs of Example 1.2 was found to be even more significant in TNBC cells, with nearly 100% killing effect even at a low E/T ratio of 3:1; while the control T cells exhibited merely 10% killing efficacy at the same ratio (
Imagine analysis revealed that T cells differentiated by murine OKT3 remained mostly un-bond to both MIA PaCa-2 and MDA-MB-231 cells, while significant portion of MIA PaCa-2 and MDA-MB-231 cells became apoptotic after incubating with T cells that were further modified with anti-CD3/anti-PD-L1 BsAbs of Example 1.2 (
3.5 Time Effects on the Amounts of BsAbs Remained on the Surfaces of T Cells
The anti-PSMA/anti-CD3 BsAbs of Example 1.2 were incubated with serum for various periods of time (i.e., 0, 24, 48 and 72 hrs), and analyzed by flow cytometry to evaluate the residual amounts of the BsAbs remain on the surfaces of T cells. Results are illustrated in
It appeared that the amounts of BsAbs on the surface of the T cells declined with the time, among the four types or structures of BsAbs, anti-CD3 knob/anti-PSMA hole BsAb was least affected by degradation, about 47% of BsAb still remained on the T cell surface after 72 hrs, while the level of the anti-PSMA scFv/anti-CD3 scFv remained on the T cell surface dropped to a low level of 15%.
As the finding provided in Examples 1 to 4, murine OKT3 differentiated T cells were not as effective as the T cells of Example 2 (i.e., T cells armed with BsAbs of Example 1) in terms of the cancer killing effect, due to their low binding affinity to cancer cells and low levels of cytokines secreted therefrom. Accordingly, in this example, murine OKT3 T cells were modified by co-incubating with BsAbs of Example 1.2, then their cytotoxic effects in cancer cells and were evaluated.
4.1 Murine OKT3 T Cells Modified with BsAbs of Example 1.2
To modify the murine OKT3 T cells, about 3×105 murine OKT3 T cells were mixed with various amounts (8, 24, 120, 600 and 3,000 ng) of anti-PSMA/anti-CD3 BsAbs of example 1.2 and analyzed by flow cytometry. Results indicated that about 600 ng BsAbs of example 1.2 was sufficient to load the surfaces of murine OKT3 T cells with BsAbs of example 1.2 (data not shown).
4.2 Effects of Murine OKT3 T Cells Modified with BsAbs of Example 1.2 on PSMA+ Cells
As expected, the cancer cell killing ability of murine OKT3 differentiated T cells toward LNCaP cells (PSMA+) increased significantly after being modified with the BsAbs of Example 1, including anti-PSMA Fab/anti-CD3 scFv, anti-CD3 Fab/anti-PSMA scFv, anti-PSMA scFv/anti-CD3 scFv, and anti-CD3 knob/anti-PSMA hole, as compared to that before modification. Among which, murine OKT3 T cells modified with anti-PSMA Fab/anti-CD3 scFv exhibited near 100% cell killing effect at E/T ratio of 10:1 (
Imagine analysis revealed that murine OKT3 T cells modified with the anti-PSMA Fab/anti-CD3 scFv, anti-CD3 Fab/anti-PSMA scFv, anti-PSMA scFv/anti-CD3 scFv, or anti-CD3 knob/anti-PSMA hole BsAbs were more specifically bound o the surfaces of LNCaP cells, as compared with that of the unmodified OKT3 T cells (
4.3 Effects of Murine OKT3 T Cells Modified with BsAbs of Example 1.2 on EGFR+ Cells
In this example, murine OKT3 T cells were modified with anti-EGFR Fab/anti-CD3 scFv BsAb of Example 1.2, and subjected to analysis to evaluate their capability in killing EGFR+ cancer cells (i.e., HT29 cells).
Similar to finding in Example 5.1, after being modified with anti-EGFR Fab/anti-CD3 scFv BsAb of Example 1.2, murine OKT3 T cells exhibited an enhanced cytotoxic effect, with about 50% cell killing effect at the E/T ratio of 10:1 (
Imagine analysis revealed that murine OKT3 T cells modified with the anti-EGFR Fab/anti-CD3 scFv BsAbs were more specifically bound o the surfaces of HT29 cells, as compared with that of the unmodified OKT3 T cells (
4.4 Effects of Murine OKT3 T Cells Modified with BsAbs of Example 1.2 on PD-L1+ Cells
In this example, murine OKT3 T cells were modified with anti-CD3 Fab/anti-PD-L1 scFv BsAb of Example 1.2, and subjected to analysis to evaluate their capability in killing PD-L1+ cancer cells (i.e., LNCaP cells).
Similar to findings in Example 5.1 and 5.2, after being modified with anti-CD3 Fab/anti-PD-L1 scFv BsAb of Example 1.2, murine OKT3 T cells exhibited an enhanced cytotoxic effect, with about 92% cell killing effect at the E/T ratio of 10:1 (
Imagine analysis revealed that murine OKT3 T cells modified with the anti-CD3 Fab/anti-PD-L1 scFv BsAb were more specifically bound o the surfaces of LNCaP cells, as compared with that of the unmodified OKT3 T cells (
4.5 Effects of Murine OKT3 T Cells Modified with Anti-CD3 Fab/Anti-PD-L1 scFv of Example 1.2 on Malignant Pancreatic Cancer Cells and TNBC Cells
In this example, the cancer killing effect of murine OKT3 T cells modified with anti-CD3 Fab/anti-PD-L1 scFv BsAbs of Example 1.2 were tested on malignant pancreatic cancer cell line MIA PaCa-2 (PD-L1+ cells) and TNBC cells (MDA-MB-231 cells) in accordance with similar procedures described in Example 3.4.
In malignant pancreatic cancer cells, murine OKT3 T cells modified with anti-CD3Fab/anti-PD-L1 scFv BsAbs of Example 1 exhibited much higher cytotoxic effect (about 40% cancer cells were killed), as compared to that of the control T cells (i.e., unmodified murine OKT3 T cells). The cancer killing effect was more significant in TNBC cells, with nearly 80% cancer cells were killed even at a low E/T ratio of 3:1; while the control T cells exhibited merely 20-30% killing efficacy at the same ratio (
Imagine analysis revealed that murine OKT3 T cells modified with the anti-CD3 Fab/anti-PD-L1 scFv BsAb specifically bound o the surfaces of MIA PaCa-2 cells (
To investigate whether the BsAbs of Example 1 could improve the targeting effect of the murine OKT3 T cells, the murine OKT3 T cells were modified with anti-EGFR/anti-CD3 BsAb of Example 1.2, while at the same time labeling with a fluorescent indicator—NIR797. Then, the modified and labeled murine OKT3 T cells were injected into SCID mice bearing a heterogeneous EGFR+ tumor (HT29 cells) through IV injection, and live images were taken respectively at 4 and 24 hrs using IVIS imaging system. The animals were sacrificed after 24 hrs, and the tumor per se and organs including heart, lung, kidney, spleen, liver, stomach, muscle, bone, large intestine, small intestine, pancreas, and blood, were harvested and analyzed by IVIS imaging system, respectively. Results are depicted in
The photos in
Further, the modified T cells were found to be concentrated in the EGFR+ tumor per se, while the in vivo distribution pattern of these modified T cells was similar to that of a normal healthy animal (
In addition, the tumor size and its weight were suppressed significantly when treated with the modified murine OKT3 T cells (
The tumors harvested from the animals were further analyzed by immunohistochemical (IHC) staining and H&E staining, and results are depicted in
In this example, the differentiation and proliferation of T cells induced by the BsAbs of Example 1.2 (i.e., anti-PSMA Fab/anti-CD3 scFv and anti-PSMA scFv/anti-CD3 scFv) and murine OKT3 were compared. Results are depicted in
As depicted in
The comparative study on the cytotoxicity of murine OKT3 T cells and T cells of example 2 is provided in
In this example, regulatory T cells were induced and formed by use of BsAbs of Example 1.2. Briefly, PBMCs from healthy human subjects were isolated and cultured with anti-CD3 Fab/anti-PSMA scFv or anti-PSMA scFv/anti-CD3 scFv of Example 1.2 for 7 days, in either case, the culture medium also contained IL-2, TGF-β, and anti-CD28 antibodies. Then, differentiated T cells were harvested and subjected to flow cytometry analysis. Results are depicted in
The data indicated that anti-CD3 Fab/anti-PSMA scFv BsAb and anti-PSMA scFv/anti-CD3 scFv could respectively induce the formation of about 19.3% (
8.1 Expression and Binding Specificity
Two anti-EGFR/anti-CD3 BsAbs, i.e., the anti-EGFR Fab/anti-CD3 scFv BsAb and anti-EGFR scFv/anti-CD3 Fab BsAb respectively described in Tables 5 and 6 of Example 1.1, were produced by Expi-293™ expression system. After confirming the expression by reducing and non-reducing SDS-PAGE analysis, bi-functional activities of the BsAbs were examined by flow cytometry. The data demonstrated that each of the anti-EGFR Fab/anti-CD3 scFv BsAb and anti-EGFR scFv/anti-CD3 Fab BsAb was capable of binding to CD3-positive T cells (i.e., Jurkat T cells) and to EGFR-positive colorectal cancerous cells (i.e., HT-29 cells) (data not shown). On the other hand, neither BsAbs recognized and bound to EGFR-negative cells (i.e., NIH/3T3 cells) (data not shown). The data demonstrated that the anti-EGFR Fab/anti-CD3 scFv BsAb and anti-EGFR scFv/anti-CD3 Fab BsAb possessed binding specificities towards two different antigens (i.e., CD3 and EGFR).
8.2 Effect of Anti-EGFR/Anti-CD3 BsAb on T Cells
To produce T cells armed with the present anti-EGFR/anti-CD3 BsAb, PBMCs were isolated from the blood of healthy subjects, and cultured in the medium supplemented with cytokine IL-2 in the presence of murine monoclonal antibody OKT3 or anti-EGFR/anti-CD3 BsAb. The PBMC thus cultured was used as a control group in this study. The cultured cells were respectively harvested on day 7 and day 14, and analyzed by flow cytometer with the aid of FITC-conjugated anti-CD3, anti-CD4, and anit-CD8 antibodies. Quantified results were summarized in Table 45. The data of Table 45 indicated that each of the anti-EGFR Fab/anti-CD3 scFv BsAb and anti-EGFR scFv/anti-CD3 Fab BsAb was effective as murine monoclonal antibody OKT3 in inducing the differentiation of CD3+/CD8+ cells from PBMC.
To confirm whether the differentiated T cells were armed with the present anti-EGFR/anti-CD3 BsAb, the cultured cells harvested on day 14 were analyzed by flow cytometer with FITC-conjugated goat anti-human IgG Fab antibody or FITC-conjugated goat anti-mouse IgG antibody. The data of
8.3 Cytotoxicity Effect of Anti-EGFR/Anti-CD3 BsAb-Armed T Cells
The cancer cell killing effect of the OKT3-armed CD3+/CD8+ T cells (i.e., the T cells induced by the murine OKT3 antibody) or the anti-EGFR/anti-CD3 BsAb-armed CD3+/CD8+ T cells (i.e., the T cells induced by the anti-EGFR Fab/anti-CD3 scFv BsAb or anti-EGFR scFv/anti-CD3 Fab BsAb) as described in Examples 8.2 was evaluated in HT-29 (EGFR-positive) cells. In brief, the OKT3-armed CD3+/CD8+ T cells or anti-EGFR/anti-CD3 BsAb-armed CD3+/CD8+ T cells were mixed with EGFR+ colon cancer cells (HT29) at different ratios (Effector cell/Target cell ratio=3:1, 5:1 or 10:1) for 18 hours; and the cancer cell viability of each groups was then determined by using non-radioactive cytotoxicity assay. The results of
Image analysis further confirmed that once contacting with the cancer cells, the anti-EGFR/anti-CD3 BsAb-armed T cells bound specifically onto the surface of HT-29 cells, whereas OKT3-armed T cells remained mostly un-bound even after incubation for 8 hours (data not shown).
To further evaluate the cancer cell killing effect exhibited by the anti-EGFR/anti-CD3 BsAb-armed T cells, cytokines secreted therefrom were collected and analyzed by ELISA. The results indicated that the levels of Granzyme B, Perforin, IL-2, TNF-α, and INF-γ secreted from the anti-EGFR/anti-CD3 BsAb-armed T cells (including the anti-EGFR Fab/anti-CD3 scFv BsAb-armed T cells, and the anti-EGFR scFv/anti-CD3 Fab BsAb-armed T cells) were all significantly higher than those secreted from the OKT3-armed T cells (
8.4 Cytotoxicity Effect of T Cells Armed with Different Levels of BsAb
To determine whether the level of BsAb armed on the surface of T cells would affect the cytotoxicity of the T cells, anti-EGFR Fab/anti-CD3 scFv BsAb or anti-EGFR scFv/anti-CD3 Fab BsAb were incubated with T cells at various doses (4.8 ng, 24 ng, 120 ng, 600 ng, or 3,000 ng) for 1 hour. The incubated cells were first detected by flow cytometry using rabbit anti-his tag antibody and FITC-conjugated goat anti-rabbit antibody to determine the levels of BsAb on the surface of T cells. It was found that the present anti-EGFR/anti-CD3 BsAbs (i.e., anti-EGFR Fab/anti-CD3 scFv BsAb or anti-EGFR scFv/anti-CD3 Fab BsAb) could be loaded on the surface of T cells in a dose-dependent manner (from about 5.6% to about 100%; data not shown).
Then, the cytotoxicity of T cells armed with different levels of anti-EGFR/anti-CD3 BsAb were mixed with EGFR+ colon cancer cells (HT29) at different ratios (Effector cell/Target cell ratio=3:1, 5:1 or 10:1) for 18 hours; and the cancer cell viability of each group was then determined by non-radioactive cytotoxicity assay. The results were summarized in Tables 46 and 47.
The data of Tables 46 and 47 demonstrated that the T cells armed with 5.6% of the present anti-EGFR/anti-CD3 BsAb on their surfaces were sufficient to target and kill the EGFR-positive cancer cells.
8.5 In Vivo Effects of Anti-EGFR/Anti-CD3 BsAb-Armed T Cells
To investigate in vivo effects of the anti-EGFR/anti-CD3 BsAb-armed T cells, NIR797 labeled T cells (107 cells) armed with anti-EGFR Fab/anti-CD3 scFv BsAb, anti-EGFR scFv/anti-CD3 Fab BsAb, or OKT3 antibody were intravenously injected into SCID mice bearing EGFR+ colon tumor (HT29, tumor size: about 100 mm3). The animals were sacrificed after 24 hours, and the tumor per se and organs, including heart, lung, kidney, spleen, liver, stomach, muscle, bone, large intestine, small intestine, pancreas, and blood, were harvested and analyzed by IVIS imaging system, respectively. Results are depicted in
The fluorescent intensity in animals treated with the anti-EGFR/anti-CD3 BsAb-armed T cells (i.e., the anti-EGFR Fab/anti-CD3 scFv BsAb-armed T cells or the anti-EGFR scFv/anti-CD3 Fab BsAb-armed T cells) was found mainly concentrated on the tumor site, as compared to that treated with OKT3-armed T cells (
Further, the anti-EGFR/anti-CD3 BsAb-armed T cells were found to be concentrated in the EGFR+ tumor per se, while the in vivo distribution pattern of these armed T cells was similar to that of a normal healthy animal (
In addition, the tumor size (
It will be understood that the above description of embodiments is given by way of example only and that various modifications may be made by those with ordinary skill in the art. The above specification, examples and data provide a complete description of the structure and use of exemplary embodiments of the invention. Although various embodiments of the invention have been described above with a certain degree of particularity, or with reference to one or more individual embodiments, those with ordinary skill in the art could make numerous alterations to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of this invention.
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Application No. 16,497/805, filed Sep. 26, 2019, which is a U.S. National Stage Filing under 35 U.S.C. 371 from International Patent Application Serial No. PCT/CN2018/081084, entitled “ANTIGEN-SPECIFIC T CELLS AND USES THEREOF”, filed Mar. 29, 2018, and published on Oct. 4, 2018. The PCT application claims priority to US. Application No. 62/478,280, filed on Mar. 29, 2017. The contents of these applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62478280 | Mar 2017 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 16497805 | Sep 2019 | US |
| Child | 18542658 | US |
