Patent Application
20210113615
The invention relates to heterodimeric inactivatable chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) and their use for treatment.
Chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) are hybrid molecules comprising a tumor antigen-targeting moiety, typically a scFv, followed by a linker, transmembrane (TM) domain, and various endodomains (EDs) involved in T-cell activation. First generation CARs include the ED of CD3-zeta (CD3ζ) only, required for “signal 1” of T cell activation, while second and third generation CARs also have one or more co-stimulatory EDs, respectively, such as CD28 and 4-1BB, to provide “signal 2”.
The adoptive transfer of scFv-directed T lymphocytes, so-called CAR-T cells, has emerged as a potent treatment against various advanced cancers. For example, recent clinical trials with CD19-targeted CAR T cells have yielded up to 90% complete remission rates for patients suffering advanced acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), a ‘liquid’ tumor1-3. ‘Solid’ tumors, however, remain a significant challenge to CAR therapy. This is in part due to the fact that there are few bona fide tumor antigens that are not found on healthy tissue, and as such important ‘on-target/off-tumor’ toxicities have occurred in CAR T-cell treated patients, and in some instances even leading to death4. Early strategies to address this included drug-inducible ‘suicide genes’5,6, and ‘split-signaling’ approaches, which require two receptors specific for two different antigens to be co-engaged for full T-cell activation to occur7. More recently, a study demonstrated ‘remote-control’ T cell activation via administration of a small-molecule drug8, in which the authors developed a split architecture ON-switch CAR comprising two chains that separate tumor antigen recognition from T cell signaling. In this instance, they could only dimerize in the presence of a small molecule. Aspects of this ON-switch system, however, including the short half-life of the molecule required for chain dimerization, limit its clinical translation.
Thus, there remains a need for inactivatable CAR system for safety-enhanced cancer immunotherapy.
In one aspect, the invention provides a heterodimeric inactivatable chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) comprising:
a) a first polypeptide chain comprising:
i) an extracellular target-binding region;
ii) a first transmembrane (TM) region;
iii) a first co-stimulatory endodomain (ED), and
iv) a first member of a dimerization pair; and
b) a second polypeptide chain comprising:
i) a second TM region;
ii) optionally, a second co-stimulatory ED;
iii) a second member of a dimerization pair; and
iv) an intracellular signaling ED,
wherein the first and second member of the dimerization pair form a heterodimer.
In one embodiment, the second polypeptide chain comprises an extracellular region which does not comprise the target-binding capacity.
In one embodiment, the first polypeptide chain does not comprise an intracellular signaling ED.
In one embodiment, the CAR comprises:
a) a first polypeptide chain consisting essentially of in the direction from the N terminus to the C terminus:
b) a second polypeptide chain consisting essentially of in the direction from the N terminus to the C terminus:
In one embodiment, the first and second member of the dimerization pair are derived from proteins that do not interact in vivo.
In one embodiment, the heterodimer formed by the first and second member of the dimerization pair can be disrupted by an inhibitory molecule (e.g., a small molecule or a polypeptide) resulting in inhibition of CAR-mediated signaling. In one specific embodiment, the inhibitory molecule binds to the first or second member of the dimerization pair with a higher affinity than the first and second member of the dimerization pair bind to each other.
In one embodiment, the first polypeptide chain comprises a linker region interposed between the extracellular target-binding region and the first TM region. In one embodiment, the second polypeptide chain comprises a linker region interposed between the extracellular region and the second TM region. Non-limiting examples of useful linker regions include, e.g., an immunoglobulin hinge region or a linker region derived from CD8, CD8α, or CD28.
In one embodiment, the extracellular target-binding region of the CAR is an antigen-binding polypeptide. In a specific embodiment, the antigen recognized by the antigen-binding polypeptide is selected from a cancer cell associated antigen, an infection-associated antigen and an auto-antigen. Non-limiting examples of antigen-binding polypeptides include antibodies and antibody fragments, such as, e.g., murine antibodies, rabbit antibodies, human antibodies, humanized antibodies, single chain variable fragments (scFv), camelid antibody variable domains and humanized versions, shark antibody variable domains and humanized versions, single domain antibody variable domains, nanobodies (VHHs), and camelized antibody variable domains. Non-limiting examples of antigens which can be recognized by the antigen-binding polypeptide include, e.g., CD19, CD20, CD38, CD30, Her2/neu, ERBB2, CA125, MUC-1, prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA), PSA, CD44 surface adhesion molecule, mesothelin, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), CEACAM5, CEACAM6, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), EGFRvIII, vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR2), high molecular weight-melanoma associated antigen (HMW-MAA), MAGE-A1, IL-13R-a2, GD2, carbonic anhydrase EX, alpha-fetoprotein, A3, antigen specific for A33 antibody, Ba 733, BrE3-antigen, CA125, CD1, CDIa, CD3, CD5, CD15, CD16, CD19, CD20, CD21, CD22, CD23, CD25, CD30, CD33, CD38, CD45, CD74, CD79a, CD80, CD138, colon-specific antigen-p (CSAp), CSAp, EGP-I, EGP-2, Ep-CAM, FIt-I, Flt-3, folate receptor, HLA-DR, human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) and its subunits, hypoxia inducible factor (HIF-I), Ia, IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, insulin growth factor-1 (IGF-I), KC4-antigen, KS-1-antigen, KS1-4, Le-Y, macrophage inhibition factor (MIF), MAGE, MUC1, MUC2, MUC3, MUC4, NCA66, NCA95, NCA90, tyrosinase, PRAME, EBNA, KLK3, HPV E7, LMP2, NY-ESO-1, PAP, reverse transcriptase, nucleophosmin, PRTN3/ELANE, CT83/KKLC1, MUC16, DNTT, antigen specific for PAM-4 antibody, placental growth factor, p53, prostatic acid phosphatase, RS5, S1OO, TAC, TAG-72, tenascin, TRAIL receptors, Tn antigen, Thomson-Friedenreich antigens, tumor necrosis antigens, VEGF, ED-B fibronectin, 17-1A-antigen, NeuGcGM3, N-glycolyl GM3 ganglioside, Neu5Gc, GM3-Ganglioside, GD3, GM2, carbohydrate antigens, ganglioside antigens, Lewis Y, Lewis B, CD123, or Kappa chain of immunoglobulin. In a specific embodiment, the cancer cell associated antigen is PSMA. In a specific embodiment, the cancer cell associated antigen is associated with a solid tumor. In a specific embodiment, the antigen recognized by the antigen-binding polypeptide is CD19. In a specific embodiment, the antigen recognized by the antigen-binding polypeptide is NeuGcGM3.
In one embodiment, the extracellular target-binding region is a natural ligand for a target cell antigen or receptor. In one embodiment, the natural ligand for a target cell antigen or receptor is an NKG2D ectodomain. In one embodiment, the extracellular target-binding region is a T-cell receptor (TCR) based recognition domain. In one embodiment, the TCR based recognition domain is a single chain TCR.
In one embodiment, the first and/or second transmembrane (TM) region is derived from CD8, CD8α, CD4, CD3-zeta, CD3-epsilon, CD28, CD45, CD4, CD5, CD7, CD9, CD16, CD22, CD33, CD37, CD40, CD64, CD80, CD86, CD134 (OX-40), CD137, CD154, DAP10, or DAP12.
In one embodiment, the first and second TM regions are the same.
In one embodiment, the first and second TM regions are derived from CD28.
In one embodiment, the extracellular region which does not comprise the target-binding capacity is a stabilizing domain. In one embodiment, the extracellular region which does not comprise the target-binding capacity is derived from DAP10 or DAP12.
In one embodiment, the first and/or second co-stimulatory ED is derived from 4-1BB (CD137), CD28, ICOS, CD134 (OX-40), BTLA, CD27, CD30, GITR, CD226, or HVEM. In a specific embodiment, the first and second co-stimulatory EDs are derived from CD28.
In one embodiment, the intracellular signaling ED is derived from DAP10, DAP12, Fc epsilon receptor I gamma chain (FCER1G), FcR beta CD3-delta, CD3-epsilon, CD3-gamma, CD3-zeta, CD226, CD66d, CD79A, or CD79B. In a specific embodiment, the intracellular signaling ED is derived from CD3-zeta.
In certain embodiments, the first and/or second polypeptide chain further comprises one or more additional polypeptide sequences. In a specific embodiment, the one or more additional polypeptide sequences are selected from one or more additional co-stimulatory EDs, signal sequences, separation sequences, epitope tags, and polypeptides that produce a detectable signal. In a specific embodiment, the signal sequence is CD8α. In a specific embodiment, the epitope tag is cMyc. In a specific embodiment, the separation sequence is T2A.
In one embodiment, the first member of the dimerization pair comprises:
In one embodiment, the second member of the dimerization pair comprises:
In one embodiment, the extracellular target-binding region comprises:
In one embodiment, the intracellular signaling ED comprises the sequence
In one embodiment, the extracellular region which does not comprise the target-binding capacity comprises the sequence QTTPGERSSLPAFYPGTSGSCSGCGSLSLP (SEQ ID NO: 8) or GVLAGIVMGDLVLTVLIALAV (SEQ ID NO: 74). In a specific embodiment, the extracellular region which does not comprise the target-binding capacity comprises the sequence of SEQ ID NO: 8.
In one embodiment, the first and/or second linker region comprises the sequence
In one embodiment, the first and/or second TM region comprises the sequence FWVLVVVGGVLACYSLLVTVAFIIFWV (SEQ ID NO: 10).
In one embodiment, the first and/or second co-stimulatory ED comprises the sequence RSKRSRLLHSDYMNMTPRRPGPTRKHYQPYAPPRDFAAYRS (SEQ ID NO: 11).
In one embodiment, the first polypeptide chain comprises, consists of, or consists essentially of the sequence
In one embodiment, the first polypeptide chain comprises, consists of, or consists essentially of the sequence
In one embodiment, the first polypeptide chain comprises, consists of, or consists essentially of the sequence
In one embodiment, the first polypeptide chain comprises, consists of, or consists essentially of the sequence
In one embodiment, the second polypeptide chain comprises, consists of, or consists essentially of the sequence
In one embodiment, the second polypeptide chain comprises, consists of, or consists essentially of the sequence
In one embodiment, the second polypeptide chain comprises, consists of, or consists essentially of the sequence
In one embodiment, the second polypeptide chain comprises, consists of, or consists essentially of the sequence
In one embodiment, the second polypeptide chain comprises, consists of, or consists essentially of the sequence
In one embodiment, the inactivatable chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) comprises: a) a first polypeptide chain comprises, consists of, or consists essentially of the sequence of any one of SEQ ID Nos: 12, 76, 77, 109-112, or 134-146, and b) a second polypeptide chain comprises, consists of, or consists essentially of the sequence of any one of SEQ ID Nos: 13, 79, 80, 81, 113-117, 147-156.
In another aspect is provided a nucleic acid molecule comprising a nucleotide sequence encoding any of the above heterodimeric inactivatable chimeric antigen receptors (CARs).
In another related aspect is provided a nucleic acid molecule comprising a nucleotide sequence encoding the first polypeptide chain of any of the above heterodimeric inactivatable chimeric antigen receptors (CARs).
In one specific embodiment, the nucleotide sequence encoding the first polypeptide chain of the CAR is
In one specific embodiment, the nucleotide sequence encoding the first polypeptide chain of the CAR is
In one specific embodiment, the nucleotide sequence encoding the first polypeptide chain of the CAR is
In one specific embodiment, the nucleotide sequence encoding the first polypeptide chain of the CAR is
In one specific embodiment, the nucleotide sequence encoding the first polypeptide chain of the CAR is
In one specific embodiment, the nucleotide sequence encoding the first polypeptide chain of the CAR is
In another aspect is provided a nucleic acid molecule comprising a nucleotide sequence encoding the second polypeptide chain of any of the above heterodimeric chimeric antigen receptors (CARs).
In one specific embodiment, the nucleotide sequence encoding the second polypeptide chain of the CAR is
In one specific embodiment, the nucleotide sequence encoding the second polypeptide chain of the CAR is
In one specific embodiment, the nucleotide sequence encoding the second polypeptide chain of the CAR is
In one specific embodiment, the nucleotide sequence encoding the second polypeptide chain of the CAR is
In one specific embodiment, the nucleotide sequence encoding the second polypeptide chain of the CAR is
In one specific embodiment, the nucleotide sequence encoding the second polypeptide chain of the CAR is
In one embodiment, the nucleotide sequence encoding the first polypeptide chain of the CAR is operably linked to a first promoter. In one embodiment, the nucleotide sequence encoding the second polypeptide chain of the CAR is operably linked to a second promoter. In one embodiment, the nucleotide sequence encoding the first polypeptide chain of the CAR is operably linked to a first promoter, the nucleotide sequence encoding the second polypeptide chain of the CAR is operably linked to a second promoter, and the first and second promoters are the same.
In one specific embodiment, the nucleotide sequence encoding the first polypeptide chain of the CAR is operably linked to a first promoter, the nucleotide sequence encoding the second polypeptide chain of the CAR is operably linked to a second promoter, and the first and second promoters are different.
In one specific embodiment, the nucleotide sequences encoding the first and second polypeptide chains of the CAR are operably linked to a single promoter.
In one embodiment, the first and/or second promoter is a T lymphocyte-specific promoter or an NK cell-specific promoter. In one specific embodiment, the nucleic acid molecule is a DNA molecule. In one specific embodiment, the nucleic acid molecule is a RNA molecule.
In another aspect is provided a recombinant vector comprising any of the above nucleic acid molecules. In one embodiment, the vector is a viral vector (e.g., a retroviral vector, a lentiviral vector, an adenoviral vector, an adeno-associated virus vector, an alphaviral vector, a herpes virus vector, and a vaccinia virus vector). In one specific embodiment, the vector is a lentiviral vector.
In a further related aspect is provided an isolated host cell comprising any of the above heterodimeric inactivatable chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) or any of the above CAR-encoding nucleic acid molecules or vectors. In one embodiment, the host cell is a mammalian cell. In one embodiment, the host cell is selected from a cytotoxic cell (e.g., a cytotoxic T cell or a natural killer (NK) cell), a T cell (e.g., T-helper cells, cytotoxic T-cells, T-regulatory cells (Treg), and gamma-delta T cells), a stem cell, a progenitor cell, and a cell derived from a stem cell or a progenitor cell. In one embodiment, the host cell is an allogeneic cell. In one embodiment, the host cell is an autologous cell. In one specific embodiment, the autologous host cell has been isolated from a subject (e.g., human) having a disease.
In a related aspect, the invention provides a pharmaceutical composition comprising any of the above host cells a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier and/or excipient.
In another related aspect, the invention provides a method for producing a host cell of the invention comprising genetically modifying said cell with a nucleic acid molecule or a vector of the invention. In one embodiment, the genetic modification is conducted ex vivo. In one embodiment, the method further comprises activation and/or expansion of the cell ex vivo.
In a further aspect, the invention provides a method for stimulating elimination of a cell comprising an antigen in a subject in need thereof, said method comprising administering to the subject an effective amount of cytotoxic T cells or natural killer (NK) cells comprising a heterodimeric inactivatable chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) of the invention, wherein the extracellular target-binding region of said CAR binds to said antigen. In one embodiment, the antigen is selected from a cancer cell associated antigen, an infection-associated antigen and an auto-antigen. In one specific embodiment, the antigen is a cancer cell associated antigen associated with a solid tumor. In one specific embodiment, the antigen is prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA). In one specific embodiment, the antigen is an infection-associated antigen. In one specific embodiment, the antigen is an auto-antigen. In one specific embodiment, the antigen is CD19.
In another aspect is provided a method for stimulating elimination of a cell comprising PSMA in a subject in need thereof, said method comprising administering to the subject an effective amount of cytotoxic T cells or NK cells comprising the any of the above heterodimeric inactivatable CARs.
In another aspect, the invention provides a method for treating a cancer in a subject in need thereof, said method comprising administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of cytotoxic T cells or natural killer (NK) cells comprising a heterodimeric inactivatable chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) of the invention, wherein the extracellular target-binding region of said CAR binds to an antigen associated with said cancer. In one embodiment, the cancer is from a solid tumor (e.g., carcinoma, melanoma, prostate cancer, sarcoma, glioma, astrocytoma, medulloblastoma, craniopharyngioma, ependymoma, pinealoma, hemangioblastoma, acoustic neuroma, oligodendroglioma, menangioma, neuroblastoma, or retinoblastoma). In one embodiment, the cancer is a leukemia or a lymphoma.
In a related aspect is provided a method for treating prostate cancer in a subject in need thereof, said method comprising administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of cytotoxic T cells or natural killer (NK) cells comprising a heterodimeric inactivatable chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) of the invention.
In yet another aspect, the invention provides a method for treating an infection in a subject in need thereof, said method comprising administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of cytotoxic T cells or natural killer (NK) cells comprising a heterodimeric inactivatable chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) of the invention, wherein the extracellular target-binding region of said CAR binds to an antigen associated with said infection.
In yet another aspect, the invention provides a method for treating an inflammatory condition or an autoimmune disease in a subject in need thereof, said method comprising administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of T-helper cells or Treg cells comprising a heterodimeric inactivatable chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) of the invention, wherein the extracellular target-binding region of said CAR binds to an antigen associated with said inflammatory condition or an autoimmune disease. In one embodiment, the method results in reducing an immune response to a transplanted organ or tissue.
In one embodiment of any of the above methods involving administration to a subject, the method comprises:
a) isolating T cells or NK cells from the subject;
b) genetically modifying said T cells or NK cells ex vivo with any of the above nucleic acid molecules or vectors;
c) optionally, expanding and/or activating said T cells or NK cells before, after or during step (b); and
d) introducing the genetically modified T cells or NK cells into the subject.
In one embodiment, the method comprises
a) isolating T cells or NK cells from the subject;
b) genetically modifying said T cells or NK cells ex vivo with any of the above nucleic acid molecules or vectors;
c) optionally, expanding and/or activating said T cells or NK cells before, after or during step (b); and
d) introducing the genetically modified T cells or NK cells into the subject.
In one embodiment of any of the above methods involving administration to a subject, the method further comprises inhibiting the activity of the CAR by administering to the subject an effective amount of an inhibitory molecule, wherein the inhibitory molecule disrupts the heterodimer formed by the first and second member of the dimerization pair within the CAR resulting in inhibition of CAR-mediated signaling.
In one embodiment of any of the above methods involving administration to a subject, the subject is human.
In a further aspect, the invention provides a method for inhibiting the activity of a heterodimeric inactivatable chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) of the invention in a host cell, comprising contacting the host cell with an inhibitory molecule, wherein the inhibitory molecule disrupts the heterodimer formed by the first and second member of the dimerization pair within the CAR resulting in inhibition of CAR-mediated signaling.
In one embodiment of any of the methods involving an inhibitory molecule, the inhibitory molecule is a small molecule or a polypeptide.
In one embodiment of any of the methods involving an inhibitory molecule, the inhibitory molecule binds to the first or second member of the dimerization pair with higher affinity than the first and second member of the dimerization pair bind to each other.
In one embodiment of any of the methods involving an inhibitory molecule, the inhibitory molecule binds to the first member of the dimerization pair.
In one embodiment of any of the methods involving an inhibitory molecule, the inhibitory molecule binds to the second member of the dimerization pair.
In one embodiment of any of the methods involving an inhibitory molecule, the first or the second member of the dimerization pair comprises a BCL-xL sequence, a BCL-2 sequence, or a mutant of either and the inhibitory molecule is a BCL-xL and/or a BCL-2 inhibitor.
In one embodiment, the inhibitory molecule is navitoclax, A-1331852, A-1155463, venetoclax, ABT-199 (GDC-0199), obatoclax mesylate (GX15-070), HA14-1, ABT-737, TW-37, AT101, sabutoclax, gambogic acid, ARRY 520 trifluoroacetate, iMAC2, maritoclax, methylprednisolone, MIM1, ML 311, glossypol, BH3I-1, or 2-methoxy-antimycin A3). In one specific embodiment, the inhibitory molecule is A-1331852. In one specific embodiment, the inhibitory molecule is A-1155463. In one specific embodiment, the inhibitory molecule is venetoclax.
These and other aspects of the present invention will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in the following description, claims and drawings.
The patent or application file contains at least one drawing executed in color. Copies of this patent or patent application publication with color drawing(s) will be provided by the Office upon request and payment of the necessary fee.
The present invention is based on the development of heterodimeric inactivatable chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) (“OFF-switch CARs” or “OFF-CARs”) which effectively and selectively kill target cells (e.g., cancer cells) upon expression by engineered T cells and provide enhanced safety due to their ability to be inactivated by heterodimer-disrupting molecules. In one non-limiting embodiment, OFF-CAR comprises two polypeptide chains, wherein an extracellular target-binding domain (e.g., scFv) and intracellular signaling endodomain (ED) (e.g., CD3-zeta) are present on different polypeptide chains, and wherein the two chains heterodimerize via intracellular Protein A-Protein B domain interaction resulting in T-cell activation upon target (e.g., tumor antigen) binding. The addition of an inhibitor (e.g., a small molecule drug) which interacts with Protein A domain or Protein B domain with high affinity separates the chains thereby inhibiting CAR-mediated signaling. In certain embodiments, Protein A and Protein B domains are located at approximately equal distances from the cell membrane. See
By way of example, but not limitation, OFF-CAR Chain A can comprise a target-binding domain (e.g., a scFv binding to a tumor-specific antigen), followed by a linker, a transmembrane (TM) domain, one or more co-stimulatory endodomains (EDs) required for signal 2 of T cell activation (e.g., CD28, 4-1BB), and the Protein A domain (which can comprise sequences, e.g., as shown in
In a clinical setting, STOP-CARs may be a powerful tool to temporarily abrogate T-cell activity in the event of an adverse patient response, while not permanently eliminating the T-cells as is the case with previous safety designs incorporating a suicide switch.
The term “chimeric antigen receptor” or “CAR” as used herein is defined as a cell-surface receptor comprising an extracellular target-binding domain, a transmembrane domain and a cytoplasmic domain, comprising a lymphocyte activation domain and optionally at least one co-stimulatory signaling domain, all in a combination that is not naturally found together on a single protein. This particularly includes receptors wherein the extracellular domain and the cytoplasmic domain are not naturally found together on a single receptor protein. The chimeric antigen receptors of the present invention are intended primarily for use with lymphocytes such as T cells and natural killer (NK) cells.
The terms “T cell” and “T lymphocyte” are interchangeable and used synonymously herein. As used herein, T cells include thymocytes, naive T lymphocytes, immature T lymphocytes, mature T lymphocytes, resting T lymphocytes, or activated T lymphocytes. A T cell can be a T helper (Th) cell, for example a T helper 1 (Th1) or a T helper 2 (Th2) cell. The T cell can be a helper T cell (HTL; CD4+ T cell) CD4+ T cell, a cytotoxic T cell (CTL; CD8+ T cell), a tumor infiltrating cytotoxic T cell (TIL; CD8+ T cell), CD4+CD8+ T cell, or any other subset of T cells. Other illustrative populations of T cells suitable for use in particular embodiments include naive T cells and memory T cells. Also included are “NKT cells”, which refer to a specialized population of T cells that express a semi-invariant αβ T-cell receptor, but also express a variety of molecular markers that are typically associated with NK cells, such as NK1.1. NKT cells include NK1.1+ and NK1.1″, as well as CD4+, CD4″, CD8+ and CD8″ cells. The TCR on NKT cells is unique in that it recognizes glycolipid antigens presented by the MHC I-like molecule CD Id. NKT cells can have either protective or deleterious effects due to their abilities to produce cytokines that promote either inflammation or immune tolerance. Also included are “gamma-delta T cells (γδ T cells),” which refer to a specialized population that to a small subset of T cells possessing a distinct TCR on their surface, and unlike the majority of T cells in which the TCR is composed of two glycoprotein chains designated α- and β-TCR chains, the TCR in γδ T cells is made up of a γ-chain and a δ-chain. γδ T cells can play a role in immunosurveillance and immunoregulation, and were found to be an important source of IL-17 and to induce robust CD8+ cytotoxic T cell response. Also included are “regulatory T cells” or “Tregs”, which refer to T cells that suppress an abnormal or excessive immune response and play a role in immune tolerance. Tregs are typically transcription factor Foxp3-positive CD4+T cells and can also include transcription factor Foxp3-negative regulatory T cells that are IL-10-producing CD4+T cells.
As used herein, the term “antigen” refers to any agent (e.g., protein, peptide, polysaccharide, glycoprotein, glycolipid, nucleic acid, portions thereof, or combinations thereof) or molecule capable of being bound by a T-cell receptor. An antigen is also able to provoke an immune response. An example of an immune response may involve, without limitation, antibody production, or the activation of specific immunologically competent cells, or both. A skilled artisan will understand that an antigen need not be encoded by a “gene” at all. It is readily apparent that an antigen can be generated synthesized or can be derived from a biological sample, or might be macromolecule besides a polypeptide. Such a biological sample can include, but is not limited to, a tissue sample, a tumor sample, a cell or a fluid with other biological components, organisms, subunits of proteins/antigens, killed or inactivated whole cells or lysates.
The term “tumor-targeting moiety” refers to a target-specific binding element that may be any ligand that binds to the antigen of interest or a polypeptide or fragment thereof, wherein the ligand is either naturally derived or synthetic. Examples of tumor-targeting moieties include, but are not limited to, antibodies; polypeptides derived from antibodies, such as, for example, single chain variable fragments (scFv), Fab, Fab′, F(ab′)2, and Fv fragments; polypeptides derived from T Cell receptors, such as, for example, TCR variable domains; secreted factors (e.g., cytokines, growth factors) that can be artificially fused to signaling domains (e.g., “zytokines”); and any ligand or receptor fragment (e.g., CD27, NKG2D) that binds to the antigen of interest. Combinatorial libraries could also be used to identify peptides binding with high affinity to the therapeutic target.
Host cells of the present invention include T cells and natural killer cells that contain the DNA or RNA sequences encoding the CAR and express the CAR on the cell surface. Host cells may be used for enhancing T cell activity, natural killer cell activity, treatment of cancer, and treatment of autoimmune disease.
The terms “activation” or “stimulation” means to induce a change in their biologic state by which the cells (e.g., T cells and NK cells) express activation markers, produce cytokines, proliferate and/or become cytotoxic to target cells. All these changes can be produced by primary stimulatory signals. Co-stimulatory signals can amplify the magnitude of the primary signals and suppress cell death following initial stimulation resulting in a more durable activation state and thus a higher cytotoxic capacity. A “co-stimulatory signal” refers to a signal, which in combination with a primary signal, such as TCR/CD3 ligation, leads to T cell and/or NK cell proliferation and/or upregulation or downregulation of key molecules.
The term “proliferation” refers to an increase in cell division, either symmetric or asymmetric division of cells. The term “expansion” refers to the outcome of cell division and cell death.
The term “linker”, “linker region”, “hinge” or “linker domain” as used herein generally means any oligo- or polypeptide that functions to link the antigen-binding moiety to the transmembrane domain.
The term “differentiation” refers to a method of decreasing the potency or proliferation of a cell or moving the cell to a more developmentally restricted state.
The terms “express” and “expression” mean allowing or causing the information in a gene or DNA sequence to become produced, for example producing a protein by activating the cellular functions involved in transcription and translation of a corresponding gene or DNA sequence. A DNA sequence is expressed in or by a cell to form an “expression product” such as a protein. The expression product itself, e.g., the resulting protein, may also be said to be “expressed” by the cell. An expression product can be characterized as intracellular, extracellular or transmembrane.
The term “transfection” means the introduction of a “foreign” (i.e., extrinsic or extracellular) nucleic acid into a cell using recombinant DNA technology. The term “genetic modification” means the introduction of a “foreign” (i.e., extrinsic or extracellular) gene, DNA or RNA sequence to a host cell, so that the host cell will express the introduced gene or sequence to produce a desired substance, typically a protein or enzyme coded by the introduced gene or sequence. The introduced gene or sequence may also be called a “cloned” or “foreign” gene or sequence, may include regulatory or control sequences operably linked to polynucleotide encoding the chimeric antigen receptor, such as start, stop, promoter, signal, secretion, or other sequences used by a cell's genetic machinery. The gene or sequence may include nonfunctional sequences or sequences with no known function. A host cell that receives and expresses introduced DNA or RNA has been “genetically engineered.” The DNA or RNA introduced to a host cell can come from any source, including cells of the same genus or species as the host cell, or from a different genus or species.
The term “transduction” means the introduction of a foreign nucleic acid into a cell using a viral vector.
The terms “genetically modified” or “genetically engineered” refers to the addition of extra genetic material in the form of DNA or RNA into a cell.
As used herein, the term “derivative” in the context of proteins or polypeptides (e.g., CAR constructs or domains thereof) refer to: (a) a polypeptide that has at least 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 98% or 99% sequence identity to the polypeptide it is a derivative of, (b) a polypeptide encoded by a nucleotide sequence that has at least 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 98% or 99% sequence identity to a nucleotide sequence encoding the polypeptide it is a derivative of, (c) a polypeptide that contains 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 or more amino acid mutations (i.e., additions, deletions and/or substitutions) relative to the polypeptide it is a derivative of, (d) a polypeptide encoded by nucleic acids can hybridize under high, moderate or typical stringency hybridization conditions to nucleic acids encoding the polypeptide it is a derivative of, (e) a polypeptide encoded by a nucleotide sequence that can hybridize under high, moderate or typical stringency hybridization conditions to a nucleotide sequence encoding a fragment of the polypeptide, it is a derivative of, of at least 20 contiguous amino acids, at least 30 contiguous amino acids, at least 40 contiguous amino acids, at least 50 contiguous amino acids, at least 75 contiguous amino acids, at least 100 contiguous amino acids, at least 125 contiguous amino acids, or at least 150 contiguous amino acids; or (f) a fragment of the polypeptide it is a derivative of.
Percent sequence identity can be determined using any method known to one of skill in the art. In a specific embodiment, the percent identity is determined using the “Best Fit” or “Gap” program of the Sequence Analysis Software Package (Version 10; Genetics Computer Group, Inc., University of Wisconsin Biotechnology Center, Madison, Wis.). Information regarding hybridization conditions (e.g., high, moderate, and typical stringency conditions) have been described, see, e.g., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2005/0048549 (e.g., paragraphs 72-73).
The terms “vector”, “cloning vector” and “expression vector” mean the vehicle by which a DNA or RNA sequence (e.g., a foreign gene) can be introduced into a host cell, so as to genetically modify the host and promote expression (e.g., transcription and translation) of the introduced sequence. Vectors include plasmids, synthesized RNA and DNA molecules, phages, viruses, etc. In certain embodiments, the vector is a viral vector such as, but not limited to, viral vector is an adenoviral, adeno-associated, alphaviral, herpes, lentiviral, retroviral, or vaccinia vector.
The terms “treat” or “treatment” of a state, disorder or condition include: (1) preventing, delaying, or reducing the incidence and/or likelihood of the appearance of at least one clinical or sub-clinical symptom of the state, disorder or condition developing in a subject that may be afflicted with or predisposed to the state, disorder or condition, but does not yet experience or display clinical or subclinical symptoms of the state, disorder or condition; or (2) inhibiting the state, disorder or condition, i.e., arresting, reducing or delaying the development of the disease or a relapse thereof or at least one clinical or sub-clinical symptom thereof; or (3) relieving the disease, i.e., causing regression of the state, disorder or condition or at least one of its clinical or sub-clinical symptoms. The benefit to a subject to be treated is either statistically significant or at least perceptible to the patient or to the physician.
The term “effective” applied to dose or amount refers to that quantity of a compound or pharmaceutical composition that is sufficient to result in a desired activity upon administration to a subject in need thereof. Note that when a combination of active ingredients is administered, the effective amount of the combination may or may not include amounts of each ingredient that would have been effective if administered individually. The exact amount required will vary from subject to subject, depending on the species, age, and general condition of the subject, the severity of the condition being treated, the particular drug or drugs employed, the mode of administration, and the like.
The phrase “pharmaceutically acceptable”, as used in connection with compositions described herein, refers to molecular entities and other ingredients of such compositions that are physiologically tolerable and do not typically produce untoward reactions when administered to a mammal (e.g., a human). Preferably, the term “pharmaceutically acceptable” means approved by a regulatory agency of the Federal or a state government or listed in the U.S. Pharmacopeia or other generally recognized pharmacopeia for use in mammals, and more particularly in humans.
The terms “patient”, “individual”, “subject”, and “animal” are used interchangeably herein and refer to mammals, including, without limitation, human and veterinary animals (e.g., cats, dogs, cows, horses, sheep, pigs, etc.) and experimental animal models. In a preferred embodiment, the subject is a human.
The term “carrier” refers to a diluent, adjuvant, excipient, or vehicle with which the compound is administered. Such pharmaceutical carriers can be sterile liquids, such as water and oils, including those of petroleum, animal, vegetable or synthetic origin, such as peanut oil, soybean oil, mineral oil, sesame oil and the like. Water or aqueous solution saline solutions and aqueous dextrose and glycerol solutions are preferably employed as carriers, particularly for injectable solutions. Alternatively, the carrier can be a solid dosage form carrier, including but not limited to one or more of a binder (for compressed pills), a glidant, an encapsulating agent, a flavorant, and a colorant. Suitable pharmaceutical carriers are described in “Remington's Pharmaceutical Sciences” by E. W. Martin.
By “enhance” or “promote,” or “increase” or “expand” or “improve” refers generally to the ability of a composition contemplated herein to produce, elicit, or cause a greater physiological response (i.e., downstream effects) compared to the response caused by either vehicle or a control molecule/composition. A measurable physiological response may include an increase in T cell expansion, activation, effector function, persistence, and/or an increase in cancer cell death killing ability, among others apparent from the understanding in the art and the description herein. In certain embodiments, an “increased” or “enhanced” amount can be a “statistically significant” amount, and may include an increase that is 1.1, 1.2, 1.5, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 15, 20, 30 or more times (e.g., 500, 1000 times) (including all integers and decimal points in between and above 1, e.g., 1.5, 1.6, 1.7. 1.8, etc.) the response produced by vehicle or a control composition.
By “decrease” or “lower,” or “lessen,” or “reduce,” or “abate” refers generally to the ability of composition contemplated herein to produce, elicit, or cause a lesser physiological response (i.e., downstream effects) compared to the response caused by either vehicle or a control molecule/composition. In certain embodiments, a “decrease” or “reduced” amount can be a “statistically significant” amount, and may include a decrease that is 1.1, 1.2, 1.5, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 15, 20, 30 or more times (e.g., 500, 1000 times) (including all integers and decimal points in between and above 1, e.g., 1.5, 1.6, 1.7. 1.8, etc.) the response (reference response) produced by vehicle, a control composition, or the response in a particular cell lineage.
The terms “treat” or “treatment” of a state, disorder or condition include: (1) preventing, delaying, or reducing the incidence and/or likelihood of the appearance of at least one clinical or sub-clinical symptom of the state, disorder or condition developing in a subject that may be afflicted with or predisposed to the state, disorder or condition, but does not yet experience or display clinical or subclinical symptoms of the state, disorder or condition; or (2) inhibiting the state, disorder or condition, i.e., arresting, reducing or delaying the development of the disease or a relapse thereof or at least one clinical or sub-clinical symptom thereof; or (3) relieving the disease, i.e., causing regression of the state, disorder or condition or at least one of its clinical or sub-clinical symptoms. The benefit to a subject to be treated is either statistically significant or at least perceptible to the patient or to the physician.
The term “effective” applied to dose or amount refers to that quantity of a compound or pharmaceutical composition that is sufficient to result in a desired activity upon administration to a subject in need thereof. Note that when a combination of active ingredients is administered, the effective amount of the combination may or may not include amounts of each ingredient that would have been effective if administered individually. The exact amount required will vary from subject to subject, depending on the species, age, and general condition of the subject, the severity of the condition being treated, the particular drug or drugs employed, the mode of administration, and the like.
The phrase “pharmaceutically acceptable”, as used in connection with compositions described herein, refers to molecular entities and other ingredients of such compositions that are physiologically tolerable and do not typically produce untoward reactions when administered to a mammal (e.g., a human). Preferably, the term “pharmaceutically acceptable” means approved by a regulatory agency of the Federal or a state government or listed in the U.S. Pharmacopeia or other generally recognized pharmacopeia for use in mammals, and more particularly in humans.
The term “protein” is used herein encompasses all kinds of naturally occurring and synthetic proteins, including protein fragments of all lengths, fusion proteins and modified proteins, including without limitation, glycoproteins, as well as all other types of modified proteins (e.g., proteins resulting from phosphorylation, acetylation, myristoylation, palmitoylation, glycosylation, oxidation, formylation, amidation, polyglutamylation, ADP-ribosylation, pegylation, biotinylation, etc.).
The terms “nucleic acid”, “nucleotide”, and “polynucleotide” encompass both DNA and RNA unless specified otherwise. By a “nucleic acid sequence” or “nucleotide sequence” is meant the nucleic acid sequence encoding an amino acid, the term may also refer to the nucleic acid sequence including the portion coding for any amino acids added as an artifact of cloning, including any amino acids coded for by linkers
Singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, a reference to “a method” includes one or more methods, and/or steps of the type described herein and/or which will become apparent to those persons skilled in the art upon reading this disclosure.
The term “about” or “approximately” includes being within a statistically meaningful range of a value. Such a range can be within an order of magnitude, preferably within 50%, more preferably within 20%, still more preferably within 10%, and even more preferably within 5% of a given value or range. The allowable variation encompassed by the term “about” or “approximately” depends on the particular system under study, and can be readily appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art.
The practice of the present invention employs, unless otherwise indicated, conventional techniques of statistical analysis, molecular biology (including recombinant techniques), microbiology, cell biology, and biochemistry, which are within the skill of the art. Such tools and techniques are described in detail in e.g., Sambrook et al. (2001) Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual. 3rd ed. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press: Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.; Ausubel et al. eds. (2005) Current Protocols in Molecular Biology. John Wiley and Sons, Inc.: Hoboken, N.J.; Bonifacino et al. eds. (2005) Current Protocols in Cell Biology. John Wiley and Sons, Inc.: Hoboken, N.J.; Coligan et al. eds. (2005) Current Protocols in Immunology, John Wiley and Sons, Inc.: Hoboken, N.J.; Coico et al. eds. (2005) Current Protocols in Microbiology, John Wiley and Sons, Inc.: Hoboken, N.J.; Coligan et al. eds. (2005) Current Protocols in Protein Science, John Wiley and Sons, Inc.: Hoboken, N.J.; and Enna et al. eds. (2005) Current Protocols in Pharmacology, John Wiley and Sons, Inc.: Hoboken, N.J.
The technology illustratively described herein suitably may be practiced in the absence of any element(s) not specifically disclosed herein.
The terms and expressions which have been employed are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and use of such terms and expressions do not exclude any equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the technology claimed.
In one aspect is provided a heterodimeric inactivatable chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) that comprises a first polypeptide chain and a second polypeptide chain. The first polypeptide chain comprises: i) an extracellular target-binding region; ii) a first transmembrane (TM) region; iii) a first co-stimulatory endodomain (ED), and iv) a first member of a dimerization pair. The second polypeptide chain comprises: i) a second transmembrane (TM) region; ii) optionally, a second co-stimulatory endodomain (ED); iii) a second member of a dimerization pair; and iv) an intracellular signaling endodomain (ED). The first and second member of the dimerization pair form a heterodimer.
The second polypeptide chain of the CAR may comprise an extracellular region which does not comprise the target-binding capacity.
The first polypeptide chain of the CAR may not comprise an intracellular signaling endodomain (ED).
Without wishing to be bound by theory, neither the first polypeptide chain nor the second polypeptide chains, as individual monomers, would be sufficient to stimulate a T cell or Natural Killer (NK) cell response. However, if the first polypeptide chain and the second polypeptide chain are associated with one another, the signal would propagate. Throughout the application are described embodiments in which the association of the first and second polypeptide chains are regulated, such as by drugs that disrupt the interaction. Such drugs can be administered to a patient to turn off the CAR response, or to otherwise tune the response.
In another aspect is provided a heterodimeric inactivatable chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) that comprises a first polypeptide chain and a second polypeptide chain. In certain embodiments, the first polypeptide chain consists essentially of, in the direction from the N terminus to the C terminus: i) an extracellular target-binding region; ii) a first linker region; iii) a first transmembrane (TM) region; iv) a first co-stimulatory endodomain (ED), and v) a first member of a dimerization pair. In certain embodiments, the second polypeptide chain consists essentially of, in the direction from the N terminus to the C terminus: i) an extracellular region which does not comprise the target-binding capacity; ii) a second linker region; iii) a second transmembrane (TM) region; iv) a second co-stimulatory endodomain (ED); v) a second member of the dimerization pair; and vi) an intracellular signaling endodomain (ED). The first and second member of the dimerization pair form a heterodimer. In certain embodiments, the first polypeptide chain does not comprise an intracellular signaling endodomain (ED).
In either of the above aspects, the first and second member of the dimerization pair may be derived from proteins that do not natively interact in vivo.
In either of the above aspects, the heterodimer formed by the first and second member of the dimerization pair can be disrupted by an inhibitory molecule. The disruption can result in inhibition of CAR-mediated signaling. In certain embodiments, the inhibitory molecule can be a small molecule. In certain embodiments, the inhibitory molecule can be a polypeptide.
The inhibitory molecule may bind to the first or second member of the dimerization pair with a higher affinity than the first and second member of the dimerization pair bind to each other.
The first polypeptide chain may comprise a linker region interposed between the extracellular target-binding region and the first transmembrane (TM) region. The second polypeptide chain may comprise a linker region interposed between the extracellular region and the second transmembrane (TM) region. The linker region may be an immunoglobulin hinge region. The linker region may be derived from CD8 or CD8α. In certain embodiments, the linker region may be SEQ ID NO: 9). Linker regions are described in greater detail below.
The extracellular target-binding region may be an antigen-binding polypeptide, a receptor, or a natural ligand for a target cell antigen or receptor. The extracellular target-binding region may be an antigen-binding polypeptide. Exemplary antigen-binding polypeptides include, but are not limited to, antibodies and antibody fragments. For example, the antigen-binding polypeptide can be a murine antibody, a rabbit antibody, a human antibody, a humanized antibody, a single chain variable fragment (scFv), a camelid antibody variable domain, a humanized version of a camelid antibody variable domain, a shark antibody variable domain, a humanized version of a shark antibody variable domain, a single domain antibody variable domain, a nanobody (VHHs), and a camelized antibody variable domain.
The antigen recognized by the antigen-binding polypeptide may be a cancer cell associated antigen, an infection-associated antigen, or an auto-antigen. The cancer cell associated antigen may be associated with a solid tumor. In certain embodiments, the cancer cell associated antigen is PSMA. In certain embodiments, the cancer cell associated antigen is CD19.
In some embodiments, the antigen recognized by the antigen-binding polypeptide is selected from CD19, CD20, CD38, CD30, Her2/neu, ERBB2, CA125, MUC-1, PSMA, PSA, CD44 surface adhesion molecule, mesothelin, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), CEACAM5, CEACAM6, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), EGFRvIII, vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR2), high molecular weight-melanoma associated antigen (HMW-MAA), MAGE-A1, IL-13R-a2, GD2, carbonic anhydrase EX, alpha-fetoprotein, A3, antigen specific for A33 antibody, Ba 733, BrE3-antigen, CA125, CD1, CDIa, CD3, CD5, CD15, CD16, CD19, CD20, CD21, CD22, CD23, CD25, CD30, CD33, CD38, CD45, CD74, CD79a, CD80, CD 138, colon-specific antigen-p (CSAp), CSAp, EGP-I, EGP-2, Ep-CAM, FIt-I, Flt-3, folate receptor, HLA-DR, human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) and its subunits, hypoxia inducible factor (HIF-I), Ia, IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, insulin growth factor-1 (IGF-I), KC4-antigen, KS-1-antigen, KS1-4, Le-Y, macrophage inhibition factor (MIF), MAGE, MUC1, MUC2, MUC3, MUC4, NCA66, NCA95, NCA90, tyrosinase, PRAME, EBNA, KLK3, HPV E7, LMP2, NY-ESO-1, PAP, reverse transcriptase, nucleophosmin, PRTN3/ELANE, CT83/KKLC1, MUC16, DNTT, antigen specific for PAM-4 antibody, placental growth factor, p53, prostatic acid phosphatase, RS5, S1OO, TAC, TAG-72, tenascin, TRAIL receptors, Tn antigen, Thomson-Friedenreich antigens, tumor necrosis antigens, VEGF, ED-B fibronectin, 17-A-antigen, NeuGcGM3, N-glycolyl GM3 ganglioside, NeuGcGM3, N-glycolyl GM3 ganglioside, Neu5Gc, GM3-Ganglioside, GD3, GM2, carbohydrate antigens, ganglioside antigens, Lewis Y, Lewis B, CD123 or Kappa chain of immunoglobulin. In certain embodiments, the antigen recognized by the antigen-binding polypeptide is PSMA. In certain embodiments, the PSMA antigen-binding polypeptide is SEQ ID NO: 6. In certain embodiments, the antigen recognized by the antigen-binding polypeptide is CD19. In certain embodiments, the CD19 antigen-binding polypeptide is SEQ ID NO: 49. In certain embodiments, antigen recognized by the antigen-binding polypeptide is NeuGcGM3. In certain embodiments, the NeuGcGM3 antigen-binding polypeptide is SEQ ID NO: 44-48 or 50-63.
The antigen recognized by the antigen-binding polypeptide may be PSMA. PSMA is a type II membrane protein originally characterized by the murine monoclonal antibody (mAb) 7E11-C5.3 and is expressed in all forms of prostate tissue, including carcinoma. PSMA helps fuel the development of prostate cancer cells. Indeed, prostate cancer cells have high levels of PSMA.
The antigen recognized by the antigen-binding polypeptide may be CD19. The human CD19 antigen is a95 kD transmembrane glycoprotein belonging to the immunoglobulin superfamily. CD19 is classified as a type I transmembrane protein, with a single transmembrane domain, a cytoplasmic C-terminus, and extracellular N-terminus. CD19 is a biomarker for normal and neoplastic B cells, as well as follicular dendritic cells. CD19 is involved in establishing intrinsic B cell signaling thresholds through modulating both B cell receptor-dependent and independent signaling. CD19 can function as a dominant signaling component of a multimolecular complex on the surface of mature B cells, alongside complement receptor CD21, and the tetraspanin membrane protein CD81 (TAPA-1), as well as CD225. Without wishing to be bound by theory, through study of CD19 transgenic and knockout mouse models, CD19 can play a role in maintaining the balance between humoral, antigen-induced response and tolerance induction.
Since CD19 is a marker of B cells, CD19 has been used to diagnose cancers that arise from B cells, notably B cell lymphomas, acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Leukemia & Lymphoma, 1995, 18(5-6):385-397. The majority of B cell malignancies express normal to high levels of CD19. The most current experimental anti-CD19 immunotoxins in development work by exploiting the widespread presence of CD19 on B cells, with expression highly conserved in most neoplastic B cells, to direct treatment specifically towards B-cell cancers. Arthritis Res. & Ther., 2012, 14 Suppl. 5 (5):S1 and Nature Reviews Rheumatology, 2011, 7(3):170-178. However, it is now emerging that the protein plays an active role in driving the growth of these cancers, most intriguingly by stabilizing the concentrations of the MYC oncoprotein. This suggests that CD19 and its downstream signaling may be a more attractive therapeutic target than initially suspected. Journ. Clin. Invest., 2012, 122(6):2257-66 and J. Immunol., 2012, 189(5):2318-25. The targeting of CD19, a cell surface molecule expressed in the vast majority of leukemias and lymphomas, has been successfully translated in the clinic. (Mol. Ther. 2017 May 3; 25(5):1117-1124. doi: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2017.03.034. Epub 2017 Apr. 26. Chimeric Antigen Receptors: A Cell and Gene Therapy Perspective. Riviére I1, Sadelain M2.).
CD19-targeted therapies based on T cells that express CD19-specific chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) have been utilized for their antitumor abilities in patients with CD19+ lymphoma and leukemia, first against Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma (NHL), then against CLL in 2011, and then against ALL in 2013. Leukemia & Lymphoma, 1995, 18(5-6):385-397; New England J. Med., 2011, 365(8):725-33; Cell, 2017, 171(7):1471; and Clinical Trial Number NCT01493453 at clinicaltrials.gov. Two CD-19-CAR T therapies have been approved: Gilead Sciences' Yescarta (axicabtagene ciloleucel, KTE-C19) for third line or later (3L+) large B-cell lymphoma and Novartis' Kymriah (tisagenlecleucel, CTL019) for acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). CAR-19 T cells are genetically modified T cells that express a targeting moiety on their surface that confers T cell receptor (TCR) specificity towards CD19+ cells. CD19 activates the TCR signaling cascade that leads to proliferation, cytokine production, and ultimately lysis of the target cells, which in this case are CD19+ B cells. CAR-19 T cells are more effective than anti-CD19 immunotoxins because they can proliferate and remain in the body for a longer period of time.
The extracellular target-binding region may be a natural ligand for a target cell antigen or receptor.
The natural ligand for a target cell antigen or receptor may be an NKG2D ectodomain.
The extracellular target-binding region may be a T-cell receptor (TCR) based recognition domain.
The TCR based recognition domain may be a single chain TCR.
The first and/or second transmembrane (TM) region may be derived from CD8, CD8α, CD4, CD3-zeta, CD3-epsilon, CD28, CD45, CD4, CD5, CD7, CD9, CD16, CD22, CD33, CD37, CD40, CD64, CD80, CD86, CD134 (OX-40), CD137, CD154, DAP10, or DAP12. The first and second transmembrane (TM) regions of the first and second polypeptide may be the same. The first and second transmembrane (TM) regions of the first and second polypeptide may be different. In some embodiments, the first and second transmembrane (TM) regions are derived from CD28. In certain embodiments, the transmembrane domain may be SED ID NO: 10.
The extracellular region which does not comprise the target-binding capacity may be a stabilizing domain.
In some embodiments, the extracellular region which does not comprise the target-binding capacity is derived from DAP10. Examples of extracellular regions derived from DAP10 include, but are not limited to, the DAP10 ectodomain, and the transmembrane domain. The DAP12 extracellular region derived from the DAP12 ectodomain may comprise the sequence of SEQ ID NO: 8. In some embodiments, the extracellular region which does not comprise the target-binding capacity is derived from DAP12. Examples of extracellular regions derived from DAP12 include, but are not limited to, the DAP12 ectodomain, and the transmembrane domain. The DAP12 extracellular region derived from the DAP12 ectodomain may comprise the sequence of GVLAGIVMGDLVLTVLIALAV (SEQ ID NO: 74). The DAP12 extracellular region derived from the DAP12 transmembrane domain may comprise the amino acid sequence of LRPVQAQAQSDCSCSTVSP (SEQ ID NO: 75).
The first and/or second co-stimulatory endodomain (ED) of the CAR may be derived from 4-1BB (CD137), CD28, ICOS, CD134 (OX-40), BTLA, CD27, CD30, GITR, CD226, or HVEM. In some embodiments, the first co-stimulatory endodomains (ED) is derived from CD28. In some embodiments, the second co-stimulatory ED is derived from CD28. In some embodiments, the first and/or second co-stimulatory EDs are derived from CD28. In certain embodiments, the co-stimulatory ED may be SEQ ID NO: 11.
The intracellular signaling ED of the CAR is derived from DAP10, DAP12, Fc epsilon receptor I gamma chain (FCER1G), FcR beta CD3-delta, CD3-epsilon, CD3-gamma, CD3-zeta, CD226, CD66d, CD79A, or CD79B. In some embodiments, the intracellular signaling endodomain (ED) is derived from CD3-zeta. In certain embodiments, the intracellular signaling ED may be SEQ ID NO: 7.
In some embodiments, the first and/or second polypeptide chain further comprises one or more additional polypeptide sequences. Exemplary additional polypeptide sequences include, but are not limited to, additional co-stimulatory endodomains (EDs), signal sequences, epitope tags, and polypeptides that produce a detectable signal. In some embodiments, the signal sequence is CD8a. In some embodiments, the epitope tag is cMyc.
In some embodiments, the first member of the dimerization pair of the CAR comprises the sequence at least 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or 100% identical to
In some embodiments, the first member of the dimerization pair of the CAR comprises the sequence at least 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or 100% identical to
In some embodiments, the first member of the dimerization pair of the CAR comprises the sequence at least 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or 100% identical to
In some embodiments, the first member of the dimerization pair of the CAR comprises the sequence at least 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or 100% identical to
In some embodiments, the first member of the dimerization pair of the CAR comprises the sequence at least 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or 100% identical to
In some embodiments, the second member of the dimerization pair of the CAR comprises the sequence at least 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or 100% identical to
In some embodiments, the second member of the dimerization pair of the CAR comprises the sequence at least 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or 100% identical to
In some embodiments, the second member of the dimerization pair of the CAR comprises the sequence at least 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or 100% identical to
In some embodiments, the second member of the dimerization pair of the CAR comprises the sequence at least 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or 100% identical to
In some embodiments, the second member of the dimerization pair of the CAR comprises the sequence at least 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or 100% identical to
In some embodiments, the extracellular target-binding region of the CAR comprises the sequence at least 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or 100% identical to
In some embodiments, the extracellular target-binding region of the CAR comprises the sequence at least 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or 100% identical to
In some embodiments, the intracellular signaling ED of the CAR comprises the sequence at least 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or 100% identical to
In some embodiments, the extracellular target-binding region of the CAR comprises the sequence
In some embodiments, the intracellular signaling ED of the CAR comprises the sequence at least 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or 100% identical to
In some embodiments, the extracellular region which does not comprise the target-binding capacity comprises the sequence at least 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or 100% identical to
In some embodiments, the extracellular region which does not comprise the target-binding capacity comprises the sequence at least 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or 100% identical to SEQ ID NO: 74 or SEQ ID NO: 75.
In some embodiments, the first and/or second linker region comprises the sequence at least 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or 100% identical to
In some embodiments, the first and/or second transmembrane (TM) region comprises the sequence at least 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or 100% identical to
In some embodiments, the first and/or second co-stimulatory endodomain (ED) comprises the sequence at least 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or 100% identical to
In some embodiments, the first polypeptide chain comprises, consists of, or consists essentially of the sequence at least 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or 100% identical to SEQ ID NO: 12, 76, 77, 109-112, or 134-146.
In some embodiments, the second polypeptide chain comprises, consists of, or consists essentially of the sequence at least 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or 100% identical to SEQ ID NO: 13, 79-81, 113-117, or 147-157.
In one aspect, the inactivatable chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) comprises: a) a first polypeptide chain comprises, consists of, or consists essentially of the sequence at least 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or 100% identical to any one of SEQ ID Nos: 12, 76, 77, 109-112, or 134-146, and b) a second polypeptide chain comprises, consists of, or consists essentially of the sequence at least 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or 100% identical to any one of SEQ ID Nos: 13, 79, 80, 81, 113-117, 147-156.
In another aspect is provided a heterodimeric inactivatable CAR comprising:
a) a first polypeptide chain comprising, consisting of, or consisting essentially of, the sequence at least 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or 100% identical to MALPVTALLLPLALLLHAARPVQLQQSGPELVKPGTSVRISCKTSGYTFTEYTIHWV KQSHGKSLEWIGNINPNNGGTTYNQKFEDKATLTVDKSSSTAYMELRSLTSEDSAVY YCAAGWNFDYWGQGTTVTVSSGGGGSGGGGSGGGGSDIVMTQSHKFMSTSVGDR VSIICKASQDVGTAVDWYQQKPGQSPKLLIYWASTRHTGVPDRFTGSGSGTDFTLTIT NVQSEDLADYFCQQYNSYPLTFGAGTMLDLKRASTTTPAPRPPTPAPTIASQPLSLRP EACRPAAGGAVHTRGLDFACDFWVLVVVGGVLACYSLLVTVAFIIFWVRSKRSRLL HSDYMNMTPRRPGPTRKHYQPYAPPRDFAAYRSHMGGGGSGGGGSGGGGSQRWE LALGRFLEYLSWVSTLSEQVQEELLSSQVTQELRALMDETMKELKAYKSELEEQLTP VAEETRARLSKELQAAQARLGADMEDVRGRLVQYRGEVQAMLGQSTEELRVRLAS HLIALQLRLIGDAFDLQKRLAVYQAGAAERKRRSGSGRSGSGEGRGSLLTCGDVEEN PGP (SEQ ID NO: 82), wherein the anti-PSMA domain can be replaced with any extracellular target-binding region of interest including those as disclosed herein, and
b) a second polypeptide chain comprising, consisting of, or consisting essentially of the sequence at least 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or 100% identical to
In another aspect is provided a heterodimeric inactivatable CAR comprising:
a) a first polypeptide chain comprising, consisting of, or consisting essentially of the sequence at least 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or 100% identical to MALPVTALLLPLALLLHAARPVQLQQSGPELVKPGTSVRISCKTSGYTFTEYTIHWV KQSHGKSLEWIGNINPNNGGTTYNQKFEDKATLTVDKSSSTAYMELRSLTSEDSAVY YCAAGWNFDYWGQGTTVTVSSGGGGSGGGGSGGGGSDIVMTQSHKFMSTSVGDR VSIICKASQDVGTAVDWYQQKPGQSPKLLIYWASTRHTGVPDRFTGSGSGTDFTLTIT NVQSEDLADYFCQQYNSYPLTFGAGTMLDLKRASTTTPAPRPPTPAPTIASQPLSLRP EACRPAAGGAVHTRGLDFACDFWVLVVVGGVLACYSLLVTVAFIIFWVRSKRSRLL HSDYMNMTPRRPGPTRKHYQPYAPPRDFAAYRSHMGGGGSGGGGSGGGGSQRWE LALGRFLEYLSWVSTLSEQVQEELLSSQVTQELRALMDETMKELKAYKSELEEQLTP VAEETRARLSKELQAAQARLGADMEDVRGRLVQYRGEVQAMLGQSTEELRVRLAS HLIALQLRLIGDAFDLQKRLAVYQAGAAERKRRSGSGRSGSGEGRGSLLTCGDVEEN PGP (SEQ ID NO: 84), wherein the anti-PSMA domain can be replaced with any extracellular target-binding region of interest including those as disclosed herein, and
b) a second polypeptide chain comprising, consisting of, or consisting essentially of the sequence at least 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or 100% identical to
In another aspect is provided a heterodimeric inactivatable CAR comprising:
a) a first polypeptide chain comprising, consisting of, or consisting essentially of the sequence at least 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or 100% identical to MALPVTALLLPLALLLHAARPVQLQQSGPELVKPGTSVRISCKTSGYTFTEYTIHWV KQSHGKSLEWIGNINPNNGGTTYNQKFEDKATLTVDKSSSTAYMELRSLTSEDSAVY YCAAGWNFDYWGQGTTVTVSSGGGGSGGGGSGGGGSDIVMTQSHKFMSTSVGDR VSIICKASQDVGTAVDWYQQKPGQSPKLLIYWASTRHTGVPDRFTGSGSGTDFTLTIT NVQSEDLADYFCQQYNSYPLTFGAGTMLDLKRASTTTPAPRPPTPAPTIASQPLSLRP EACRPAAGGAVHTRGLDFACDFWVLVVVGGVLACYSLLVTVAFIIFWVRSKRSRLL HSDYMNMTPRRPGPTRKHYQPYAPPRDFAAYRSHMGGGGSGGGGSGGGGSQRWE LALGRFLEYLSWVSTLSEQVQEELLSSQVTQELRALMDETMKELKAYKSELEEQLTP VAEETRARLSKELQAAQARLGADMEDVRGRLVQYRGEVQAMLGQSTEELRVRLAS HLIALQLRLIGDAFDLQKRLAVYQAGAAERKRRSGSGRSGSGEGRGSLLTCGDVEEN PGP (SEQ ID NO: 86), wherein the anti-PSMA domain can be replaced with any extracellular target-binding region of interest including those as disclosed herein, and
b) a second polypeptide chain comprising, consisting of, or consisting essentially of the sequence at least 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or 100% identical to
In another aspect is provided a heterodimeric inactivatable CAR comprising:
a) a first polypeptide chain comprising, consisting of, or consisting essentially of the sequence at least 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or 100% identical to MALPVTALLLPLALLLHAARPVQLQQSGPELVKPGTSVRISCKTSGYTFTEYTIHWV KQSHGKSLEWIGNINPNNGGTTYNQKFEDKATLTVDKSSSTAYMELRSLTSEDSAVY YCAAGWNFDYWGQGTTVTVSSGGGGSGGGGSGGGGSDIVMTQSHKFMSTSVGDR VSIICKASQDVGTAVDWYQQKPGQSPKLLIYWASTRHTGVPDRFTGSGSGTDFTLTIT NVQSEDLADYFCQQYNSYPLTFGAGTMLDLKRASTTTPAPRPPTPAPTIASQPLSLRP EACRPAAGGAVHTRGLDFACDFWVLVVVGGVLACYSLLVTVAFIIFWVRSKRSRLL HSDYMNMTPRRPGPTRKHYQPYAPPRDFAAYRSHMGGGGSGGGGSGGGGSQRWE LALGRFLEYLSWVSTLSEQVQEELLSSQVTQELRALMDETMKELKAYKSELEEQLTP VAEETRARLSKELQAAQARLGADMEDVRGRLVQYRGEVQAMLGQSTEELRVRLAS HLIALQLRLIGDAFDLQKRLAVYQAGAAERKRRSGSGRSGSGEGRGSLLTCGDVEEN PGP (SEQ ID NO: 88), wherein the anti-PSMA domain can be replaced with any extracellular target-binding region of interest including those as disclosed herein, and
b) a second polypeptide chain comprising, consisting of, or consisting essentially of the sequence at least 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or 100% identical to
In another aspect is provided a heterodimeric inactivatable CAR comprising:
a) a first polypeptide chain comprising, consisting of, or consisting essentially of the sequence at least 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or 100% identical to MALPVTALLLPLALLLHAARPVQLQQSGPELVKPGTSVRISCKTSGYTFTEYTIHWV KQSHGKSLEWIGNINPNNGGTTYNQKFEDKATLTVDKSSSTAYMELRSLTSEDSAVY YCAAGWNFDYWGQGTTVTVSSGGGGSGGGGSGGGGSDIVMTQSHKFMSTSVGDR VSIICKASQDVGTAVDWYQQKPGQSPKLLIYWASTRHTGVPDRFTGSGSGTDFTLTIT NVQSEDLADYFCQQYNSYPLTFGAGTMLDLKRASTTTPAPRPPTPAPTIASQPLSLRP EACRPAAGGAVHTRGLDFACDFWVLVVVGGVLACYSLLVTVAFIIFWVRSKRSRLL HSDYMNMTPRRPGPTRKHYQPYAPPRDFAAYRSHMGGGGSGGGGSGGGGSQRWE LALGRFLEYLSWVSTLSEQVQEELLSSQVTQELRALMDETMKELKAYKSELEEQLTP VAEETRARLSKELQAAQARLGADMEDVRGRLVQYRGEVQAMLGQSTEELRVRLAS HLIALQARLIGDAFDLQKRLAVYQAGAAERKRRSGSGRSGSGEGRGSLLTCGDVEE NPGP (SEQ ID NO: 90), wherein the anti-PSMA domain can be replaced with any extracellular target-binding region of interest including those as disclosed herein, and
b) a second polypeptide chain comprising, consisting of, or consisting essentially of the sequence at least 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or 100% identical to
In another aspect is provided a heterodimeric inactivatable CAR comprising:
a) a first polypeptide chain comprising, consisting of, or consisting essentially of the sequence at least 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or 100% identical to MALPVTALLLPLALLLHAARPVQLQQSGPELVKPGTSVRISCKTSGYTFTEYTIHWV KQSHGKSLEWIGNINPNNGGTTYNQKFEDKATLTVDKSSSTAYMELRSLTSEDSAVY YCAAGWNFDYWGQGTTVTVSSGGGGSGGGGSGGGGSDIVMTQSHKFMSTSVGDR VSIICKASQDVGTAVDWYQQKPGQSPKLLIYWASTRHTGVPDRFTGSGSGTDFTLTIT NVQSEDLADYFCQQYNSYPLTFGAGTMLDLKRASTTTPAPRPPTPAPTIASQPLSLRP EACRPAAGGAVHTRGLDFACDFWVLVVVGGVLACYSLLVTVAFIIFWVRSKRSRLL HSDYMNMTPRRPGPTRKHYQPYAPPRDFAAYRSHMGGGGSGGGGSGGGGSQRWE LALGRFLEYLSWVSTLSEQVQEELLSSQVTQELRALMDETMKELKAYKSELEEQLTP VAEETRARLSKELQAAQARLGADMEDVRGRLVQYRGEVQAMLGQSTEELRVRLAS HLIALQLRLIGAAFDLQKRLAVYQAGAAERKRRSGSGRSGSGEGRGSLLTCGDVEEN PGP (SEQ ID NO: 92), wherein the anti-PSMA domain can be replaced with any extracellular target-binding region of interest including those as disclosed herein, and
b) a second polypeptide chain comprising, consisting of, or consisting essentially of the sequence at least 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or 100% identical to
In various embodiments, a linker region (a.k.a linker domain) can be used to provide more flexibility and accessibility for the antigen-binding moiety. A linker region may comprise up to 300 amino acids, preferably 10 to 100 amino acids and most preferably 25 to 50 amino acids. A linker region may be derived from all or part of naturally occurring molecules, such as from all or part of the extracellular region of CD8, CD4 or CD28, or from all or part of an antibody constant region. Alternatively, the linker region may be a synthetic sequence that corresponds to a naturally occurring linker region sequence, or may be an entirely synthetic linker domain sequence. Non-limiting examples of linker region which may be used in accordance to the invention include a part of human CD8 a chain, partial extracellular domain of CD28, FcyRllla receptor, IgG, IgM, IgA, IgD, IgE, an Ig hinge, or functional fragment thereof. In certain embodiments, additional linking amino acids are added to the linker region to ensure that the antigen-binding moiety is an optimal distance from the transmembrane domain. In certain embodiments, when the linker is derived from an Ig, the linker may be mutated to prevent Fc receptor binding.
In certain embodiments, the linker region comprises an immunoglobulin IgG hinge or functional fragment thereof. In certain embodiments, the IgG hinge is from IgG1, IgG2, IgG3, IgG4, IgM1, IgM2, IgA1, IgA2, IgD, IgE, or a chimera thereof. In certain embodiments, the linker region comprises the CH1, CH2, CH3 and/or hinge region of the immunoglobulin. In certain embodiments, the linker region comprises the core hinge region of the immunoglobulin. The term “core hinge” can be used interchangeably with the term “short hinge” (a.k.a “SH”). Non-limiting examples of suitable linker region are the core immunoglobulin hinge regions listed in Table 1 (see also Wypych et al., JBC 2008 283(23): 16194-16205, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes). In certain embodiments, the linker region is a fragment of the immunoglobulin hinge.
In certain embodiments, the linker region comprises an IgG1 hinge, or a variant thereof. In certain embodiments, the linker region comprises the core hinge structure of IgG1 or a variant thereof. In certain embodiments, the linker region comprises an IgG2 hinge, or a variant thereof. In certain embodiments, the linker region comprises the core hinge structure of IgG2 or a variant thereof.
Transmembrane Domain
In certain embodiments, the transmembrane domain is fused in frame between the extracellular target-binding domain and the cytoplasmic domain. The transmembrane domain may be derived from the protein contributing to the extracellular target-binding domain, the protein contributing the signaling or co-signaling domain, or by a totally different protein. In some instances, the transmembrane domain can be selected or modified by amino acid substitution, deletions, or insertions to minimize interactions with other members of the CAR complex. In some instances, the transmembrane domain can be selected or modified by amino acid substitution, deletions, or insertions to avoid-binding of proteins naturally associated with the transmembrane domain. In certain embodiments, the transmembrane domain includes additional amino acids to allow for flexibility and/or optimal distance between the domains connected to the transmembrane domain.
The transmembrane domain may be derived either from a natural or from a synthetic source. Where the source is natural, the domain may be derived from any membrane-bound or transmembrane protein. Non-limiting examples of transmembrane domains of particular use in this invention may be derived from (i.e. comprise at least the transmembrane region(s) of) the α, β or ζ chain of the T-cell receptor, CD28, CD3 epsilon, CD45, CD4, CD5, CD8, CD9, CD16, CD22, CD33, CD37, CD40, CD64, CD80, CD86, CD134, CD137, CD154. Alternatively, the transmembrane domain may be synthetic, in which case it will comprise predominantly hydrophobic residues such as leucine and valine. For example, a triplet of phenylalanine, tryptophan and/or valine can be found at each end of a synthetic transmembrane domain.
In certain embodiments, it will be desirable to utilize the transmembrane domain of the ζ, η or FcεR1γ chains which contain a cysteine residue capable of disulfide bonding, so that the resulting chimeric protein will be able to form disulfide linked dimers with itself, or with unmodified versions of the ζ, η or FcεR1γ chains or related proteins. In some instances, the transmembrane domain will be selected or modified by amino acid substitution to avoid-binding of such domains to the transmembrane domains of the same or different surface membrane proteins to minimize interactions with other members of the receptor complex. In other cases, it will be desirable to employ the transmembrane domain of ζ, η or FcεR1γ and -β, MB1 (Igα), B29 or CD3-γ, ζ, or η, in order to retain physical association with other members of the receptor complex.
In certain embodiments, the transmembrane domain in the CAR of the invention is derived from the CD28 transmembrane domain. In certain embodiments, the transmembrane domain in the CAR of the invention is derived from the CD8 transmembrane domain.
Cytoplasmic Domain
In certain embodiments, the cytoplasmic domain comprises one or more of a lymphocyte activation domain, a MyD88 polypeptide or functional fragment thereof, and a CD40 cytoplasmic polypeptide region or a functional fragment thereof.
In certain embodiments, the lymphocyte activation domain and co-stimulatory domains can be in any order. The cytoplasmic domain, which comprises the lymphocyte activation domain of the CAR of the invention, is responsible for activation of at least one of the normal effector functions of the lymphocyte in which the CAR has been placed in. The term “effector function” refers to a specialized function of a cell. Effector function of a T cell, for example, may be cytolytic activity or helper activity including the secretion of cytokines. Thus, the term “lymphocyte activation domain” refers to the portion of a protein which transduces the effector function signal and directs the cell to perform a specialized function. While usually the entire lymphocyte activation domain is present, in many cases it is not necessary to use the entire chain. To the extent that a truncated portion of the intracellular signaling domain is used, such truncated portion may be used in place of the intact chain as long as it transduces the effector function signal. The term intracellular signaling domain is thus meant to include any truncated portion of the lymphocyte activation domain sufficient to transduce the effector function signal.
Non-limiting examples of lymphocyte activation domains which can be used in the CARs of the invention include, e.g., lymphocyte activation domains derived from DAP10, DAP12, Fc epsilon receptor I gamma chain (FCER1G), FcR β, CD3δ, CD3ε, CD3γ, CD3ζ, CD5, CD22, CD226, CD66d, CD79A, and CD79B.
In certain embodiments, the lymphocyte activation domain in the CAR of the invention is designed to comprise the signaling domain of CD3ζ. It is known that signals generated through the TCR alone are insufficient for full activation of lymphocytes and that a secondary or co-stimulatory signal is also required. Thus, lymphocyte activation can be said to be mediated by two distinct classes of cytoplasmic signaling sequence: those that initiate antigen-dependent primary activation through the TCR (primary lymphocyte activation sequences (as discussed above)) and those that act in an antigen-independent manner to provide a secondary or co-stimulatory signal (secondary cytoplasmic signaling sequences).
Cluster of differentiation 40 (CD40) is a co-stimulatory protein found on antigen presenting cells. The protein receptor encoded by the CD40 gene is a member of the TNF-receptor superfamily and is found to be essential in mediating a broad variety of immune and inflammatory responses including T cell-dependent immunoglobulin class switching, memory B cell development, and germinal center formation. See e.g., Grewal, I S; Flavell, R A (1998). Annual Review of Immunology. 16: 111-35; An et al., JBC 2011 286(13):11226-11235; and Chen et. al., Cellular & Molecular Immunology, 2006 3(3):163-169, each of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety for all purposes. A CD40 polypeptide or functional fragment thereof is a polypeptide product of CD40. An example of CD40 polypeptide, includes but is not limited to, the human CD40 (e.g., NCBI Gene ID 958; X60592.1). A functional fragment of CD40, refers to a CD40 nucleic acid fragment, variant, or analog, refers to a nucleic acid that codes for a CD40 polypeptide, or a CD40 polypeptide, that stimulates an immune response. A non-limiting example of a CD40 functional fragment includes a CD40 polypeptide that is lacking the extracellular domain, but is capable of amplifying the lymphocyte immune response. In certain embodiments, the CD40 is a functional fragment (i.e., the protein is not full length and may lack, for example, a domain, but still functions as a co-stimulatory domain). For example, a CD40 functional fragment may lack its transmembrane and/or extracellular domain but is capable of amplifying the lymphocyte immune response. In certain embodiments, the CD40 functional fragment includes the transmembrane domain. In certain embodiments, the CD40 functional fragment includes the transmembrane domain and a portion of the extracellular domain, wherein the extracellular domain does not interact with natural or synthetic ligands of CD40. In certain embodiments, the CD40 functional fragment interacts with Jak3, TRAF2, TRAF3, and/or TRAF6. By a nucleotide sequence coding for a CD40 functional fragment is meant the nucleotide sequence coding for the CD40 functional fragment peptide, the term may also refer to the nucleic acid sequence including the portion coding for any amino acids added as an artifact of cloning, including any amino acids coded for by the linkers. It is understood that where a method or construct refers to a CD40 functional fragment polypeptide, the method may also be used, or the construct designed to refer to another CD40 polypeptide, such as a full length CD40 polypeptide. Where a method or construct refers to a full length CD40 polypeptide, the method may also be used, or the construct designed to refer to a CD40 functional fragment polypeptide.
In certain embodiments, the CARs of the invention can include additional co-stimulatory domains. Non-limiting co-stimulatory domains include, but are not limited to, 4-1BB (CD137), CD28, ICOS, CD134 (OX-40), BTLA, CD27, CD30, GITR, CD226, and HVEM.
Accessory Genes
In addition to the CAR construct, the CAR may further comprise an accessory gene that encodes an accessory peptide. Examples of accessory genes can include a transduced host cell selection marker, an in vivo tracking marker, a cytokine, a suicide gene, or some other functional gene. For example, the constructs depicted in
Non-limiting examples of classes of accessory genes that can be used to increase the effector function of CAR containing host cells, include i) secretable cytokines (e.g., but not limited to, IL-7, IL-12, IL-15, IL-18), ii) membrane bound cytokines (e.g., but not limited to, IL-15), iii) chimeric cytokine receptors (e.g., but not limited to, IL-2/IL-7, IL-4/IL-7), iv) constitutive active cytokine receptors (e.g., but not limited to, C7R), v) dominant negative receptors (DNR; e.g., but not limited to TGFRII DNR), vi) ligands of costimulatory molecules (e.g., but not limited to, CD80, 4-1BBL), vii) antibodies, including fragments thereof and bispecific antibodies (e.g., but not limited to, bispecific T-cell engagers (BiTEs)), or vii) a second CAR.
In certain embodiments, the functional accessory gene can be a suicide gene. A suicide gene is a recombinant gene that will cause the host cell that the gene is expressed in to undergo programmed cell death or antibody mediated clearance at a desired time. Suicide genes can function to increase the safety of the CAR. In another embodiment, the accessory gene is an inducible suicide gene. Non-limiting examples of suicide genes include i) molecules that are expressed on the cell surface and can be targeted with a clinical grade monoclonal antibody including CD20, EGFR or a fragment thereof, HER2 or a fragment thereof, and ii) inducible suicide genes (e.g., but not limited to inducible caspase 9 (see Straathof et al. (2005) Blood. 105(11): 4247-4254; US Publ. No. 2011/0286980, each of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety for all purposes)).
CD19 could also be replaced with two accessory genes separated by a separation sequence (e.g., a 2A sequence) using a combination of the classes of molecules listed above (e.g., CAR-2A-CD20-2A-IL15). In addition, the use of two separation sequences (e.g., 2A sequences) would allow the expression of TCR (e.g., CAR-2A-TCRα-2A-TCRβ). In the constructs with a CAR and two or three accessory genes, the order of the CAR and the second or third transgene could be switched.
A “separation sequence” refers to a peptide sequence that causes a ribosome to release the growing polypeptide chain that it is being synthesizes without dissociation from the mRNA. In this respect, the ribosome continues translating and therefore produces a second polypeptide. Non-limiting examples of separation sequences includes T2A (EGRGSLLTCGDVEENPGP (SEQ ID NO: 169) or GSGEGRGSLLTCGDVEENPGP (SEQ ID NO: 170)) the foot and mouth disease virus (FMDV) 2A sequence (GSGSRVTELLYRMKRAETYCPRPLLAIHPTEARHKQKIVAPVKQLLNFDLLKLAGD VESNPGP (SEQ ID NO: 171)), Sponge (Amphimedon queenslandica) 2A sequence (LLCFLLLLLSGDVELNPGP (SEQ ID NO: 172); or HHFMFLLLLLAGDIELNPGP (SEQ ID NO: 173)); acorn worm (Saccoglossus kowalevskii) (WFLVLLSFILSGDIEVNPGP (SEQ ID NO: 174)) 2A sequence; amphioxus (Branchiostoma floridae) (KNCAMYMLLLSGDVETNPGP (SEQ ID NO: 175); or MVISQLMLKLAGDVEENPGP (SEQ ID NO: 176)) 2A sequence porcine teschovirus-1 (GSGATNFSLLKQAGDVEENPGP (SEQ ID NO: 177)) 2A sequence; and equine rhinitis A virus (GSGQCTNYALLKLAGDVESNPGP (SEQ ID NO: 178)) 2A sequence. In some embodiments, the separation sequence is a naturally occurring or synthetic sequence. In certain embodiments, the separation sequence includes the 2A consensus sequence D-X-E-X-NPGP, in which X is any amino acid residue.
Nucleic Acid Molecules
In one aspect is provided a nucleic acid molecule comprising a nucleotide sequence encoding any heterodimeric inactivatable chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) described herein.
In a specific embodiment, the nucleic acid molecule may comprise, or consist of the sequence at least 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or 100% identical to atggccttaccagtgaccgccttgctcctgccgctggccttgtgtccacgcgccaggccggtgcagctgcagcagtcaggacct gaactggtgaagcctgggacttcagtgaggatatcctgcaagacttctggatacacattcactgaatataccatacactgggtgaagca gagccatggaaagagcttgagtggattggaaacatcaatcctaacaatggtggtaccacctacaatcagaagttcgaggacaaggc cacattgactgtagacaagtcctccagtacagcctacatggagctccgcagctaacattgaggatttgcagttattattgtgcagct ggttggaactttgactactggggccaagggaccacggtcaccgtctcctcaggtggaggtggatcaggtggaggtggatctggtgga ggtggatctgacattgtgatgacccagtctcacaaattcatgtccacatcagtaggagacagggtcagcatcatctgtaaggccagtca agatgtgggtactgctgtagactggtatcaacagaaaccaggacaatctcctaaactactgatttattgggcatccactcggcacactgg agtccctgatcgcttcacaggcagtggattgggacagacttcacttcaccattactaatgttcagttgaagacttggcagattattct gtcagcaatataacagctatcccctcacgttggtgtgggaccatgtggactgaaacgggctagcacaacaacccctgccccca gacctcctaccccagcccctacaattgccagccagcctctgagcctgaggcccgaggttgtagacctgctgctggcggagccgtg acaccagaggactggattcgcctgcgacttctgggtgctggtggtcgtgggcggagtgtggctgttacagcctgctcgtgaccgt ggccttcatcatcttttgggtgggagcaagagaagcagactgctgcacagcgactacatgaacatgacccccagacggcctggccc caccagaaagcactaccagccttacgcccctcccagagacttcgccgcctacagatctcatatgggaggcggaggatctggcggag gtggaagtggcggaggcggatctcaaagatgggaactcgccctgggcagattcctggaatacctgagctgggtgtccacactgagc gaacaggtgcaagaggaactgctgagcagccaagtgacccaagagctgagagccctgatggacgagacaatgaaggaactgaag gcctacaagagcgagctggaagaacagctgacccctgtggccgaggaaaccagagccagactgagcaaagaactgcaggccgct caggccagactgggagccgatatggaagatgttcggggcagactggtgcagtacagaggcgaagttcaggccatgctgggccagt ctaccgaggaactgagagtgcggctggcctctcatctgattgccctgcagctgagactgatcggcgacgcattcgacctgcagaaaa gactggccgtgtaccaggctggcgctgctgaacggaagcggcgcagcggcagcgggcgcagcggcagcggcgagggcagagg aagtcttctaacatgcggtgacgtggaggagaatcccggccct (SEQ ID NO: 94), wherein the anti-PSMA domain can be replaced with any extracellular target-binding region of interest including those as disclosed herein.
In some embodiments, the nucleotide sequence encoding the first polypeptide chain of the CAR is at least 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or 100% identical to tctagaaatggccttaccagtgaccgccttgctcctgccgctggccttgctgctccacgccgccaggccggtgcagctgcagcagtca ggacctgaactggtgaagcctgggacttcagtgaggatatcctgcaagacttctggatacacattcactgaatataccatacactgggtg aagcagagccatggaaagagccttgagtggattggaaacatcaatcctaacaatggtggtaccacctacaatcagaagttcgaggac aaggccacattgactgtagacaagtcctccagtacagcctacatggagctccgcagcctaacatctgaggattctgcagtctattattgt gcagctggttggaactttgactactggggccaagggaccacggtcaccgtctcctcaggtggaggtggatcaggtggaggtggatct ggtggaggtggatctgacattgtgatgacccagtctcacaaattcatgtccacatcagtaggagacagggtcagcatcatctgtaaggc cagtcaagatgtgggtactgctgtagactggtatcaacagaaaccaggacaatctcctaaactactgatttattgggcatccactcggca cactggagtccctgatcgcttcacaggcagtggatctgggacagacttcactctcaccattactaatgttcagtctgaagacttggcagat tatttctgtcagcaatataacagctatcccctcacgttcggtgctgggaccatgctggacctgaaacgggctagcacaacaacccctgc ccccagacctcctaccccagcccctacaattgccagccagcctctgagcctgaggcccgaggcttgtagacctgctgctggcggagc cgtgcacaccagaggactggatttcgcctgcgacttctgggtgctggtggtcgtgggcggagtgctggcctgttacagcctgctcgtg accgtggccttcatcatcttttgggtgcggagcaagagaagcagactgctgcacagcgactacatgaacatgacccccagacggcct ggccccaccagaaagcactaccagccttacgcccctcccagagacttcgccgcctacagatctcatatgggaggcggaggatctgg cggaggtggaagtggcggaggcggatctcaaagatgggaactcgccctgggcagattcctggaatacctgagctgggtgtccacac tgagcgaacaggtgcaagaggaactgctgagcagccaagtgacccaagagctgagagccctgatggacgagacaatgaaggaac tgaaggcctacaagagcgagctggaagaacagctgacccctgtggccgaggaaaccagagccagactgagcaaagaactgcagg ccgctcaggccagactgggagccgatatggaagatgttcggggcagactggtgcagtacagaggcgaagttcaggccatgctggg ccagtctaccgaggaactgagagtgcggctggcctctcatctgattgccctgcagctgagactgatcggcgacgcattcgacctgcag aaaagactggccgtgtaccaggctggcgctgctgaacggaagcggcgcagcggcagcgggcgcagcggcagcggcgagggca gaggaagtcttctaacatgcggtgacgtggaggagaatcccggccct (SEQ ID NO: 95), wherein the anti-PSMA domain can be replaced with any extracellular target-binding region of interest including those as disclosed herein.
In some embodiments, the nucleotide sequence encoding the first polypeptide chain of the CAR is at least 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or 100% identical to tctagaaatggccttaccagtgaccgccttgctcctgccgctggccttgctgctccacgccgccaggccggtgcagctgcagcagtca ggacctgaactggtgaagcctgggacttcagtgaggatatcctgcaagacttctggatacacattcactgaatataccatacactgggtg aagcagagccatggaaagagccttgagtggattggaaacatcaatcctaacaatggtggtaccacctacaatcagaagttcgaggac aaggccacattgactgtagacaagtcctccagtacagcctacatggagctccgcagcctaacatctgaggattctgcagtctattattgt gcagctggttggaactttgactactggggccaagggaccacggtcaccgtctcctcaggtggaggtggatcaggtggaggtggatct ggtggaggtggatctgacattgtgatgacccagtctcacaaattcatgtccacatcagtaggagacagggtcagcatcatctgtaaggc cagtcaagatgtgggtactgctgtagactggtatcaacagaaaccaggacaatctcctaaactactgatttattgggcatccactcggca cactggagtccctgatcgcttcacaggcagtggatctgggacagacttcactctcaccattactaatgttcagtctgaagacttggcagat tatttctgtcagcaatataacagctatcccctcacgttcggtgctgggaccatgctggacctgaaacgggctagcacaacaacccctgc ccccagacctcctaccccagcccctacaattgccagccagcctctgagcctgaggcccgaggcttgtagacctgctgctggcggagc cgtgcacaccagaggactggatttcgcctgcgacttctgggtgctggtggtcgtgggcggagtgctggcctgttacagcctgctcgtg accgtggccttcatcatcttttgggtgcggagcaagagaagcagactgctgcacagcgactacatgaacatgacccccagacggcct ggccccaccagaaagcactaccagccttacgcccctcccagagacttcgccgcctacagatctcatatgggaggcggaggatctgg cggaggtggaagtggcggaggcggatctcaaagatgggaactcgccctgggcagattcctggaatacctgagctgggtgtccacac tgagcgaacaggtgcaagaggaactgctgagcagccaagtgacccaagagctgagagccctgatggacgagacaatgaaggaac tgaaggcctacaagagcgagctggaagaacagctgacccctgtggccgaggaaaccagagccagactgagcaaagaactgcagg ccgctcaggccagactgggagccgatatggaagatgttcggggcagactggtgcagtacagaggcgaagttcaggccatgctggg ccagtctaccgaggaactgagagtgcggctggcctctcatctgattgccctgcagctgagactgatcggcgacgcattcgacctgcag aaaagactggccgtgtaccaggctggcgctgctgaacggaagcggcgcagcggcagcgggcgcagcggcagcggcgagggca gaggaagtcttctaacatgcggtgacgtggaggagaatcccggccct (SEQ ID NO: 96), wherein the anti-PSMA domain can be replaced with any extracellular target-binding region of interest including those as disclosed herein.
In some embodiments, the nucleotide sequence encoding the first polypeptide chain of the CAR is at least 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or 100% identical to tctagaaatggccttaccagtgaccgccttgctcctgccgctggccttgctgctccacgccgccaggccggtgcagctgcagcagtca ggacctgaactggtgaagcctgggacttcagtgaggatatcctgcaagacttctggatacacattcactgaatataccatacactgggtg aagcagagccatggaaagagccttgagtggattggaaacatcaatcctaacaatggtggtaccacctacaatcagaagttcgaggac aaggccacattgactgtagacaagtcctccagtacagcctacatggagctccgcagcctaacatctgaggattctgcagtctattattgt gcagctggttggaactttgactactggggccaagggaccacggtcaccgtctcctcaggtggaggtggatcaggtggaggtggatct ggtggaggtggatctgacattgtgatgacccagtctcacaaattcatgtccacatcagtaggagacagggtcagcatcatctgtaaggc cagtcaagatgtgggtactgctgtagactggtatcaacagaaaccaggacaatctcctaaactactgatttattgggcatccactcggca cactggagtccctgatcgcttcacaggcagtggatctgggacagacttcactctcaccattactaatgttcagtctgaagacttggcagat tatttctgtcagcaatataacagctatcccctcacgttcggtgctgggaccatgctggacctgaaacgggctagcacaacaacccctgc ccccagacctcctaccccagcccctacaattgccagccagcctctgagcctgaggcccgaggcttgtagacctgctgctggcggagc cgtgcacaccagaggactggatttcgcctgcgacttctgggtgctggtggtcgtgggcggagtgctggcctgttacagcctgctcgtg accgtggccttcatcatcttttgggtgcggagcaagagaagcagactgctgcacagcgactacatgaacatgacccccagacggcct ggccccaccagaaagcactaccagccttacgcccctcccagagacttcgccgcctacagatctcatatgggaggcggaggatctgg cggaggtggaagtggcggaggcggatctcaaagatgggaactcgccctgggcagattcctggaatacctgagctgggtgtccacac tgagcgaacaggtgcaagaggaactgctgagcagccaagtgacccaagagctgagagccctgatggacgagacaatgaaggaac tgaaggcctacaagagcgagctggaagaacagctgacccctgtggccgaggaaaccagagccagactgagcaaagaactgcagg ccgctcaggccagactgggagccgatatggaagatgttcggggcagactggtgcagtacagaggcgaagttcaggccatgctggg ccagtctaccgaggaactgagagtgcggctggcctctcatctgattgccctgcagctgagactgatcggcgacgcattcgacctgcag aaaagactggccgtgtaccaggctggcgctgctgaacggaagcggcgcagcggcagcgggcgcagcggcagcggcgagggca gaggaagtcttctaacatgcggtgacgtggaggagaatcccggccct (SEQ ID NO: 97), wherein the anti-PSMA domain can be replaced with any extracellular target-binding region of interest including those as disclosed herein.
In some embodiments, the nucleotide sequence encoding the first polypeptide chain of the CAR is at least 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or 100% identical to tctagaaatggccttaccagtgaccgccttgctcctgccgctggccttgctgctccacgccgccaggccggtgcagctgcagcagtca ggacctgaactggtgaagcctgggacttcagtgaggatatcctgcaagacttctggatacacattcactgaatataccatacactgggtg aagcagagccatggaaagagccttgagtggattggaaacatcaatcctaacaatggtggtaccacctacaatcagaagttcgaggac aaggccacattgactgtagacaagtcctccagtacagcctacatggagctccgcagcctaacatctgaggattctgcagtctattattgt gcagctggttggaactttgactactggggccaagggaccacggtcaccgtctcctcaggtggaggtggatcaggtggaggtggatct ggtggaggtggatctgacattgtgatgacccagtctcacaaattcatgtccacatcagtaggagacagggtcagcatcatctgtaaggc cagtcaagatgtgggtactgctgtagactggtatcaacagaaaccaggacaatctcctaaactactgatttattgggcatccactcggca cactggagtccctgatcgcttcacaggcagtggatctgggacagacttcactctcaccattactaatgttcagtctgaagacttggcagat tatttctgtcagcaatataacagctatcccctcacgttcggtgctgggaccatgctggacctgaaacgggctagcacaacaacccctgc ccccagacctcctaccccagcccctacaattgccagccagcctctgagcctgaggcccgaggcttgtagacctgctgctggcggagc cgtgcacaccagaggactggatttcgcctgcgacttctgggtgctggtggtcgtgggcggagtgctggcctgttacagcctgctcgtg accgtggccttcatcatcttttgggtgcggagcaagagaagcagactgctgcacagcgactacatgaacatgacccccagacggcct ggccccaccagaaagcactaccagccttacgcccctcccagagacttcgccgcctacagatctcatatgggaggcggaggatctgg cggaggtggaagtggcggaggcggatctccaaagatgggaactcgccctgggcagattcctggaatacctgagctgggtgtccaca ctgagcgaacaggtgcaagaggaactgctgagcagccaagtgacccaagagctgagagccctgatggacgagacaatgaaggaa ctgaaggcctacaagagcgagctggaagaacagctgacccctgtggccgaggaaaccagagccagactgagcaaagaactgcag gccgctcaggccagactgggagccgatatggaagatgttcggggcagactggtgcagtacagaggcgaagttcaggccatgctgg gccagtctaccgaggaactgagagtgcggctggcctctcatctgattgccctgcaggcaagactgatcggcgacgcattcgacctgc agaaaagactggccgtgtaccaggctggcgctgctgaacggaagcggcgcagcggcagcgggcgcagcggcagcggcgaggg cagaggaagtcttctaacatgcggtgacgtggaggagaatcccggccct (SEQ ID NO: 98), wherein the anti-PSMA domain can be replaced with any extracellular target-binding region of interest including those as disclosed herein.
In some embodiments, the nucleotide sequence encoding the first polypeptide chain of the CAR is at least 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or 100% identical to tctagaaatggccttaccagtgaccgccttgctcctgccgctggccttgctgctccacgccgccaggccggtgcagctgcagcagtca ggacctgaactggtgaagcctgggacttcagtgaggatatcctgcaagacttctggatacacattcactgaatataccatacactgggtg aagcagagccatggaaagagccttgagtggattggaaacatcaatcctaacaatggtggtaccacctacaatcagaagttcgaggac aaggccacattgactgtagacaagtcctccagtacagcctacatggagctccgcagcctaacatctgaggattctgcagtctattattgt gcagctggttggaactttgactactggggccaagggaccacggtcaccgtctcctcaggtggaggtggatcaggtggaggtggatct ggtggaggtggatctgacattgtgatgacccagtctcacaaattcatgtccacatcagtaggagacagggtcagcatcatctgtaagg cagtcaagatgtgggtactgctgtagactggtatcaacagaaaccaggacaatctcctaaactactgatttattgggcatccactcggca cactggagtccctgatcgcttcacaggcagtggatctgggacagacttcactctcaccattactaatgttcagtctgaagacttggcagat tatttctgtcagcaatataacagctatcccctcacgttcggtgctgggaccatgctggacctgaaacgggctagcacaacaacccctgc ccccagacctcctaccccagcccctacaattgccagccagcctctgagcctgaggcccgaggcttgtagacctgctgctggcggagc cgtgcacaccagaggactggatttcgcctgcgacttctgggtgctggtggtcgtgggcggagtgctggcctgttacagcctgctcgtg accgtggccttcatcatcttttgggtgcggagcaagagaagcagactgctgcacagcgactacatgaacatgacccccagacggcct ggccccaccagaaagcactaccagccttacgcccctcccagagacttcgccgcctacagatctcatatgggaggcggaggatctgg cggaggtggaagtggcggaggcggatctcaaagatgggaactcgccctgggcagattcctggaatacctgagctgggtgtccacac tgagcgaacaggtgcaagaggaactgctgagcagccaagtgacccaagagctgagagccctgatggacgagacaatgaaggaac tgaaggcctacaagagcgagctggaagaacagctgacccctgtggccgaggaaaccagagccagactgagcaaagaactgcagg ccgctcaggccagactgggagccgatatggaagatgttcggggcagactggtgcagtacagaggcgaagttcaggccatgctggg ccagtctaccgaggaactgagagtgcggctggcctctcatctgattgccctgcagctgagactgatcggcgcagcattcgacctgcag aaaagactggccgtgtaccaggctggcgctctgaacggaagcggcgcagcggcagcgggcgcagcggcagcggcgagggcag aggaagtcttctaacatgcggtgacgtggaggagaatcccggccct (SEQ ID NO: 99), wherein the anti-PSMA domain can be replaced with any extracellular target-binding region of interest including those as disclosed herein.
The nucleic acid molecule may comprise a nucleotide sequence encoding the second polypeptide chain of any heterodimeric inactivatable chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) described herein.
In some embodiments, the nucleotide sequence encoding the second polypeptide chain of the CAR is at least 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or 100% identical to
In some embodiments, the nucleotide sequence encoding the second polypeptide chain of the CAR is at least 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or 100% identical to
In some embodiments, the nucleotide sequence encoding the second polypeptide chain of the CAR is at least 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or 100% identical to
In some embodiments, the nucleotide sequence encoding the second polypeptide chain of the CAR is at least 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or 100% identical to
In some embodiments, the nucleotide sequence encoding the second polypeptide chain of the CAR is at least 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or 100% identical to
In some embodiments, the nucleotide sequence encoding the second polypeptide chain of the CAR is at least 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or 100% identical to
In various embodiments, the nucleotide sequence encoding the first polypeptide chain of the CAR is operably linked to a first promoter. In various embodiments, the nucleotide sequence encoding the second polypeptide chain of the CAR is operably linked to a second promoter. In various embodiments, the nucleotide sequence encoding the first polypeptide chain of the CAR is operably linked to a first promoter, the nucleotide sequence encoding the second polypeptide chain of the CAR is operably linked to a second promoter, and the first and second promoters are the same. In various embodiments, the nucleotide sequence encoding the first polypeptide chain of the CAR is operably linked to a first promoter, the nucleotide sequence encoding the second polypeptide chain of the CAR is operably linked to a second promoter, and the first and second promoters are different.
In various embodiments, the nucleotide sequences encoding the first and second polypeptide chains of the CAR are operably linked to a single promoter. In various embodiments, the first and/or second promoter is a T lymphocyte-specific promoter or an NK cell-specific promoter. In various embodiments, the nucleic acid molecule is a DNA molecule. In various embodiments, the nucleic acid molecule is an RNA molecule.
In one aspect is provided a recombinant vector comprising any nucleic acid molecule described herein, or any nucleic acid encoding any polypeptide described herein. In some embodiments, the recombinant vector is a viral vector. The vector may be a retroviral vector, a lentiviral vector, an adenoviral vector, an adeno-associated virus vector, an alphaviral vector, a herpes virus vector, or a vaccinia virus vector. In some embodiments, the vector is a lentiviral vector.
In one embodiment, the recombinant vector comprises
In another aspect is provided an isolated host cell comprising any heterodimeric inactivatable CAR described herein. The isolated host cell may comprise any nucleic acid molecule described herein. The isolated host cell may comprise any vector described herein. The host cell may be a mammalian cell. Exemplary host cells include, but are not limited to, cytotoxic cells, T cells, stem cells, progenitor cells, and cells derived from a stem cell or a progenitor cell. The T cell may be a T-helper cell, a cytotoxic T-cell, a T-regulatory cell (Treg), or a gamma-delta T cell. The cytotoxic cell may be a cytotoxic T cell or a natural killer (NK) cell. The host cell may be activated ex vivo and/or expanded ex vivo. The host cell may be an allogeneic cell. The host cell may be an autologous cell. The host cell may be isolated from a subject having a disease. In various embodiments, the subject is human.
Also provided is a method for producing any of the above host cells. The method comprises genetically modifying the cell with any nucleic acid molecule or any vector described herein. The genetic modification may be conducted ex vivo. The method may further comprise activation and/or expansion of the cell ex vivo.
The polypeptides disclosed herein, or nucleic acids encoding such, may be introduced into the host cells using transfection and/or transduction techniques known in the art. The nucleic acid may be integrated into the host cell DNA or may be maintained extrachromosomally. The nucleic acid may be maintained transiently or may be a stable introduction. Transfection may be accomplished by a variety of means known in the art including but not limited to calcium phosphate-DNA co-precipitation, DEAE-dextran-mediated transfection, polybrene-mediated transfection, electroporation, microinjection, liposome fusion, lipofection, protoplast fusion, retroviral infection, and biolistics. Transduction refers to the delivery of a gene(s) using a viral or retroviral vector by means of viral infection rather than by transfection. In certain embodiments, retroviral vectors are transduced by packaging the vectors into virions prior to contact with a cell. For example, a nucleic acid encoding a transmembrane polypeptide carried by a retroviral vector can be transduced into a cell through infection and pro virus integration.
In certain embodiments, the nucleic acid or viral vector is transferred via ex vivo transformation. Methods for transfecting vascular cells and tissues removed from an organism in an ex vivo setting are known to those of skill in the art. Thus, it is contemplated that cells or tissues may be removed and transfected ex vivo using the polynucleotides presented herein. In particular aspects, the transplanted cells or tissues may be placed into an organism. Thus, it is well within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to isolate antigen-presenting cells (e.g., T-cells or NK cells) from an animal (e.g., human), transfect the cells with the expression vector and then administer the transfected or transformed cells back to the animal.
In certain embodiments, the nucleic acid or viral vector is transferred via injection. In certain embodiments, a polynucleotide is introduced into an organelle, a cell, a tissue or an organism via electroporation. In certain embodiments, a polynucleotide is delivered into a cell using DEAE-dextran followed by polyethylene glycol. In certain embodiments, the polynucleotides encode any of the first and second transmembrane polypeptides described herein, and are inserted into a vector or vectors. The vector is a vehicle into which a polynucleotide encoding a protein may be covalently inserted so as to bring about the expression of that protein and/or the cloning of the polynucleotide. Expression vectors have the ability to incorporate and express heterologous or modified nucleic acid sequences coding for at least part of a gene product capable of being transcribed in a cell. In most cases, RNA molecules are then translated into a protein.
Expression vectors can contain a variety of control sequences, which refer to nucleic acid sequences necessary for the transcription and possibly translation of an operatively linked coding sequence in a particular host organism. In addition to control sequences that govern transcription and translation, vectors and expression vectors may contain nucleic acid sequences that serve other functions as well. An expression vector may comprise additional elements, for example, the expression vector may have two replication systems, thus allowing it to be maintained in two organisms, for example in human cells for expression and in a prokaryotic host for cloning and amplification. The expression vector may have additional sequence such as 6×-histidine, c-Myc, and FLAG tags which are incorporated into the expressed polypeptides. In various embodiments, the vectors are plasmid, autonomously replicating sequences, and transposable elements.
In certain embodiments, the nucleic acids encoding the transmembrane polypeptides of the present invention are provided in a viral vector. In certain embodiments, the viral vector is a retroviral vector or a lentiviral vector. The term “retroviral vector” refers to a vector containing structural and functional genetic elements that are primarily derived from a retrovirus. The term “lentiviral vector” refers to a vector containing structural and functional genetic elements outside the LTRs that are primarily derived from a lentivirus.
In certain embodiments, the present disclosure provides isolated host cells (e.g., T-cells) containing the vectors provided herein. The host cells containing the vector may be useful in expression or cloning of the polynucleotide contained in the vector.
In another aspect is provided a pharmaceutical composition comprising any host cell described herein, and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier and/or excipient. Exemplary carriers include, but are not limited to, sterile liquids, such as water and oils, including those of petroleum, animal, vegetable or synthetic origin, such as peanut oil, soybean oil, mineral oil, sesame oil and the like. Water or aqueous solution saline solutions and aqueous dextrose and glycerol solutions are preferably employed as carriers, particularly for injectable solutions. Alternatively, the carrier can be a solid dosage form carrier, including but not limited to one or more of a binder (for compressed pills), a glidant, an encapsulating agent, a flavorant, and a colorant. Suitable pharmaceutical carriers are described in “Remington's Pharmaceutical Sciences” by E. W. Martin.
Various delivery systems are known and can be used to administer the pharmaceutical composition of the invention, e.g., encapsulation in liposomes, microparticles, microcapsules, recombinant cells capable of expressing the mutant viruses, receptor mediated endocytosis (see, e.g., Wu et al., 1987, J. Biol. Chem. 262:4429-4432).
The pharmaceutical composition may be used in combination with other therapies. It is contemplated that when used to treat various diseases, the compositions and methods can be combined with other therapeutic agents suitable for the same or similar diseases. Also, two or more embodiments described herein may be also co-administered to generate additive or synergistic effects. When co-administered with a second therapeutic agent, the embodiment described herein and the second therapeutic agent may be simultaneously or sequentially (in any order). Suitable therapeutically effective dosages for each agent may be lowered due to the additive action or synergy.
As a non-limiting example, the methods described herein can be combined with other therapies that block inflammation (e.g., via blockage of IL1, INFα/β, IL6, TNF, IL13, IL23, etc.).
In some embodiments, the compositions and methods disclosed herein are useful to enhance the efficacy of vaccines directed to tumors or infections. Thus, the compositions and methods described herein can be administered to a subject either simultaneously with or before (e.g., 1-30 days before) a reagent (including but not limited to small molecules, antibodies, or cellular reagents) that acts to elicit an immune response (e.g., to treat cancer or an infection) is administered to the subject.
The compositions and methods described herein can be also administered in combination with an anti-tumor antibody or an antibody directed at a pathogenic antigen or allergen.
The compositions and methods described herein can be combined with other immunomodulatory treatments such as, e.g., therapeutic vaccines (including but not limited to GVAX, DC-based vaccines, etc.), checkpoint inhibitors (including but not limited to agents that block CTLA4, PD1, LAG3, TIM3, etc.) or activators (including but not limited to agents that enhance 41BB, OX40, etc.). The inhibitory treatments described herein can be also combined with other treatments that possess the ability to modulate NKT function or stability, including but not limited to CD1d, CD1d-fusion proteins, CD1d dimers or larger polymers of CD1 d either unloaded or loaded with antigens, CD d-chimeric antigen receptors (CD1d-CAR), or any other of the five known CD1 isomers exisiting in humans (CD1a, CD1b, CD1c, CD1e), in any of the aforementioned forms or formulations, alone or in combination with each other or other agents.
Therapeutic methods described herein can be combined with additional immunotherapies and therapies. For example, when used for treating cancer, NKT cells described herein can be used in combination with conventional cancer therapies, such as, e.g., surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy or combinations thereof, depending on type of the tumor, patient condition, other health issues, and a variety of factors. In certain aspects, other therapeutic agents useful for combination cancer therapy with the inhibitors described herein include anti-angiogenic agents. Many anti-angiogenic agents have been identified and are known in the art, including, e.g., TNP-470, platelet factor 4, thrombospondin-1, tissue inhibitors of metalloproteases (TIMP1 and TIMP2), prolactin (16-Kd fragment), angiostatin (38-Kd fragment of plasminogen), endostatin, bFGF soluble receptor, transforming growth factor beta, interferon alpha, soluble KDR and FLT-1 receptors, placental proliferin-related protein, as well as those listed by Carmeliet and Jain (2000). In some embodiments, the inhibitors described herein can be used in combination with a VEGF antagonist or a VEGF receptor antagonist such as anti-VEGF antibodies, VEGF variants, soluble VEGF receptor fragments, aptamers capable of blocking VEGF or VEGFR, neutralizing anti-VEGFR antibodies, inhibitors of VEGFR tyrosine kinases and any combinations thereof (e.g., anti-hVEGF antibody A4.6.1, bevacizumab or ranibizumab).
The present invention provides methods which comprise administering a pharmaceutical composition comprising any of the exemplary heterodimeric inactivatable CAR described herein in combination with one or more additional therapeutic agents. Exemplary additional therapeutic agents that may be combined with or administered in combination with a heterodimeric inactivatable CAR include, e.g., an EGFR antagonist (e.g., an anti-EGFR antibody [e.g., cetuximab or panitumumab] or small molecule inhibitor of EGFR [e.g., gefitinib or erlotinib]), an antagonist of another EGFR family member such as Her2/ErbB2, ErbB3 or ErbB4 (e.g., anti-ErbB2, anti-ErbB3 or anti-ErbB4 antibody or small molecule inhibitor of ErbB2, ErbB3 or ErbB4 activity), an antagonist of EGFRvIII (e.g., an antibody that specifically binds EGFRvIII), a cMET anagonist (e.g., an anti-cMET antibody), an IGF1R antagonist (e.g., an anti-IGF1R antibody), a B-raf inhibitor (e.g., vemurafenib, sorafenib, GDC-0879, PLX-4720), a PDGFR-α inhibitor (e.g., an anti-PDGFR-α antibody), a PDGFR-β inhibitor (e.g., an anti-PDGFR-β antibody), a VEGF antagonist (e.g., a VEGF-Trap, see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 7,087,411 (also referred to herein as a “VEGF-inhibiting fusion protein”), anti-VEGF antibody (e.g., bevacizumab), a small molecule kinase inhibitor of VEGF receptor (e.g., sunitinib, sorafenib or pazopanib)), a DLL4 antagonist (e.g., an anti-DLL4 antibody disclosed in US 2009/0142354 such as REGN421), an Ang2 antagonist (e.g., an anti-Ang2 antibody disclosed in US 2011/0027286 such as H1H685P), a FOLH1 (PSMA) antagonist, a PRLR antagonist (e.g., an anti-PRLR antibody), a STEAP1 or STEAP2 antagonist (e.g., an anti-STEAP1 antibody or an anti-STEAP2 antibody), a TMPRSS2 antagonist (e.g., an anti-TMPRSS2 antibody), a MSLN antagonist (e.g., an anti-MSLN antibody), a CA9 antagonist (e.g., an anti-CA9 antibody), a uroplakin antagonist (e.g., an anti-uroplakin antibody), etc. Other agents that may be beneficially administered in combination with a heterodimeric inactivatable CAR include cytokine inhibitors, including small-molecule cytokine inhibitors and antibodies that bind to cytokines such as IL-1, IL-2, IL-3, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-8, IL-9, IL-11, IL-12, IL-13, IL-17, IL-18, or to their respective receptors. The pharmaceutical compositions of the present invention may also be administered as part of a therapeutic regimen comprising one or more therapeutic combinations selected from “ICE”: ifosfamide (e.g., Ifex®), carboplatin (e.g., Paraplatin®), etoposide (e.g., Etopophos®, Toposar®, VePesid®, VP-16); “DHAP”: dexamethasone (e.g., Decadron®), cytarabine (e.g., Cytosar-U®, cytosine arabinoside, ara-C), cisplatin (e.g., Platinol®-AQ); and “ESHAP”: etoposide (e.g., Etopophos®, Toposar®, VePesid®, VP-16), methylprednisolone (e.g., Medrol®), high-dose cytarabine, cisplatin (e.g., Platinol®-AQ).
The present invention also includes therapeutic combinations comprising any of the antigen-binding molecules mentioned herein and an inhibitor of one or more of VEGF, Ang2, DLL4, EGFR, ErbB2, ErbB3, ErbB4, EGFRvIII, cMet, IGF1R, B-raf, PDGFR-α, PDGFR-β, FOLH1 (PSMA), PRLR, STEAP1, STEAP2, TMPRSS2, MSLN, CA9, uroplakin, or any of the aforementioned cytokines, wherein the inhibitor is an aptamer, an antisense molecule, a ribozyme, an siRNA, a peptibody, a nanobody or an antibody fragment (e.g., Fab fragment; F(ab′)2 fragment; Fd fragment; Fv fragment; scFv; dAb fragment; or other engineered molecules, such as diabodies, triabodies, tetrabodies, minibodies and minimal recognition units). The heterodimeric inactivatable CAR may also be administered and/or co-formulated in combination with antivirals, antibiotics, analgesics, corticosteroids and/or NSAIDs. The antigen-binding molecules of the invention may also be administered as part of a treatment regimen that also includes radiation treatment and/or conventional chemotherapy.
Non-limiting examples of chemotherapeutic compounds which can be used in combination treatments include, for example, aminoglutethimide, amsacrine, anastrozole, asparaginase, bcg, bicalutamide, bleomycin, buserelin, busulfan, campothecin, capecitabine, carboplatin, carmustine, chlorambucil, cisplatin, cladribine, clodronate, colchicine, cyclophosphamide, cyproterone, cytarabine, dacarbazine, dactinomycin, daunorubicin, dienestrol, diethylstilbestrol, docetaxel, doxorubicin, epirubicin, estradiol, estramnustine, etoposide, exemestane, filgrastim, fludarabine, fludrocortisone, fluorouracil, fluoxymesterone, flutamide, gemcitabine, genistein, goserelin, hydroxyurea, idarubicin, ifosfamide, imatinib, interferon, irinotecan, ironotecan, letrozole, leucovorin, leuprolide, levamisole, lomustine, mechlorethamine, medroxyprogesterone, megestrol, melphalan, mercaptopurine, mesna, methotrexate, mitomycin, mitotane, mitoxantrone, nilutamide, nocodazole, octreotide, oxaliplatin, paclitaxel, pamidronate, pentostatin, plicamycin, porfimer, procarbazine, raltitrexed, rituximab, streptozocin, suramin, tamoxifen, temozolomide, teniposide, testosterone, thioguanine, thiotepa, titanocene dichloride, topotecan, trastuzumab, tretinoin, vinblastine, vincristine, vindesine, and vinorelbine.
These chemotherapeutic compounds may be categorized by their mechanism of action into, for example, following groups: anti-metabolites/anti-cancer agents, such as pyrimidine analogs (5-fluorouracil, floxuridine, capecitabine, gemcitabine and cytarabine) and purine analogs, folate antagonists and related inhibitors (mercaptopurine, thioguanine, pentostatin and 2-chlorodeoxyadenosine (cladribine)); antiproliferative/antimitotic agents including natural products such as vinca alkaloids (vinblastine, vincristine, and vinorelbine), microtubule disruptors such as taxane (paclitaxel, docetaxel), vincristin, vinblastin, nocodazole, epothilones and navelbine, epidipodophyllotoxins (etoposide, teniposide), DNA damaging agents (actinomycin, amsacrine, anthracyclines, bleomycin, busulfan, camptothecin, carboplatin, chlorambucil, cisplatin, cyclophosphamide, cytoxan, dactinomycin, daunorubicin, doxorubicin, epirubicin, hexamethyhnelamineoxaliplatin, iphosphamide, melphalan, merchlorehtamine, mitomycin, mitoxantrone, nitrosourea, plicamycin, procarbazine, taxol, taxotere, teniposide, triethylenethiophosphoramide and etoposide (VP16)); antibiotics such as dactinomycin (actinomycin D), daunorubicin, doxorubicin (adriamycin), idarubicin, anthracyclines, mitoxantrone, bleomycins, plicamycin (mithramycin) and mitomycin; enzymes (L-asparaginase which systemically metabolizes L-asparagine and deprives cells which do not have the capacity to synthesize their own asparagine); antiplatelet agents; antiproliferative/antimitotic alkylating agents such as nitrogen mustards (mechlorethamine, cyclophosphamide and analogs, melphalan, chlorambucil), ethylenimines and methylmelamines (hexamethylmelamine and thiotepa), alkyl sulfonates-busulfan, nitrosoureas (carmustine (BCNU) and analogs, streptozocin), trazenes-dacarbazinine (DTIC); antiproliferative/antimitotic antimetabolites such as folic acid analogs (methotrexate); platinum coordination complexes (cisplatin, carboplatin), procarbazine, hydroxyurea, mitotane, aminoglutethimide; hormones, hormone analogs (estrogen, tamoxifen, goserelin, bicalutamide, nilutamide) and aromatase inhibitors (letrozole, anastrozole); anticoagulants (heparin, synthetic heparin salts and other inhibitors of thrombin); fibrinolytic agents (such as tissue plasminogen activator, streptokinase and urokinase), aspirin, dipyridamole, ticlopidine, clopidogrel, abciximab; antimigratory agents; antisecretory agents (breveldin); immunosuppressives (cyclosporine, tacrolimus (FK-506), sirolimus (rapamycin), azathioprine, mycophenolate mofetil); anti-angiogenic compounds (e.g., TNP-470, genistein, bevacizumab) and growth factor inhibitors (e.g., fibroblast growth factor (FGF) inhibitors); angiotensin receptor blocker; nitric oxide donors; anti-sense oligonucleotides; antibodies (trastuzumab); cell cycle inhibitors and differentiation inducers (tretinoin); mTOR inhibitors, topoisomerase inhibitors (doxorubicin (adriamycin), amsacrine, camptothecin, daunorubicin, dactinomycin, eniposide, epirubicin, etoposide, idarubicin and mitoxantrone, topotecan, irinotecan), corticosteroids (cortisone, dexamethasone, hydrocortisone, methylpednisolone, prednisone, and prenisolone); growth factor signal transduction kinase inhibitors; mitochondrial dysfunction inducers and caspase activators; and chromatin disruptors.
For treatment of infections, a combined therapy may be used. The combined therapy can encompass co-administering compositions and methods described herein with an antibiotic, an anti-fungal drug, an anti-viral drug, an anti-parasitic drug, an anti-protozoal drug, or a combination thereof.
Non-limiting examples of useful antibiotics include lincosamides (clindomycin); chloramphenicols; tetracyclines (such as Tetracycline, Chlortetracycline, Demeclocycline, Methacycline, Doxycycline, Minocycline); aminoglycosides (such as Gentamicin, Tobramycin, Netilmicin, Amikacin, Kanamycin, Streptomycin, Neomycin); beta-lactams (such as penicillins, cephalosporins, Imipenem, Aztreonam); vancomycins; bacitracins; macrolides (erythromycins), amphotericins; sulfonamides (such as Sulfanilamide, Sulfamethoxazole, Sulfacetamide, Sulfadiazine, Sulfisoxazole, Sulfacytine, Sulfadoxine, Mafenide, p-Aminobenzoic Acid, Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole); Methenamin; Nitrofurantoin; Phenazopyridine; trimethoprim; rifampicins; metronidazoles; cefazolins; Lincomycin; Spectinomycin; mupirocins; quinolones (such as Nalidixic Acid, Cinoxacin, Norfloxacin, Ciprofloxacin, Perfloxacin, Ofloxacin, Enoxacin, Fleroxacin, Levofloxacin); novobiocins; polymixins; gramicidins; and antipseudomonals (such as Carbenicillin, Carbenicillin Indanyl, Ticarcillin, Azlocillin, Mezlocillin, Piperacillin) or any salts or variants thereof. See also Physician's Desk Reference, 59th edition, (2005), Thomson P D R, Montvale N.J.; Gennaro et al., Eds. Remington's The Science and Practice of Pharmacy, 20th edition, (2000), Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, Baltimore Md.; Braunwald et al., Eds. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, 15th edition, (2001), McGraw Hill, NY; Berkow et al., Eds. The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy, (1992), Merck Research Laboratories, Rahway N.J. Such antibiotics can be obtained commercially, e.g., from Daiichi Sankyo, Inc. (Parsipanny, N.J.), Merck (Whitehouse Station, N.J.), Pfizer (New York, N.Y.), Glaxo Smith Kline (Research Triangle Park, N.C.), Johnson & Johnson (New Brunswick, N.J.), AstraZeneca (Wilmington, Del.), Novartis (East Hanover, N.J.), and Sanofi-Aventis (Bridgewater, N.J.). The antibiotic used will depend on the type of bacterial infection.
Non-limiting examples of useful anti-fungal agents include imidazoles (such as griseofulvin, miconazole, terbinafine, fluconazole, ketoconazole, voriconazole, and itraconizole); polyenes (such as amphotericin B and nystatin); Flucytosines; and candicidin or any salts or variants thereof. See also Physician's Desk Reference, 59th edition, (2005), Thomson P D R, Montvale N.J.; Gennaro et al., Eds. Remington's The Science and Practice of Pharmacy 20th edition, (2000), Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, Baltimore Md.; Braunwald et al., Eds. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, 15th edition, (2001), McGraw Hill, NY; Berkow et al., Eds. The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy, (1992), Merck Research Laboratories, Rahway N.J.
Non-limiting examples of useful anti-viral drugs include interferon alpha, beta or gamma, didanosine, lamivudine, zanamavir, lopanivir, nelfinavir, efavirenz, indinavir, valacyclovir, zidovudine, amantadine, rimantidine, ribavirin, ganciclovir, foscamet, and acyclovir or any salts or variants thereof. See also Physician's Desk Reference, 59th edition, (2005), Thomson P D R, Montvale N.J.; Gennaro et al., Eds. Remington's The Science and Practice of Pharmacy 20th edition, (2000), Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, Baltimore Md.; Braunwald et al., Eds. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, 15th edition, (2001), McGraw Hill, NY; Berkow et al., Eds. The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy, (1992), Merck Research Laboratories, Rahway N.J.
Non-limiting examples of useful anti-parasitic agents include chloroquine, mefloquine, quinine, primaquine, atovaquone, sulfasoxine, and pyrimethamine or any salts or variants thereof. See also Physician's Desk Reference, 59th edition, (2005), Thomson P D R, Montvale N.J.; Gennaro et al., Eds. Remington's The Science and Practice of Pharmacy 20th edition, (2000), Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, Baltimore Md.; Braunwald et al., Eds. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, 15th edition, (2001), McGraw Hill, NY; Berkow et al., Eds. The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy, (1992), Merck Research Laboratories, Rahway N.J.
Non-limiting examples of useful anti-protozoal drugs include metronidazole, diloxanide, iodoquinol, trimethoprim, sufamethoxazole, pentamidine, clindamycin, primaquine, pyrimethamine, and sulfadiazine or any salts or variants thereof. See also Physician's Desk Reference, 59th edition, (2005), Thomson P D R, Montvale N.J.; Gennaro et al., Eds. Remington's The Science and Practice of Pharmacy 20th edition, (2000), Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, Baltimore Md.; Braunwald et al., Eds. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, 15th edition, (2001), McGraw Hill, NY; Berkow et al., Eds. The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy, (1992), Merck Research Laboratories, Rahway N.J.
The additional therapeutically active component(s) may be administered just prior to, concurrent with, or shortly after the administration of a heterodimeric inactivatable CAR (for purposes of the present disclosure, such administration regimens are considered the administration of a heterodimeric inactivatable CAR “in combination with” an additional therapeutically active component).
The present invention includes pharmaceutical compositions in which a heterodimeric inactivatable CAR is co-formulated with one or more of the additional therapeutically active component(s) as described elsewhere herein.
The present invention includes methods comprising administering to a subject in need thereof a therapeutic composition comprising a heterodimeric inactivatable CAR as described herein. The therapeutic composition can comprise any of the heterodimeric inactivatable CAR as disclosed herein and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier or diluent. As used herein, the expression “a subject in need thereof” means a human or non-human animal that exhibits one or more symptoms or indicia of an infection (e.g., a subject suffering from a bacterial or viral infection, including any of those mentioned herein) cancer (e.g., a subject expressing a tumor or suffering from any of the cancers mentioned herein), an autoimmune disorder (e.g., a subject suffering from any of the autoimmune diseases or disorders mentioned herein), inflammatory diseases, or who otherwise would benefit from enhancement or suppression of T cell activity.
In another aspect, described herein is a method of treating a disorder in a subject in need thereof comprising administering to said subject an effective amount of a heterodimeric inactivatable CARs described herein, wherein the heterodimeric inactivatable CAR binds to an antigen-specific TCR and wherein the antigen recognized by the TCR is associated with the disorder.
The heterodimeric inactivatable CARs of the invention (and therapeutic compositions comprising the same) are useful, inter alia, for treating any disease or disorder in which stimulation or suppression of an immune response (via T cell modulation) targeted against a specific antigen would be beneficial. In particular, the heterodimeric inactivatable CARs of the present invention may be used for the treatment and prevention of infections, cancers or autoimmune disorders.
Where the heterodimeric inactivatable CAR described herein includes a second molecule comprising a domain that specifically binds a T-cell immunomodulatory molecule that is an activating polypeptide, transduction of the T cell with the heterodimeric inactivatable CAR activates the epitope-specific T cell. In some instances, the epitope-specific T cell is a T cell that is specific for an epitope present on a cancer cell, and contacting the epitope-specific T cell with the heterodimeric inactivatable CAR increases cytotoxic activity of the T cell toward the cancer cell. In some embodiments, the epitope-specific T cell is a T cell that is specific for an epitope present on a cancer cell, and contacting the epitope-specific T cell with the heterodimeric inactivatable CAR increases the number of the epitope-specific T cells.
In some embodiments, the epitope-specific T cell is a T cell that is specific for an epitope present on a virus-infected cell, and contacting the epitope-specific T cell with the heterodimeric inactivatable CAR increases cytotoxic activity of the T cell toward the virus-infected cell. In some instances, the epitope-specific T cell is a T cell that is specific for an epitope present on a virus-infected cell, and contacting the epitope-specific T cell with the heterodimeric inactivatable CAR increases the number of the epitope-specific T cells.
Where the heterodimeric inactivatable CAR includes a second molecule comprising a domain that specifically binds a T-cell immunomodulatory molecule that is an inhibiting polypeptide, contacting the T cell with the heterodimeric inactivatable CAR inhibits the epitope-specific T cell. In some instances, the epitope-specific T cell is a self-reactive T cell that is specific for an epitope present in a self antigen, and the contacting reduces the number of the self-reactive T cells.
The interaction of a T cell with the heterodimeric inactivatable CARs described herein can result in, e.g., activation, induction of anergy, or death of a T cell that occurs when the TCR of the T cell is bound by a TCR-binding pMHC complex. “Activation of a T cell” refers to induction of signal transduction pathways in the T cell resulting in production of cellular products (e.g., interleukin-2) by that T cell. “Anergy” refers to the diminished reactivity by a T cell to an antigen. Activation and anergy can be measured by, for example, measuring the amount of IL-2 produced by a T cell after an pMHC complex has bound to the TcR. Anergic cells will have decreased IL-2 production when compared with stimulated T cells. Another method for measuring the diminished activity of anergic T cells includes measuring intracellular and/or extracellular calcium mobilization by a T cell upon engagement of its TCR's. “T cell death” refers to the permanent cessation of substantially all functions of the T cell.
T-cell phenotypes may be evaluated using well-known methods, e.g., by measuring changes in the level of expression of cytokines and/or T cell activation markers, and/or the induction of antigen-specific proliferating cells. Techniques known to those of skill in the art, include, but not limited to, immunoprecipitation followed by Western blot analysis, ELISAs, flow cytometry, Northern blot analysis, and RT-PCR can be used to measure the expression cytokines and T cell activation markers. Cytokine release may be measured by measuring secretion of cytokines including but not limited to Interleukin-2 (IL-2), Interleukin-4 (IL-4), Interleukin-6 (IL-6), Interleukin-12 (IL-12), Interleukin-16 (IL-16), PDGF, TGF-α, TGF-β, TNF-α, TNF-β, GCSF, GM-CSF, MCSF, IFN-α, IFN-β, IFN-γ, TFN-γ, IGF-I, and IGF-II (see, e.g., Isaacs et al., 2001, Rheumatology, 40: 724-738; Soubrane et al., 1993, Blood, 81(1): 15-19).
T cell modulation may also be evaluated by measuring (e.g., proliferation) by, for example, 3H-thymidine incorporation, trypan blue cell counts, and fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS).
The anti-tumor responses of T cells after exposure to the heterodimeric inactivatable CAR may be determined in xenograft tumor models. Tumors may be established using any human cancer cell line expressing the tumor associated antigen presented by the heterodimeric inactivatable CAR. In order to establish xenograft tumor models, about 5×106 viable cells, may be injected, e.g., s.c., into nude athymic mice using for example Matrigel (Becton Dickinson). The endpoint of the xenograft tumor models can be determined based on the size of the tumors, weight of animals, survival time and histochemical and histopathological examination of the cancer, using methods known to one skilled in the art.
The anergic state or death of T cells after exposure to the heterodimeric inactivatable CARs described herein, e.g., which may be useful for treatment of inflammatory and autoimmune disorders, can be tested in vitro or in vivo by, e.g., 51Cr-release assays. The ability to mediate the depletion of peripheral blood T cells can be assessed by, e.g., measuring T cell counts using flow cytometry analysis.
Non-limiting examples of useful animal models for analyzing the effect of the exposure of T cells to the heterodimeric inactivatable CARs described herein on inflammatory diseases include adjuvant-induced arthritis rat models, collagen-induced arthritis rat and mouse models and antigen-induced arthritis rat, rabbit and hamster models (see, e.g., Crofford L. J. and Wilder R. L., “Arthritis and Autoimmunity in Animals”, in Arthritis and Allied Conditions: A Textbook of Rheumatology, McCarty et al. (eds.), Chapter 30 (Lee and Febiger, 1993); Trenthom et al., 1977, J. Exp. Med. 146:857; Courtenay et al., 1980, Nature 283:665; Cathcart et at, 1986, Lab. Invest. 54:26; Holmdahl, R., 1999, Curr. Biol. 15:R528-530). Other useful animal models of inflammatory diseases include animal models of inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative cholitis and Crohn's disease induced, e.g., by sulfated polysaccharides (e.g., amylopectin, carrageen, amylopectin sulfate, dextran sulfate) or chemical irritants (e.g., trinitrobenzenesulphonic acid (TNBS) or acetic acid). See, e.g., Kim et al., 1992, Scand. J. Gastroentrol. 27:529-537; Strober, 1985, Dig. Dis. Sci. 30(12 Suppl):3S-10S).
Additional useful models are animal models for asthma such as, e.g., adoptive transfer model in which aeroallergen provocation of TH1 or TH2 recipient mice results in TH effector cell migration to the airways and is associated with an intense neutrophilic (TH1) and eosinophilic (TH2) lung mucosal inflammatory response (see, e.g., Cohn et al., 1997, J. Exp. Med. 1861737-1747). Useful animal models of studying the effect of the heterodimeric inactivatable CARs of the invention on multiple sclerosis (MS) include an experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) model (see, e.g., Zamvil et al, 1990, Ann. Rev, Immunol. 8:579). Animal models which can be used for analyzing the effect of the heterodimeric inactivatable CARs of the invention on autoimmune disorders such as type 1 diabetes, thyroid autoimmunity, systemic lupus eruthematosus, and glomerulonephritis have been also developed (see, e.g., Bluestone et al., 2004, PNAS 101:14622-14626; Flanders et al., 1999, Autoimmunity 29:235-246; Krogh et al., 1999, Biochimie 81:511-515; Foster, 1999, Semin. Nephrol. 19:12-24).
Efficacy of a heterodimeric inactivatable CAR to downregulate immune responses in treating an autoimmune disorder may be evaluated, e.g., by detecting their ability to reduce one or more symptoms of the autoimmune disorder, to reduce mean absolute lymphocyte counts, to decrease T cell activation, to decrease T cell proliferation, to reduce cytokine production, or to modulate one or more particular cytokine profiles (e.g., Interleukin-2 (IL-2). Interleukin-4 (IL-4), Interleukin-6 (IL-6), Interleukin-12 (IL-12), Interleukin-16 (IL-16), PDGF, TGF-α, TGF-β, TNF-α, TNF-β, GCSF, GM-CSF, MCSF, IFN-α, IFNβ, IFN-γ, TFN-γ, IGF-I, and IGF-II) (see, e.g., Isaacs et al., 2001, Rheumatology, 40: 724-738; Soubrane et al., 1993, Blood, 81(1): 15-19).
Efficacy of the heterodimeric inactivatable CARs for use in treating diabetes may be evaluated, e.g. by the ability of the heterodimeric inactivatable CARs to reduce one or more symptoms of diabetes, to preserve the C-peptide response to MMTT, to reduce the level HA1 or HA1c, to reduce the daily requirement for insulin, or to decrease T cell activation in pancreatic islet tissue. Efficacy in treating arthritis may be assessed through tender and swollen joint counts, determination of a global scores for pain and disease activity, ESRICRP, determination of progression of structural joint damage (e.g., by quantitative scoring of X-rays of hands, wrists, and feet (Sharp method)), determination of changes in functional status (e.g., evaluated using the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ)), or determination of quality of life changes (assessed, e.g., using SF-36).
In a related aspect, disclosed herein is a method of treating a disorder in a subject in need thereof comprising administering to said subject an effective amount of the heterodimeric inactivatable CAR, wherein the heterodimeric inactivatable CAR binds to an antigen-specific TCR and wherein the antigen is associated with the disorder. In some embodiments, the disorder is an inflammatory or an autoimmune disorder, and the administration results in a downregulation of an inflammatory or autoimmune response. In one specific embodiment, the disorder is celiac disease or gluten sensitivity. In one specific embodiment, the antigen comprises a gliadin or a fragment thereof (e.g., (i) α-gliadin fragment corresponding to amino acids 57-73 or (ii) γ-gliadin fragment corresponding to amino acids 139-153 or (iii) w-gliadin fragment corresponding to amino acids 102-118). In one specific embodiment, the heterodimeric inactivatable CAR presents a peptide derived from the antigen in the context of a class II MHC. In some embodiments, the disorder is a tumor and the administration results in an upregulation of an anti-tumor immune response.
CAR T cells comprising the heterodimeric inactivatable CARs described herein can eliminate auto-reactive B cells. CAR T cells comprising the heterodimeric inactivatable CARs described herein can be used to dampen immune responses, which may be useful in the context of GVHD, autoimmunity or transplantation tolerance.
In a recent study, permanent and profound B cell depletion by CD19-targeted CAR T cells lead to lasting remission of experimental lupus. In two mouse strains that are reliable models of SLE and that differ in the underlying genetic mechanisms leading to autoimmunity, sustained CD19+ B cell depletion prevented autoantibody production, alleviated manifestations of lupus pathogenesis, and lengthened life spans. Kansal et al., Sci. Transl. Med., 2019, eaav 1648.
In another embodiment, the disorder is an infection caused by an infectious agent and the administration results in an upregulation of an immune response against the infectious agent. In one specific embodiment, the infectious agent is selected from the group consisting of a virus, a bacterium, a fungus, a protozoa, a parasite, a helminth, and an ectoparasite. In one specific embodiment, the infectious agent is lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) and the antigen is gp33 protein. In one specific embodiment, the heterodimeric inactivatable CAR presents a peptide derived from the antigen in the context of a class I MHC. In some embodiments, the subject is a mammal (e.g., human).
According to certain aspects, a heterodimeric inactivatable CAR may be used to treat a cancer in which the tumor cells express a tumor-associated antigen, for example, a tumor-associated antigen selected from the group consisting of adipophilin, AIM-2, ALDH1A1, alpha-actinin-4, alpha-fetoprotein (“AFP”), ARTC1, ALK, BAGE proteins (e.g., BAGE-1), BIRC5 (survivin), BIRC7, β-catenin, BRCA1, BORIS, B-RAF, BCLX (L), BCR-ABL fusion protein b3a2, beta-catenin, BING-4, CA-125, CALCA, carcinoembryonic antigen (“CEA”), CAGE-1 to 8, CASP-5, CASP-8, CD274, CD45, Cdc27, CDK12, CDK4, CDKN2A, CEA, CLPP, COA-1, CPSF, CSNK1A1, CTAG1, CTAG2, cyclin D1, Cyclin-A1, CA9, carbonic anhydrase IX, caspase-8, CALR, CCR5, CD19, CD20 (MS4A1), CD22, CD40, CD70, CDK4, cyclin-B1, CYP1B1, dek-can fusion protein, DKK1, EFTUD2, Elongation factor 2, ENAH (hMena), EphA3, epithelial tumor antigen (“ETA”), EGFR, EGFRvIII, ErbB2/Her2, ErbB3, ErbB4, ETV6-AML1 fusion protein, EpCAM, EphA2, EZH2, FGF5, FLT3-ITD, FN1, Fra-1, FOLR1, G250/MN/CAIX, GAGE proteins (e.g., GAGE-1-8), GD2, GD3, GloboH, glypican-3, GM3, gp100, GAS7, GnTV, gp100/Pme117, GPNMB, GnTV, HAUS3, Hepsin, HERV-K-MEL, HLA-A11, HLA-A2, HLA-DOB, hsp70-2, HPV E2, HPV E6, HPV E7, HPV EG, Her2/neu, HLA/B-raf, HLA/k-ras, HLA/MAGE-A3, hTERT, IDO1, IGF2B3, IL13Ralpha2, Intestinal carboxyl esterase, K-ras, Kallikrein 4, KIF20A, KK-LC-1, KKLC1, KM-HN-1, KMHN1 also known as CCDC110, LAGE-1, LDLR-fucosyltransferaseAS fusion protein, Lengsin, LMP2, M-CSF, MAGE proteins (e.g., MAGE-A1, -A2, -A3, -A4, -A6, -A9, -A10, -A12, -C1, and -C2), malic enzyme, mammaglobin-A, MART-1, MART-2, MATN, MC1R, MCSP, mdm-2, MEL, Melan-A/MART-1, Meloe, Midkine, MMP-2, MMP-7, mesothelin, ML-IAP, Muc1, Muc2, Muc3, Muc4, Muc5, Muc16 (CA-125), MUC5AC, MUM-1, MUM-2, MUM-3, Myosin, Myosin class I, N-raw, NA88-A, neo-PAP, NFYC, NA17, NA-88, NY-BR1, NY-BR62, NY-BR85, NY-ESO1/LAGE-2, OA1, OGT, OS-9, P polypeptide, p15, p53, PAP, PAX3, PAX5, PCTA-1, PLAC1, PRLR, PRAME, PSMA (FOLH1), PBF, pml-RARalpha fusion protein, polymorphic epithelial mucin (“PEM”), PPPIR3B, PRDX5, PSA, PSMA, PTPRK, RAB38/NY-MEL-1, RBAF600, RGS5, RhoC, RNF43, RU2AS, RAGE proteins (e.g., RAGE-1), Ras, RGS5, Rho, SART-1, SART-3, STEAP1, STEAP2, SAGE, secernin 1, SIRT2, SNRPD1, SOX10, Sp17, SPA17, SSX-2, SSX-4, STEAP1, survivin, SYT-SSX1 or -SSX2 fusion protein, TAG-1, TAG-2, TAG-72, TGF-β, TMPRSS2, Thompson-nouvelle antigen (Tn), TRP-1/gp75, TRP-2, TRP2-INT2, tyrosinase, Telomerase, TPBG, TRAG-3, Triosephosphate isomerase, uroplakin-3, VEGF, XAGE-1b/GAGED2a, WT-1, NeuGcGM3, N-glycolyl GM3 ganglioside, Neu5Gc, GM3-Ganglioside, GD3, GM2, carbohydrate antigens, ganglioside antigens, Lewis Y, and Lewis B, CD123 and Kappa chain of immunoglobulin. In some embodiments, the peptide is a neo-antigen. In some embodiments, the peptide is a tumor specific antigen.
Specific cancers/tumors treatable by the methods and heterodimeric inactivatable CARs of the present invention include, without limitation, various solid malignancies, carcinomas, lymphomas, sarcomas, blastomas, and leukemias. Non-limiting specific examples, include, for example, breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, liver cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer, colon cancer, renal cancer, bladder cancer, head and neck carcinoma, thyroid carcinoma, soft tissue sarcoma, ovarian cancer, primary or metastatic melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma, basal cell carcinoma, brain cancers of all histopathologic types, angiosarcoma, hemangiosarcoma, bone sarcoma, fibrosarcoma, myxosarcoma, liposarcoma, chondrosarcoma, osteogenic sarcoma, chordoma, angiosarcoma, endotheliosarcoma, lymphangiosarcoma, lymphangioendotheliosarcoma, synovioma, testicular cancer, uterine cancer, cervical cancer, gastrointestinal cancer, mesothelioma, Ewing's tumor, leiomyosarcoma, Ewing's sarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, carcinoma of unknown primary (CUP), squamous cell carcinoma, basal cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, sweat gland carcinoma, sebaceous gland carcinoma, papillary carcinoma, Waldenstroom's macroglobulinemia, papillary adenocarcinomas, cystadenocarcinoma, bronchogenic carcinoma, bile duct carcinoma, choriocarcinoma, seminoma, embryonal carcinoma, Wilms' tumor, lung carcinoma, epithelial carcinoma, cervical cancer, testicular tumor, glioma, glioblastoma, astrocytoma, medulloblastoma, craniopharyngioma, ependymoma, pinealoma, hemangioblastoma, acoustic neuroma, oligodendroglioma, meningioma, retinoblastoma, leukemia, neuroblastoma, small cell lung carcinoma, bladder carcinoma, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, medullary carcinoma, B cell lymphoma, T cell lymphoma, NK cell lymphoma, large granular lymphocytic lymphoma or leukemia, gamma-delta T cell lymphoma or gamma-delta T cell leukemia, mantle cell lymphoma, myeloma, leukemia, chronic myeloid leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, acute lymphocytic leukemia, hairy cell leukemia, hematopoietic neoplasias, thymoma, sarcoma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Hodgkin's lymphoma, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) induced malignancies of all typies including but not limited to EBV-associated Hodkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, all forms of post-transplant lymphomas including post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD), uterine cancer, renal cell carcinoma, hepatoma, hepatoblastoma, Cancers that may treated by methods and compositions described herein include, but are not limited to, cancer cells from the bladder, blood, bone, bone marrow, brain, breast, colon, esophagus, gastrointestine, gum, head, kidney, liver, lung, nasopharynx, neck, ovary, prostate, skin, stomach, testis, tongue, or uterus. In addition, the cancer may specifically be of the following histological type, though it is not limited to these: neoplasm, malignant; carcinoma; carcinoma, undifferentiated; giant and spindle cell carcinoma; small cell carcinoma; papillary carcinoma; squamous cell carcinoma; lymphoepithelial carcinoma; basal cell carcinoma; pilomatrix carcinoma; transitional cell carcinoma; papillary transitional cell carcinoma; adenocarcinoma; gastrinoma, malignant; cholangiocarcinoma; hepatocellular carcinoma; combined hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma; trabecular adenocarcinoma; adenoid cystic carcinoma; adenocarcinoma in adenomatous polyp; adenocarcinoma, familial polyposis coli; solid carcinoma; carcinoid tumor, malignant; branchiolo-alveolar adenocarcinoma; papillary adenocarcinoma; chromophobe carcinoma; acidophil carcinoma; oxyphilic adenocarcinoma; basophil carcinoma; clear cell adenocarcinoma; granular cell carcinoma; follicular adenocarcinoma; papillary and follicular adenocarcinoma; nonencapsulating sclerosing carcinoma; adrenal cortical carcinoma; endometroid carcinoma; skin appendage carcinoma; apocrine adenocarcinoma; sebaceous adenocarcinoma; ceruminous adenocarcinoma; mucoepidermoid carcinoma; cystadenocarcinoma; papillary cystadenocarcinoma; papillary serous cystadenocarcinoma; mucinous cystadenocarcinoma; mucinous adenocarcinoma; signet ring cell carcinoma; infiltrating duct carcinoma; medullary carcinoma; lobular carcinoma; inflammatory carcinoma; Paget's disease, mammary; acinar cell carcinoma; adenosquamous carcinoma; adenocarcinoma w/squamous metaplasia; thymoma, malignant; ovarian stromal tumor, malignant; thecoma, malignant; granulosa cell tumor, malignant; and roblastoma, malignant; sertoli cell carcinoma; leydig cell tumor, malignant; lipid cell tumor, malignant; paraganglioma, malignant; extra-mammary paraganglioma, malignant; pheochromocytoma; glomangiosarcoma; malignant melanoma; amelanotic melanoma; superficial spreading melanoma; malig melanoma in giant pigmented nevus; epithelioid cell melanoma; blue nevus, malignant; sarcoma; fibrosarcoma; fibrous histiocytoma, malignant; myxosarcoma; liposarcoma; leiomyosarcoma; rhabdomyosarcoma; embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma; alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma; stromal sarcoma; mixed tumor, malignant; mullerian mixed tumor; nephroblastoma; hepatoblastoma; carcinosarcoma; mesenchymoma, malignant; brenner tumor, malignant; phyllodes tumor, malignant; synovial sarcoma; mesothelioma, malignant; dysgerminoma; embryonal carcinoma; teratoma, malignant; struma ovarii, malignant; choriocarcinoma; mesonephroma, malignant; hemangiosarcoma; hemangioendothelioma, malignant; Kaposi's sarcoma; hemangiopericytoma, malignant; lymphangiosarcoma; osteosarcoma; juxtacortical osteosarcoma; chondrosarcoma; chondroblastoma, malignant; mesenchymal chondrosarcoma; giant cell tumor of bone; Ewing's sarcoma; odontogenic tumor, malignant; ameloblastic odontosarcoma; ameloblastoma, malignant; ameloblastic fibrosarcoma; pinealoma, malignant; chordoma; glioma, malignant; ependymoma; astrocytoma; protoplasmic astrocytoma; fibrillary astrocytoma; astroblastoma; glioblastoma; oligodendroglioma; oligodendroblastoma; primitive neuroectodermal; cerebellar sarcoma; ganglioneuroblastoma; neuroblastoma; retinoblastoma; olfactory neurogenic tumor; meningioma, malignant; neurofibrosarcoma; neurilemmoma, malignant; granular cell tumor, malignant; malignant lymphoma; Hodgkin's disease; Hodgkin's lymphoma; paragranuloma; malignant lymphoma, small lymphocytic; malignant lymphoma, large cell, diffuse; malignant lymphoma, follicular; mycosis fungoides; other specified non-Hodgkin's lymphomas; malignant histiocytosis; multiple myeloma; mast cell sarcoma; immunoproliferative small intestinal disease; leukemia; lymphoid leukemia; plasma cell leukemia; erythroleukemia; lymphosarcoma cell leukemia; myeloid leukemia; basophilic leukemia; eosinophilic leukemia; monocytic leukemia; mast cell leukemia; megakaryoblastic leukemia; myeloid sarcoma; and hairy cell leukemia.
The present invention also includes methods for treating residual cancer in a subject. As used herein, the term “residual cancer” means the existence or persistence of one or more cancerous cells in a subject following treatment with an anti-cancer therapy.
Non-limiting examples of the inflammatory and autoimmune diseases include, but are not limited to, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), ulcerative colitis (UC), Crohn's disease, diabetes (e.g., diabetes mellitus type 1), multiple sclerosis, arthritis (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis), Graves' disease, lupus erythematosus, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriasis, Behcet's disease, autistic enterocolitis, Guillain-Barre Syndrome, myasthenia gravis, pemphigus vulgaris, acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM), transverse myelitis autoimmune cardiomyopathy, Celiac disease, dermatomyositis, Wegener's granulomatosis, allergy, asthma, contact dermatitis, atherosclerosis (or any other inflammatory condition affecting the heart or vascular system), autoimmune uveitis, as well as other autoimmune skin conditions, autoimmune kidney, lung, or liver conditions, autoimmune neuropathies, asthma, allergy, celiac disease, systemic lupus erythematosis (SLE), scleroderma, sarcoidosis, thyroiditis, multiple sclerosis, spondylitis, periarteritis, eczema, atopic dermatitis, myasthenia gravis, insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, Crohn's disease, Guillain-Barre syndrome, Graves' disease, glomerulonephritis, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, sprue, autoimmune arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, juvenile chronic arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, reactive arthritis, spondyloarthropathy, psoriasis, acute or chronic immune disease associated with organ transplantation, an inflammatory disease, skin or organ transplantation rejection, graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), or autoimmune diseases, comprising administering to a subject a pharmaceutical composition described herein (e.g., a pharmaceutic composition comprising a heterodimeric inactivatable CAR described herein. Examples of autoimmune diseases include, for example, glomerular nephritis, arthritis, dilated cardiomyopathy-like disease, ulceous colitis, Sjogren syndrome, Crohn's disease, systemic erythematodes, chronic rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, allergic contact dermatitis, polymyosiis, pachyderma, periarteritis nodosa, rheumatic fever, vitiligo vulgaris, insulin dependent diabetes mellitus, Behcet disease, Hashimoto disease, Addison disease, dermatomyositis, myasthenia gravis, Reiter syndrome, Graves' disease, anaemia perniciosa, sterility disease, chronic active hepatitis, pemphigus, autoimmune thrombopenic purpura, and autoimmune hemolytic anemia, active chronic hepatitis, Addison's disease, anti-phospholipid syndrome, atopic allergy, autoimmune atrophic gastritis, achlorhydra autoimmune, celiac disease, Cushing's syndrome, dermatomyositis, discoid lupus, erythematosis, Goodpasture's syndrome, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, idiopathic adrenal atrophy, idiopathic thrombocytopenia, insulin-dependent diabetes, Lambert-Eaton syndrome, lupoid hepatitis, some embodiments of lymphopenia, mixed connective tissue disease, pemphigoid, pemphigus vulgaris, pernicious anema, phacogenic uveitis, polyarteritis nodosa, polyglandular autosyndromes, primary biliary cirrhosis, primary sclerosing cholangitis, Raynaud's syndrome, relapsing polychondritis, Schmidt's syndrome, limited scleroderma (or crest syndrome), sympathetic ophthalmia, systemic lupus erythematosis, Takayasu's arteritis, temporal arteritis, thyrotoxicosis, type b insulin resistance, ulcerative colitis and Wegener's granulomatosis.
In another embodiment, the methods described herein are used for treating or preventing a transplantation-related condition. In another embodiment, the methods described herein are used for treating or preventing graft-versus-host disease. In another embodiment, the methods described herein are used for treating or preventing a post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder.
According to certain aspects, the heterodimeric inactivatable CAR may be used to treat an infection, such as a bacterial infection (e.g. a bacterial infection resistant to conventional antibiotics) or a viral infection. In particular embodiments, the heterodimeric inactivatable CAR is designed to present a peptide derived from a viral antigen or a bacterial antigen. In some embodiments, the viral antigen is derived from a virus selected from the group consisting of adenovirus, astrovirus, chikungunya, cytomegalovirus, dengue, ebola, EBV, hantavirus, HBsAg, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, hepatitis D, hepatitis E, herpes, HIV, HPIV, HTLV, influenza, Japanese encephalitis virus, lassa, measles, metapneumovirus, mumps, norovirus, oropauche, HPV, parvovirus, rotavirus, RSV, rubella, SARS, TBEV, usutu, vaccina, varicella, West Nile, yellow fever, and zika. In some embodiments, the bacterial antigen is derived from a bacterium selected from the group consisting of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA), Clostridium Difficile, carbapenum-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, drug-resistant Neisseria Gonorrhoeae, multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter, drug-resistant Campylobacter, Fluconazole-resistant Candida, extended-spectrum β-lactamase producing bacteria, Vancomycin-resistant enterococcus, multidrug-resistant pseudomonas Aeruginosa, drug-resistant non-typhoidal Salmonella, drug-resistant Salmonella serotype typhi, drug-resistant Shigella, drug-resistant Streptococcus Pneumoniae, drug-resistant tuberculosis, Vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, Erythomycin-resistant group A Streptococcus, and Clindamycin-resistant group B Streptococcus.
Heterodimeric inactivatable CARs designed to treat cancer or an infection may include an antigen-binding domain (e.g., a one-arm antibody) on the second binding molecule that specifically binds a T-cell co-stimulatory molecule (e.g., CD28) to induce activation, proliferation (e.g., clonal expansion) and/or survival of T cells (e.g., CD8+ T cells) specific for the peptide presented on the first binding molecule. In some embodiments, T cell activation is revived. In some embodiments, naïve T-cells are activated or caused to proliferate. Such T cells can enhance or stimulate an immune response against cells (e.g., tumor cells or infected cells) expressing a protein comprising the peptide presented on the first binding molecule of the heterodimeric inactivatable CAR. In various embodiments, the heterodimeric inactivatable CARs do not induce proliferation of non-specific T cells (i.e., T cells that are not specific for the peptide presented on the first binding molecule).
According to certain aspects, the heterodimeric inactivatable CAR may be used to treat, prevent, or ameliorate an autoimmune disease or disorder by targeting the activity of T cells with specificity for a peptide corresponding to an antigen associated with the autoimmune disease or disorder. For example, the antigen may be selected from the group consisting of gliadin (celiac disease; e.g., (i) α-gliadin fragment corresponding to amino acids 57-73 or (ii) γ-gliadin fragment corresponding to amino acids 139 153 or (iii) ω-gliadin fragment corresponding to amino acids 102-118), GAD 65, IA-2 and insulin B chain (for type 1-diabetes), glatiramer acetate (GA) (for multiple sclerosis), achetylcholine receptor (AChR) (for myasthenia gravis), p205, insulin, thyroid-stimulating hormone, tyrosinase, TRP1, and myelin antigens (including myelin basic protein (MBP) and proteolipid protein (PLP)). In some embodiments, the antigen may be IL-4R, IL-6R, or DLL4.
Heterodimeric inactivatable CARs designed to treat an autoimmune disorder may include an antigen-binding domain (e.g., a one-arm antibody) on the second binding molecule that specifically binds a T-cell co-inhibitory molecule (e.g., CTLA-4, LAG3, PD1, etc.) to suppress the activity of T cells (e.g., CD4+ T cells) specific for the peptide presented on the first binding molecule. Inhibition or suppression of such T cell activity can treat, alleviate, or prevent recurrence of, autoimmune diseases or disorders in which the cells targeted by the individual's immune system express a protein comprising the peptide presented on the first binding molecule of the heterodimeric inactivatable CAR. In some embodiments, administration of a heterodimeric inactivatable CAR of the present invention can be used to make an individual's T cells tolerant of a self-antigen for which the T cells are specific.
The present invention also includes use of the heterodimeric inactivatable CARs herein in the manufacture of a medicament for preventing, treating and/or ameliorating an infection, a cancer, or an autoimmune disorder (e.g., as discussed herein).
In one aspect is provided a method for stimulating elimination of a cell comprising an antigen in a subject in need thereof. The method comprises administering to the subject an effective amount of cytotoxic T cells or natural killer (NK) cells comprising any heterodimeric CAR described herein, wherein the extracellular target-binding region of said CAR binds to said antigen.
The antigen may be a cancer cell associated antigen, an infection-associated antigen or an auto-antigen. The antigen may be a cancer cell associated antigen. The cancer cell associated antigen may be associated with a solid tumor. The cancer cell associated antigen may be a prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA). The antigen may be an infection-associated antigen. The antigen may be an auto-antigen. The antigen may be CD19. The antigen may be NeuGcGM3 or N-glycolyl GM3 ganglioside.
In another aspect is provided a method for stimulating elimination of a cell comprising prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) in a subject in need thereof. The method comprises administering to the subject an effective amount of cytotoxic T cells or natural killer (NK) cells comprising a heterodimeric inactivatable CAR described herein.
In another aspect is provided a method for treating a cancer in a subject in need thereof. The method comprises administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of cytotoxic T cells or natural killer (NK) cells comprising any heterodimeric inactivatable chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) described herein, wherein the extracellular target-binding region of said CAR binds to an antigen associated with said cancer. The cancer may be from a solid tumor. The cancer may be carcinoma, melanoma, prostate cancer, sarcoma, glioma, astrocytoma, medulloblastoma, craniopharyngioma, ependymoma, pinealoma, hemangioblastoma, acoustic neuroma, oligodendroglioma, menangioma, neuroblastoma, or retinoblastoma. The cancer may be a leukemia or a lymphoma.
In another aspect is provided a method for treating prostate cancer in a subject in need thereof. The method comprises administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount cytotoxic T cells or natural killer (NK) cells comprising any heterodimeric inactivatable CAR described herein. In some embodiments, the extracellular target-binding region of said CAR binds to an antigen associated with said infection.
In another aspect is provided a method for treating an inflammatory condition or an autoimmune disease in a subject in need thereof. The method comprises administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of T-helper cells or Treg cells comprising any heterodimeric inactivatable CAR described herein. The extracellular target-binding region of the CAR binds to an antigen associated with said inflammatory condition or an autoimmune disease. The method may result in reducing an immune response to a transplanted organ or tissue.
The method may comprise a) isolating T cells or NK cells from the subject; b) genetically modifying said T cells or NK cells ex vivo with any nucleic acid molecule or any vector described herein. The T cells or NK cells may be expanded or activated before, after or during step (b). The genetically modified T cells or NK cells are introduced into the subject.
The above methods may further comprise inhibiting the activity of the CAR by administering to the subject an effective amount of an inhibitory molecule that disrupts the heterodimer formed by the first and second member of the dimerization pair within the CAR resulting in inhibition of CAR-mediated signaling.
In various embodiments, the subject is human.
According to certain embodiments of the present invention, multiple doses of a heterodimeric inactivatable CAR may be administered to a subject over a defined time course. The methods according to this aspect of the invention comprise sequentially administering to a subject multiple doses of a heterodimeric inactivatable CAR of the invention. As used herein, “sequentially administering” means that each dose of a heterodimeric inactivatable CAR is administered to the subject at a different point in time, e.g., on different days separated by a predetermined interval (e.g., hours, days, weeks or months). The present invention includes methods which comprise sequentially administering to the patient a single initial dose of a heterodimeric inactivatable CAR, followed by one or more secondary doses of the heterodimeric inactivatable CAR, and optionally followed by one or more tertiary doses of the heterodimeric inactivatable CAR.
The terms “initial dose,” “secondary doses,” and “tertiary doses,” refer to the temporal sequence of administration of the heterodimeric inactivatable CAR. Thus, the “initial dose” is the dose which is administered at the beginning of the treatment regimen (also referred to as the “baseline dose”); the “secondary doses” are the doses which are administered after the initial dose; and the “tertiary doses” are the doses which are administered after the secondary doses. The initial, secondary, and tertiary doses may all contain the same amount of the heterodimeric inactivatable CAR, but generally may differ from one another in terms of frequency of administration. In certain embodiments, however, the amount of a heterodimeric inactivatable CAR contained in the initial, secondary and/or tertiary doses varies from one another (e.g., adjusted up or down as appropriate) during the course of treatment. In certain embodiments, two or more (e.g., 2, 3, 4, or 5) doses are administered at the beginning of the treatment regimen as “loading doses” followed by subsequent doses that are administered on a less frequent basis (e.g., “maintenance doses”).
In one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, each secondary and/or tertiary dose is administered 1 to 26 (e.g., 1, 1½, 2, 2½, 3, 3½, 4, 4½, 5, 5½, 6, 6½, 7, 7½, 8, 8½, 9, 9½, 10, 10½, 11, 1½, 12, 12½, 13, 13½, 14, 14½, 15, 15½, 16, 16½, 17, 17½, 18, 18½, 19, 19½, 20, 20½, 21, 2½, 22, 22½, 23, 23½, 24, 24½, 25, 25½, 26, 26½, or more) weeks after the immediately preceding dose. The phrase “the immediately preceding dose,” as used herein, means, in a sequence of multiple administrations, the dose of heterodimeric inactivatable CAR which is administered to a patient prior to the administration of the very next dose in the sequence with no intervening doses.
The methods according to this aspect of the invention may comprise administering to a patient any number of secondary and/or tertiary doses of a heterodimeric inactivatable CAR. For example, in certain embodiments, only a single secondary dose is administered to the patient. In other embodiments, two or more (e.g., 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, or more) secondary doses are administered to the patient. Likewise, in certain embodiments, only a single tertiary dose is administered to the patient. In other embodiments, two or more (e.g., 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, or more) tertiary doses are administered to the patient.
In embodiments involving multiple secondary doses, each secondary dose may be administered at the same frequency as the other secondary doses. For example, each secondary dose may be administered to the patient 1 to 2 weeks after the immediately preceding dose. Similarly, in embodiments involving multiple tertiary doses, each tertiary dose may be administered at the same frequency as the other tertiary doses. For example, each tertiary dose may be administered to the patient 2 to 4 weeks after the immediately preceding dose. Alternatively, the frequency at which the secondary and/or tertiary doses are administered to a patient can vary over the course of the treatment regimen. The frequency of administration may also be adjusted during the course of treatment by a physician depending on the needs of the individual patient following clinical examination.
Also provided is a method for inhibiting the activity of the heterodimeric inactivatable chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) in any host cell described herein. The method comprises contacting the host cell with an inhibitory molecule that disrupts the heterodimer formed by the first and second member of the dimerization pair within the CAR, resulting in inhibition of CAR-mediated signaling. The inhibitory molecule may be a small molecule or a polypeptide. The inhibitory molecule may bind to the first or second member of the dimerization pair with higher affinity than the first and second member of the dimerization pair bind to each other. In some embodiments, the inhibitory molecule binds to the first member of the dimerization pair. In some embodiments, the inhibitory molecule binds to the second member of the dimerization pair. In some embodiments, the inhibitory molecule is a BcL-xL and/or BCL-2 inhibitor. The first or the second member of the dimerization pair may comprise a BCL-xL sequence, a BCL-2 sequence, or a mutant of either, and the inhibitory molecule is a BcL-xL and/or BCL-2 inhibitor.
In various embodiments, the BCL-xL inhibitor or mutants thereof is navitoclax, A-1331852, A-1155463, venetoclax, ABT-199 (GDC-0199), obatoclax mesylate (GX15-070), HA14-1, ABT-737, TW-37, AT101, sabutoclax, gambogic acid, ARRY 520 trifluoroacetate, iMAC2, maritoclax, methylprednisolone, MIM1, ML 311, glossypol, BH3I-1, or 2-methoxy-antimycin A3 or derivatives thereof. In some embodiments, the BCL-xL or mutants thereof, inhibitor is A-1331852 or A-1155463 or derivatives thereof. In various embodiments, the BCL-2, or mutants thereof, inhibitor is navitoclax, A-1331852, A-1155463, venetoclax, ABT-199 (GDC-0199), obatoclax mesylate (GX15-070), HA14-1, ABT-737, TW-37, AT101, sabutoclax, gambogic acid, ARRY 520 trifluoroacetate, iMAC2, maritoclax, methylprednisolone, MIM1, ML 311, glossypol, BH3I-1, or 2-methoxy-antimycin A3 or derivatives thereof. In some embodiments, the BCL-2, or mutants thereof, inhibitor is A-1331852 or A-1155463 or derivatives thereof.
In some embodiments, the BCL-xL, or mutants thereof, inhibitor is venetoclax or derivatives thereof. In some embodiments, the BCL-2, or mutants thereof, inhibitor is venetoclax or derivatives thereof. Venetoclax is an orally bioavailable, selective small molecule inhibitor of the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2, with potential antineoplastic activity. Venetoclax is an antineoplastic agent used in the therapy of refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The IUPAC name for venetoclax is 4-[4-[[2-(4-chlorophenyl)-4,4-dimethylcyclohexen-1-yl]methyl]piperazin-1-yl]-N-[3-nitro-4-(oxan-4-ylmethylamino)phenyl]sulfonyl-2-(1H-pyrrolo[2,3-b]pyridin-5-yloxy)benzamide. The chemical structure of venetoclax is as follows:
Without wishing to be bound by theory, venetoclax mimics BH3-only proteins, the native ligands of Bcl-2 and apoptosis activators, by binding to the hydrophobic groove of Bel-2 proteins thereby repressing Bcl-2 activity and restoring apoptotic processes in tumor cells. Bcl-2 protein is overexpressed in some cancers and plays an important role in the regulation of apoptosis; its expression is associated with increased drug resistance and tumor cell survival. Compared to the Bcl-2 inhibitor navitoclax, venetoclax does not inhibit bcl-XL and does not cause bcl-XL-mediated thrombocytopenia.
In various embodiments, the scFV comprises an anti-PSMA scFv. An exemplary anti-PSMA scFV sequence comprises, consists of, or consists essentially of the sequence at least 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or 100% identical to SEQ ID NO: 6.
In various embodiments, the scFV comprises an anti-CD19 scFv. An exemplary anti-CD19 scFV sequence comprises, consists of, or consists essentially of the sequence at least 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or 100% identical to SEQ ID NO: 49.
In some embodiments, the scFV comprises a 14F7-derived scFv that targets NGcGM3. Additional information on 14F7 can be found in Bjerregaard-Andersen, K., Sci. Rep. 2018, 10836, incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. Exemplary scFV include, but are not limited to, those comprising: (i) a VH domain fused to a second VH domain, (ii) a VH domain fused to a linker, wherein the linker is fused to a second VH, (iii) a VH domain fused to a 7AH domain, (iv) a VH domain fused to a linker, wherein the linker is fused to a 7AH domain, (v) a VH domain fused to a 7BH domain, (vi) a VH domain fused to a linker, wherein the linker is fused to a 7BH domain, (vii) a VH domain fused to an 8BH domain, (viii) a VH domain fused to a linker, wherein the linker is fused to an 8BH domain, (ix) a VH domain fused to a 2Am domain, (x) a VH domain fused to a linker, wherein the linker is fused to a 2Am domain, (xi) a VH domain fused to a 3Fm domain, and (xii) a VH domain fused to a linker, wherein the linker is fused to a 3Fm domain. The VH domain may be a murine domain. 2Am and 3Fm are murine domains; 7AH, 7BH and 8BH are human domains. Exemplary components are listed in
The present invention is also described and demonstrated by way of the following examples. However, the use of these and other examples anywhere in the specification is illustrative only and in no way limits the scope and meaning of the invention or of any exemplified term. Likewise, the invention is not limited to any particular preferred embodiments described here. Indeed, many modifications and variations of the invention may be apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading this specification, and such variations can be made without departing from the invention in spirit or in scope. The invention is therefore to be limited only by the terms of the appended claims along with the full scope of equivalents to which those claims are entitled.
A schematic representation of OFF-switch CAR (OFF-CAR) and its inhibition by a heterodimer disrupting molecule is shown in
BCL-xL (B cell lymphoma extra large) protein was used as an example of Protein B domain. Natural binding partner of BCL-xL is BimBH3. A search was conducted to identify proteins that do not interact with BCL-xL in vivo but include a similar structural conformation to the BimBH3 motif that interacts with BCL-xL. One of the identified proteins was Apolipoprotein E (ApoE). Residues in ApoE were then mutated so that it would have the same residues as BimBH3 in this binding domain in addition to other residues that are in the interface and might contribute to binding. The resulting mutant was named 1LE4A and represents an example of Protein A domain. Basically, 1LE4A is the BimBH3 binding domain on an ApoE scaffold.
Lentiviral constructs encoding OFF-CAR chains (
Flow cytometry was used to assess OFF-CAR cell-surface expression (
AMNIS imaging was used to visualize co-localization of OFF-CAR Chain A and Chain B (
Expression, stability and co-localization of the OFF-CAR Chain A and Chain B in Jurkat cells and primary human T cells were demonstrated (
The two OFF-CAR chains (Chain A and Chain B) were synthesized as GeneArt gene-strings (Thermo Fischer Scientific) and cloned into a third-generation self-inactivating lentiviral expression vector, pELNS (
High-titer replication-defective lentivirus were produced and concentrated for primary T cell transduction. Briefly, 24 hours before transfection, 293T human embryonic kidney (HEK) cells were seeded at 10×106 in T-150 tissue culture flask. All plasmid DNA was purified using the Endo-free Maxiprep kit (Invitrogen, Life Technologies). HEK cells were transfected with 7 μg pVSV-G (VSV glycoprotein expression plasmid), 18 μg of μg R874 (Rev and Gag/Pol expression plasmid), and 15 μg of pELNS transgene plasmid using a mix of Turbofect (Thermo Fisher Scientific AG) and Optimem media (Invitrogen, Life Technologies). The viral supernatant was harvested at 48 hours post-transfection. Viral particles were concentrated and resuspended in 0.4 ml by ultracentrifugation for 2.5 hours at 25,000 rpm followed by immediate snap freezing in dry ice.
For Jurkat cell transduction, the cells were suspended at 1×106 cell/ml and seeded into 48-well plates at 500 μl/well. For each transfection, 50 μl of virus supernatant was mixed with protamine sulfate for a final concentration of 10 μg/ml. The cells were then incubated for 24 hours at 37° C. before replacement of half of the media and incubated for an additional 72 hours at 37° C.
Primary human T cells were isolated from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of healthy donors (prepared as buffycoats). All blood samples were collected with informed consent of the donors, and genetically-engineered with Ethics Approval from the Canton of Vaud to the laboratory of Dr. G. Coukos. Total PBMCs were obtained via Lymphoprep (Axonlab) separation solution, using a standard protocol of centrifugation, and CD4+ and CD8+ T cells were isolated using a negative selection kit coupled with magnetic beads separation (easySEP, Stem Cell technology). T cells were then cultured in complete media (RPMI 1640 with Glutamax, supplemented with 10% heat-inactivated fetal bovine serum, 100 U/ml penicillin, 100 μg/ml streptomycin sulfate (Invitrogen, Life Technologies)), and stimulated with anti-CD3 and anti-CD28 mAbs coated beads (Life Technologies) in a ratio of 1:2, T cells: Beads. Twelve to twenty-four hours after activation, T cells were transduced with lentivirus particles at multiplicity of infection of ˜5-10. The CD4+ and CD8+ T cells used for in vitro and in vivo experiments were mixed at a 1:1 ratio, activated, and transduced. Human recombinant interleukin-2 (h-IL2; Glaxo) was added every other day to obtain a 50 IU/ml final concentration until 5 days post stimulation (day +5). At day +5, magnetic beads were removed and h-IL2 was switched to h-IL15 at 10 ng/mL (Miltenyi Biotec GmbH). A cell density of 0.5-1×106 cells/ml was maintained for expansion. Rested engineered T cells were adjusted for identical transgene expression before all functional assays.
293T, 22Rv1, and Jurkat cell lines were purchased from ATCC and cultured in RPMI-1640 supplemented with 10% heat-inactivated FBS, 2 mmol/L-glutamine, and 100 μg/ml penicillin, and 100 U/ml streptomycin. The 293T cell line was used for lentiviral packaging and preparation. 22Rv1 is a human prostate carcinoma cell line that expresses prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA). The Jurkat cell line was engineered to express a 6×NFAT-mCherry-reporter system such that upon activation the cells turn red.
Cytokine release assays were performed by co-culture of 5×104 T cells with 5×104 target cells per well in duplicate in 96-well round bottom plates in a final volume of 200 μl of RPMI media. After 24 hours, co-culture supernatants were harvested and tested for presence of IFN-γ and IL2 using an ELISA Kit, according to the manufacturer's protocol (Biolegend). The reported values represent the mean of OFF-CAR engineered T cells derived from four healthy donors (HD).
Cytotoxicity assays were performed using the IncuCyte System (Essen Bioscience). Briefly, 1.5×104 target cells were seeded 18 hours before the co-culture set up, in flat bottom 96 well plates (Costar, Vitaris). The following day, rested T cells (no cytokine addition for 48 hours) were counted and seeded at 3×104/well, at a ratio 1:2, target:T cells in complete media. No exogenous cytokine was added in the assay medium during the co-culture period. Cytotox Red reagent (Essen Bioscience) was added at a final concentration of 125 nM in a total volume of 200 ul. Internal experimental negative controls were included in all assays, including co-incubation of untransduced (UTD) and tumor cells, as well as tumor cells alone in the presence of Cytotoxic Red reagent to monitor spontaneous cell death over time. As a positive control, tumor cells alone were treated with 1% triton solution to represent maximal killing in the assay. Images of total number of red cells or total red area/well were collected every two hours of the co-culture for a total of three days. The total number of red cells or total red area/well was obtained by using the software provided by the IncuCyte manufacturer. Data are expressed as mean of four different HDs+/−standard deviation.
To detect cell-surface expression of the two OFF-CAR chains, transduced cells were stained with fluorescently-labeled anti-human Fab mAb (to detect Chain 1) and fluorescently-labeled anti-human cMyc mAb and (to detect Chain 2). Aqua live Dye BV510 was used for viability staining. All mAbs were purchased from BD Biosciences. Tumor cell surface expression of PSMA was quantified by fluorescently-labeled anti-PSMA mAb and its comparative isotype. Acquisition and analysis was performed using a BD FACS LRSII with FACS DIVA software (BD Biosciences). AMNIS imaging was used to evaluate the level of co-localization of the two OFF-CAR Chains. The FITC anti-human Fab, APC anti-human cMyc, and DAPI dead stain were used. IDEAs software was used to analyze the data and perform the co-localization analysis after gating on the live, single-cell, double-positive for FITC and APC lymphocytes.
Student's t-test was used to evaluate differences in absolute numbers of transferred T cells, cytokine secretion, and specific cytolysis. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were compared using the log-rank test. GraphPad Prism 4.0 (GraphPad Software, La Jolla, Calif.) was used for statistical calculations. P<0.05 was considered significant.
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells have made remarkable advances in cancer therapy but unexpected toxicity and other adverse side-effects remain an important issue. To engineer safety, a synthetic high-affinity protein interface was computationally designed with minimal amino acid deviation from wild-type, which self-assembles but can be disrupted by a small molecule. The designed chemically disruptable heterodimer (CDH) was incorporated into a synthetic receptor, dubbed STOP-CAR, featuring an antigen-recognition chain and a CD3ζ-endodomain signaling chain. STOP-CAR-T cells exhibited similar activity to classic second-generation (2G) CAR-T cells in vitro and in vivo against tumors, while administration of the small-molecule drug disruptor, specifically inactivated the STOP-CAR-T cells. STOP-CARs may hold important clinical promise, and provide the potential for rational, structure-based design to implement novel, controllable elements into synthetic cellular therapies.
T cells engineered with CARs, hybrid molecules linking antigen-binding to T-cell signaling endodomains (EDs), have mediated potent and durable responses against both chronic and acute B cell leukemias12-15. While the efficacy of CAR-T cells (CAR-Ts) for leukemia has been striking, this therapy is frequently associated with life-threatening side-effects including cytokine release syndrome and neurotoxicity. The clinical development of CAR-T cells (CAR-Ts) against solid tumors has proven challenging, however, there is great optimism that next-generation CAR-Ts will bring benefit to a broader range of cancer patients16. Indeed, it is now well-understood that physical and immunometabolic barriers upregulated in solid tumor microenvironment can impair T-cell function17. Innovative engineering strategies, such as the expression of cytokines, chemokines, decoy molecules, or stimulatory ligands, etc., are being developed to overcome these barriers, and have shown favorable pre-clinical responses17-19. Safety, however, remains an important barrier to clinical entry, since most solid tumor antigens targeted to date are also found in healthy tissues, sometimes leading to serious adverse events in patients20. The ability to control on command CAR-T activity will greatly accelerate the clinical development of CAR-T therapies.
The above considerations have driven the development of CAR-T control/safety systems16, such as drug-inducible suicide switchesz21, 22, negative regulatory co-receptors (iCARs) that upon engagement with specific antigens will stop effector function23, and split-signaling CAR-Ts that require co-engagement of two ligands for full T-cell activation24. More recently, the feasibility of ON-switch CARs, requiring small molecule-mediated heterodimerization to enable T-cell activation in the presence of antigen, has been demonstrated25, and SUPRA (split, universal and programmable) CARs have been developed that can sense and logically respond to multiple antigens. Presented herein is a novel computationally designed STOP-switch CAR-T control system in which antigen binding and T-cell activation are encoded by two chains, the recognition (R) and the signaling (S) chains, respectively. These chains spontaneously dimerize into a functional heterodimer via a computationally designed protein pair, inserted in the CAR heterodimer, which can be specifically disrupted by administration of a small molecule (depicted in
With the aim of developing STOP-CARs having potential for clinical translation, the inventors sought to develop a CDH (i.e. a protein heterodimer that can be dissociated into two monomers by a small molecule disruptor), comprising proteins of human origin with a minimal number of mutations to minimize the risk of transgene immune rejection in patients27, 28, 29. In addition, well-folded globular domains from proteins were used that should not interfere with synapse-proximal T-cell signaling. Finally, the CDH design based on the availability of disruptive small molecules was initiated, clinically approved, that have a long half-life (about 10 hrs) and are well-tolerated in humans. Previously described CDH-like systems have not met these requirements, either because the proteins were not of human origin, were modulated by endogenous molecules such as biotin30; or had weak binding affinity31.
The inventors identified the interaction between human Bcl-XL (B-cell lymphoma-extra-large; a transmembrane mitochondrial protein with anti-apoptotic activity) and the unstructured BH3 domain (Bcl-2 homology; a short peptide motif found in certain Bcl-2 family proteins that have pro-apoptotic activity)32 of BIM (Bcl-2-interacting mediator of cell death; a pro-apoptotic molecule) as a promising starting point for the CDH design. Several drugs with clinical potential are available that can inhibit their interaction33. The inventors sought to transplant the BH3 binding motif from the intrinsically disordered BH3 segment of BIM protein34 onto a human globular domain in order to bind Bcl-XL with high affinity. Notably, an important challenge is that the affinity of BH3 domains and Bcl-2 family proteins (Bel-XL, Bcl-2, etc.) depends not only on helical residues that form the interface hydrophobic core, but also on polar residues pointing away from it35. Indeed, all previous attempts to design Bcl-2-family binding proteins by engrafting the BH3 domain onto pre-existing scaffolds have yielded weaker binders than the native, unstructured BH3 domain itself35-37.
To develop the novel CDH, Rosetta MotifGraft38, a computational protocol, was used to redesign existing monomeric proteins to bind to Bcl-XL. MotifGraft was used to identify scaffolds having backbone similarity to a binding motif, as well as structural compatibility to a given binding partner (
Residues within 6 Å of Bcl-XL were conservatively designed, allowing only favorable mutations according to the BLOSUM62 matrix. Designs that passed an initial steric filter were ranked by a predicted interaction energy (ΔΔG), filtered for globularity of the scaffold and packing of the binding motif against the scaffold. Three lead designs (LD) were generated: a rat protein with a close human homologue, Syntaxin 6 (LD1), as well as two human proteins, human focal adhesion targeting domain of Pyk2 (LD2), and human apolipoprotein E4 (LD3) (
The three computationally designed proteins were recombinantly produced, and their dissociation constants (KDs) for Bcl-XL assessed by surface plasmon resonance (SPR). LD1 and LD3 bound with KDs of 17 nM and 3.9 pM, respectively, while there was no detectable binding by LD2 (
The CDH was then incorporated into a STOP-CAR design under the hypothesis that the R and S chains would form a fully functional heterodimer, but in the presence of aBcl-XL inhibitor, LD3 would be displaced and T-cell activity would be disrupted. Indeed, the separation of antigen recognition from signal-transducing elements on separate receptors is a common feature of both the innate and adaptive immune system, as it enables genes encoding the ligand-binding receptor to diversify while maintaining signaling features40.
For protein expression and purification, the gene sequences of Bcl-XL and all the designed proteins were flanked with an N-terminal 6×His-tag and synthesized by GenScript. Genes were cloned into a pET-11b expression vector by using Gibson assembly (New England Biolabs, E2611S). The sequence-confirmed plasmid was transformed into Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3)(Thermo Fisher), and a single clone was used to inoculate 700 ml of Terrific Broth (#101629, Merck Millipore) containing Ampicillin (100 μg/ml). The culture was grown at 37° C. until OD600 reached around 1.0, and protein expression induced with 1 mM IPTG (Fisher Scientific) at 20° C. After overnight induction, cells were harvested by centrifugation at 4000 rpm, and the bacterial pellet was resuspended in 40 ml lysis buffer (50 mM Tris, 500 mM NaCl and 5% Glycerol at pH 7.5) containing 100 μg/ml PMSF (ROTH, 6376.2) and 1 mg/ml lysozyme (#10837059001, Sigma-Aldrich). The cells were disrupted by sonication, and lysates were cleared by centrifuging at 20000 g for 20 min. Cleared lysate was loaded onto an AKTA purifier (GE Healthcare) for Ni-NTA affinity purification. The column was washed with five column values of equilibration buffer (50 mM Tris, 500 mM NaCl and 20 mM imidazole), and the protein was eluted in equilibration buffer supplemented with 300 mM imidazole. The eluent was further purified by gel filtration with a Superdex 75 10/300 GL column (GE Healthcare) in phosphate buffer, pH 7.4. The purified proteins were concentrated, aliquoted and stored at −80° C.
For all designs tested, for the R-chain a single chain variable antibody fragment (scFv) targeting the prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) was incorporated along with an antigen expressed in a large proportion of advanced prostate adenocarcinomas, on the vascular endothelium of many solid tumors, but also in normal organs such as the duodenum and salivary glands41, 42. The R-chain comprised also a hinge/linker (H/L), a transmembrane domain (TMD) and co-stimulatory ED from CD28, followed by LD3. For the S-chain, however, three variations were tested, all of which incorporated the H/L, TMD and co-stimulatory ED from CD28, followed by Bcl-XL, and finally the ED of CD3ζ at its terminus, with variations in the ectodomain only (
In the first STOP-CAR prototype described in
In a next attempt to improve S-chain expression, the inventors incorporated the ectodomain of DAP10, a signaling subunit that is broadly expressed by both adaptive and innate immune cells40 (
Having established stable cell-surface expression of a heterodimeric STOP-CAR in primary human T cells, the ability of the STOP-CAR to specifically activate engineered CAR-Ts in vitro and in vivo was assessed. Also tested was whether the administration of Drug-1 or Drug-2 could disrupt effector function, and if the STOP-CAR-Ts would re-activate upon drug removal. Drug-2 (A1155463, Chemietek CT-A115) and Drug-1 (A1331852, Chemietek CT-A133) were directly used without further purification. A1155463 and A1331852 were each dissolved in DMSO as 10 mM stocks. Stocks were aliquoted and stored at −20° C. until use.
For these assays, PC3 and PC3-PIP cell lines were employed, the latter modified to stably overexpress human PSMA (
In all in vitro assays, 2G and STOP-CAR-Ts, normalized for equivalent cell surface expression, displayed similar cytolytic activity towards PC3-PIP cells. Addition of 10 μM Drug-2 specifically impaired the cytotoxicity of STOP-CAR-Ts, but not of 2G-CAR-Ts (
Next, STOP-CAR-Ts were assayed to determine if they would reactivate, i.e. become functionally active again upon heterodimerization of the chains, following drug withdrawal. CAR-Ts pre-cultured with 10 μM Drug-2 for 24 hours regained cytotoxicity and IFNγ production 48 hours following drug removal (
To further evaluate the feasibility of the newly generated CDH, an anti-human CD19-STOP-CAR, derived from the previously validated FMC63 (J Immunother. 2009, September; 32(7): 689-702) and here after referred as 19-STOP-CAR, was also engineered. (
Lastly, the function of STOP-CAR-Ts was tested in vivo. In a Winn assay, where both STOP- and 2G-CAR-Ts were co-injected with tumor cells, both were able to fully control PC3-PIP tumor growth (
In summary, using a computational protein design approach, a high-affinity CDH comprising only 11 interface mutations relative to the initial human scaffold was developed. The CDH was incorporated into a heterodimeric STOP-CAR that can specifically activate primary human T-cells in the presence of target antigen. The efficacy of STOP-CAR-Ts was equivalent to conventional 2G CAR-Ts, but their in vitro and in vivo activities were specifically abrogated in the presence of a small-molecule drug disruptive to the CDH. In addition, STOP-CAR-T activity was restored following drug withdrawal. These results underscore that computational structure-based protein design holds enormous potential in the advancement of cellular therapies, both in terms of safety and function. The STOP-CAR-T data presented provide a proof-of-principle for a rationally designed safety mechanism with translational potential.
The design of the Bcl-XL binders was performed using a side-chain grafting approach44. Several crystal structures have revealed the drug binding pocket targeted by multiple drugs that inhibit the Bcl-XL:BIM-BH3 binding interaction45. Additionally, peptides derived from BIM-BH3 have also been crystallized in complex with Bcl-XL occupying the same binding pocket46. To design novel binders that could be competitively displaced by available small molecule drugs, the Bcl-XL:BIM-BH3 complex was used to search for proteins that could fulfill two criteria: I) backbone conformation that mimicked the BIM-BH3 peptide, which was fully helical; II) a three-dimensional topology that was compatible with the Bcl-XL structure to allow a productive binding interaction.
After candidate protein scaffolds were found, the hotspot side chains were transplanted to the scaffolds and additional design was performed in the interfacial positions of the putative scaffolds. Specifically, for the designs presented here, twelve residues were selected that form the binding motif of BIM-BH3 to Bcl-XL (residues 90 to 101). Residues 90, 91, 94, 97, 98, and 101 (BH3 numbering) were selected as ‘hotspot’ residues, and their identity maintained, while the remaining residues in the binding motif and interface were allowed to mutate. The scaffold search was performed in a subset of the PDB that fulfilled all the following criteria: I) monomeric proteins with one chain in the biological assembly; II) length between 80 and 160 residues; III) presence of helical motifs; IV) structures determined by x-ray crystallography. These filters resulted in a database of 11012 proteins to be searched as potential scaffolds.
The design protocol was encoded using the RosettaScripts interface47 and consisted of the following steps: I) MotifGraft searched for structural matches of the helical segment of BIM-BH3 in the scaffold database that presented less than or equal to 1.0 Å backbone RMSD; II) if a backbone match was found, steric compatibility with the scaffold and Bcl-XL was assessed, scaffolds whose backbone clashed with the seed or with the target Bcl-XL were discarded. Scaffolds that fulfilled the matching criteria were carried to the design stage, hotspot residues and side chain conformations were transplanted to the scaffold and non-hotspot residues within 6 Å of Bcl-XL were allowed to mutate to any amino acid with a positive score according to the BLOSUM62 matrix48. This sequence constraint was utilized to minimize the changes from the original scaffold. The design procedure consisted of two rounds of sequence design49 intercalated by two rounds of side chain continuous minimization50 including small changes to the protein dihedral angles within their energy wells which allow them to escape steric clashes51.
The final list of designs that was ranked by the Rosetta predicted ddG. Designs with a ddG superior to −10 were not considered. This resulted in a list of 85 designed scaffolds. After visual inspection of the resulting design, extra filters were applied to remove proteins that were not globular and showed extended conformations with designed binding motifs with very poor packing to the rest of the protein scaffold. As a first filter to select globular proteins a metric proposed by Miller et al. was used, which found that the solvent-accessible surface area A# of globular proteins correlates well with the mass M of the protein, under the power law:
A
#=6.3M*·+,
The above power law was used to judge whether designed scaffolds were globular proteins or not. To filter for globularity, scaffolds whose ratio A#/6.3 M*·+, was below a cutoff of 0.8 were removed from consideration. As a second filter the packing interactions of the binding motif with the remaining scaffold were quantified. Two structural features were measured: I) number of vdW contacts with binding segment and the scaffold, using the probe program53; II) buried surface area of the binding segment in the context of the scaffold. Scaffolds whose number of vdW contact dots between seed and scaffold was less than 900 or where the ‘buried surface area’ of the seed upon grafting was less than 4000, were discarded. These thresholds were determined empirically based on the metrics for well-packed seeds. Out of the 85 scaffolds selected by ddG, only 11 passed the packing and globularity filters.
After manual inspection and comparison to the original BIM-BH3 domains, two human and one rat protein (with a human homolog) scaffolds were selected from this list: rat Syntaxin6 (PDB ID: 1LVF, chain A)(LD1), Human Focal Adhesion Targeting (FAT) Domain (PDB ID: 3GM2, chain A)(LD2) and the human Apolipoprotein E4 mutant (PDB ID: 1LE4, chain A)(LD3). Three residues in LD1, and 4 residues in LD2 were manually reverted to their identity in the native scaffold as they were found to not interact with the target. In the case of LD3 an Ala residue in the interface was mutated to Gln in a second design run by Rosetta (Supp.
Folding of the designed scaffolds and Bcl-XL was measured using circular dichroism spectroscopy. Protein samples were dissolved in a phosphate saline buffer at a protein concentration of around 0.2 mg mL−1 (20 μM). The sample was loaded into a 0.1 cm path-length quartz cuvette (Hellma). The far-UV CD spectrum between 190 nm and 250 nm was recorded by a J-815 spectrometer (Jasco) with a slit band-width of 2.0 nm, with a scanning speed at 20 nm/min. Response time was set to 0.125 sec and spectra were averaged from 2 individual scans.
Size Exclusion Chromatography Coupled with Multi-Angle Light Scattering
LD3 and Bcl-XL were characterized by size exclusion chromatography coupled to Light Scattering (SEC-MALS) to determine solution state, and to study dimerization and drug-induced monomerization properties. LD3 and Bcl-XL were injected at 50-100 μM in PBS or reducing elution buffer (5 mM Tris, 50 mM NaCl, 5 mM 2-mercaptoethanol), respectively, on a Superdex™ 75 300/10 GL column (GE Healthcare) using an HPLC system (Ultimate 3000, Thermo Scientific) with a flow rate of 0.5 ml/min. The UV spectrum at 280 nm was collected along with static light scatter signal by a multi-angle light scattering device (miniDAWN TREOS, Wyatt). For determining the drug-induced monomerization, 50 μM Bcl-XL was mixed with equimolar LD3. Either DMSO alone or Drug-2 (A1155463, ChemieTek) at 10 mM in DMSO were added to a final concentration of 100 μM (2-fold excess), and samples were directly analyzed by SEC-MALS in PBS to detect complex formation and forced dissociation. The light scatter signal of the sample was collected from three different angles, and the result was analyzed by the Wyatt evaluation software (ASTRA version 6).
The Bcl-2 protein used in this study is a chimeric protein containing human Bcl-2 (residues 1-50 and 92-207) and human Bcl-XL (residues 35-50) that replaces a long loop in Bcl-2 (residues 51-91)54. LD3 gene was cloned as described above. Both proteins were produced with an N-terminal 6×(His) tag in the E. coli BL21 (DE3) RIPL strain (Novagen) at 18° C. overnight. Cell lysate in a buffer solution containing 20 mM Tris-HCl (pH 7.5) and 100 mM NaCl was loaded onto Co-NTA resin (Thermo Scientific), and the proteins were eluted with the buffer solution containing 150 mM imidazole. While the 6×(His) tag on LD3 was uncleavable, that of Bcl-2 was cleaved with the TEV protease. The two proteins were further purified by using a HiTrap Q anion exchange column (GE Healthcare).
Purified Bcl-2 (0.9 mg/mL) was mixed with LD3 (4.9 mg/mL) in a 1:1 molar ratio, and the complex between the two proteins was isolated by gel filtration using a HiLoad 26/60 Superdex 75 (GE Healthcare). The crystals of the resulting complex were obtained by the hanging-drop vapor diffusion method at 22° C. by mixing and equilibrating 2 μl of each of the complex (24.3 mg/ml) and a precipitant solution containing 17% PEG2000, 0.1 M Sodium Succinate (pH 5.5) and 0.32 M Ammonium Sulfate. Before data collection, the crystals were immersed briefly in a cryoprotectant solution, which was the reservoir solution containing additional 12.5% glycerol. A diffraction data set at 2.5 Å was collected on the beam line 11C at the Pohang Accelerator Laboratory, Korea. The structure was determined by the molecular replacement method with the Phaser-MR55 in the PHENIX suite56 using the structures of BCL-254 and Apolipoprotein E (PDB ID: 1LE457) as search models. Subsequently, model building and refinement were carried out using the programs COOT58 and CNS59. The final model does not include residues 1-8, 32-48 (including the entire Bcl-XL substitution region) and 165-166 of BCL-2, and residues 1-9 and 151-156 of LD3, whose electron densities were not observed or very weak. Crystallographic data statistics are summarized in
The prostate carcinoma cell lines, 22Rv1 (PSMAlo), PC3-PIP (PMSAhi), and PC3 (PSMA−), as well as 293T human embryonic kidney (HEK-293T) and Jurkat cell lines, BV173 and Bjab were cultured in RPMI-1640 supplemented with 10% heat-inactivated fetal bovine serum (FBS), 2 mmol/L L-glutamine, 100 μg/mL penicillin, and 100 U/mL streptomycin, at 37° C. in a 5% CO2 atmosphere (Invitrogen, Lifetechnologies). HEK-293, 22Rv1, and Jurkat cell lines were purchased from the ATCC. PC3-PIP and PC3 cell lines were kindly provided by Dr. A. Rosato (University of Padau, Padova)17. The HEK-293 cell line was used for lentiviral packaging and preparation. Jurkat reporter cells were developed by lentiviral transduction to stably express 6×NFAT-mCherry such that upon activation they turn red.
The two STOP-CAR chains, R-chain (Recognition) and S-chain (Signaling), were synthesized as gene-strings (GeneArt, Thermo Fischer Scientific) and cloned into a third-generation self-inactivating lentiviral expression vector, pELNS, with expression driven by the elongation factor-1α (EF-1α) promoter. The anti-PSMA scFv derived from monoclonal antibody J591 was used as the tumor-targeting moiety29,30. J. Immunother., 2009 September; 32(7): 689-702. The R-chain comprises a CD8α leader sequence, anti-PSMA scFv, CD8α hinge, CD28 transmembrane (TM), CD28 endodomain (ED), a serine/glycine (SG) linker, LD3. The S-chain comprises CD8α leader sequence, cMyc, DAP10 ectodomain, CD8α hinge, CD28 TM, CD28 ED, SG linker, Bcl-XL, SG linker, CD3ζED.
High-titer replication-defective lentivirus (LV) were produced and concentrated by ultracentrifugation for primary T-cell transduction. Briefly, 24 h before transfection, HEK-293 cells were seeded at 10×106 in 30 mL medium in a T-150 tissue culture flask. All plasmid DNA was purified using the Endo-free Maxiprep kit (Invitrogen, Lifetechnologies). HEK-293 cells were transfected with 7 μg pVSV-G (VSV glycoprotein expression plasmid), 18 μg of R874 (Rev and Gag/Pol expression plasmid), and 15 μg of pELNS transgene plasmid, using a mix of Turbofect (Thermo Fisher Scientific AG) and Optimem media (Invitrogen, Life Technologies, 180 μL of Turbofect for 3 mL of Optimem). The viral supernatant was harvested 48 h post-transfection. Viral particles were concentrated by ultracentrifugation for 2 h at 24,000 g and re-suspended in 400 μL complete RPMI-1640 media, followed by immediate snap freezing on dry ice.
Jurkat cells were suspended at 1×106 cell/mL and seeded into 48-well plates at 500 μL/well. For each transduction, 50 μL of virus supernatant was used. After incubation for 24 h at 37° C. the cell media was refreshed, and the cells were incubated for an additional 72 h at 37° C. before use.
Primary human T cells were isolated from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of healthy donors (HDs; prepared as buffycoats or apheresis filters). All blood samples were collected with informed consent of the HDs, and genetically-engineered with Ethics Approval from the Canton of Vaud to the laboratory of Dr. Coukos. Total PBMCs were obtained via Lymphoprep (Axonlab) separation solution, using a standard protocol of centrifugation. CD4+ and CD8+ T cells were isolated using a magnetic bead-based negative selection kit following the manufacturer's recommendations (easySEP, Stem Cell technology). Purified CD4+ and CD8+ T cells were cultured at a 1:1 ratio in RPMI-1640 with Glutamax, supplemented with 10% heat-inactivated FBS, 100 U/mL penicillin, 100 μg/mL streptomycin sulfate, and stimulated with anti-CD3 and anti-CD28 monoclonal antibody (mAb)-coated-beads (Lifetechnologies) in a ratio of 1:2, T cells: beads. T cells were transduced with lentivirus particles at multiplicity of infection (MOI) of ˜5-10, at 18 to 22 h post-activation. Human recombinant interleukin-2 (h-IL2; Glaxo) was replenished every other day for a concentration of 50 IU/mL until 5d post-stimulation (day +5). At day +5, magnetic beads were removed, and h-IL7 and h-IL15 (Miltenyi Biotec GmbH) were added to the cultures in place of h-IL2 at 10 ng/mL. A cell density of 0.5-1×106 cells/mL was maintained for expansion. Rested engineered T cells were adjusted for equivalent transgene expression before all functional assays.
Cytokine release assays were performed by co-culture of 5×104 T cells with 5×104 target cells per well in 96-well round bottom plates, in duplicate, in a final volume of 200 μL RPMI media. After 24 h the co-culture supernatants were harvested and tested for presence of IFNγ and IL2 by commercial ELISA Kits according to the manufacturer's protocol (Biolegend). Values were normalized to the maximum value (set to 1) for each donor to eliminate variability due to other factors such as age and sex among HDs. The reported values represent the mean of cytokine production by STOP-CAR engineered T cells derived from HDs+/−standard deviation.
Cytotoxicity assays were performed using the IncuCyte Instrument (Essen Bioscience). Briefly, 1.25×104 target cells were seeded in flat bottom 96-well plates (Costar, Vitaris). Four hours later, rested T cells (no cytokine addition for 48 h) were washed and seeded at 2.5×104/well, at a 2:1 E:T ratio in complete media. No exogenous cytokines were added during the co-culture period of the assay. CytotoxRed reagent (Essen Bioscience) was added at a final concentration of 125 nM in a total volume of 200 μL. Internal experimental negative controls were included in all assays, including co-incubation of untransduced (UTD) T cells and tumor cells, as well as tumor cells alone, in the presence of CytotoxicRed reagent to monitor spontaneous cell death over time. As a positive control, tumor cells alone were treated with 1% triton solution to evaluate maximal killing in the assay. Images of total red area/well were collected every 2 h of the co-culture. The total red area/well was obtained by using the same analysis protocol on the IncuCyte ZOOM software provided by Essen Bioscience. Data are expressed as mean of different HDs+/−standard deviation.
Short term cytotoxicity was performed by quantitative FACS acquisition. Briefly, 1.25×104 target cells were seeded in U-bottom 96-well plates (Costar, Vitaris). Rested T cells (untreated or pre-conditioned with 10 μM Drug) were seeded at 1.25×104/well at 1:1 E:T Ratio and then incubated at 37° C. for 4 hours. Cells were collected, washed and stained for CD3, CD19 and Live dead marker. FACS acquisition was kept at constant speed, normalized for the same time of sample running (30 sec/tube). Residual live CD3-CD19+ target cells were quantified and used as a final readout.
To evaluate cell-surface expression of the heterodimeric STOP-CAR, transduced cells were stained with fluorescenated anti-human F(ab)′ mAb to detect the R-chain, and fluorescenated anti-human cMyc mAb to detect the S-chain. Aqua live Dye BV510 and near-IR fluorescent reactive dye (APC Cy-7) were used to assess viability (Invitrogen, Life Technologies). The following mAbs (BD, Bioscience) were used for phenotypic memory analysis: BV711 mouse-anti-human CD3; BV605 mouse-anti-human CD4; APC-Cy7-labeled anti-human CD8; PE-Texas red-labeled mouse-anti-human CD45RA; BV421 mouse-anti-human CCR7. For evaluating STOP-CAR chain expression, gating was performed to isolate live single-cells. To determine memory phenotype, the CD3+ population was first gated, followed by the CD4+ and CD8+ subsets, which were then evaluated for CD45RA and CCR7 expression to determine the percentage of naïve (TN), Central Memory (TCM), Effector Memory (TEM), and terminally differentiated (TEMRA) T cells. Tumor cell surface expression of PSMA and CD19 were quantified by fluorescently labelled anti-human-PSMA and anti-human CD19 mAbs. Isotype control-staining was employed.
Acquisition and analysis was performed using a BD FACS LRSII and FACS DIVA software (BD Biosciences), respectively. AMNIS imaging of transduced Jurkat cells stained with FITC-labelled anti-human F(ab)′, and APC-labelled anti-human cMyc, was used to evaluate co-localization of the R- and S-chains of the STOP-CAR. IDEAs software was used to analyze the data and perform the co-localization analysis after gating on live (DAPI negative), single-cells that are double-positive for FITC and APC.
NOD SCID gamma knock-out (NSG) mice were bred and housed in a specific and opportunistic pathogen-free (SOPF) animal facility in the Oncology Department of the University of Lausanne. All experiments were conducted according to the Swiss Federal Veterinary Office guidelines and were approved by the Cantonal Veterinary Office. All cages housed 5 animals in an enriched environment providing free access to food and water. During experimentation, all animals were monitored at least every other day for signs of distress. Mice were euthanized at end-point by carbon dioxide overdose.
NSG males, aged 8-12 weeks, were shaved in the right flank and treated daily with 50 μl subcutaneous (sc) injections of A-1155463 (Drug-2) dissolved at 1.25 mg/kg or 2.5 mg/kg in a solution of saline and 2% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), or vehicle (2% DMSO in saline). The animals were monitored daily and weighed to asses any signs of drug toxicity. To determine the potential effect of drug-2 on in vivo tumor control, 5 mice per group were sc injected with 5×106 PC3-PIP tumor cells. At day 4 when the tumors were palpable, daily peritumoral injections of 2.5 mg/kg or 5 mg/kg of Drug-2, or vehicle were administered. The animals were monitored daily and the tumors were calipered every other day. Tumor volumes were calculated using the formula V=½(length×width2), where length is the greatest longitudinal diameter and width is the greatest transverse diameter determined via caliper measurement.
For a preliminary evaluation of tumor control by STOP-CAR-Ts in comparison to 2G-CAR-Ts, a Winn assay was performed in which 8-12 week-old NSG males were sc injected with 3×106 PC3-PIP tumor cells, mixed with either saline or 3×106 UTD-Ts, STOP-CAR-Ts, or 2G-CAR-Ts. The tumor volume was evaluated via caliper measurement every other day.
To evaluate the therapeutic potential of STOP-CAR-Ts, 8-12-week-old NSG males were sc injected with 5×106 PC3-PIP tumor cells. Once palpable (day 5), the mice treated by peritumoral injection of 2×106 T cells (UTD-Ts, 2G-CAR-Ts or STOP-CAR-Ts). At 2 h post-T cell transfer, a peritumoral injection of Drug-2 at 5 mg/kg was performed. Injections of the drug were then provided daily until end-point or switched at Day 11 for dynamic control evaluation. Tumor volume was assessed every other day by caliper measurement.
The Student's unpaired Mann-Whitney U-test was used to evaluate differences in absolute numbers of T cells (expansion over 10 days), T cells in each memory category, transferred number of T cells analyzed ex vivo, and cytokine secretion. A two-way ANOVA with post-hoc Turkey test was used to evaluate significant differences in specific cytolysis in vitro and tumor growth in vivo. GraphPad Prism 4.0 (GraphPad Software, La Jolla, Calif.) was used for statistical calculations. P≤0.05 was considered significant. P≤0.05 is represented as *, P≤0.01 is represented as **, P≤0.001 is represented as ***, and P≤0.0001 is represented as ****.
In this example, cell surface expression was monitored, an in vitro comparison to anti-CD19 2G-CAR T cells was performed, and functional blockade with drug was tested. The structure of the anti-CD19 2G-CAR is shown in
The transduction of 19 STOP-CAR in primary human CD4+ and CD8+ provided an average R-chain/S-chain co-expression of 42% and 32% respectively, n=6 donors), as shown by the data in
19-STOP-CAR-Ts were preconditioned for 12 hours with 10 μM Drug, and then co-cultured with tumor cells in the absence of the Drug to avoid tumor cell death. After 4 hours of T cell:Tumor cell co-culture, 19-STOP-CAR-Ts showed significant cytotoxic activity against BV173 and Bjab target cells, comparable to 19-2G-CAR Ts. In contrast, when T cells were pre-incubated with the Drug, their killing activity was significantly decreased against both target cells, thus showing the effectiveness of Off-Switch in the context of a different scFv.
In this example, the ability to activate STOP-CAR T cells was assessed in vivo by stopping drug application (uncontrolled tumors should start to be controlled), as well as by halting actively functioning STOP-CAR T cells (controlled tumors should start to escape). A schematic of the protocol is shown in
The results are shown in
The small drug used to disrupt the STOP-CAR iterations was the known BCL-XL inhibitor, A-1155463. This compound is well studied but not approved for the clinical use. For this reason, Prof Correia and collaborators proceeded with a new round of screening to identify protein-protein interactions that can be disrupted by clinical grade compound. Venetoclax, a compound used as second line treatment for chronic lymphocytic leukemia and small lymphocytic lymphoma, was selected as the Drug. Venetoclax blocks the anti-apoptotic B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) protein, leading to programmed cell death in tumor cells, similarly to A-1155463 towards Bcl-XL.
In a first set of experiments, Bcl-2 was isolated and then tested with the previously identified Des3 (SEQ ID NO: 2) based variants for validating the affinity strength and the ability to disrupt the heterodimer interaction by using Venetoclax (Tables 2 and 3). In addition, the original sequence of Bcl-XL was mutated (E96D; Blmut) in order to be susceptible to Venetoclax binding, thus augmenting the possible iterations of the new generation STOP-CARs,
Affinity (nM) values were calculated by Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) data on a Biacore 8K device. Bcl-xL, Bcl-2 and Bclmut was immobilized while different concentrations of the Des3 variants (Des3, Des3a, Des3b, Des3c) was injected in serial dilutions. The affinity values (in nanomolar range) are shown.
Apparent IC50s or each of the three rugs were compute in PR. 4 micro-molar of each protein binder (Des3, Des3a, Des3b, Des3c) were pre-incubated with different concentrations of A-1155463, A-1331852 or Venetoclax. The apparent IC50s for each drug towards a selected subset of (Bcl:Des) complexes is shown in nano-molar scale.
The sequences of the Bcl and Des3 variants tested include:
MSQSNRELVVDFLSYKLSQKGYSWSQFSDVEENRTEAPEGTESEAVKQAL
MSQSNRELVVDFLSYKLSQKGYSWSQFSDVEENRTEAPEGTESEAVKQAL
Generated CDHs are incorporated into a STOP-CAR architecture as described in Examples 1 and 2. Four different R-chains (R1, R2, R3 and R4) and two S-chain (S1 and S2) are tested in the following combinations: R1:S1, R1:S2, R2:S1, R2:S2, R3S1, R3:S2, R4:S, R4:S2, as shown in
In parallel, evaluation will be performed of the Venetoclax maximal dose concentration tolerated by target cell lines (CD19+ target BV173, Bjab and CD19KO-BV173 and PSMA+ target PC3PiP) and by T cells to be used in the functional tests. Briefly, IncuCyte technology is used to seed target and T cells in presence of increasing concentration of Venetoclax ranging from 5 μM to 100 μM. Once the optimal range of concentration is found which does not kill or impair neither the tumor nor the T cells, functional tests are performed as follows.
Long-term cytotoxicity is evaluated by IncuCyte technology, using 2:1 E:T Ratio, in the presence and in the absence of Venetoclax added daily to culture media. IFNγ, IL2 and TNFα secretion are also evaluated after 24 hours from antigen-specific stimulation. Dynamic in vitro studies are also performed. The sensitivity of the system described in this example is tested using different amounts of antigenic stimulation. PSMA+ or CD19+ tumor target cells are diluted with their negative counterpart (PC3PiP with PC3 and BV173 with CD19KO-BV173), and the responsiveness of STOP-CAR-Ts to Drug (Venetoclax) according to the amount of antigen stimulation is tested. The assay provides understanding as to whether the Drug concentration to STOP the CAR is strictly dependent on the level of antigen recognition. Secondly, the CDH off-switch in cells previously exposed to antigen is tested. The kinetics of activation shut down by cytokine secretion and killing activity is measured. This experiment allows for assessing the ability of the newly generated STOP-CARs to tune down in case of unexpected T cells activation and adverse reaction. Dynamic shut down is confirmed in vivo using the system described in
Functional activity of STOP-CAR was tested by IncuCyte cytotoxicity assay after 24 h exposure of 10 μM Drug 2. PSMA+ target cells PC3PiP were plated at the concentration of 15000 cell/well (96 wells plate). UTD, 2G and STOP-CAR Ts were seeded at 30000 cell/well; the E:T Ratio was thus 2:1. STOP-CAR T cells were exposed to Drug 10 μM Drug 2 (Dark green line) in presence of antigen stimulation, or without drug (light green line). After 24 h of coculture incubation, the plate was removed from the IncuCyte Instrument and centrifuged to spin down the cells. The supernatant was carefully aspirated to remove the Drug was removed (by careful aspiration) and fresh media was added. The plate was then re-inserted in the IncuCyte Instrument and cytotoxic activity was monitored for the following 24 h. The results are shown in the left panel of
Functional activity of STOP-CAR was tested by IncuCyte cytotoxicity assay after 24 h exposure of 10 μM Drug 2. PSMA+ target cells PC3PiP were plated at the concentration of 15000 cell/well (96 wells plate). UTD, 2G and STOP-CAR Ts were seeded at 30000 cell/well; the E:T Ratio was thus 2:1. 2G T cells were exposed to Drug 10 μM Drug 2 (Dark orange line) in the presence of antigen stimulation, or without drug (light orange line). After 24 h of co-culture incubation, the plate was removed from IncuCyte Instrument and centrifuged to spin down cells. The supernatant was carefully aspirated to remove the Drug and fresh media was added to the wells. Then the plate was re-inserted in the IncuCyte instrument and cytotoxic activity was monitored for the following 24 h. The results are shown in the right panel of
IFNg secretion by STOP-CAR and 2G Ts was tested after 24 h exposure of 10 μM Drug 2. PSMA+ target cells PC3PiP were plated at a concentration of 50000 cell/well (96 wells plate). UTD, 2G and STOP-CAR Ts were then seeded at 50000 cell/well for and E:T ratio of 1:1. STOP-CAR T cells and 2G Ts were exposed to Drug 10 μM Drug 2 (Dark green and orange bars) in presence of antigen stimulation, or without drug (light green and orange bars). After 24 h of coculture incubation, the plate was removed from the incubator and centrifuged to spin down cells. The supernatant was carefully aspirated to remove the drug and fresh media was added. The plate was then re-inserted in the incubator for another 24 h, after which the supernatant was finally collected to be tested by ELISA for the presence of IFNg. The results are shown in
Functional activity of STOP-CAR was tested by IncuCyte assay after 24 h exposure of 5 μM Drug 2. PSMA+ target cells PC3PiP were plated at a concentration of 15000 cell/well (96 wells plate). UTD, 2G and STOP-CAR Ts were then seeded at 30000 cell/well for an E:T ratio of 2:1. STOP-CART cells were exposed to 5 μM Drug 2 (dark green line) in presence of antigen stimulation, with or without drug (light green line). After 24 h of co-culture incubation, the plate was removed from the IncuCyte Instrument and centrifuged to spin down the cells. The supernatant was carefully aspirated to remove the drug and fresh media was added to the wells. The plate was then re-inserted in the incuCyte Instrument and cytotoxic activity was monitored for the following 24 h. The results are shown in the left panel of
Functional activity of STOP-CAR was tested by IncuCyte assay after 24 h exposure of 5 μM Drug 2. PSMA+ target cells PC3PiP were plated at a concentration of 15000 cell/well (96 wells plate). UTD, 2G and STOP-CAR Ts were then seeded at 30000 cell/well for an E:T ratio of 2:1. 2G T cells were exposed to Drug 5 μM Drug 2 (dark orange line) in presence of antigen stimulation, with or without drug (light orange line). After 24 h of co-culture incubation, the plate was removed from IncuCyte Instrument and centrifuged to spin down the cells. The supernatant was carefully aspirated to remove the drug and fresh media was added to the wells. The plate was then re-inserted in the IncuCyte instrument and cytotoxic activity was monitored for the following 24 h. The results are shown in the right panel of
IFNg secretion by STOP-CAR and 2G Ts was tested after 24 h exposure of 5 μM Drug 2. PSMA+ target cells PC3PiP were plated at the concentration of 50000 cell/well (96 wells plate). UTD, 2G and STOP-CAR Ts were then seeded at 50000 cell/well, so E:T Ratio was 1:1. STOP-CAR T cells and 2G Ts were exposed to Drug 5 μM Drug 2 (Dark green and orange bars) in presence of antigen stimulation, with or without drug (light green and orange bars). After 24 h of co-culture incubation, the plate was removed from the incubator and centrifuged to spin down the cells. The supernatant was carefully aspirated to remove the Drug and fresh media was added to the wells. The plate was then re-inserted in the incubator for another 24 h, after which the supernatant was collected to be tested by ELISA for IFNg secretion. The results are shown in
The present invention is not to be limited in scope by the specific embodiments described herein. Indeed, various modifications of the invention in addition to those described herein will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing description. Such modifications are intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims.
All patents, applications, publications, test methods, literature, and other materials cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety as if physically present in this specification.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/657,534, filed Apr. 13, 2018, and U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/832,767, filed Apr. 11, 2019, each of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2019/059576 | 4/12/2019 | WO | 00 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62832767 | Apr 2019 | US | |
| 62657534 | Apr 2018 | US |
