Patent Application
20220325240
Cellular therapeutics offer a potentially powerful approach to treating many different diseases successfully. To date, though, few cellular therapies have been approved for use in patients, in part due to the difficulties of manufacturing the therapies in a consistent and predictable manner. Moreover, the available approaches for cell therapy manufacturing have been cost-prohibitive and lack scalability. Product quality and release testing are a significant portion of both the cost and lead time for the manufacture and delivery of a cell therapy to a patient. See, e.g., https://www.sagentia.com/files/2018/07/Quality-control-testing-in-CAR-T-cell-manufacture.pdf, accessed on Jan. 11, 2021. Although robotic cell culture systems have been available for years (see, e.g., Sharma et al., 2011), to date no technological solution exists that allows for an integrated solution that automates and miniaturizes QC measurements to ensure cellular therapeutic safety by simultaneously reducing manual handling and labor steps, material costs, contamination risks, and sample and media requirements. In the case of cytotoxic T cell therapies, T lymphocyte activation by antigen presenting dendritic cells is one approach for preparing tumor-targeting cytotoxic T lymphocytes. However, use of dendritic cells is costly, labor intensive, and often produces inconsistent results, making synthetic activation surfaces critical to the cost-effective manufacture of T cell therapeutics. Accordingly, there is a need for cell therapy manufacturing systems that provide a level of automation and consistency necessary to reliably produce cellular therapeutics in a cost-effective and scalable manner. Some embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to such cell therapy manufacturing systems and method of using such systems to produce high quality therapeutics, including cytotoxic T cell therapeutics.
Aspects of the disclosure comprise a cartridge for manufacturing a population of cells in accordance with various embodiments. The cartridge for manufacturing a population of cells can comprise a sealed enclosure with an inlet port and an outlet port. In various embodiments, the sealed enclosure can be hermetically sealed and/or sterile. In various embodiments, a first fluidic network can be connected to the outlet port and/or a second fluidic network can be connected to the inlet port; optionally, the first and second fluidic networks can be interconnected. In various embodiments, the cartridge can comprise a first, second, third, etc. reagent reservoir, each of which can be connected to the first fluidic network and/or the second fluidic network. In various embodiments, an analysis (or assay) region can be connected to the first fluidic network. In various embodiments, the analysis region can include a microfluidic chip or device, which can include a flow region and, optionally, a sequestration pen that opens from the flow region. In various embodiments, the cartridge can comprise a chamber for culturing cells (e.g., a bioreactor), wherein the chamber comprises a plurality of openings, including a first input opening for introduction of fluid into the chamber, a first output opening for removal of fluid from the chamber, and a second output opening for removal of fluid from the chamber. In various embodiments, the first and second output openings of the cell culture chamber are positioned at different vertical elevations within the chamber. In various embodiments, the cell culture chamber is connected to each of the outlet port, the first reagent reservoir, and the first analysis region via connections between the first and/or second output openings and the first fluidic network. In various embodiments, the cartridge can comprise a first reservoir for cell culture medium. In various embodiments, the first reservoir for cell culture medium can be connected to the second fluidic network. In various embodiments, the cell culture chamber is connected to each of the inlet port and the first reservoir for cell culture medium via connections between the first input opening and the second fluidic network. In various embodiments, an internal surface of a base of the cell culture chamber comprises a plurality of concave features defined thereon. In various embodiments, each concave feature of the plurality of concave features on the internal surface of the base of the chamber defines a hemi-spherical cavity, a conical cavity, or an elongated cavity; optionally, a long axis of each elongated cavity can be substantially parallel to a long access of every other elongated cavity of the plurality of concave features. In various embodiments, the each cavity of the plurality of concave features is configured to hold a volume of about about 500 nanoliters to about 2.5 microliters, or about 900 nanoliters to about 2.1 microliters. In various embodiments, the cell culture chamber comprises a volume of at least 20 mls (e.g., at least 50 mls, or at least 100 mls), a base surface with an area of at least 150 cm2 (e.g., at least 200 cm2, or at least 250 cm2) and a plurality of concave features in the base surface having an aggregate cavity volume of greater than 1.0 ml (e.g., about 1.0 ml to about 6.0 mls, about 1.0 ml to about 4.0 mls, or about 1.5 mls to about 3.5 mls).
Aspects of the disclosure comprise a system (or instrument) for operating a cartridge in accordance with various embodiments. In various embodiments, the system/instrument comprises a receiving element capable of receiving the cartridge. The cartridge can be any of the cartridges disclosed or suggested herein. In various embodiment, the system comprises a cartridge holder configured to interface with the cartridge and the receiving element (e.g., to provide a structural and/or functional bridge between the cartridge and the receiving element). For example, the receiving element can include or can be configured to interface with and support the cartridge holder, and the cartridge holder can be configured to interface with the cartridge. In various embodiments, the cartridge holder can at least partially enclose the cartridge. In various embodiments, the system/instrument can include a first heating and cooling element capable of regulating a temperature of a cell culture chamber/bioreactor of the cartridge. In various embodiments, the first heating and cooling element can be integrated into the cartridge holder. In various embodiments, the system/instrument can include a second (or additional) heating and cooling element capable to regulating a temperature of a region of the cartridge other than the cell culture chamber/bioreactor (e.g., an assay region, such as a microfluidic chip, and/or a reagent reservoir). In various embodiments, the system/instrument can include one or more (e.g., a plurality of) air flow regulators, each air flow regulator capable of interfacing with the cartridge (e.g., via tubing) and controllably and independently providing pressurized gas to the cartridge. The pressurized gas can be filtered prior to entering the cartridge. In various embodiments, the system/instrument can include a one or more (e.g., a plurality of) fluid flow regulators, and optionally one or more corresponding reservoirs for holding fluid, each fluid flow regulator capable of interfacing with the cartridge (e.g., via tubing) and controllably and independently providing a flow of fluid (e.g., culture medium, reagents, wash buffer, formulation medium, or the like) to the cartridge. The flow of fluid can be filtered prior to entering the cartridge. In various embodiments, the system/instrument can include an actuator for moving (e.g., shifting, tilting, rocking, and/or oscillating) the cartridge. In various embodiments, the movement of the cartridge can induce agitation of fluid present within the cartridge (e.g., the growth chamber/bioreactor of the cartridge). In various embodiments, the system/instrument can include one or more valve actuators for controlling (e.g., opening, closing, rotating) valves integrated into the cartridge (e.g., valves that control fluid flow within the . In various embodiments, the system/instrument can include a magnetic assembly configured to selectively apply a magnet force to the cartridge (e.g., to a cell culture chamber/bioreactor of the cartridge). In certain embodiments, the magnetic assembly can be moveably mounted within the system/instrument such that the magnetic assembly is configured to move proximal to the cartridge when application of a magnetic force to the cartridge (e.g., cell culture chamber/bioreactor) is desired and distal to the cartridge when application of a magnetic force to the cartridge is not desired. In various embodiments, the system/instrument can include: a detector, such as a camera (e.g., a digital camera), for detecting light from and/or receiving images of one or more components of the cartridge (e.g., an analysis region, such as an integrated microfluidic device); and, optionally, an optical train for transmitting light from the cartridge to the detector and/or projecting light upon one or more components of the cartridge (e.g., an analysis region, wuch as an integrated microfluidic device). In various embodiments, the system/instrument can futher include one or more ancillary components, such as circuit boards with various electronic components, fluid sources, sensors, and the like. In various embodiments, the system/instrument can include a controller module in communication with the first (and second, or additional, if present) heating and cooling element, the one or more air flow regulators, the one or more fluid flow regulators, the cartridge actuators, the magnetic assembly, the detector (and optical train, if present), and/or the ancillary components (e.g., fluid sources and/or sensors). The controller module can, for example, be capable of controlling a setting of the first (or second) heating and cooling element (e.g., to regulate the temperature of the growth chamber), controlling each of the one or more air flow regulators (e.g., to control fluidics operations within the cartridge), controlling each of the one or more fluid flow regulators (e.g., to supply culture medium, reagents, wash buffer, formulation medium, or the like to the cell culture chamber/bioreactor), controlling the actuators (e.g., to control movement and/or mixing of fluids within the cartridge, including within the growth chamber/bioreactor, or to control valves on the cartridge), controlling the magnetic assembly (e.g., moving it proximal or distal to the cartridge), controlling the detector and/or the optical train (e.g., to obtain images of cartridge components, including the analysis region(s)), and/or controlling the ancillary components.
Aspects of the disclosure comprise a method for manufacturing a population of cells suitable for formulation as a cellular therapeutic in accordance with various embodiments. In various embodiments, the method can include introducing a cell sample from a subject into the inlet port of a cartridge. The cartridge can be any of the cartridges disclosed or suggested herein. In various embodiments, the method can include transporting the cell sample from an inlet port of the cartridge to a chamber (e.g., a cell culture chamber/bioreactor) of the cartridge. In various embodiments, the method can include incubating the cell sample in the chamber of the cartridge under conditions suitable for cellular proliferation. In various embodiments, the method can include agitating the cartridge to resuspend a proliferated cell sample present in the chamber. In various embodiments, the method can include transferring a first fraction of the proliferated cell sample from the chamber of the cartridge to a first analysis (or assay) region of the cartridge. In various embodiments, the method can include analyzing the first fraction of the cell sample for cell count and/or cellular characteristics. In various embodiments, the method can include optionally repeating the steps of incubating, resuspending, transferring, and analyzing one or more times (e.g., to generate a further proliferated cell sample). In various embodiments, the method can include exporting the proliferated (or further proliferated) cell sample from the cartridge. In various embodiments, the cell sample can be a mammalian cell sample (e.g., a human cell sample). In various embodiments, the cell sample can include, consist substantially of, or consist of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs).
This specification describes exemplary embodiments and applications of the disclosure. The disclosure, however, is not limited to these exemplary embodiments and applications or to the way the exemplary embodiments and applications operate or are described herein. Moreover, the figures may show simplified or partial views, and the dimensions of elements in the figures may be exaggerated or otherwise not in proportion. In addition, as the terms “on,” “attached to,” “connected to,” “coupled to,” or similar words are used herein, one element (e.g., a material, a layer, a substrate, etc.) can be “on,” “attached to,” “connected to,” or “coupled to” another element regardless of whether the one element is directly on, attached to, connected to, or coupled to the other element or there are one or more intervening elements between the one element and the other element. Also, unless the context dictates otherwise, directions (e.g., above, below, top, bottom, side, up, down, under, over, upper, lower, horizontal, vertical, “x,” “y,” “z,” etc.), if provided, are relative and provided solely by way of example and for ease of illustration and discussion and not by way of limitation. In addition, where reference is made to a list of elements (e.g., elements a, b, c), such reference is intended to include any one of the listed elements by itself, any combination of less than all of the listed elements, and/or a combination of all of the listed elements. Section divisions in the specification are for ease of review only and do not limit any combination of elements discussed.
Where dimensions of microfluidic features are described as having a width or an area, the dimension typically is described relative to an x-axial and/or y-axial dimension, both of which lie within a plane that is parallel to the substrate and/or cover of the microfluidic device. The height of a microfluidic feature may be described relative to a z-axial direction, which is perpendicular to a plane that is parallel to the substrate and/or cover of the microfluidic device. In some instances, a cross sectional area of a microfluidic feature, such as a channel or a passageway, may be in reference to a x-axial/z-axial, a y-axial/z-axial, or an x-axial/y-axial area.
For the purposes of this specification and appended claims, unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing quantities, percentages, or proportions, and other numerical values used in the specification and claims, are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term “about,” to the extent they are not already so modified. “About” indicates a degree of variation that does not substantially affect the properties of the described subject matter, e.g., within 10%, 5%, 2%, or 1%. Accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary, the numerical parameters set forth in the following specification and attached claims are approximations that may vary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained. At the very least, and not as an attempt to limit the application of the doctrine of equivalents to the scope of the claims, each numerical parameter should at least be construed considering the number of reported significant digits and by applying ordinary rounding techniques.
As used herein: μm means micrometer, μm3 means cubic micrometer, pL means picoliter, nL means nanoliter, and μL (or uL) means microliter.
As used herein, “substantially” means sufficient to work for the intended purpose. The term “substantially” thus allows for minor, insignificant variations from an absolute or perfect state, dimension, measurement, result, or the like such as would be expected by a person of ordinary skill in the field but that do not appreciably affect overall performance. When used with respect to numerical values or parameters or characteristics that can be expressed as numerical values, “substantially” means within ten percent.
The term “ones” means more than one. As used herein, the term “plurality” can be 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, or more.
As used herein, “alkyl” refers to a straight or branched hydrocarbon chain radical consisting solely of carbon and hydrogen atoms, containing no unsaturation, having from one to six carbon atoms (e.g., C1-C6 alkyl). Whenever it appears herein, a numerical range such as “1 to 6” refers to each integer in the given range; e.g., “1 to 6 carbon atoms” means that the alkyl group may consist of 1 carbon atom, 2 carbon atoms, 3 carbon atoms, etc., up to and including 6 carbon atoms, although the present definition also covers the occurrence of the term “alkyl” where no numerical range is designated. In some embodiments, it is a C1-C3 alkyl group. Typical alkyl groups include, but are in no way limited to, methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, n-butyl, iso-butyl, sec-butyl isobutyl, tertiary butyl, pentyl, isopentyl, neopentyl, hexyl, and the like. The alkyl is attached to the rest of the molecule by a single bond, for example, methyl (Me), ethyl (Et), n-propyl, 1-methylethyl (iso-propyl), n-butyl, n-pentyl, 1,1-dimethylethyl (t-butyl), hexyl, and the like.
Unless stated otherwise specifically in the specification, an alkyl group may be optionally substituted by one or more substituents which independently are: aryl, arylalkyl, heteroaryl, heteroaryl alkyl, hydroxy, halo, cyano, trifluoromethyl, trifluoromethoxy, nitro, trimethylsilanyl, —OR′, —SR′, —OC(O)—R′, —N(R′)2, —C(O)R′, —C(O)OR′, —OC(O)N(R′)2, —C(O)N(R′)2, —N(R′)C(O)OR′, —N(R′)C(O)R′, —N(R′)C(O)N(R′)2, N(R′)C(NR′)N(R′)2, —N(R′)S(O)tR′ (where t is 1 or 2), —S(O)tOR′ (where t is 1 or 2), —S(O)tN(R′)2 (where t is 1 or 2), or PO3(R′)2 where each R′ is independently hydrogen, alkyl, fluoroalkyl, aryl, aralkyl, heterocycloalkyl, or heteroaryl.
As referred to herein, a fluorinated alkyl moiety is an alkyl moiety having one or more hydrogens of the alkyl moiety replaced by a fluoro substituent. A perfluorinated alkyl moiety has all hydrogens attached to the alkyl moiety replaced by fluoro substituents.
As referred to herein, a “halo” moiety is a bromo, chloro, or fluoro moiety.
As referred to herein, an “olefinic” compound is an organic molecule which contains an “alkene” moiety. An alkene moiety refers to a group consisting of at least two carbon atoms and at least one carbon-carbon double bond. The non-alkene portion of the molecule may be any class of organic molecule, and in some embodiments, may include alkyl or fluorinated (including but not limited to perfluorinated) alkyl moieties, any of which may be further substituted.
As used herein, “air refers to the composition of” gases predominating in the atmosphere of the earth. The four most plentiful gases are nitrogen (typically present at a concentration of about 78% by volume, e.g., in a range from about 70-80%), oxygen (typically present at about 20.95% by volume at sea level, e.g., in a range from about 10% to about 25%), argon (typically present at about 1.0% by volume, e.g., in a range from about 0.1% to about 3%), and carbon dioxide (typically present at about 0.04%, e.g., in a range from about 0.01% to about 0.07%). Air may have other trace gases such as methane, nitrous oxide or ozone, trace pollutants and organic materials such as pollen, diesel particulates and the like. Air may include water vapor (typically present at about 0.25% or may be present in a range from about 10 ppm to about 5% by volume). Air may be provided for use in culturing experiments as a filtered, controlled composition and may be conditioned as described herein.
As used herein, the term “plurality” can be 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, or more.
As used herein, the term “disposed” encompasses within its meaning “located.”
As used herein, a “microfluidic device” or “microfluidic apparatus” is a device that includes one or more discrete microfluidic circuits configured to hold a fluid, each microfluidic circuit comprised of fluidically interconnected circuit elements, including but not limited to region(s), flow path(s), channel(s), chamber(s), and/or pen(s), and at least one port configured to allow the fluid (and, optionally, micro-objects suspended in the fluid) to flow into and/or out of the microfluidic device. Typically, a microfluidic circuit of a microfluidic device will include a flow region, which may include a microfluidic channel, and at least one chamber, and will hold a volume of fluid of less than about 1 mL, e.g., less than about 750, 500, 250, 200, 150, 100, 75, 50, 25, 20, 15, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, or 2 μL. In certain embodiments, the microfluidic circuit holds about 1-2, 1-3, 1-4, 1-5, 2-5, 2-8, 2-10, 2-12, 2-15, 2-20, 5-20, 5-30, 5-40, 5-50, 10-50, 10-75, 10-100, 20-100, 20-150, 20-200, 50-200, 50-250, or 50-300 μL. The microfluidic circuit may be configured to have a first end fluidically connected with a first port (e.g., an inlet) in the microfluidic device and a second end fluidically connected with a second port (e.g., an outlet) in the microfluidic device.
As used herein, a “nanofluidic device” or “nanofluidic apparatus” is a type of microfluidic device having a microfluidic circuit that contains at least one circuit element configured to hold a volume of fluid of less than about 1 μL, e.g., less than about 750, 500, 250, 200, 150, 100, 75, 50, 25, 20, 15, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 nL or less. A nanofluidic device may comprise a plurality of circuit elements (e.g., at least 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 15, 20, 25, 50, 75, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900, 1000, 1500, 2000, 2500, 3000, 3500, 4000, 4500, 5000, 6000, 7000, 8000, 9000, 10,000, or more). In certain embodiments, one or more (e.g., all) of the at least one circuit elements is configured to hold a volume of fluid of about 100 pL to 1 nL, 100 pL to 2 nL, 100 pL to 5 nL, 250 pL to 2 nL, 250 pL to 5 nL, 250 pL to 10 nL, 500 pL to 5 nL, 500 pL to 10 nL, 500 pL to 15 nL, 750 pL to 10 nL, 750 pL to 15 nL, 750 pL to 20 nL, 1 to 10 nL, 1 to 15 nL, 1 to 20 nL, 1 to 25 nL, or 1 to 50 nL. In other embodiments, one or more (e.g., all) of the at least one circuit elements are configured to hold a volume of fluid of about 20 nL to 200 nL, 100 to 200 nL, 100 to 300 nL, 100 to 400 nL, 100 to 500 nL, 200 to 300 nL, 200 to 400 nL, 200 to 500 nL, 200 to 600 nL, 200 to 700 nL, 250 to 400 nL, 250 to 500 nL, 250 to 600 nL, or 250 to 750 nL.
A microfluidic device or a nanofluidic device may be referred to herein as a “microfluidic chip” or a “chip”; or “nanofluidic chip” or “chip”.
A “microfluidic channel” or “flow channel” or “channel” as used herein refers to flow region of a cartridge, or a microfluidic device integrated therein, having a length that is significantly longer than both the horizontal and vertical dimensions. For example, the channel can be at least 5 times the length of either the horizontal or vertical dimension, e.g., at least 10 times the length, at least 25 times the length, at least 100 times the length, at least 200 times the length, at least 500 times the length, at least 1,000 times the length, at least 5,000 times the length, or longer. In some embodiments, the length of a channel in a microfluidic device is about 100,000 microns to about 500,000 microns, including any value therebetween. In some embodiments, the horizontal dimension of a channel in a microfluidic device is about 100 microns to about 1000 microns (e.g., about 150 to about 500 microns) and the vertical dimension is about 25 microns to about 200 microns, (e.g., from about 40 to about 150 microns). It is noted that a channel may have a variety of different spatial configurations in a microfluidic device, and thus is not restricted to a perfectly linear element. For example, a channel may be, or include one or more sections having, the following configurations: curve, bend, spiral, incline, decline, fork (e.g., multiple different flow paths), and any combination thereof. In addition, a channel may have different cross-sectional areas along its path, widening and constricting to provide a desired fluid flow therein. The channel may include valves, and the valves may be of any type known in the art of microfluidics. Examples of microfluidic channels that include valves are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,408,878 and 9,227,200, each of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
As used herein, the term “transparent” refers to a material which allows visible light to pass through without substantially altering the light as is passes through.
As used herein, “brightfield” illumination and/or image refers to white light illumination of the microfluidic field of view from a broad-spectrum light source, where contrast is formed by absorbance of light by objects in the field of view.
As used herein, “structured light” is projected light that is modulated to provide one or more illumination effects. A first illumination effect may be projected light illuminating a portion of a surface of a device without illuminating (or at least minimizing illumination of) an adjacent portion of the surface, e.g., a projected light pattern, as described more fully below, used to activate DEP forces within a DEP substrate. When using structured light patterns to activate DEP forces, the intensity, e.g., variation in duty cycle of a structured light modulator such as a DMD, may be used to change the optical power applied to the light activated DEP actuators, and thus change DEP force without changing the nominal voltage or frequency. Another illumination effect that may be produced by structured light includes projected light that may be corrected for surface irregularities and for irregularities associated with the light projection itself, e.g., fall-off at the edge of an illuminated field. Structured light is typically generated by a structured light modulator, such as a digital mirror device (DMD), a microshutter array system (MSA), a liquid crystal display (LCD), or the like. Illumination of a small area of the surface, e.g., a selected area of interest, with structured light improves the signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR), as illumination of only the selected area of interest reduces stray/scattered light, thereby lowering the dark level of the image. An important aspect of structured light is that it may be changed quickly over time. A light pattern from the structured light modulator, e.g., DMD, may be used to autofocus on difficult targets such as clean mirrors or surfaces that are far out of focus. Using a clean mirror, a number of self-test features may be replicated such as measurement of modulation transfer function and field curvature/tilt, without requiring a more expensive Shack-Hartmann sensor. In another use of structured light patterns, spatial power distribution may be measured at the sample surface with a simple power meter, in place of a camera. Structured light patterns may also be used as a reference feature for optical module/system component alignment as well used as a manual readout for manual focus. Another illumination effect made possible by use of structured light patterns is selective curing, e.g., solidification of hydrogels within the microfluidic device.
As used herein, the term “micro-object” refers generally to any microscopic object that may be isolated and/or manipulated in accordance with the present disclosure. Non-limiting examples of micro-objects include: inanimate micro-objects such as microparticles; microbeads (e.g., polystyrene beads, glass beads, amorphous solid substrates, Luminex™ beads, or the like); magnetic beads; microrods; microwires; quantum dots, and the like; biological micro-objects such as cells; biological organelles; vesicles, or complexes; synthetic vesicles; liposomes (e.g., synthetic or derived from membrane preparations); lipid nanorafts, and the like; or a combination of inanimate micro-objects and biological micro-objects (e.g., microbeads attached to cells, liposome-coated micro-beads, liposome-coated magnetic beads, or the like). Beads may include moieties/molecules covalently or non-covalently attached, such as fluorescent labels, proteins (including receptor molecules), carbohydrates, antigens, small molecule signaling moieties, or other chemical/biological species capable of use in an assay. In some variations, beads/solid substrates including moieties/molecules may be capture beads, e.g., configured to bind molecules including small molecules, peptides, proteins or nucleic acids present in proximity either selectively or nonselectively. In one nonlimiting example, a capture bead may include a nucleic acid sequence configured to bind nucleic acids having a specific nucleic acid sequence or the nucleic acid sequence of the capture bead may be configured to bind a set of nucleic acids having related nucleic acid sequences. Either type of binding may be understood to be selective. Capture beads containing moieties/molecules may bind nonselectively when binding of structurally different but physico-chemically similar molecules is performed, for example, size exclusion beads or zeolites configured to capture molecules of selected size or charge. Lipid nanorafts have been described, for example, in Ritchie et al. (2009) “Reconstitution of Membrane Proteins in Phospholipid Bilayer Nanodiscs,” Methods Enzymol., 464:211-231.
As used herein, the term “cell” is used interchangeably with the term “biological cell.” Non-limiting examples of biological cells include eukaryotic cells, plant cells, animal cells, such as mammalian cells, reptilian cells, avian cells, fish cells, or the like, prokaryotic cells, bacterial cells, fungal cells, protozoan cells, or the like, cells dissociated from a tissue, such as muscle, cartilage, fat, skin, liver, lung, neural tissue, and the like, immunological cells, such as T cells, B cells, natural killer cells, macrophages, and the like, embryos (e.g., zygotes), oocytes, ova, sperm cells, hybridomas, cultured cells, cells from a cell line, cancer cells, infected cells, transfected and/or transformed cells, reporter cells, and the like. A mammalian cell can be, for example, from a human, a mouse, a rat, a horse, a goat, a sheep, a cow, a primate, or the like.
A colony of biological cells is “clonal” if all of the living cells in the colony that are capable of reproducing are daughter cells derived from a single parent cell. In certain embodiments, all the daughter cells in a clonal colony are derived from the single parent cell by no more than 10 divisions. In other embodiments, all the daughter cells in a clonal colony are derived from the single parent cell by no more than 14 divisions. In other embodiments, all the daughter cells in a clonal colony are derived from the single parent cell by no more than 17 divisions. In other embodiments, all the daughter cells in a clonal colony are derived from the single parent cell by no more than 20 divisions. The term “clonal cells” refers to cells of the same clonal colony.
As used herein, a “colony” of biological cells refers to 2 or more cells (e.g., about 2 to about 20, about 4 to about 40, about 6 to about 60, about 8 to about 80, about 10 to about 100, about 20 to about 200, about 40 to about 400, about 60 to about 600, about 80 to about 800, about 100 to about 1000, or greater than 1000 cells).
As used herein, the term “maintaining (a) cell(s)” refers to providing an environment comprising both fluidic and gaseous components and, optionally a surface, that provides the conditions necessary to keep the cells viable and/or expanding.
As used herein, the term “expanding” when referring to cells, refers to increasing in cell number.
As referred to herein, “gas permeable” means that the material or structure is permeable to at least one of oxygen, carbon dioxide, or nitrogen. In some embodiments, the gas permeable material or structure is permeable to more than one of oxygen, carbon dioxide and nitrogen and may further be permeable to all three of these gases.
A “component” of a fluidic medium is any chemical or biochemical molecule present in the medium, including solvent molecules, ions, small molecules, antibiotics, nucleotides and nucleosides, nucleic acids, amino acids, peptides, proteins, sugars, carbohydrates, lipids, fatty acids, cholesterol, metabolites, or the like.
As used herein in reference to a fluidic medium, “diffuse” and “diffusion” refer to thermodynamic movement of a component of the fluidic medium down a concentration gradient.
The phrase “flow of a medium” means bulk movement of a fluidic medium primarily due to any mechanism other than diffusion, and may encompass perfusion. For example, flow of a medium can involve movement of the fluidic medium from one point to another point due to a pressure differential between the points. Such flow can include a continuous, pulsed, periodic, random, intermittent, or reciprocating flow of the liquid, or any combination thereof. When one fluidic medium flows into another fluidic medium, turbulence and mixing of the media can result. Flowing can comprise pulling solution through and out of the microfluidic channel (e.g., aspirating) or pushing fluid into and through a microfluidic channel (e.g., perfusing).
The phrase “substantially no flow” refers to a rate of flow of a fluidic medium that, when averaged over time, is less than the rate of diffusion of components of a material (e.g., an analyte of interest) into or within the fluidic medium. The ratio of a rate of flow of a component in a fluidic medium (i.e., advection) divided by the rate of diffusion of such component can be expressed by a dimensionless Peclet number. Thus, a region within a microfluidic device that experiences substantially no flow in one in which the Peclet number is less than 1. The Peclet number associated with a particular region within the microfluidic device can vary with the component or components of the fluidic medium being considered (e.g., the analyte of interest), as the rate of diffusion of a component or components in a fluidic medium can depend on, for example, temperature, the size, mass, and/or shape of the component(s), and the strength of interactions between the component(s) and the fluidic medium. In certain embodiments, the Peclet number associated with a particular region of the microfluidic device and a component located therein can be 0.95 or less, 0.9 or less, 0.85 or less, 0.8 or less, 0.75 or less, 0.7 or less, 0.65 or less, 0.6 or less, 0.55 or less, 0.5 or less, 0.4 or less, 0.3 or less, 0.2 or less, 0.1 or less, 0.05 or less, 0.01 or less, 0.005 or less, or 0.001 or less.
As used herein in reference to different regions within a microfluidic device, the phrase “fluidically connected” means that, when the different regions are substantially filled with fluid, such as fluidic media, the fluid in each of the regions is connected so as to form a single body of fluid. This does not mean that the fluids (or fluidic media) in the different regions are necessarily identical in composition. Rather, the fluids in different fluidically connected regions of a microfluidic device can have different compositions (e.g., different concentrations of solutes, such as proteins, carbohydrates, ions, or other molecules) which are in flux as solutes move down their respective concentration gradients and/or fluids flow through the device.
As used herein, a “flow path” refers to one or more fluidically connected circuit elements (e.g., channel(s), region(s), chamber(s) and the like) that define, and are subject to, the trajectory of a flow of medium. A flow path is thus an example of a swept region of a microfluidic device. Other circuit elements (e.g., unswept regions) may be fluidically connected with the circuit elements that comprise the flow path without being subject to the flow of medium in the flow path.
As used herein, “isolating a micro-object” confines a micro-object to a defined area within the microfluidic device.
As used herein, “pen” or “penning” refers to disposing micro-objects within a chamber (e.g., a sequestration pen) within the microfluidic device. Forces used to pen a micro-object may be any suitable force as described herein such as dielectrophoresis (DEP), e.g., an optically actuated dielectrophoretic force (OEP); gravity; magnetic forces; or tilting. In some embodiments, penning a plurality of micro-objects may reposition substantially all the micro-objects. In some other embodiments, a selected number of the plurality of micro-objects may be penned, and the remainder of the plurality may not be penned. In some embodiments, when selected micro-objects are penned, a DEP force, e.g., an optically actuated DEP force or a magnetic force may be used to reposition the selected micro-objects. Typically, micro-objects may be introduced to a flow region, e.g., a microfluidic channel, of the microfluidic device and introduced into a chamber by penning.
As used herein, “unpen” or “unpenning” refers to repositioning micro-objects from within a chamber, e.g., a sequestration pen, to a new location within a flow region, e.g., a microfluidic channel, of the microfluidic device. Forces used to unpen a micro-object may be any suitable force as described herein such as dielectrophoresis, e.g., an optically actuated dielectrophoretic force; gravity; magnetic forces; or tilting. n some embodiments, unpenning a plurality of micro-objects may reposition substantially all the micro-objects. In some other embodiments, a selected number of the plurality of micro-objects may be unpenned, and the remainder of the plurality may not be unpenned. In some embodiments, when selected micro-objects are unpenned, a DEP force, e.g., an optically actuated DEP force or a magnetic force may be used to reposition the selected micro-objects.
As used herein, “export” or “exporting” refers to repositioning micro-objects from a location within a flow region, e.g., a microfluidic channel, of a microfluidic device to a location outside of the microfluidic device, such as a 96 well plate or other receiving vessel. The orientation of the chamber(s) having an opening to the microfluidic channel permits easy export of micro-objects that have been positioned or repositioned (e.g., unpenned from a chamber) to be disposed within the microfluidic channel. Micro-objects within the microfluidic channel may be exported without requiring disassembly (e.g., removal of the cover of the device) or insertion of a tool into the chamber(s) or microfluidic channel to remove micro-objects for further processing.
A microfluidic (or nanofluidic) device can comprise “swept” regions and “unswept” regions. As used herein, a “swept” region is comprised of one or more fluidically interconnected circuit elements of a microfluidic circuit, each of which experiences a flow of medium when fluid is flowing through the microfluidic circuit. The circuit elements of a swept region can include, for example, regions, channels, and all or parts of chambers. As used herein, an “unswept” region is comprised of one or more fluidically interconnected circuit element of a microfluidic circuit, each of which experiences substantially no flux of fluid when fluid is flowing through the microfluidic circuit. An unswept region can be fluidically connected to a swept region, provided the fluidic connections are structured to enable diffusion but substantially no flow of media between the swept region and the unswept region. The microfluidic device can thus be structured to substantially isolate an unswept region from a flow of medium in a swept region, while enabling substantially only diffusive fluidic communication between the swept region and the unswept region. For example, a flow channel of a micro-fluidic device is an example of a swept region while an isolation region (described in further detail below) of a microfluidic device is an example of an unswept region.
As used herein, a “non-sweeping” rate of fluidic medium flow means a rate of flow sufficient to permit components of a second fluidic medium in an isolation region of the sequestration pen to diffuse into the first fluidic medium in the flow region and/or components of the first fluidic medium to diffuse into the second fluidic medium in the isolation region; and further wherein the first medium does not substantially flow into the isolation region.
As used herein, “synthetic surface” refers to an interface between a support structure and a gaseous/liquid medium, where the synthetic surface is prepared by non-biological processes. In various embodiments, a synthetic surface can comprise an antigen-presenting surface. The synthetic surface may have biologically derived materials connected to it, e.g., primary and co-activating molecules as described herein, to provide an antigen-presenting synthetic surface, provided that the synthetic surface is not expressed by a biological organism. In various embodiments, the support structure is solid, such as the non-surface exposed portions of a bead, a wafer, or a substrate, cover or circuit material of a microfluidic device and does not enclose a biological nucleus or organelle.
As used herein, “co-activating” refers to a binding interaction between a biological macromolecule, fragment thereof, or synthetic or modified version thereof and a T-cell, other than the primary T-cell receptor/antigen:MHC binding interaction, that enhances a productive immune response to produce activation of the T cell. Co-activating interactions are antigen-nonspecific interactions, e.g., between a T-cell surface protein able to engage in intracellular signaling such as CD28, CD2, ICOS, etc., and an agonist thereof. “Co-activation” and “co-activating” as used herein is equivalent to the terms co-stimulation and co-stimulating, respectively.
As used herein, a “TCR co-activating molecule” is a biological macromolecule, fragment thereof, or synthetic or modified version thereof that binds to one or more co-receptors on a T-Cell that activate distal signaling molecules which amplify and/or complete the response instigated by antigen specific binding of the TCR. In one example, signaling molecules such as transcription factors Nuclear Factor kappa B (NFkB) and Nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) are activated by the TCR co-activating molecule. The TCR co-activating molecule can be, for example, an agonist of the CD28 receptor, which signals through the phosphoinositide 3 kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathway. See
As used herein, “CD28high” refers to a phenotype of high CD28 surface expression in a T cell. Those skilled in the art are familiar with the CD28high phenotype and appropriate ways of identifying CD28high T cells. Unless otherwise indicated, CD28high T cells include T cells that meet any of the following criteria. In some embodiments, a CD28high T cell is a T cell that expresses higher levels of CD28 than a resting CD8+ T cell. A CD28high T cell may also express higher levels of CD28 than an irrelevant non-antigen specific T cell. In some embodiments, CD28high T cells are a population in which the level of surface CD28 which can be measured by FACS is equal to or greater than the level of surface CD28 present on circulating memory T cells which can be measured by FACS. In some embodiments, a CD28high T cell has a level of surface CD28 equal to or greater than the level of surface CD28 present on circulating memory T cells from the same sample or individual. Expression of surface CD28 can be determined by FACS and the mean (e.g., geometric mean) or median level of surface CD28 present on circulating memory T cells can be used for determining whether a given T cell is CD28high. In some embodiments, a CD28high T cell is a T cell that expresses CD28 at a significantly higher level than expression typical of naive CD8 T cells from the same sample or individual, e.g., higher than 75%, 80%, 85%, 87.5%, 90%, 92.5%, or 95% of the naive T cells. Naive CD8 T cells can be identified and characterized by known methods, e.g., flow cytometrically, as CD8+cells expressing detectable CD28 and minimal or no CD45RO.
As used herein, a “TCR adjunct activating molecule” stimulates classes of signaling molecules which amplify the antigen-specific TCR interaction and are distinct from the TCR co-activating molecules. For example, TCR proximal signaling by phosphorylation of the TCR proximal signaling complex is one route by which TCR adjunct activating molecules can act. The TCR adjunct activating molecule may be, for example, an agonist of the CD2 receptor. See
As used herein, an “activated T cell” is a T cell that has been stimulated in such a manner that it is capable of mounting an antigen-specific response to an antigen. The antigen can be, for example, a cancer-associated antigen. The stimulation that activates the T cell typically includes cell surface binding events that include engagement of primary signaling molecules (e.g., T cell receptor (TCR) or recombinant version thereof (e.g., a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)) and/or CD3) and co-activating signaling molecules (e.g., a T cell co-activating receptor, such as CD28, or a T-cell adjunct receptor, such as CD2). Activated T cells are generally positive for at least one of CD28, CD45RO, CD127, and CD197.
The term “antigen-presenting surface,” as used herein, generally means a surface that comprises one or more antigens presented in a manner that can activate T-cells that come in contact with the surface. The antigen-presenting surface may have biologically derived materials connected to it, e.g., primary and co-activating molecules as described herein. In various embodiments, antigen-presenting surfaces may comprise anti-CD3. In various embodiments, antigen-presenting surfaces may comprise anti-CD28. In some embodiments, antigen-presenting surfaces may comprise anti-CD3 and anti-CD28. Surfaces described herein can undergo treatment to become antigen-antigen presenting surfaces. Non-limiting examples support structures having surfaces can include beads, magnetic beads, well-plates, capillaries, surfaces within a bioreactor (e.g., dimples).
The term “cell therapy product vessel,” as used herein, generally refers to a sterile compartment or container that can be suitable for receiving a cell therapeutic during a fill process. In various embodiments, cell therapy product vessel can comprise a flexible container that is malleable and can deform to fit in various spaces (e.g., within a box). In some embodiments, the flexible container can comprise an intravenous bag. In alternative embodiments, cell therapy product vessels can comprise rigid structures that are resistant to puncture or tear.
The term “denaturation,” as used herein, generally refers to any molecule that loses quaternary structure, tertiary structure, and secondary structure which is present in their native state. Non-limiting examples include proteins or nucleic acids being exposed to an external compound or environmental condition such as acid, base, temperature, pressure, radiation, etc.
The term “cartridge,” as used herein can be used interchangeably with the term “cassette” and generally refers to an apparatus suitable for carrying out one or more steps (e.g., sorting, activating, transfection, and/or fill and formulation) in a cell therapy manufacturing process. For example, a cell therapy manufacturing system can receive cells (e.g., T-cells) from a subject and process them using the cartridge. In some embodiments, the cell therapy manufacturing system can produce a cell therapy product (e.g., a treatment for a subject) using the cartridge.
In various embodiments a cell manufacturing system can comprise a cartridge. In various embodiments, cartridges can be modular devices that can be inserted into the instrument and processed. In various embodiments, cartridges can be customized to carry out one or more steps of a cell therapy manufacturing process for a specific set of conditions. Conditions can comprise, for example, the manufacture of a specific cell type, such as engineered T-cells, CAR T-cells, endogenous T cells, or the like, for a disease condition, such as a cancer (e.g., blood or liquid cancer, such as a leukemia or lymphoma, or a solid tumor cancer, such as a sarcoma (e.g., cancer of the blood vessels, lymph vessels, bone, fat tissue, ligaments, muscle or tendon) or carcinoma (e.g., a cancer of the skin, glands and the linings of organs)). In various embodiments, cartridges can be adapted to process a specific subject sample type (e.g., whole blood sample). In various embodiments, cartridges can be replaced after each subject sample has been processed. In various embodiments, cartridges can be re-used. In some embodiments, cartridges can be an integrated component on the instrument.
In various embodiments, a cartridge can comprise one or more fluidic networks and at least one chamber. In various embodiments, the chamber can comprise a bioreactor for culturing a cell therapy product (e.g., a cell therapy treatment comprising T-cells). In various embodiments, cartridges can be a modular component of a cell therapy manufacturing system. In various embodiments, cartridges can include reservoirs, valves, chambers, and analytical components (e.g., microfluidic devices, sensors, etc.) for a variety of cell therapy manufacturing processes. Non-limiting examples of processes that can be carried out on the cartridge include cell sample introduction, sorting/selection, activation, transduction, culture, cell counting and/or characterization, clean-up steps, formulation and fill, or any combination thereof.
The term “detectable label,” as used herein, generally means anything that can be detected. More specifically, detectable labels can comprise fluorescent molecules such as fluorophores or barcodes. Detectable labels can be coupled to carbohydrate, protein, nucleotide sequences (e.g., oligos), sugars, amino acids, nucleotides, or other biological molecules. In various embodiments, detectable labels can be coupled to a target molecule, either directly or indirectly via an intermediary, thereby allowing for detection of the target molecule. Detectable labels can be exogenous or endogenous. In various applications, detectable labels can comprise quenching agents for reducing a signal intensity being emitted by another molecule (e.g., a fluorophore).
In various embodiments, detectable labels can be analyzed by laboratory equipment (e.g., flow cytometers, microscopes, etc.). In various embodiments, detectable labels can be quantitatively analyzed.
The term “nucleic acid construct,” as used herein, generally refers to a molecule that can modify a cell for use in cell therapy or cell therapy manufacturing. In various embodiments, a nucleic acid construct can comprise one or more nucleotide sequences encoding a molecule for use in cell therapy or cell therapy manufacturing. Nucleic acid constructs can be inserted into a host genome (e.g., a T-cell) and be expressed. In various embodiments, insertion can occur using gene editing machinery (e.g., lentiviral vectors). In various embodiments, a nucleic acid construct can comprise one or more genes encoding a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) molecule.
The term “sample,” as used herein, generally refers to a sample from a subject of interest (e.g., human subject) and may include a cell sample. Thus, the sample can include one or more cells, such as immunological cells or blood cells (e.g., T cells, NK cells, macrophages, or the like). The sample may be derived from another sample. For example, the sample may include only a subset of the cells (and other material) from the sample taken directly from the subject. The sample may include a tissue sample, such as a biopsy, core biopsy, needle aspirate, or fine needle aspirate. The sample may include a fluid sample, such as a blood sample, urine sample, or saliva sample. The sample may include a skin sample. The sample may include a cheek swab. The sample may originate from blood, plasma, serum, urine, saliva, mucosal excretions, sputum, stool, or tears. The sample may originate from red blood cells or white blood cells. The sample may originate from spinal fluid, CNS fluid, gastric fluid, amniotic fluid, cyst fluid, peritoneal fluid, marrow, bile, other body fluids.
The term “sortavation,” as used herein, generally refers to a step in a cell therapy manufacturing process. In various embodiments, sortavation can comprise one or more sorting steps combined with one or more activation steps (e.g., T cell activation steps).
The term “subject,” as used herein, generally refers to an animal, such as a mammal (e.g., human subject) or other animal (e.g., bird). For example, the subject can include a vertebrate, a mammal, a rodent (e.g., a mouse), a primate, a simian or a human. Animals may include, but are not limited to, farm animals, sport animals, and pets. A subject can include a healthy or asymptomatic individual, an individual that has or is suspected of having a disease (e.g., cancer) or a pre-disposition to the disease, and/or an individual that is in need of therapy or suspected of needing therapy. A subject can be a patient.
The term “treatment,” as used herein, generally refers to a cellular product that can be produced using the cell therapy manufacturing methods and systems described herein. The product can comprise live cells. In various embodiments, the live cells can include T-cells. In various embodiments, the T-cells can be CAR T-cells. In various embodiments, the T-cells can be engineered T-cells. In various embodiments, the T-cells can be endogenous T-cells (i.e., T-cells from a subject that have not been genetically engineered).
Although cell-based immunotherapy for cancer treatment is a promising development, current systems for producing cell therapy products can require enormous resources in terms of space, operator knowledge, and cost. Additional challenges include reproducibility. Existing systems can comprise suites of equipment where each piece of equipment can carry out only one process or sub-process of a cell therapy manufacturing method. With this comes material handling and contamination issues that require even more resources to limit.
What is needed is an integrated, automated system and cartridge capable of receiving a sample (e.g., blood sample) from a patient and processing the sample through the various steps of the cell therapy manufacturing method to produce a product that can be used by the patient. Such a cartridge (and/or system) can be completely enclosed from the beginning of the workflow until the end in order to ensure the produce is free from contamination. Such a cartridge (and/or system) can also allow for any accompanying quality control procedures to be handled in-line or within the cartridge (and/or system). The novel cartridges, instruments, systems and methods described herein solve these issues and more.
In biological organisms, dendritic cells function to capture, process, and present exogenous antigens to adaptive immune cells (e.g., T-cells). However, the current use of antigen presenting dendritic cells to activate T lymphocytes (T-cells) presents several disadvantageous aspects. Currently, dendritic cells must be obtained from donor sources, increasing cost and limiting throughput. Additionally, dendritic cells, in most cases, must be matured for each sequence of T lymphocyte activation, which can require a lead time of about 7 days. Irradiation of dendritic cells is also required, which limits where such processing can be performed.
In various embodiments, replacing the use of autologous antigen presenting dendritic cells with synthetic surfaces for activating T lymphocytes may afford greater reproducibility when stimulating and expanding T lymphocytes for a subject or a therapeutically relevant population. The synthetic surfaces may be engineered for antigen-specific activation of T lymphocytes, providing more controllable, characterizable, reproducible and/or more rapid development of populations of activated T lymphocytes having desirable phenotypes for treatment of cancer in accordance with various embodiments. Alternatively, the synthetic surfaces may be engineered for non-antigen-specific activation of T lymphocytes (e.g., genetically engineered T lymphocytes), which can also provide more controllable, characterizable, reproducible and/or more rapid development of populations of activated T lymphocytes having desirable phenotypes for treatment of cancer in accordance with various embodiments. Activating synthetic surfaces, whether antigen-specific or not, can also allow for more control and selectivity over T cell activation, including more precise targeting of desired T cell phenotypes following activation, e.g., enrichment of particular forms of memory T cells. Furthermore, activating synthetic surfaces can also take advantage of economies of scale and/or provide reproducibility to a greater degree than using autologous antigen presenting dendritic cells. As such, this technology can make cellular therapies available to patients in need thereof in greater numbers. Additionally, the systems and methods described herein can reduce the time necessary to produce a cell therapy product due to the nature of the integrated system for carrying out cell therapy manufacturing processes. Providing T cells useful for cellular therapies more rapidly can be especially important for patients with advanced disease. The structure of such activating synthetic surfaces and their methods of preparation and use are described herein. In some embodiments, the activating synthetic surfaces comprise primary activating ligands (e.g., an MHC class I molecule bound to an antigenic peptide or a CD3 agonist, such as an anti-CD3 antibody) in combination with TCR co-activating molecules (e.g., a CD28 molecule) and/or adjunct TCR activating molecules, which together serve to activate T cells. Surface density can range for these components and ratios of one to another that can further improve efficacy are also disclosed herein. In some embodiments, the activating synthetic surfaces and their methods of preparation and use provide one or more of the foregoing advantages (e.g., cost savings, time savings, a controlled and well characterized process).
Cell therapy manufacturing workflows described herein can comprise producing a cell therapy product. In various cases, workflows can be directed toward producing a product comprising live cells (e.g., immunological cells, such as CAR T-cells, engineered T-cells, or endogenous T-cells, or stem cells) that can be transferred into a subject for a specific application. Some applications can include treatment of a disease or an illness. Some applications can include treatment of cancer.
Subject sample collection 2502 may include, for example, obtaining a cell sample of one or more subjects, such as mammalian subjects (e.g., human subjects). The cell sample may take the form of a specimen obtained via one or more sampling methods. The cell sample may comprise a whole blood sample or cells from a specific tissue, such as lymph nodes, spleen, or a source of stem cells, such as bone marrow, liver, adipose tissue, muscle, skin, gingival tissue, blood vessels, brain, embryonic tissue, or the like. The cell sample may be obtained in any of several different ways. In various embodiments, the cell sample includes a whole blood sample obtained via a blood draw. In other embodiments, the cell sample can be derived from whole blood, for example, a serum sample, a plasma sample, a fractionated blood sample (e.g., enriched for white blood cells (WBCs), lymphocytes, T-cells, NK cells, macrophages, other types of blood cells, or a combination thereof). In other embodiments, the cell sample can be obtained by dissociation of a tissue biopsy (e.g., dissociated bone marrow cells, liver cells, adipose cells, muscle cells, skin cells, gingival cells, endothelial cells, neurological cells, embryonic cells, etc.). In some embodiments, a dissociated cell sample can be partially purified or purified to select for cells of interest. Cell samples may include nucleotides (e.g., ssDNA, dsDNA, RNA), organelles, amino acids, peptides, proteins, carbohydrates, or any combination thereof.
In various embodiments, a cell sample obtained from subject sample collection 2502 can comprise white blood cells (e.g., T-cells) harvested from a whole blood sample. The harvesting can include using centrifugation methods. In some embodiments, the centrifugation methods can comprise apheresis (e.g., leukapheresis). Leukapheresis can be an effective procedure for separating white blood cells from other whole blood constituents. In various embodiments, leukapheresis can produce a leukopak from a cell sample. Other whole blood constituents can be returned to the subject (e.g., human subject). In some embodiments, the harvesting can include using a microfluidic post array for deterministic lateral displacement (DLD). For example, the microfluidic post array can be used to remove red blood cells and/or other cells from a whole blood sample, and/or to alter the medium in which the white blood cells (e.g., T-cells) are suspended.
In various embodiments, a cell sample obtained from subjection sample collection 2502 can undergo a tissue dissociation process (e.g., an enzymatic digestion process). In various embodiments, the system described herein can comprise one or more reservoirs for storing enzymes and other reagents for carrying out a tissue dissociation process. The contents of the reservoirs can be delivered, via a fluidic network, to a location in the system where the tissue dissociation process can be carried out. In many embodiments, a tissue dissociation process can be carried out in chamber (e.g., a bioreactor chamber of a cartridge).
Various cell types (e.g., T-cells, NK cells, other immunological cells, stem cells, pluripotent cells, ipscs, progenitor cells, or the like) may benefit by including cell sorting 2504 in a cell therapy workflow 2500. Many cell types may also benefit from cell stimulation 2506 (e.g., activation for T-cells and NK cells) and/or (e.g., differentiation for stem cells, pluripotent cells, ipscs, progenitor cells, immunological cells, or the like) as performed on a cell therapy manufacturing system described herein.
In various embodiments, a cell therapy manufacturing system can include necessary elements (e.g., reagents and hardware) for carrying out a variety of different cell therapy workflows 2500. For example, in many embodiments, a cell therapy manufacturing workflow 2500 may include a cell sorting 2504 step and exclude a cell stimulation 2506 step. In other embodiments, a cell therapy workflow 2500 may include a discrete cell sorting 2504 step and a discrete cell stimulation 2506 step. In alternate embodiments, a cell therapy workflow 2500 may include integrated cell sorting 2504 and cell stimulation 2506 steps (e.g., cell sorting and cell stimulation steps overlapping in time).
Whether to include cell stimulation 2506 may, at least in part, be determined by a cell type or characteristic of a cell being processed. In many embodiments described herein, cell stimulation can initiate an immune response (e.g., an in vitro immune response).
In various cell therapy workflows 2500, cell sorting 2504 and/or cell stimulation 2506 can be followed by cell proliferation. In other cell therapy workflows 2500, cell sorting 2504 and/or cell stimulation 2506 can be followed by cell modification 2508.
a. Cell Sorting
For cell-based cell therapies, effective cell sorting 2504 may generate purer cell therapy products which may result in more effective patient outcomes (e.g., increased five-year survival and/or fewer and less severe side effects).
In various embodiments, cell sorting 2504 can be used in isolating desired cells by selection based on one or more of the following: size, live vs. dead or apoptotic, CD8 positive, and tetramer positive. In various embodiments, sorting can comprise isolating activated T-cells from non-activated T-cells. Various methods of cell sorting 2504 are described below and throughout.
b. Cell Stimulation
In various cell therapy workflows 2500, cell sorting 2504 and T-cell activation may comprise a combined step (“sortavation”). In various embodiments, the cell sample from subject sample collection 2802 can undergo cell sorting 2504 and T-cell activation. In various embodiments, the cell undergoing activation may originate from a cell sample, such as, a T-cell enriched sample (e.g., a leukopak or a sample produced using a microfluidic post array).
In various embodiments, the systems described herein may be suited for executing a variety of different cell stimulation 2506 processes of a cell therapy workflow 2500. Non-limiting examples of cell stimulation 2506 processes include stimulation of T-cells or NK via an activation process carried out on a cell therapy manufacturing system. Additional non-limiting examples of cell stimulation 2506 processes include stimulation of various cell types such as stem cells, pluripotent cells, ipscs, progenitor cells, or the like during differentiation.
A variety of cell types may also benefit from cell stimulation 2506 (e.g., activation for T-cells and NK cells) and/or differentiation (e.g., for stem cells, pluripotent cells, ipscs, progenitor cells, or the like) using the systems and methods described herein.
In various embodiments, cells (e.g., T-cells) can be contacted with growth stimulatory molecules, such as growth factors or cytokines, and/or molecules that induce phenotypic change, such as activation. In cell therapy manufacturing systems for processing cells (e.g., T-cells) undergoing an activation step, a common characteristic of both dendritic cells and synthetic activation surfaces may be antigen presentation for the cell engagement. For example, in various embodiments, cells may be activated using activating molecules such as molecular ligands. Activating ligands may comprise primary molecules (e.g., MHC bound to an antigen of interest, or an antigen recognized by a CAR) and co-activating molecules (e.g., CD28, CD2, or the like). Additional examples of stimulatory molecules and their methods of use are provided below and throughout.
For cell therapy workflows 2500 used in processing T- cells, activation, in general, may include a primary signal and a co-stimulatory signal. In various embodiments, the primary signal can propagate via a T-cell receptor (e.g., by targeting the T-cell receptor directly or via CD3). In various embodiments, the co-stimulatory signal can propagate via CD28, CD2, and/or other molecules. In the case of CAR T-cells or other types of engineered T-cells, T-cell activation may occur prior to transduction or transfection.
Some cell therapy workflows 2500 used for processing T- cells may use dendritic cells to carry out cell stimulation 2506 processes. In various embodiments, cell-based T-cell activation can be carried out using the systems described herein. Some cell therapy manufacturing systems can include synthetic surfaces capable of mimicking of the function of dendritic cells.
Synthetic surface-based T-cell activation can be carried out on one or more of the synthetic activation surfaces described herein. In some embodiments, the synthetic surface may comprise beads. In some embodiments, the beads can be magnetically manipulatable. In alternative embodiments, the synthetic surface can comprise non-bead structures such as planar surfaces.
Alternatively or in addition to activation, a cell therapy manufacturing system may carry out cellular differentiation processes and steps. In various embodiments, a cell type (e.g., pluripotent stem cells) may undergo differentiation in a cell therapy manufacturing process.
In various embodiments, magnetic beads can be used for sorting and activation of T-cells without needing to remove the beads/cells until harvest. In such embodiments, cell sorting 2504 and T-cell activation can occur simultaneously. An advantage to this approach includes the ability to include washing and enrichment steps without loss of stimulatory molecules (e.g., use of CD3/CD28 antibody-coated magnetic beads). Commercially available systems for carrying out cell sorting can comprise a fluorescence activated cell sorter (FACS). In some embodiments, cell sorting methods can be carried using the systems described herein. In some embodiments, similar beads can be used for cell sorting and a cell stimulation step can be omitted.
Aspects of cell therapy manufacturing methods and systems can comprise cell modification 2508 to a cell using gene transfer systems and methods (e.g., transfection or transduction) to encode a host cell (e.g., T-cell, NK cell, stem cell, and/or stem cell) with a nucleic acid construct. In various embodiments, cell modification 2508 can be carried out using viral methods (e.g., transduction). In alternative embodiments, cell modification 2508 can be carried out using non-viral methods (e.g., transfection).
Non-limiting examples of viral approaches to cell modification 2508 include retroviral, lentiviral, adenovirus, and adeno-associated viruses. In various viral approaches, cell stimulation 2506 (e.g., differentiation, in the case of stem cells or activation, in the case of T-cells) may be concurrent with cell modification 2508. Non-limiting examples of non-viral approaches to genetic delivery include liposome mediated or plasmid mediated methods. Other non-limiting approaches may include use of CRISPR/Cas machinery.
In some aspects, retroviral cell modification 2508 can comprise copying a nucleotide genome of the virus into a double stranded DNA nucleotide sequence. As such, an integrated form of the viral genome can be transcribed as a normal cellular gene. In various embodiments, lentiviral cell modification 2508 can occur while the cells are non-cycling.
An exemplary non-viral cell modification 2508 method can comprise use a plasmid-based expression system. In some embodiments, the plasmid-based method can comprise transposon/transposase systems. In various embodiments, the transposon/transposase systems may be introduced to cells by electroporation, cell compression, or chemical treatment.
Another exemplary non-viral cell modification 2508 can comprise use of messenger (mRNA) transfer systems. In some embodiments, mRNA transfer systems can comprise transient expression of a transgene. In other embodiments, mRNA transfer systems can result in permanent expression of the transgene.
In various embodiments, T-cell modification can engineer T-cells to comprise receptors (e.g., chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) capable of antigen-binding and causing T-cell activation. In various embodiments, T-cell modification can generate CAR T-cells. In various embodiments, the nucleic acid construct can comprise a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) molecule. In other embodiments, the nucleic acid construct can comprise a T-cell receptor (TCR) having a desired antigen specificity.
In various embodiments, cell modification 2508 may occur using non-viral methods such as through a cell differentiation process. A non-limiting example of a non-viral vector includes mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs). In various embodiments, non-viral vectors may undergo cell modification 2508 via cell differentiation in various cell therapy workflows 2500.
In various embodiments, vectors that do not integrate with a host genome (e.g., adenoviral vectors) can transduce dividing cells. In alternative embodiments, vectors that do not integrate with a host genome (e.g., adenoviral vectors) can transduce quiescent cells.
Aspects of cell therapy effectiveness depend on having enough cells for administering to the subject. As such, the cells can be cultured through one or more expansion phases to produce an expanded population of cells. In various embodiments, a cell culture expansion 2510 method for quickly generating large numbers of cells can be used in conjunction with the other methods described herein.
For methods of manufacturing T-cell therapeutics, expansion can include an increase in the number of cytolytic T-cells. In various embodiments, expansion can include an increase in the number of helper T-cells.
In various aspects, a method of cell culture expansion 2510 can comprise contacting the cells with an in vitro cell culture medium. In various embodiments, the cell culture medium can comprise factors that support T-cell activation and/or the generation of cytolytic T-cells. For example, the cell culture medium can include a CD3 agonist (e.g., an anti-CD3 antibody), a CD28 agonist (e.g., an anti-CD28 antibody), a CD2 agonist (e.g., an anti-CD2 antibody), a cytokine (e.g., one or more of IL2, IL7, IL15, and IL21), or any combination thereof. Still further embodiments can comprise incubating the culture, thereby producing an expanded population of antigen specific, MHC-restricted T lymphocytes. In various embodiments, a cell culture medium can comprise growth factors growth factors, cytokines, chemokines, transcription factors, enzymes and/or microRNAs and, optionally, other molecules that control cell stimulation (e.g., activation and differentiation).
Aspects of cell culture expansion 2510 can comprise use of feeder cells in accordance with various embodiments. In some expansion protocols, cells can be cultured in association with a disproportionately large concentration of nondividing feeder cells (e.g., γ-irradiated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (“PBMC”)) in accordance with various embodiments. In various embodiments, non-dividing peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) can be added to the in vitro cell culture medium.
Aspects of cell culture expansion 2510 can comprise adding non-dividing EBV-transformed lymphoblastoid cells (LCL) as feeder cells in accordance with some embodiments. Some embodiments can further comprise adding a CD3 agonist (e.g., anti-CD3 antibody) and a cytokine (e.g., IL-2) to the culture medium. Still further embodiments can comprise incubating the culture, thereby producing an expanded population of antigen specific, MHC-restricted T lymphocytes.
In various aspects, formulation and fill 2512 comprises one or more steps that bring the expanded cell population to a therapeutic form suitable for administering to a subject. In various embodiments, formulation and fill 2512 comprises one or more steps that bring the expanded cell population to a form suitable as a precursor to administering to a subject. Formulation and fill 2512 steps can comprise generation of conditions suitable for maintaining a living cell population.
In various embodiments, formulation and fill 2512 can be important for stabilizing the expanded cell population to achieve reasonable shelf life and storage and handling conditions. Stabilization can include protection from aggregation, denaturation, or other degradative pathways. In various embodiments, a formulation can comprise therapeutic and additional molecules.
In various embodiments, additional molecules can comprise salt molecules in a solution (e.g., saline solution). Saline solution can be optimized for cell longevity during storage conditions. In various embodiments, the solution can comprise an organosulfur compound. In various embodiments, the solution can comprise dimethyl sulfoxide DMSO ((CH3)2SO).
In various embodiments, additional molecules can comprise molecules for stabilizing cells under conditions such as sugars and polyols. In some embodiments, harsh conditions can comprise dehydration. In various embodiments, harsh conditions can comprise elevated or decreased temperatures.
In various embodiments, additional molecules can comprise amino acids, surfactants, buffer agents (e.g., phosphate, acetate, citrate, succinate, or tris), tonicifying agents, preservatives, antioxidants, and chelators.
An exemplary formulation may comprise resuspension of a washed cell pellet in a 1:1 volume equivalent of two preformulated excipient solutions: 5% w/v human serum albumin (HSA) in saline, and CryoStor® CS10 (10% w/v DMSO).
In various aspects, formulation and fill 2512 comprises a process for filling one or more vessels with the therapeutic (e.g., a processed sample).
In various aspects of the methods described herein, can comprise a sterile transfer of the therapeutic (e.g., a treatment) from a cell expansion process to a cell therapy product vessel (e.g., an intravenous bag).
F. Treatment Administration
In various embodiments, treatment administration 2514 can be a final step in the exemplary cell therapy workflow 2500 where a treatment can be administered to a subject. In various embodiments, the treatment can be administered to the same subject providing the sample. In various embodiments, the treatment can be administered to a different subject than provided the sample. In some embodiments, the different subject receiving the treatment can be genetically matched with the subject providing the sample (e.g., they can be from the same family, such as siblings, or parent-offspring pairs, etc.).
In various embodiments, treatment administration 2514 can comprise administration of the treatment to the subject from the cell therapy product vessel. In various embodiments, intermediary steps can be required to prepare the treatment from the cell therapy product vessel.
Various quality control assays 2550 can be used in the exemplary cell therapy workflow 2500. For example, a subject can be pre-screened, and a sample can be tested prior to entering the workflow, during the workflow, and the final product (e.g., the treatment) can be assayed for quality control purposes.
In various embodiments, quality control assays 2550 may relate to a health history of the subject, prescreening the subject for infectious disease or other illness, blood characterization tests, etc.
In various embodiments, quality control assays 2550 may be performed on the sample provided by the subject prior to being processed through a cell therapy manufacturing workflow 2500. In various embodiments, the sample can be assayed for volume and concentration (e.g., cell count and/or concentration of cells of interest). Observations may also be made during this time relating to cell morphology (e.g., cell shape, size, and physical characteristics).
In various embodiments, analytical devices such as flow cytometers and microscopes can be used to evaluate cell surface markers and cell purity. In various embodiments, dye exclusion assays may be performed for cell viability.
In various embodiments, quality control assays 2550 may be performed to ensure a subject is suitable to receive a treatment. In various embodiments, a human leukocyte antigen (HLA) assay may be performed. HLA assays can be performed when the subject providing a sample is not the same as a subject receiving the treatment. In various embodiments, an ABO blood test may be performed on the subject donor and the subject donee.
In various embodiments, quality control assays 2550 may be performed at any point during the cell therapy manufacturing workflow 2500, including for example, while in process. For example, the sample may be assayed for volume, cell concentration, cell number, and purity (e.g., steps 2504-2512).
In various embodiments, an in-process assay can comprise a confluence assessment. In various embodiments, the in-process assay for confluence assessment may comprise optical components for generating a quantitative measurement. In various embodiments, the in-process assay can comprise a gene expression assay.
In various embodiments, quality control assays 2550 (e.g., produce release quality control assays) may be performed after cell culture expansion 2510 has occurred. The assay may be direct to measuring volume, cell concentration, cell number, purity, and potency.
Aspects of evaluating cell therapy products often include the use of potency assays. In various embodiments, potency assays can quantitatively measure a biological activity of a product. In some embodiments, potency assays can describe the similarity between a desired clinical response and the biological activity.
In various embodiments, potency assays can be used for comparative purposes across and performed at the same time across more than one production sample.
In vitro potency assays can include measurement of a biochemical or physiological response. For example, cell surface markers and activation markers responding to potency can be assessed. Non-limiting examples of in vitro systems used for potency assays can include bead-based ELISA, and microfluidic cytometry, e.g., to determine cell size, cell shape, marker-based cell identity, cell viability, and the like.
An example of an in vitro cell function assay can include a cytotoxicity assay in accordance with various embodiments. In various embodiments, the cytotoxicity assay can comprise contacting one or more product T-cells with one or more targets. In various embodiments, cytotoxicity assays can include measuring a biomarker for apoptosis.
Non-limiting examples of biomarkers for apoptosis can include activated caspase 2, 3, 7, 8 and 9. In various embodiments, activated caspase 2, 3, 7, 8 and 9 may be detected by immunoreaction or substrate/active site interactions. An additional non-limiting example of a biomarker for apoptosis can comprise cytochrome c. In various embodiments, cytochrome c can be measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Another non-limiting example of biomarkers for apoptosis can comprise externalized phosphatidylserine. In various embodiments, externalized phosphatidylserine can indicate an early apoptosis event. In various embodiments, annexin binding to an externalized ligand can be measured. Nucleosomal DNA can be another non-limiting example of a biomarker for apoptosis. In various embodiments, polymerase chain reaction can be performed in nucleosomal DNA analysis. In various embodiments, polymerase chain reaction can be measured quantitatively.
As illustrated in
In various embodiments, the CTMS 2600 can be a sealed or a closed system, and/or a sterile environement. In various embodiments, the CTMS 2600 can be a single enclosed system, such as a bench-top system. In various embodiments, the cartridge 2610 can be a sealed or a closed system, a hermetically sealed environment, and/or a sterile environment.
In accordance with various embodiments and implementations, CTMS 2600 can comprise a receiving element 2630 configured to receive the cartridge 2610. In various embodiments, receiving element 2630 of CTMS 2600 can be designed as a support for supporting cartridge 2610. In certain embodiments, the receiving element 2630 can interface directly with cartridge 2610. In other embodiments, the receiving element 2630 can interface indirectly with cartridge 2610, such as via a cartridge holder 2620 (discussed further below). Whether the interface is direct or indirect, the receiving element 2630 can position the cartridge 2610 with respect to one or more other components within the CTMS 2600. For example, the receiving element 2630 can position the cartridge 2610 at a receiving position within the CTMS 2600 such that one or more other components of the CTMS 2600 (e.g., any of the components of the CTMS 2600 described herein) are able to functionally interface and/or interact with the cartridge 2610. In various embodiments, the receiving element 2630 may include a stage upon which the cartridge 2610 (and/or cartridge holder 2620) can be placed. In various embodiments, the receiving element 2630 may include one or more rods (or similar structures) that can be inserted into corresponding holes (or cavities) within the cartridge 2610. More generally, the cartridge 2610 may include one part of a male-female interconnecting/locking mechanism for reversibly attach itself to the receiving element 2630, which may comprise the other part of the male-female interconnecting/locking mechanism, in accordance with various embodiments.
In various embodiments, the CTMS 2600 can comprise a cartridge holder 2620 (also referred to herein as “cassette holder 2620”). The cartridge holder 2620 can be configured to interface with both a cartridge 2610 and a receiving element 2630 of the CTMS 2600, and thereby provide a structural and/or functional bridge between the cartridge 2610 and the CTMS 2600. In accordance with various embodiments:
As illustrated at least in
As discussed above, the components of cartridge holder 2620, and their specific configurations and arrangements presented in
Also as illustrated in
In addition, the CTMS 2600 can include one or more components used in facilitating or enabling the manufacturing of cells within the CTMS 2600 and/or the cartridge 2610. As illustrated in
In various embodiments, instrument 2686 of CTMS 2600 can include one or more actuator(s) 2699 (also referred to herein as “valve adjustment element(s)”) for adjusting one or more valves on the cartridge 2610. Each actuator may be configured to interact with and/or pass through an opening (see e.g., openings 2651 in
Referring back to
In various embodiments, the instrument 2686 may comprise one or more fluidic connectors 2683 (e.g., ports). In various embodiments, the one or more fluidic connectors 2683 provide an interface between a fluidic network of the instrument 2686 and a fluidic network of the cartridge 2610 and/or cartridge holder 2620.
In various embodiments, the CTMS 2600 may include magnetic component 2670, as illustrated in
In many embodiments, the receiving of the cartridge 2610/cartridge holder 2620 by the receiving element 2630 of the system 2600 can result in the formation of physical connections of one or more inlets and/or outlets of the cartridge 2610 with the one or more pressurized air and/or fluidic components 2660. For example, the cartridge 2610/cartridge holder 2620 can slide along a pair of rods that serve as receiving element 2630 and arrive at a receiving position which facilitates the formation of such physical connections by aligning and joining connecting elements of the one or more pressurized air and/or fluidic components 2660 with corresponding connecting elements of the cartridge 2610/cartridge holder 2620. In various embodiments, each of the pressurized air and/or fluidic components 2660 can include a valve and, optionally, one or more connectors (e.g., tubes and/or corresponding tube connectors/fittings). In various embodiments, the pressurized air and/or fluidic components 2660 can further include a source of pressurized air or fluid (e.g., a reservoir containing pressurized air or fluid, which may be connected to, and regulated by, the valve). In various embodiments, the physical connection may comprise coupling one or more connectors (e.g., tube connectors) 2681 of the cartridge 2610 (or cartridge holder 2620) to one or more opposing connector(s) (e.g., tubes) 2683 of the instrument 2686, thereby joining one or more air and/or fluidic networks of the CTMS 2600 with one or more compartments and/or fluidic networks of the cartridge 2610.
In some embodiments, the connectors 2681, 2683 include connections for one or more individual lines (e.g., air lines, fluid lines, or electrical lines (see below)). In some embodiments, the connectors 2681, 2683 include connections for one or more manifolds for ease of connecting multiple individual lines at once. In various embodiments, the connectors 2681, 2683 may include one or more single-use aseptic connection manifolds. In various embodiments, the connectors 2681, 2683 may include one or more single-use aseptic connection inlet ports and/or one or more single-use aspect connection outlet ports.
In various embodiments, the control systems described herein benefit from electronic communication occurring between the various components (e.g., the components of the instrument 2686, the cartridge holder 2620, and the cartridge 2610) of the CTMS 2600. In various embodiments, one or more of the connectors 2681 can be an electronic connector. In various embodiments, a first portion of the cartridge holder 2620a or a second portion of the cartridge holder 2620b can comprise the electronic connector. In various embodiments, the cartridge 2610 can comprise the electronic connector. In various embodiments, the instrument 2686 can comprise an opposing electronic connector. In various embodiments, the electronic connectors of the one or more of the connectors 2681/2683 (e.g., opposing connectors) can provided electronic communication between the described components of the CTMS 2600. In various embodiments, the receiving of the cartridge 2610/cartridge holder 2620 by the receiving element 2630 of the system 2600 can result in the formation of physical connections of one or more electrical components (e.g., electrical circuits and/or sensors) of the cartridge 2610 with the one or more electrical components of the system controller 2605 and/or one or more ancillary components (2690). For example, the cartridge 2610/cartridge holder 2620 can slide along a pair of rods that serve as receiving element 2630 and arrive at a receiving position which facilitates the formation of such physical connections by aligning and joining connecting elements of the one or more electrical components with corresponding connecting elements of the cartridge 2610/cartridge holder 2620. In various embodiments, the physical connection may comprise coupling one or more connectors (e.g., sockets) 2681 of the cartridge 2610 (or cartridge holder 2620) to one or more opposing connector(s) (e.g., plugs) 2683 of the instrument 2686, thereby joining one or more electrical componenets of the CTMS 2600 with one or more electrical components of the cartridge 2610.
In various embodiments, the CTMS 2600 may include some means for manipulating the cartridge 2610 and/or the cartridge holder 2620, for example, via an actuation mechanism, as illustrated in
As further illustrated in
As further illustrated in
In various embodiments, the CTMS 2600 may also optionally include ancillary sensor component(s) 2690, such as, an oxygen sensing component or oxygen sensor (now shown), or pH sensing component or pH sensor (also not shown). The oxygen sensor, for example, can be configured to sense an amount of oxygen present in any of the one or more components in the cartridge 2610 or the CTMS 2600. The pH sensing component or pH sensor, for example, can be configured to sense pH of one or more fluids that contain within the cartridge 2610 or the CTMS 2600. In various embodiments, the CTMS 2600 can also include a non-optical sensing component 2690, which can be configured for manipulation of various materials within the cartridge 2610. In various embodiments, each of the one or more ancillary sensor component(s) 2690 of system 2600 can be comprised by instrument 2686 or cartridge holder 2620.
In various embodiments, the CTMS 2600 further includes ancillary components 2690 to provide support to one or more functions of the cartridge 2610. Example ancillary components 2690 may include, but not limited to, fluid pump, vacuum or suction pumps, etc., any of which may be comprised by instrument 2686 or cartridge holder 2620. In various embodiments, the ancillary components 2690 of the CTMS 2600 may include inlet and/or outlet ports for connecting to a media bag containing reagents and cells for culturing.
In various embodiments, the cartridge holder 2620 (e.g., a second portion of a cartridge holder 2620b) may comprise an electronic contact 2652. In various embodiments, the electronic contact 2652 may provide electrical communication between system components (e.g., a system controller 2605 and one or more components (e.g., one or more microfliuidic chips, sensors, valves, etc.) of a cartridge 2610. For example, electronic contact 2652 of cartridge holder 2620 can provide electrical communication with and/or power to one or more DEP -configured microfluidic chips integrated into cartridge 2610.
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
In various embodiments, the controller for receiving element 2635 used for in operating or controlling the receiving element 2635 (e.g., a stage or rods, see
In various embodiments, the controller for optical sensing component 2645 is a control system or module for interacting with the optical sensing component 2640 and to facilitate OEP-enabled processes and to manipulate various materials within the cartridge 2610. In various embodiments, the optical sensing component 2640 of the CTMS 2600 is configured to work with microfluidic devices or chips that are integrated within the cartridge 2610. In various embodiments, the microfluidic devices or chips can include optically-actuated electrokinetic devices, devices having an optoelectronic tweezer (OET) configuration, and devices having an opto-electrowetting (OEW) configuration. Examples of microfluidic devices or chips that are integrated within the cartridge 2610 include pens in which biological micro-objects can be placed, cultured, and/or monitored, in accordance with various embodiments. As disclosed herein, the cartridge 2610 may include one or more microfluidic devices or chips that are capable of working with the optical sensing component 2640 of the CTMS 2600. Additionally or alternatively, the cartridge 2610 may include one or more microfluidic devices or chips that are capable of working with non-optical sensing component 2690 for manipulation of various materials within the cartridge 2610. Further detail with respect to controller for optical sensing component 2645 and optical sensing component 2640 or OEP-based techniques are described with respect to
In various implementations, positioning or manipulating of the cartridge 2610 and/or the cartridge holder 2620, for example, can be controlled via the controller for actuation component 2655. This controller 2655 allows the operator or the user to shift, tilt, rock, oscillate, or otherwise move one or more components in the cartridge 2610 or the cartridge 2610 itself with respect to the CTMS 2600. In various embodiments, the controller for actuation component 2655 can also be used to shift, tile, rock, and/or oscillate the cartridge 2610, and thereby facilitating mixing a medium and cells within a bioreactor of the cartridge 2610. In various embodiments, an input for the controller for actuation component 2655 can be from the user or the operator, or the input can be based on pre-programmed set of actions based on feedback from the CTMS 2600, for example.
In various embodiments, the controller for one or more valves for pressurized air and/or fluidic components 2665 enables the operator or the user to configure a control of one or more valves, including a mechanical or rotary valve, or via pneumatic actuation, e.g., pneumatically actuated valves supported by one or more pumps (not shown). In various embodiments and implementations, the controller for one or more valves for pressurized air and/or fluidic components 2665 can be used for controlling fluid flow (e.g., air or liquid, including reagent, culture or growth media) between a media bag and one or more inlets and/or outlets of the cartridge 2610. In various embodiments, the controller for one or more valves for pressurized air and/or fluidic components 2665 can be used to control fluid flow in the connection lines at one or more portions between the media bag and one or more inlets and/or outlets (e.g., fluid inlet 2612) of the cartridge 2610, including along the connection lines connected through the manifold 2621 and/or the cartridge holder 2620, with or without one or more flow controller(s) or flow restrictor(s) 2609, as illustrated in
In various embodiments, the controller for magnet component 2675 enables the operator or the user to configure non-contact manipulation of the cells and medium within the cartridge 2610 (e.g., within a bioreactor of the cartridge 2610). In various embodiments, the controller for magnet component 2675 can be configured to move closer to, or farther away from, one or more components (e.g., bioreactor) of the cartridge 2610, as illustrated in
In various embodiments, the CTMS 2600 includes a controller for temperature control and sensing component 2685 for interacting with temperature control and sensing component 2680. In various embodiments, the controller for temperature control and sensing component 2685 can be configured to enable temperature regulation of one or more temperature zones or areas within the cartridge 2610. In various embodiments, the controller for temperature control and sensing component 2685 can be configured to maintain one or more zones, areas, or components with a pre-set temperature. For example, the cartridge 2610 can be configured by the operator or the user to maintain a warm zone that includes a bioreactor, another warm zone (perhaps with a different temperature setting) that includes the OEP chips, one or more cold zones that include one or more reservoirs for storing reagents or the like, and one or more zones that are kept at room or ambient temperature for some of the reservoirs. In various embodiments, the controller for temperature control and sensing component 2685 allows configuring an experimental condition such that the temperature or range of temperature in each of the zones/areas/components in the cartridge 2610 can be pre-set or maintained for each zone, each area, or each component individually, independently of others, in groups of two, three, or four, or altogether. With the disclosed capabilities of the temperature control and sensing component 2680 and its controller 2685, maintaining certain temperatures in certain zones while keeping a different temperature in a different zone can help the CTMS 2600 to maintain reagents or cells or enabling cell growth, etc., at their respective optimal environment.
In various embodiments, the system controller 2095 may include a controller (e.g., control system or module) for interacting with various ancillary sensor component(s) 2690, including for example, oxygen sensing component or oxygen sensor or pH sensing component or pH sensor. In various embodiments, the pH sensing component or pH sensor may be located in the CTMS 2600 or in the cartridge 2610. In various embodiments, the pH sensor may be located in the bioreactor section or other portions of the cartridge 2610, and fluidically coupled to the bioreactor or any other portions that a pH measurement is needed. In various embodiments, the pH sensor can be configured for constant, intermittent, or scheduled monitoring of the pH in the bioreactor wherein a portion of the fluid of the bioreactor is sampled periodically.
In various embodiments, the system controller 2095 may include a controller (e.g., control system or module) for interacting with non-optical sensing component 2690 for manipulation of various materials within the cartridge 2610.
Now referring to
As illustrated in
In various embodiments, the substrate 2705 (also referred to herein as “frame 2705”) of the cartridge 2700 can be made of a polymer, such as Ultem or polypropylene, or any comparable material. In various embodiments, a cartridge 2700 can comprise two or more layers or components. In such embodiments, the two or more layers or components may be held proximal to one another using one or more connectors 2696. Non-limiting examples of cartridge connectors 2696 may include screws, adhesive, pins, or welds.
In various embodiments, each fluidic network 2710 includes a plurality of interconnected channels to and from various components or chambers, such as culture chambers, reservoirs, or analysis regions, of the cartridge 2700. In various embodiments, a fluidic network 2710 further includes a plurality of flow directors (e.g., valves) that are used to regulate or manipulate a flow of fluids within the channels to and from various components of the cartridge 2700. The fluids may contain, for example but not limited to, reagents, cells, etc. In various embodiments, the fluidic network(s) 2710 can be coupled to one or more inlets for introduction of a cell sample (e.g., from a patient/subject sample or a sample derived therefrom) or media (e.g., cell culture medium, wash buffer, formulation medium) into the cartridge 2700, and/or one or more outlets for removal of materials, such as waste fluid (e.g., from washes or assays), resuspended cells (e.g., cultured cell populations, expanded cell populations, formulated cell populations, etc.), or the like from the cartridge 2700.
In various embodiments, each fluidic network 2710 includes two or more channels (e.g., 2 to 50 channels, 3 to 45 channels, 4 to 40 channels, 5 to 35 channels, 6 to 30 channels, 7 to 25 channels, 8 to 20 channels, 10 to 15 channels, or any number of channels falling within a range defined by two of the foregoing endpoints). In various embodiments, a channel in a fluidic network 2710 has an internal cross-sectional dimension (e.g., diameter) of about 200 microns to about 1500 microns. More particularly, a channel in a fluidic network 2710 can have an internal scross-sectional dimension (e.g., diameter) of about 300 microns to about 1300 microns (e.g., about 300 microns to about 1100 microns, about 350 microns to about 1000 microns, about 400 microns to about 950 microns, about 450 microns to about 900 microns, about 500 microns to about 850 microns, about 550 microns to about 800 microns, about 600 microns to about 750 microns , or any cross-sectional dimension falling within a range defined by two of the foregoing endpoints); or, alternatively, a channel in a fluidic network 2710 can have an internal cross-sectional dimension (e.g., diameter) of about 500 microns to about 1500 microns (e.g., about 550 microns to about 1450 microns, about 600 microns to about 1400 microns, about 650 microns to about 1350 microns, about 700 microns to about 1300 microns, about 750 microns to about 1250 microns, about 800 microns to about 1200 microns, about 850 microns to about 1150 microns, about 900 microns to about 1100 microns, or any cross-sectiona dimension falling within a range defined by two of the foregoing endpoints). In various embodiments, a channel in a fluidic network 2710 can have a cross-sectional area of about 0.10 mm2 to about 1.00 mm2 (e.g., about 0.15 mm2 to about 0.90 mm2, about 0.20 mm2 to about 0.80 mm2, about 0.25 mm2 to about 0.70 mm2, about 0.15 mm2 to about 0.30 mm2, about 40 mm2 to about 80 mm2, about 50 mm2 to about 70 mm2).
In various embodiments, each flow director 2720 can include one or more valve(s), including but not limited to rotary valves, 2-way, 3-way, or 4-way valves, pneumatically actuated valves, etc. In various embodiments, the cartridge 2700 can include two or more flow directors 2720/valves (e.g., 2 to 20, 3 to 18, 4 to 16, 5 to 14, 6 to 12, 8 to 10 flow directors 2720/valves, or any number of flow directors 2720/valves that falls within a range defined by two of the foregoing endpoints). In various embodiments, the flow directors 2720, in conjunction with the channels of the fluidic networks 2710, can manipulate the flow of fluids within the cartridge 2700. For example, the flow directors 2720 in combination with the channels of the fluidic networks 2710 can be used to mix fluids, isolate certain channels, declog/clear certain channels, sterilize certain channels, and in some instances, can help with reducing dead volumes within certain channels (e.g., by using gas to push fluids in one or more of the channels) of the fluidic networks 2710. Accordingly, the flow directors 2720/valves can be placed in the cartridge at any location that facilitates their ability to regulate the flow of fluid through the fluidic networks 2710 without interfering with the function of other components (e.g., reservoirs 2730, cell culture chambers/reservoirs 2750, analysis regions 2770, or the like) of the cartridge 2700.
In various embodiments, the reservoirs 2730 can include chambers for storing reagents, which can include assay reagents, including but not limited to compounds useful for staining cells (e.g., acridine orange (AO), propidium iodide (PI), antibodies or other proteins, which may be labled (e.g., fluorescently labeled), etc.), assay buffers, and/or particles such as beads (e.g., for binding cell secretions, such as cytokine secretions), cells (e.g., antigen-presenting cells, target cells for cell killing assays, etc.) or the like. In various embodiments, each reservoir 2730 is in fluid communication with at least one flow directors 2720 and/or one or more of channels of a fluidic network 2710. In various embodiments, each reservoir 2730 can have a volume of at least 2 ml (e.g., a volume of about 2 ml to about 200 ml, about 2 ml to about 100 ml, about 2 ml to about 50 ml, about 2 ml to about 20 ml, about 2 ml to about 10 ml, about 2 ml to about 5 ml, about 5 ml to about 250 ml, about 5 ml to about 200 ml, about 5 ml to about 150 ml, about 5 ml to about 100 ml, about 5 ml to about 50 ml, about 5 ml to about 25 ml, about 5 ml to about 10 ml, about 10 ml to about 500 ml, about 10 ml to about 250 ml, about 10 ml to about 150 ml, about 10 ml to about 100 ml, about 10 ml to about 50 ml, about 10 ml to about 35 ml, about 10 ml to about 25 ml, about 25 ml to about 750 ml, about 25 ml to about 500 ml, about 25 ml to about 250 ml, about 25 ml to about 150 ml, about 25 ml to about 100 ml, about 25 ml to about 75 ml, about 25 ml to about 50 ml, about 50 ml to about 1000 ml, about 50 ml to about 750 ml, about 50 ml to about 500 ml, about 50 ml to about 250 ml, about 50 ml to about 150 ml, about 50 ml to about 100 ml, about 100 ml to about 1500 ml, about 100 ml to about 1000 ml, about 100 ml to about 750 ml, about 100 ml to about 500 ml, about 100 ml to about 250 ml, about 250 ml to about 2000 ml, about 250 ml to about 1500 ml, about 250 ml to about 1000 ml, about 250 ml to about 750 ml, or about 250 ml to about 500 ml. Typically,each reservoir 2730 will have a volume of about 2 ml to about 20 ml, about 10 ml to about 50 ml, about 25 ml to about 150 ml, about 100 ml to about 500 ml, or about 250 ml to about 1500 ml. In various embodiments, reagents can be stored in one or more reservoirs 2730 for use during operation of the cartridge 2700. In various embodiments, reagents can be replenished or added to the cartridge 2700 via one or more ports 2780 (e.g., an inlet port), which are connected directly to one or more bags of reagents or indirectly via one or more fluidics connections, for example, of the CTMS 2600 illustrated and described with respect to
In various embodiments, the cartridge 2700 can include a cell culture chamber 2750 (or bioreactor 2750) configured for culturing cells. The bioreactor 2750 can include a plurality of openings (e.g., inlet/outlet openings), a base, side walls, and a lid. In certain embodiments, the lid can be movable (e.g., to reduce the bioreactor 2750 volume and create pressure to drive a flow of fluid out of the bioreactor 2750). In certain embodiments, the bioreactor can have an internal volume of at least 20 mls (e.g., at least 50 mls, 75 mls, 100 mls, 125 mls, 150 mls, 175 mls, 200 mls, or more).
In various embodiments, the bioreactor 2750 can include functionalized surfaces within any or all surfaces of the bioreactor 2750. In various embodiments, the functionalized surfaces include chemically functionalized surfaces, biochemically functionalized surfaces, biologically functionalized surfaces, and/or structurally engineered surfaces, among many other approaches. In various embodiments, a base surface 2754, 2756, 2758 (e.g., a floor or surface with lowest center of gravity) of the bioreactor 2750 can be functionalized with a plurality of concave features, such as dimples or grooves. The concave features can have various shapes and aspect ratios, and individual concave features of the plurality of concave features can have a different shape and/or aspect ratio as compared to other concave features in the plurality of concave features. Examples of concave features include a bisected sphere (e.g., a hemi-spherical cavity), a conical cavity, or an elongated cavity (e.g., a bisected spherical ellipsoid or a groove in the shape of a bisected tear-drop, a bisected egg or, more generally, a bisected prolate spheroid). An example of a bioreactor 2752 having a base surface 2754 with an array of conical cavities 2755 is shown in
In various embodiments, a surface of the bioreactor 2750/2752 (e.g., a base surface 2754, 2756, 2758) can be functionalized with a plurality of concave features, with each concave feature having (i.e., configured to hold) a volume of about 200 nanoliters to about 5 microliters (e.g., about 300 nanoliters to about 4.0 microliters, about 400 nanoliters to about 3.0 microliters, about 500 nanoliters to about 2.5 microliters, about 500 nanoliters to about 1.5 microliters, about 600 nanoliters to about 1.4 microliters, about 700 nanoliters to about 1.3 microliters, about 800 nanoliters to about 1.2 microliters, about 900 nanoliters to about 1.1 microliters, about 1.5 microliters to about 2.5 microliters, about 1.6 microliters to about 2.4 microliters, about 1.7 microliters to about 2.3 microliters, about 1.8 microliters to about 2.2 microliters, about 1.9 microliters to about 2.1 microliters, or any volume falling within a range defined by two of the foregoing endpoints).
In various embodiments, each concave feature (e.g., conical cavity) of the plurality of concave features can comprise an aspect ratio (i.e., diameter of the opening at the base surface of the cell culture chamber : depth of the concave feature) of about 1:2 to about 1.4 (e.g., about 1:2.5 to about 1:3.5, or about 1:3). In various embodiments, each concave feature (e.g., elongated cavity) of the plurality of concave features comprises an aspect ratio (i.e., width at the widest portion of the concave feature: length of the concave feature) of about 1:2 to about 1:5 (e.g., about 1:2.5 to about 1:4.5, about 1:3 to about 1:4, or about 1:3.5).
In various embodiments, the plurality of concave features (e.g., hemi-spherical or conical cavities) in the base surface of the cell culture chamber includes about 1500 to 4000 concave features (e.g., about 1500 to about 3000, about 1750 to about 2750, about 2000 to about 2500, about 2200 to about 2400, about 2500 to about 4000, about 2750 to about 3750, about 3000 to about 3500, or about 3200 to about 3300 concave features). In various embodiments, the plurality of concave features (e.g., elongated cavities) in the base surface of the cell culture chamber includes about 500 to 1500 concave features (e.g., about 500 to about 1200, about 550 to about 1100, about 600 to about 1000, about 650 to about 900, about 700 to about 850, or about 750 to about 800 concave features).
In various embodiments, an aggreagate cavity volume of all the concave features of the plurality of concave features is about 1.5 ml to about 4.5 ml (e.g., about 2.0 ml to about 4.0 ml, about 2.0 ml to about 3.0 ml, about 2.25 ml to about 2.75 ml, about 3.0 ml to about 4.0 ml, or about 3.25 ml to about 3.75 ml). In various embodiments, an aggregate cavityvolume of all the concave features (e.g., elongated cavities) of the plurality of concave features is about 0.5 ml to about 3.0 ml (e.g., about 0.75 ml to about 2.5 ml, about 1.0 ml to about 2.0 ml, about 1.1 ml to about 1.9 ml, about 1.2 ml to about 1.8 ml, about 1.25 ml to about 1.75 ml, about 1.3 ml to about 1.7 ml, about 1.4 ml to about 1.6 ml, or about 1.5 ml).
In various embodiments, a surface of the bioreactor 2750 (e.g., a base surface 2754, 2756, 2758) will have an area of about 100 cm2 to about 500 cm2 (e.g., about 150 cm2 to about 400 cm2, about 200 cm2 to about 350 cm2, about 225 cm2 to about 300 cm2, or any area that falls within a range defined by two of the foregoing endpoints). In certain embodiments, a surface of the bioreactor 2750 (e.g., a base surface 2754, 2756, 2758) that is functionalized with a plurality of concave features will have an aggregate cavity volume of about 1.0 ml to about 5.0 ml (e.g., about 1.5 ml to about 4.5 ml, about 2.0 ml to about 4.0 ml, about 2.5 ml to about 3.5 ml, about 1.0 ml to about 2.0 ml, about 1.25 ml to about 1.75 ml, about 2.0 ml to about 3.0 ml, about 2.25 ml to about 2.75 ml, about 3.0 ml to about 4.0 ml, about 3.25 ml to about 3.75 ml, or any volume falling within a range defined by two of the foregoing endpoints), where “aggregate cavity volume” is defined as the sum total of the volume of all the concave features in the plurality of concave features). In general, a surface of the bioreactor 2750 (e.g., a base surface 2754, 2756, 2758) functionalized with concave features having a smaller volume (e.g., a volume of about 500 nanoliters to about 1500 nanoliters) will have more concave features than a bioreactor 2750 surface (e.g., a base surface 2754, 2756, 2758) functionalized with concave features having a medium volume (e.g., a volume of about 1.5 microliters to about 2.5 microliters); and a surface of the bioreactor 2750 (e.g., a base surface 2754, 2756, 2758) functionalized with concave features having a medium volume (e.g., a volume of about 1.5 microliters to about 2.5 microliters) will have more concave features than a bioreactor 2750 surface (e.g., a base surface 2754, 2756, 2758) functionalized with concave features having a larger volume (e.g., a volume of about 2.5 microliters to about 3.5 microliters); and so on.
In certain embodiments, the bioreactor 2750 of cartridge 2700 can have volume of at least 50 mls and an internal surface (e.g., a base surface 2754, 2756, 2758) having an area of about 100 cm2 to about 500 cm2 which comprises a plurality of concave features having an aggregate cavity volume of about 1.0 ml to about 5.0 ml, where the plurality of concave features includes about 2000 to about 4000 cavities (e.g., hemi-spherical or conical cavities) each with a volume of about 500 nanoliters to about 1500 nanoliters. In other embodiments, the bioreactor 2750 of cartridge 2700 can have volume of at least 50 mls (e.g., at least 100 mls) and an internal surface (e.g., a base surface 2754, 2756, 2758) having an area of about 200 cm2 to about 350 cm2 (or about 225 cm2 to about 300 cm2) which comprises a plurality of concave features having an aggregate cavity volume of about 2.0 ml to about 4.0 ml (or about 2.0 ml to about 3.0 ml, or about 3.0 ml to about 4.0 ml), where the plurality of concave features includes about 2000 to about 3500 cavities (e.g., hemi-spherical or conical cavities) each with a volume of about 500 nanoliters to about 1500 nanoliters (or about 800 nanoliters to about 1200 nanoliters). In other embodiments, the bioreactor 2750 of cartridge 2700 can have volume of at least 50 mls (e.g., at least 100 mls) and an internal surface (e.g., a base surface 2754, 2756, 2758) having an area of about 100 cm2 to about 500 cm2 which comprises a plurality of concave features having an aggregate cavity volume of about 1.0 ml to about 2.5 ml, where the plurality of concave features includes about 400 to about 1000 cavities (e.g., elongated cavities) each with a volume of about 1.0 microliters to about 3.0 microliters. In still other embodiments, the bioreactor 2750 of cartridge 2700 can have volume of at least 50 mls (e.g., at leat 100 mls) and an internal surface (e.g., a base surface 2754, 2756, 2758) having an area of about 200 cm2 to about 350 cm2 (or about 225 cm2 to about 300 cm2) which comprises a plurality of concave features having an aggregate cavity volume of about 1.0 ml to about 3.0 ml (or about 1.0 ml to about 2.0 ml, or about 1.2 ml to about 1.8 ml), where the plurality of concave features includes about 600 to 900 cavities (e.g., elongated cavities) each with a volume of about 1.0 microliters to about 3.0 microliters (or about 1.5 microliters to about 2.5 microilters).
In various embodiments, one or more functionalized surfaces of the bioreactor 2750 can be used for activating T cells. For example, the one or more surfaces can be chemically functionalized with a surface that comprises T cell activating agents (e.g., for antigen-specific or non-antigen-specific activation), as described elsewhere herein. In various embodiments, one or more functionalized surfaces of the bioreactor 2750 can be functionalized with surface blocking ligands and/or biocompatible polymers, as described elsewhere herein. In various embodiments, the bioreactor 2750 can be fluidically coupled to the fluidic network(s) 2710 via one or more of the plurality of inlet/outlet openings. In various embodiments, the bioreactor 2750 includes an inlet opening to the bioreactor 2750 for introduction of fluid (e.g., cell sample, culture medium, wash buffer, reagents, formulation medium, etc.) into the bioreactor 2750.
In various embodiments, the bioreactor 2750 can include a moveable lid, which can be actuated via, for example, a pneumatic actuator, to facilitate the flow of medium, e.g., reagents and cells, in and/or out of the bioreactor 2750. In various embodiments, the bioreactor 2750 can include a mechanism for using pressurized air or gas to facilitate the flow of medium, e.g., reagents and cells, in and/or out of the bioreactor 2750.
In various embodiments, an analysis region 2770 may include a hemocytometer or a microfluidic chip or device that can be used with an optical-based sensing component, such as the optical sensing component 2640 of the CTMS 2600, or any suitable optical based analysis technique. In various embodiments, the microfluidic chips or devices can comprise a flow region and/or a chamber into which cells can be loaded and analyzed. In various embodiments, the microfluidic chips or devices can comprise a flow region and one or more chambers (e.g., sequestration pens) that open off of the flow region. The flow region can comprise one or more (e.g., a plurality of) microfluidic channels. In various embodiments, each of one or more chambers (e.g., sequestration pens) can open off of a microfluidic channel. The flow regions, microfluidic channels, chambers, and sequestion pens can be as described below in connection with
In various embodiments, the microfluidic chips or devices can include an electrode activation substrate having dielectrophoresis (DEP) electrode regions. In various embodiments, the DEP electrode regions can be light activated (e.g., phototransistors or electrodes controlled by phototransitor switches), as described elsewhere herein. Thus, in certain embodiments, the microfluidic chips or devices can be capable of performing optical-based cell manipulation (e.g., OptoElectroPositioning (or OEP)) in which the DEP force is activated by structured light generated by the optical-based sensing component 2640. Additional details of OEP-based control of DEP force are described further below with respect to
In various embodiments, the microfluidic chips or devices do not include an electrode activation substrate, and accordingly, the substrate will not have a DEP configuration.
In various embodiments, the analysis region 2770 may include a hemocytometer or microfluidic chip or device that can be used with a sensing component 2690 of the CTMS 2600 other than an optical-based sensing component.
i. Bioreactor Modules
As illustrated in
In various embodiments, inlet openings 3102a, 3102b can be positioned at pre-selected elevations. In various embodiments, inlet openings 3102a, 3102b can allow media (e.g., cell culture media, wash buffer, reagents, formulation media), which can optionally include particles (e.g., beads, cells, etc.), to enter the bioreactor 2750 and facilitate the various processes and methods (e.g., sorting, T-cell activation, expansion) described herein. In various embodiments, inlet openings 3102a, 3102b can comprise or be connected to valves that regulate flow of fluid into the bioreactor 2750.
In various embodiments, one or more sensors 3108, 3110, 3112 may be integrated into or otherwise connected to the bioreactor 2750. In various embodiments, aliquots of a fluid from within the bioreactor 2750 can be removed and directed to the one more sensors 3108, 3110, 3112 for analysis. In alternative embodiments, the one or more sensors 3108, 3110, 3112 can be in direct fluidic or optical contact with the contents (e.g., a fluid) within the bioreactor compartment 3100 of the bioreactor 2750. In various embodiments, the one or more sensors comprise a dissolved oxygen sensor (e.g., sensor 3108). In various embodiments, the one or more sensors comprise a pH sensor (e.g., sensor 3110). In various embodiments, the one or more sensors comprise a pressure sensor (e.g., sensor 3112). In various embodiments, the one or more sensors comprise a temperature sensor. In various embodiments, the one or more sensors 3108, 3110, 3112 can electronically communicate with the system controller 2605 of the CTMS 2600. In response to an environmental condition or a step in a pre-defined process, the system controller 2605 can activate, for example, a temperature control and sensing component 2680, an actuation component 2650 (e.g., a tilt mechanism), one or more valves 2660 configured to provide pressurized air and/or fluid to the cartridge 2700, or any other component of the system 2600.
In various embodiments, fluid may exit the bioreactor 2750 through one or more outlet openings 3104a, 3104b, 3104c, 3104d. In various embodiments, outlet openings 3104a, 3104b, 3104c, 3104d may comprise or be connected to valves that regulate flow of fluid out of the bioreactor 2750. Depending on the steps in a process described herein, fluid exiting the bioreactor 2750 may exit through different outlet openings 3104a, 3104b, 3104c, 3104d. For example, the
In various embodiments, the bioreactor 2750 can comprise an access port 3106. In certain embodiments, the access port 3106 can allow a cell sample to be extracted from the bioreactor 2750 during a cell manufacturing process (e.g., if a problem is encountered with the process, the functioning of the cartridge 2700 or system 2600, or for any other reason) or at the completion of the cell manufacturing process.
In various embodiments, the bioreactor 2750 comprises a bioreactor wall 3120. The bioreactor wall 3120 can take any shape capable for forming a bioreactor compartment 3100. In various embodiments, the bioreactor wall 3120 comprises a surface 3122 (e.g., an interior surface), which can include a base surface 2758. In some embodiments, all or a part of the surface 3122 (or the base surface 2758) can be functionalized to create an stimulating surface (e.g., a T-cell activating surface, which may be an antigen-presenting surface, for antigen-dependent activation/stimulation, or a non-antigen-depending activating surface).
ii. In-Line QC Assay Modules
Returning to
In various embodiments, the ports 2780 include one or more input ports for fluid intake into the cartridge 2700 and one or more output ports for fluid outflow from the cartridge 2700. In various embodiments, the ports 2780 of the cartridge 2700 are fluidically connected to one or more tubes, reservoirs, pumps, etc. of a system, such as the CTMS 2600 illustrated and described with respect to
As illustrated in
As illustrated, the cartridge 2800 includes a substrate 2805 that houses a plurality of components, including, but not limited to, one or more fluidic network(s) 2810 (also referred to as “fluidic networks 2810”), one of more flow directors 2820 (also referred to as “flow directors 2820”), one or more reservoirs 2830 (also referred to as “reservoirs 2830”), one or more bioreactor(s) 2850 (also referred to as “bioreactor 2850”), one or more analysis region(s) 2870 (also referred to as “analysis regions 2870”), and/or a plurality of ports 2880 (also referred to as “ports 2880”).
In various embodiments, the fluidic networks 2810 include a plurality of interconnected channels to and from various components, such as, for example, one or more flow directors 2820, one or more reservoirs 2830, the bioreactor 2850, one or more analysis regions 2870, and/or one or more ports 2880.
As illustrated in
In various embodiments, the reservoirs 2830 include a plurality of reservoirs 2830 for storing reagents. In various embodiments, the plurality of reservoirs 2830 include QC reagent reservoirs 2830-C1, 2830-C2, 2830-C3, 2830-C4, 2830-C5, and 2830-C6 (collectively referred to herein as “QC reagent reservoirs 2830-C”) and bioreactor reagent reservoirs 2830-R1, 2830-R2, 2830-R3 (collectively referred to herein as “bioreactor reagent reservoirs 2830-R”). In various embodiments, the QC reagent reservoirs 2830-C are configured to store reagent for use in quality control (QC) assays. In various embodiments, the QC reagent reservoirs 2830-C have a storage volume from about 0.01 mL to about 50 mL, from about 0.1 mL to about 25 mL, or from about 1 mL to about 5 mL, inclusive of any storge volume range therebetween. In various embodiments, the QC reagent reservoirs 2830-C are configured to store reagents at room temperature or at temperatures ranging between about 0° C. and about 45° C., about 2° C. and about 37° C., or about 4° C. and about 25° C., inclusive of any temperature ranges therebetween. In various embodiments, the bioreactor reagent reservoirs 2830-R are configured to store reagents for use in the bioreactor 2750. In various embodiments, the bioreactor reagent reservoirs 2830-R have a storage volume from about 0.01 mL to about 80 mL, from about 0.1 mL to about 30 mL, or from about 1 mL to about 8 mL, inclusive of any storge volume range therebetween. In various embodiments, the bioreactor reagent reservoirs 2830-R are configured to store reagent at temperatures ranging between about 0° C. and about 45° C., about 2° C. and about 37° C., or about 4° C. and about 25° C., inclusive of any temperature ranges therebetween. In various embodiments, the plurality of reservoirs 2830 are made of Ultem; COC, COP, Polycarbonate, or any suitable material.
In various embodiments, the bioreactor 2850 is configured to culture cells (e.g., immunological cells, such as T-cells, stem cells, etc.). In various embodiments, the bioreactor 2850 is configured grow, and thereby expand the number of cells contained therein (e.g., T-cell expansion). In various embodiments, the bioreactor 2850 is configured to perform cell sorting processes (e.g., T-cell sorting). In various embodiments, the bioreactor 2850 is configured to perform cell stimulation processes (e.g., T-cell activation). In various embodiments, the bioreactor 2850 is configured to perform a sortavation process (e.g., T-cell sorting and activation as parallel processes). In various embodiments, the bioreactor 2850 can perform the steps of the processes through use of an automated control system (e.g., system controller 2605 of system 2600) for introducing and removing fluids and/or heat, increasing or decreasing dissolved gas concentrations within the fluid, and/or altering pH of the fluid, as non-limiting examples of controllable environmental conditions of a bioreactor 2850.
In various embodiments, the bioreactor 2850 is configured to perform biochemical reactions at temperatures ranging between about 18° C. and about 45° C., about 21° C. and about 40° C., or about 25° C. and about 37° C., inclusive of any temperature ranges therebetween.
In various embodiments, the analysis regions 2870 are used for conducting QC assays. In various embodiments, the analysis regions 2870 include one or more microfluidic chips or devices, such as analysis regions 2870-1 and 2870-2 that can be used with an optical-based sensing component, such as the optical sensing component 2640 of the CTMS 2600, or any suitable optical based analysis technique, or used with a non-optical sensing component 2690 of the CTMS 2600. Regardless of the technique being used, the analysis regions 2870 are configured to perform assays pertinent for cell manufacturing. In various embodiments, the microfluidic chips or devices that are integrated in the analysis regions 2870 of the cartridge 2800 may or may not include microfluidic channels, chambers (e.g., sequestration pens), and/or electrode activation substrates. In various embodiments, the analysis regions 2870 are configured to perform the analysis at temperatures ranging between about 0° C. and about 70° C., about 10° C. and about 60° C., about 18° C. and about 50° C,or about 25° C. and about 37° C., inclusive of any temperature ranges therebetween.
In various embodiments, the plurality of ports 2880 include a plurality of ports for fluid intake and/or outflow. As illustrated in
In various embodiments, the methods for cell therapy manufacturing described in this section can be carried out using a cell therapy manufacturing system 2600, cartridge 2700, and appropriate samples/cells and reagents (see
Referring to
In various embodiments, the cell sample can comprise a cell sample from a subject. A non-limiting example of the cell sample can include whole blood or a fraction thereof (e.g., PBMCs). Whole blood can be obtained from a blood draw from the subject and PBMCs can be prepared using methods known in the art. Another non-limiting example of a cell sample can include a tissue sample (e.g., a dissociated cell sample, such as can be obtained from dissociation of a tumor, bone marrow, or a stem cell compartment).
A non-limiting example of a method to import cells into the cell therapy manufacturing system 3300 can comprise aseptically and fluidically connecting a container 3310 to a cell therapy manufacturing cartridge (e.g., 2700, 2800). In various embodiments, a sterile compartment of the container 3310 can store a cell sample from a subject that includes starting material (e.g., a medium including T-cells) to undergo one of more processes of the cell therapy manufacturing process. In various embodiments, the container 3310 can be a flexible container, such as a pharmaceutical-grade bag configured to hold fluid. In various embodiments, the container 3310 can be fluidically and aseptically connected to a system (e.g., 2600) for processing and then enter a cartridge (e.g., 2700, 2800). In various embodiments, the container 3310 can be fluidically and aseptically connected to a cartridge (e.g., 2700, 2800) directly.
As described herein, various embodiments of the cell therapy manufacturing system 3300 can comprise a pressurized fluid source (e.g., a pressurized source for liquid or gas 3302, 3304, 3306, 3308. In various embodiments, the gas source 3304 can pressurize a fluidic network 3362 using the gas source 3304 to move contents of the container 3310 through the cell therapy manufacturing system. In various embodiments, the fluidic network 3362 comprises valves 3314, 3316, 3318, 3320, 3322, 3324, 3326, and 3328 and flow sensors 3330 and 3332 that can be controlled by other systems (e.g., a control system 2605 for receiving sensor data and actuating system components such as, for example, flow directors 2720 or valves). In various embodiments, the cell sample can move through the fluidic network 3362 using additional or alternative means. For example, pumps can be used in some embodiments to move the cell sample through the fluidic network 3362. Pumps can be peristaltic pumps in accordance with various embodiments. In various embodiments, gravity can drive the cell sample through the fluidic network 3362.
Various environmental factors can impact a cell sample. For example, temperature, medium composition, and physical trauma can be considered when designing and/or operating a cell therapy manufacturing system. As a non-limiting example, the possibility of physical trauma impacting the cell sample can be mitigated by maintaining optimal pressure conditions for the cell sample. In various embodiments, a gas source 3302, 3304, 3306, 3308 can be operated to pressurize a fluidic network 3362, or a portion thereof, within a range of pressures that can allow cells within a cell sample to survive, and in various embodiments, proliferate. Pressures can be adjusted to mitigate cell damage. Pressures can be adjusted to eliminate cell damage. In various embodiments, low pressures can be selected.
In various embodiments, the cell sample can be directed through one or more valves (e.g., 3316) to an inlet opening 3350, 3352 of a bioreactor 3399. In various embodiments, the cell sample can be directed to a second inlet opening 3352. In various embodiments, the cell sample can be directed to a first inlet opening 3350. In various embodiments, inlet openings 3350, 3352 can be affixed to a bioreactor wall (e.g., 3120) to allow sterile entry of the cell sample into the bioreactor 3399. In various embodiments, introducing the cell sample to a lower position, through a lower port (e.g., the second inlet opening 3352) within the bioreactor 3399 can prevent cell damage in some embodiments. In various embodiments, introduction of the cell sample at a lower position in the bioreactor 3399 can reduce bioreactor foaming.
In various embodiments, a cell sample can enter the bioreactor 3399 using a second inlet opening 3352 until a fluid reaches a specified level. In various embodiments, a control system 3364 can actuate a valve 3318 to redirect fluid flow from the second inlet port 3352 of the bioreactor 3399 to the first inlet opening 3350 of the bioreactor 3399 upon reaching the specified level. In various embodiments, a fluid level sensor can be used to determine the fluid level of the bioreactor 3399. The fluid level sensor can relay fluid level information to a control system 3364 in accordance with various embodiments. The control system 3364 can then compare the fluid level of the bioreactor 3399 to the specified fluid level and determine whether to actuate the valve 3318.
In various embodiments, the bioreactor 3399 comprises a finite volume (previously discussed). As such, as the gas source 3304 introduces pressurized gas to enable introduction of the cell sample into the bioreactor 3399 excess fluid or gas needs to be discharged. In various embodiments, fluid/gas can be discharged through outlet openings 3354, 3356, 3358, 3360. In various embodiments, a cell sample can be introduced into the bioreactor 3399 through the second inlet opening 3352 as fluid/gas is being released through one or more outlet openings 3354, 3356, 3358, 3360. In accordance with various embodiments, fluid/gas release can occur using an outlet opening that is not submerged by the liquid (e.g., the cell sample) being introduced into the bioreactor 3399. In various embodiments, outlet openings 3354, 3356, 3358, 3360 can be closed as they become submerged. In various embodiments, a level measured by the level sensor can determine a sequence for outlet opening 3354, 3356, 3358, 3360 closure. In various embodiments, fluids introduced into the bioreactor 3399 can be quantified prior to introduction into the cell therapy manufacturing system and those quantities can be used by a control system 3364 to determine when to actuate opening valves or covers.
In various embodiments, inlet openings 2750, 3352 and outlet openings 3354, 3356, 3358, 3360 can be closed or opened for a variety of reasons. In various embodiments, a process step (e.g., cell sample introduction, cell stimulation (e.g., T-cell activation), expansion, etc.) can determine the occurrence and rate of inflow and/or outflow of fluids comprising media and reagents using the openings. In various embodiments, an environments condition (e.g., pressure, fluid level, pH, or dissolved oxygen) within the bioreactor 3399 can determine inflow and/or outflow of media and reagents.
When the fluid (e.g., pressurized gas) exits an outlet opening 3354, 3356, 3358, 3360 it can be directed through a valve 3320 in accordance with various embodiments. In various embodiments, a fluid flow sensor 3332 can determine a flow rate of the fluid as the fluid leaves the bioreactor 3399. In various embodiments, one or more additional valves 3326, 3328 can direct the fluid to a waste receptacle 3342, 3344, respectively. In various embodiments, the flow rate of the fluid information can be received by the system controller 3364 from the fluid flow sensor 3320. In various embodiments, the system controller 3364 can actuate a valve at the gas source 3304 to increase or decrease the fluid flow rate.
In various embodiments, the fluid in waste receptacle 3342, 3344 can undergo further testing. In various embodiments, further testing can comprise one or more biological assays. In various embodiments, a waste receptacle 3342, 3344 can comprise a sterile compartment surrounded by a waste receptacle wall.
Various embodiments can comprise a cell sorting process using the cell therapy manufacturing system 3300 as a discrete portion of a T-cell activation process. In various embodiments, a cell sorting process and a T-cell activation process can be combined into a single step. Combining processes can shorten the cell therapy manufacturing process. In various embodiments, a cell sorting process, a T-cell activation process, and an expansion process can be combined.
In various embodiments, surfaces (e.g., T-cell activating surfaces, which may be antigen-presenting surfaces or non-antigen presenting surfaces) described herein can be suitable for sorting and activating T-cells concurrently.
i. T-Cell Sorting Techniques
Various embodiments can include rapid and automated systems and methods for cell sorting. In various embodiments, the cell sorting techniques disclosed herein can serve to selectively deplete or enrich cells of a specific phenotype. In various embodiments, cell sorting techniques disclosed herein can use immunomagnetic selection. Traditional cell sorting technologies have been adapted from existing instrumentation relating to research (e.g., flow cytometry). A disadvantage to using these technologies as a stand-alone device in a cell therapy manufacturing workflow may be that they include open systems where cell sample contamination can result in workflow disruptions, causing a cell therapy product to be unusable. Additional contributing problems relate to current sorting systems jeopardizing cell viability. The contributing problems specifically relate to cells being subjected to harsh physical forces (e.g., flowing through the flow cell of a flow cytometer).
Therefore, the closed cell therapy manufacturing systems described herein solve the cell sorting contamination challenge within the cell therapy field. In various embodiments, the sorting methods carried out on the presently disclosed cell therapy manufacturing system can purify cells based multiple parameters.
Step 2404 incubates the cell sample with a binding surface according to various embodiments. In various embodiments, T-cells of the cell sample can bind to the binding surface. In various embodiments, molecules other than T-cells cannot bind to the surface. In various embodiments, the T-cells are specifically bound. In various embodiments, one or more capture molecules bound (e.g., covalently) to the binding surface can bind the T-cells. In various embodiments, a T-cell receptor (TCR) embedded in the cell surface of the T-cell can bind the capture molecule of the binding surface. In various embodiments, the binding surface can provide primary and co-stimulatory signals. In various embodiments, the binding surface can comprise a CD3 agonist (e.g., anti-CD3 antibodies). In various embodiments, the binding surface can comprise a CD28 agonist (e.g., an anti-CD28 antibodies) and/or a CD2 agonist (e.g., anti-CD2 antibodies). In various embodiments, the binding surface can comprise a CD3 agonist (e.g., anti-CD3 antibodies) in combination with a CD28 agonist (e.g., anti-CD28 antibodies) and/or a CD2 agonist (e.g., anti-CD2 antibodies). Aspects of the embodiments include T-cell specifically binding to anti-CD3 antibodies. Aspects of the embodiments include T-cell specifically binding to anti-CD28 antibodies and/or anti-CD2 antibodies. Aspects of the embodiments include T-cell specifically binding to anti-CD3 antibodies and anti-CD28 and/or anti-CD2 antibodies. In various embodiments, the capture molecule of the binding surface can comprise an antigen. In various embodiments, the antigen-presenting surface can comprise MHC class I molecules bound to antigen. Aspects of the embodiments include T-cells binding to MHC class I molecules.
Incubating cell sample with binding surface at step 2404 can occur in a variety of locations within the cell therapy manufacturing system in accordance with various embodiments. In various embodiments, the surface can be located anywhere in the instrument where fluid can flow (e.g., a fluidic network or a chamber). In various embodiments, the surface can be located in the cartridge (e.g., a fluidic network or bioreactor chamber) of the cell therapy manufacturing system. Non-limiting examples of incubation times can comprise 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 24, 48, or 72 hours and any range of these.
In various embodiments, beads complexed with T-cells can be manipulated for cell sorting purposes. For example, the beads can be sorted from other cells and non-soluble molecules. For example, in some embodiments, bead-T-cell complexes can be isolated and purified using filtration. In various embodiments, bead-T-cell complexes can be isolated and purified using optical manipulation. In some embodiments, bead-T-cell complexes can be centrifuged into a pellet and the supernatant can be removed. In various embodiments, beads can be magnetized. Embodiments using magnetized beads can enable bead-T-cell complexes to be magnetically secured to a surface during incubation and washing.
Step 2406 can include the washing of the incubated cell sample according to various embodiments. Aspects of the disclosure comprise methods and systems for washing T-cells bound to a surface. In various embodiments, one or more washing steps can purify the cell sample by isolating T-cells. Washing removes unbound molecules and cells while preserving T-cells in accordance with various embodiments. In various embodiments, washing can remove debris, dead cells, or other unwanted molecules or particles in the cell sample. For example, in various embodiments, unbound molecules or particles can comprise cells other than T-cells, protein, carbohydrate, nucleic acids, ions, cell waste, etc.
A method of washing can comprise removing a portion of media (e.g., a liquid suspension) from the cell sample. In various embodiments, new media can be added during or after removing the portion of media. In various embodiments, the removed media comprises the unbound molecules. In various embodiments, T-cells stay bound during the removal and addition steps. In various embodiments, removal and addition of media can be completed any number of times. For example, a cell sample including T-cells bound to a surface can undergo 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10 rounds of washing (e.g., removal of a portion of media from the cell sample and addition of an equivalent portion of media to the cell sample). The number of wash steps/rounds can be determined by a purity metric. The purity metric can comprise a percentage a T-cells in proportion to other cells. The purity metric can comprise a percentage of T-cells in proportion to other non-solubilized molecules.
At step 2408, T-cells bound to the surface can be resuspended. Once T-cells have been isolated and purified they can be resuspended in a buffer appropriate for introduction to a next step of a cell therapy manufacturing process. In various embodiments, the buffer can comprise a PBS/EDTA buffer.
ii. On-System Approaches (Instrument)
Various embodiments can of the cell therapy manufacturing system can comprise completing a cell sample sorting process 2400 on an instrument in accordance with the various cell sorting methods disclosed herein. In various embodiments, the cell therapy manufacturing system can comprise an instrument and a cartridge. In various embodiments, the cartridge can comprise a modular apparatus that can be fluidically coupled to the fluidic network of the instrument. In various embodiments, a cell sample sorting process 2400 can be carried out on the instrument of the system. In various embodiments, cell a sample sorting process 2400 can occur prior to the cell sample or a portion thereof entering the cartridge. In various embodiments, T-cells of the cell sample can undergo a pre-sorting process within the instrument (e.g., washing and/or purifying).
Aspects of the cell sample sorting process 2400 can be carried out using one or more surfaces. In various embodiments, a cell sample sorting process 2400 can use one or more surfaces within the instrument. For example, a surface can be located within the fluidic network of the instrument in various embodiments. In various embodiments, a surface may be located within one or more channels of the fluidic network of the instrument. In additional and alternate embodiments, a surface can be located within a chamber or compartment of the instrument, wherein the chamber or compartment can be fluidically and aseptically coupled to the fluidic network of the instrument.
In various embodiments, step 2402 provides a cell sample (e.g., a leukopak) according to various embodiments. In various embodiments, the cell sample can be aseptically stored in a container. In various embodiments, the container can be aseptically connected to a port (e.g., a primary port of the cell therapy manufacturing system for receiving a sample) using one or more aseptic connectors.
In various embodiments, the container storing the cells sample can be positioned within an instrument housing. In various embodiments, the container can be positioned outside of the instrument housing and the primary port can connect the container to a fluidic network of the of the instrument.
In various embodiments, one or more gas sources can pressurize a fluidic network of the instrument to move the cell sample from the container to the surface (e.g., cell binding surface). In various embodiments, cell sample movement can be controlled using a controller to actuate one or more valves of the instrument. In various embodiments, the controller can determine a flow path to the one or more surfaces and actuate the appropriate valves. In various embodiments, the controller can receive flow rate information from one or more flow sensors. The flow rate information can then be used to adjust the valves to achieve a desired flow rate.
In various embodiments, step 2404 can be carried out using the one or more surfaces within the instrument. In various embodiments, T-cells of the cell sample can adhere to the one or more surfaces.
As previously discussed, the one or more surfaces can comprise an antigen-presenting surface or a T-cell activating surface (e.g., an antigen-independent activating surface), and T-cells of the cell sample can bind to the one or more such surfaces of the instrument. In some embodiments, as described herein, T-cells can bind to magnetizable beads and the magnetizable beads can be magnetically bound to the one or more surfaces of the instrument. In various embodiments, cells can be incubated for a specified amount of time for T-cells to bind to the surface. Once the specified amount of time has elapsed, the cells sample (e.g., bound T-cells) can be washed on the instrument using a wash incubated cell sample process 2906. As previously discussed, wash steps (e.g., addition and removal of fluid such as a wash buffer) can occur one or more times.
In various embodiments, after step 2406 has been completed, a process to resuspend cells bound to the surface 2408 can commence within the instrument. In various embodiments, resuspension can comprise actuating one or more valves using the controller to create a flow path for introducing a resuspending buffer (e.g., PBS/EDTA).
iii. On-System Approaches (Cartridge)
Various embodiments of the cell therapy manufacturing system can comprise completing a cell sample sorting process 2400 on a cartridge in accordance with the various cell sorting methods disclosed herein. In various embodiments, the cell therapy manufacturing system can comprise an instrument and a cartridge. In various embodiments, the cartridge can comprise a modular apparatus that can be fluidically coupled to the fluidic network of the instrument. In various embodiments, cell a sample sorting process 2400 can occur after the cell sample or a portion thereof enters the cartridge. In various embodiments, T-cells of the cell sample can undergo a pre-sorting process on the cartridge (e.g., washing and/or purifying).
In various embodiments, step 2402 can provide a cell sample to the cell therapy manufacturing system through a primary inlet port. In various embodiments, the primary inlet port can fluidically couple to a fluidic network of a cartridge directly. In various embodiments, the primary inlet port can fluidically couple to the fluidic network of a cartridge via a fluidic network of an instrument of the system.
In various embodiments, a purpose of a cell sample sorting process 2400 can include positioning sorted T-cells in a bioreactor of the cartridge. Positioning T-cells within the bioreactor can comprise directing the cell sample through the fluidic network to the bioreactor using one or more valves in accordance with various embodiments.
In various aspects, T-cells can be immobilized on a surface of the cartridge in accordance with step 2404 by incubating the cell sample with the surface (e.g., a binding surface). In various embodiments, the surface can be located within a fluidic network. In various embodiments, the surface can be located within the bioreactor.
One or more wash steps 2406 can be used to remove cell debris and other unwanted molecules and particles from the cell sample. A wash process can comprise actuating one or more valves of the cartridge to provide a motive force for moving wash fluid through the system using a pressurized gas source. In various embodiments, wash fluid can enter the bioreactor through one or more inlet ports and fluid (e.g., fluid from the cell sample, wash fluid, and pressurized gas) can exit the bioreactor through one or more outlet ports. A wash process can involve one or more fluid addition steps to the bioreactor and one or more fluid removal steps from the bioreactor.
Once the T-cells have reached a desired level of purity step 2408 can resuspend T-cells bound to the surface. In various embodiments, the T-cells can remain bound to the surface as a new media is added. In various embodiments, the T-cells can be released from the surface as new media is added.
iv. Off-System Approaches
In various embodiments, a cell sample can be pre-sorted prior to being introduced to the cell therapy and manufacturing system. In various embodiments, T-cell capture beads can be combined with the cells sample. In various embodiments, a centrifuge can exert force on the capture bead:T-cell complexes to create a pellet within a test tube. In various embodiments, a supernatant of the cell sample can be removed, and the pellet can be resuspended in a liquid (e.g., buffer). In various embodiments, cells can be pelleted and resuspended one or more times until a desired purity is reached.
In various embodiments, a cells sample can be pre-sorted using a fluorescently activated cell sorting (FACS) process.
In various embodiments, T-cells can be labeled for FACS sorting. In various embodiments, T-cells can be bound to beads for sorting.
In various embodiments, T-cells can be bound to magnetizable beads. In various embodiments, a surface can be activated for restraining the T-cells for washing and resuspension.
v. Exemplary Method of Cell Sorting
An exemplary cell sample sorting process can be carried out using the workflow shown in
In various embodiments, a flow rate of the cell sample traveling from the container 3310 to the chamber can be measured by flow sensor 3330. The flow sensor 3330 can be position anywhere in the fluidic network between, for example, the container 3310 and the chamber 3399. In various embodiments, flow sensor 3330 can electronically communicate the flow rate to a control system 3364. The control system 3364 can actuate one or more valves 3316, 3318 to increase the flow rate or reduce the flow rate in accordance with various embodiments. In various embodiments, a specified flow rate for introduction of the cell sample into the cell therapy manufacturing system can be stored in the control system 3364. In various embodiments, the control system 3364 can adjust the flow rate based on the specified flow rate by comparing the two.
In various embodiments, T-cells can be incubated in proximity to a surface until a portion of the T-cells bind to the surface. In various embodiments, the T-cells can bind directly to the surface. In various embodiments, the T-cells can bind through an intermediary (e.g., a bead).
In various embodiments, a container 3312 can be aseptically connected to the cell therapy and manufacturing system. In various embodiments, the container 3312 may store the wash fluid (e.g., buffer or media). In various embodiments, the wash fluid may be stored in one or more reagent reservoirs 3346a, 3346b, 3346c.
One or more valves 3314, 3316, 3318 can be actuated to allow gas source 3306 pressurized the fluidic network, thereby, transporting the wash fluid to the chamber through an inlet port 3350, 3352 in accordance with various embodiments.
In various embodiments, fluid (e.g., wash fluid or a liquid/suspended portion of the cell sample) can leave the bioreactor through one or more outlet ports 3354, 3356, 3358, 3360. In various embodiments, the fluid can comprise gas. In various embodiments, the fluid can comprise wash fluid. In various embodiments, the fluid can comprise any unbound molecules and/or particles (e.g., cells) from the cell sample. In various embodiments, after leaving the one or more outlet ports 3354, 3356, 3358, 3360, the fluid can travel through one or more valves 3320, 3326, 3328 to a waste receptacle 3344. In various embodiments, a flow rate of the fluid existing the chamber can be monitored using a flow sensor 3332. The flow rate sensor 3332 can be positioned anywhere between the chamber and waste receptacle 3344 in accordance with various embodiments. In various embodiments, the flow sensor can electronically communicate the flow rate to the control system 3364. In various embodiments, the control system 3364 can actuate one of more of the valves 3320, 3326, 3328 to adjust the flow rate.
In various embodiments, wash fluid can be added to the chamber in one or more steps. In various embodiments, wash fluid can be removed from the chamber in one or more steps. Addition and removal of fluid from the chamber while the T-cells are bound can occur any number of times until a desired T-cell purity is reached.
In various embodiments, the control system 3364 can comprise instructions for one or more cell sorting protocols. In various embodiments, sensors can electronically communicate sensor data (e.g., flow rates, pH, pressure, dissolved oxygen, etc.) to the control system 3364. In various embodiments the control system 3364 can use the electronic data to adjust flow rates and/or environmental conditions within the chamber.
In various embodiments, the washed cell sample can be resuspended. For example, T-cells of cell sample can be resuspended in a buffer. In various embodiments, the buffer can comprise PBS and EDTA.
vi. T-Cell Activation Structures and Surfaces
In various natural systems, antigens from diseased cells (e.g., cancer cells) can be taken up and presented on a cell surface of antigen-presenting cells (APCs) and the APCs can then activate T-cells allowing them to recognize the diseased cells. For a cell therapy manufacturing system to be effective, a cell sample containing T-cells can undergo a similar process occurring in biological organisms. In various embodiments, a cell therapy manufacturing system can comprise use of APCs for T-cell activation. In alternate embodiments, synthetic surfaces can be used for presenting antigens.
As described herein, the surfaces described herein (e.g., surfaces used in a cell sample sorting process and elsewhere) can include activating molecules for T-cell activation. In various embodiments, activation can be carried out after a cell sample sorting process is complete. In various embodiments, a T-cell activation process or a portion thereof can occur in conjunction with a cell sorting process.
Various embodiments of an adaptive immune response system comprise T-cells including membrane associated TCR. In various embodiments, adaptive immune responses comprise CD28 for providing a co-stimulatory signal. A T cell Receptor (TCR) complex 3312 is illustrated embedded in a T-cell membrane 3314 in accordance with various embodiments. In various embodiments, a TCR complex 3312 can comprise a disulfide-linked membrane-anchored heterodimeric protein. In many embodiments, the disulfide-linked membrane-anchored heterodimeric protein can comprise an alpha (α) chain 3316 and a beta (β) chain 3318. In various embodiments, TCR complex 3312 can comprise an alternate receptor, formed by gamma (γ) and delta (δ) chains. In various embodiments, a TCR complex 3312 α chain 3316 and β chain 3318 form the structure of an antigen-binding site (e.g., pMHC binding site 3320).
In various T-cell conformations, an α chain 3316 can comprise two extracellular domains, including a variable region 3322 and a constant region 3324. In various embodiments, a β chain 3318 can comprise two extracellular domains, including a variable region 3326 and a constant region 3328. In some conformations, the constant regions 3324, 3328 can be adjacent to a cell membrane 3314. In various conformations, the variable regions 3322, 3326 can form a pMHC binding site 3320 and can bind a pMHC.
Each of the TCR chains 3316, 3318 can comprise a variable region 3322, 3326 and each variable region 3322, 3326 can comprise three hypervariable or complementarity-determining regions (CDRs). In various embodiments, CDR1, CDR2, and CDR3 can be arranged non-consecutively on the amino acid sequence of the variable region 3322, 3326 of the TCR complex 3312. In various embodiments, CDR3 can be the primary region for recognizing a processed antigenic peptide of a pMHC.
Aspects of immune response can require TCR complex 3312 to propagate a signal to cause T-cell activation (See
In various embodiments, ζ chains 3334 of a TCR complex 3312 can couple peptide recognition to several intracellular signal-transduction pathways, including, T-cell activation.
Aspects of an adaptive T-cell immune response comprise recognition of peptides (e.g., antigens) by T-cells. In various embodiments, antigens can be presented on a synthetic surface of the cell therapy manufacturing system (e.g., a support structure, an interior wall within the cell therapy manufacturing system, a bead, etc.). In various embodiments of the cell therapy manufacturing system, a major histocompatibility complex (MHC) can be bound to one or more of the surfaces described herein.
In various embodiments, pMHC can bind to a surface, thereby forming an antigen-presenting surface of a cell therapy manufacturing system. In various embodiments, a pMHC can comprise an alpha chain and a beta chain. In some embodiments, pMHC can comprise a peptide that can serve as an antigen. In various embodiments, the alpha chain and the beta chain can be associated to one another with non-covalent bonds.
In various embodiments, an alpha chain can comprise approximately 350 amino acids and include three globular domains. In various embodiments, the three globular domains can be designated α1, α2, and α3.
In various embodiments, the N terminal of an alpha chain can be located in the a1 globular domain. In various embodiments, α1 and α2 can extend away from a surface for TCR binding. In various embodiments, a1 and α2 can each comprise roughly 90 amino acids. In various embodiments, α2 can comprise a loop of 63 amino acids and formation can be cause by disulfide bonds. In various embodiments, α1 and α2 can interact to form a peptide binding region of pMHC.
In various embodiments, a linker region can anchor pMHC to a surface. In various embodiments, the linker region can comprise a covalent bond. In various embodiments, the covalent bond can form between the surface and α3 of pMHC. In some embodiments, α3 can comprise a disulfide bond enclosing 86 amino acids to form a loop structure. In various embodiments, the linker region can comprise additional compounds (e.g., PEG, biotin, streptavidin, avid, etc.) to facilitate pMHC surface binding.
In various embodiments, an α3 globular domain can interact with a CD8 co-receptor of T-cells. In some embodiments, an α3-CD8 interaction can hold pMHC in place and a TCR on a cell membrane surface of the T-cell can bind α1-α2 heterodimer ligand. In some embodiments, the α3-CD8 interaction can allow the α1-α2 heterodimer ligand to interrogate the MHC associated peptide for antigenicity. In various embodiments, the C terminal of an alpha chain can be located in the α3 globular domain. In various embodiments, the covalent bond connecting pMHC and surface can connect the C terminal of the alpha chain and a moiety on the surface.
The cytoplastic tails of CD8 can interact with Lck (lymphocyte-specific protein tyrosine kinase) and Lck can phosphorylate the cytoplasmic portion of CD3 and ζ-chains of the TCR complex. Phosphorylation of CD3 and the ζ-chains can lead to activation of a variety of transcription factors (e.g., NFAT, NF-KB, and AP-1) that can ultimately affect expression of certain genes downstream of a signaling cascade.
In various embodiments, a beta chain of pMHC can comprise a disulfide loop. In various embodiments, beta chain can noncovalently interact with a α3 globular domain.
a. Synthetic T-Cell Activation Surfaces
In various embodiments, an antigen-presenting synthetic surface is provided for activating a T lymphocyte (T-cell) comprising: a plurality of primary activating molecular ligands, and a plurality of co-activating molecular ligands each comprising a T-cell receptor (TCR) co-activating molecule or an adjunct TCR activating molecule, wherein each of the plurality of primary activating molecular ligands and the plurality of co-activating molecular ligands are specifically bound to the antigen-presenting synthetic surface in accordance with various embodiments. Each primary activating molecular ligand can comprise a major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecule configured to bind to a TCR of the T-cell. In various embodiments, the MHC molecule can comprise an MHC Class 1 molecule. In some other embodiments, the MHC molecule can comprise an MHC Class II molecule. In various embodiments, the primary activating molecular ligand comprises an antigenic peptide (e.g., covalently, or non-covalently bound to an MHC molecule). In various embodiments, the plurality of co-activating molecular ligands comprises a plurality of TCR co-activating molecules and a plurality of adjunct TCR activating molecules. In various embodiments, the TCR co-activating molecules and the adjunct TCR activating molecules can be present in a ratio of about 1:100 to about 100:1, e.g., about 20:1 to about 1:20, or about 10:1 to about 1:20. In various embodiments, one or more of the plurality of co-activating molecular ligands is a TCR co-activating molecule which can activate signaling molecules such as transcription factors Nuclear Factor kappa B (NF kB) and Nuclear factor of activated T-cells (NFAT). In various embodiments, the TCR co-activating molecule can be an agonist of the CD28 receptor, which signals through the phosphoinositide 3 kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathway. In various embodiments, one or more of the plurality of co-activating molecular ligands can be a TCR adjunct activating molecule which can activate a TCR proximal signaling, e.g., by phosphorylation of the TCR proximal signaling complex. The TCR adjunct activating molecule may be, for example, an agonist of the CD2 receptor. Exemplary pathways that can be activated through the CD28 and CD2 receptors (and additional details) are shown in
In various embodiments, the antigen-presenting synthetic surface can be configured to activate a T-cell in vitro (e.g., activation using the cell therapy manufacturing system). The primary activating molecular ligand may comprise an MHC molecule having an amino acid sequence and may be connected covalently to the surface of the antigen-presenting synthetic surface via a C-terminal connection. The MHC molecule may present a N-terminal portion of the MHC molecule oriented away from the surface, thereby facilitating specific binding of the MHC molecule with the TCR of a T-cell disposed upon the surface. The MHC molecule may include an MHC peptide. Clusters of at least four of the MHC molecules may be disposed at locations upon the antigen-presenting synthetic surface such that when the surface is exposed to an aqueous environment, an MHC tetramer may be formed.
In various embodiments of the cell therapy manufacturing system, each of the plurality of primary activating molecular ligands may be covalently connected to the antigen-presenting synthetic surface via a linker. In some embodiments, an MHC molecule of a primary activating molecular ligand may be connected to the antigen-presenting synthetic surface through a covalent linkage. Covalent linkages can be formed, for example, using Click chemistry and an appropriate Click reagent pair. Likewise, other ligands described herein, such as co-activating molecular ligands (comprising TCR co-activating molecules and/or adjunct TCR activating molecules), growth stimulatory molecular ligands, and additional stimulatory molecular ligands may be covalently connected to the surface of the antigen presenting synthetic surface via a linker, and the linkage can be formed using Click chemistry and an appropriate Click reagent pair.
In various embodiments, the MHC molecule may be connected to the antigen presenting synthetic surface noncovalently through a coupling group (CG), such as a biotin/streptavidin binding pair interaction. In some embodiments, one member of the coupling group is covalently associated with the surface (e.g., streptavidin). Further examples of coupling groups include, but are not limited to biotin/avidin, biotin/NeutrAvidin, and digoxygenin/anti-digoxygenin. Streptavidin, avidin, and NeutrAvidin represent examples of biotin-binding agents. Likewise, other ligands described herein, such as co-activating molecular ligands (comprising TCR co-activating molecules and/or adjunct TCR activating molecules), growth stimulatory molecular ligands, and additional stimulatory molecular ligands may be noncovalently coupled to the antigen presenting synthetic surface, and the coupling group may include biotin or digoxygenin.
In various embodiments, one member of the CG binding pair may itself be covalently bound to the surface, e.g., through one or more linkers. The covalent linkage to the surface can be through a series of about 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, 95, 100, 200 bond lengths, or any number of bond lengths therebetween. In various embodiments, the member of the CG binding pair covalently bound to the surface is bound through a Click reagent pair. This may also be true for CG binding pair members involved in associating other ligands described herein (such as co-activating molecular ligands, TCR co-activating molecules, adjunct TCR activating molecules, growth stimulatory molecules, and additional stimulatory molecules) with the surface. Further, since some binding pair members such as streptavidin have multiple binding sites (e.g., four in streptavidin), a primary activating molecular ligand may be coupled to the antigen presenting synthetic surface by a biotin/streptavidin/biotin linkage. Again, this may also be true for CG binding pair members involved in associating other ligands described herein (such as co-activating molecular ligands, TCR co-activating molecules, adjunct TCR activating molecules, growth stimulatory molecules, and additional stimulatory molecules) with the surface.
In various embodiments, a first member of the CG binding pair is covalently associated with the primary activating molecular ligand and a second member of the CG binding pair is non-covalently associated with the surface. For example, the first member of the CG binding pair can be a biotin covalently associated with the primary activating molecular ligand; and the second member of the CG binding pair can be a streptavidin non-covalently associated with the surface (e.g., through an additional biotin, wherein the additional biotin is covalently associated with the surface). In various embodiments, the biotin covalently associated with the surface is linked to the surface through a series of about 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, 95, 100, 200 bond lengths, or any number of bond lengths therebetween. For example, the biotin covalently associated with the surface may be linked to the surface through a series of one or more linkers having a total length as described. Again, this may also be true for CG binding pair members involved in associating other ligands described herein (such as co-activating molecular ligands, TCR co-activating molecules, adjunct TCR activating molecules, growth stimulatory molecules, and additional stimulatory molecules) with the surface. Noncovalently associating the second member of the CG binding pair, such as streptavidin, with the surface may facilitate loading ligands such as primary activating molecular ligands, co-activating molecular ligands, TCR co-activating molecules, and adjunct TCR activating molecules at greater densities than if the second member of the CG binding pair is covalently associated with the surface.
The primary activating molecular ligand (e.g., comprising an MHC molecule) may further include an antigenic peptide that comprises a tumor associated antigen. The tumor associated antigen may be noncovalently associated with the primary activating molecular ligand (e.g., MHC molecule). The tumor associated antigen may be presented by the primary activating molecular ligand (e.g., MHC molecule) in an orientation which can initiate activation of a T lymphocyte. The tumor associated antigen may be a peptide. Some non-limiting examples of tumor associated antigens include MART1 (peptide sequence ELAGIGILTV), for melanoma, NYESO1 (peptide sequence SLLMWITQV), involved in melanoma and some carcinomas, SLC45A2, TCL1, and VCX3A, but the disclosure is not so limited. Additional examples of tumor antigens include peptides comprising a segment of amino acid sequence from a protein expressed on the surface of a tumor cell such as CD19, CD20, CLL-1, TRP-2, LAGE-1, HER2, EphA2, FOLR1, MAGE-A1, mesothelin, SOX2, PSM, CA125, T antigen, etc. The peptide can be from an extracellular domain of the tumor associated antigen. An antigen is considered tumor associated if it is expressed at a higher level on a tumor cell than on a healthy cell of the type from which the tumor cell was derived. The T cell which recognizes this tumor associated antigen is an antigen specific T-cell. Any tumor associated antigen may be utilized in the antigen presenting surface described herein. In various embodiments, the tumor associated antigen is a neoantigenic peptide, e.g., encoded by a mutant gene in a tumor cell. For detailed discussion of neoantigenic peptides, see, e.g., US 2011/0293637, which is entirely incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.
The antigen presenting synthetic surface can include a plurality of co-activating molecular ligands each comprising a TCR co-activating molecule or an adjunct TCR activating molecule. In various embodiments, the plurality of co-activating molecular ligands include a plurality of TCR co-activating molecules. In various embodiments, the plurality of co-activating molecular ligands include a plurality of adjunct TCE activating molecules. In various embodiments, the plurality of co-activating molecular ligands may include TCR co-activating molecules and adjunct TCR activating molecules. The TCR co-activating molecules and the adjunct TCR activating molecules can be present in a ratio of one to the other such as about 100:1 to 1:100, 10:1 to 1:20, 5:1 to 1:5, 3:1 to 1:3, 2:1 to 1:2, or the like. In various embodiments, the plurality of co-activating molecular ligands may include TCR co-activating molecules and adjunct TCR activating molecules in a ratio ranging from about 3:1 to about 1:3.
The TCR co-activating molecule or adjunct TCR activating molecule may include a protein, e.g., an antibody or a fragment thereof. In various embodiments, the TCR co-activating molecule may be a CD28 binding molecule (e.g., including a CD80 molecule) or a fragment thereof which retains binding ability to CD28. In various embodiments, the TCR co-activating molecule may be a CD28 binding molecule (e.g., including a CD80 molecule) or a fragment thereof which specifically binds to CD28. In some embodiments, the TCR co-activating molecule may be a CD28 binding molecule (e.g., including a CD80 molecule) or a CD28-binding fragment thereof. In various embodiments, the TCR co-activating molecule may include an anti-CD28 antibody or a fragment thereof (e.g., a CD28-binding fragment).
In various embodiments, each of the plurality of co-activating molecular ligands may be covalently connected to the antigen-presenting synthetic surface via a linker. In other embodiments, each of the plurality of co-activating molecular ligands may be noncovalently bound to a linker covalently bound to the antigen-presenting synthetic surface. The TCR co-activating molecule or adjunct TCR activating molecule may be connected to the covalently modified surface noncovalently through a CG, such as a biotin/streptavidin binding pair interaction. For example, the TCR co-activating molecule or adjunct TCR activating molecule may further comprise a site-specific C-terminal biotin moiety that interacts with a streptavidin, which may be associated covalently or noncovalently with the surface as described herein. A site-specific C-terminal biotin moiety can be added to a TCR co-activating molecule or adjunct TCR activating molecule using known methods, e.g., using a biotin ligase such as the BirA enzyme. See, e.g., Fairhead et al., Methods Mol Biol 1266:171-184, 2015 which is entirely incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. Further examples of coupling groups include biotin/avidin, biotin/NeutrAvidin, and digoxygenin/anti-digoxygenin. In various embodiments, one of the CG binding pair may itself be covalently bound to the surface, e.g., through a linker, as described above. See the examples herein for exemplary TCR co-activating molecules or adjunct TCR activating molecules.
In various embodiments, the co-activating molecular ligands of the antigen-presenting synthetic surface may include a plurality of adjunct TCR activating molecules, e.g., in addition to or instead of a TCR co-activating molecule as described herein. In various embodiments, there may be additional co-activating molecular ligands. In some embodiments, the adjunct TCR activating molecules or additional co-activating molecular ligands comprise one or more of a CD2 agonist, a CD27 agonist, or a CD137 agonist. For example, the adjunct TCR activating molecule may be a CD2 binding protein or a fragment thereof, where the fragment retains binding ability with CD2. In some embodiments, the adjunct TCR activating molecule may be CD58 or a fragment thereof which retains binding ability with CD2. The adjunct TCR activating molecule may be a CD2 binding protein (e.g., CD58) or a fragment thereof, where the fragment specifically binds CD2. The adjunct TCR activating molecule may be a CD2 binding protein (e.g., CD58) or a CD2-binding fragment thereof. The adjunct TCR activating molecules or additional co-activating molecular ligands may each be an antibody to CD2, CD27, or CD137, or there may be any combination of such antibodies. The adjunct TCR activating molecules or additional co-activating molecular ligands may alternatively each comprise a fragment of an antibody to CD2, CD27, or CD137, or any combination thereof. Varlilumab (CDX-1127) is an exemplary anti-CD27 antibody. Utomilumab (PF-05082566) is an exemplary anti-CD137 antibody. CD70 or an extracellular portion thereof may also be used as a CD27 agonist. TNFSF9, also known as CD137L, or an extracellular portion thereof may also be used as a CD137 agonist. In various embodiments, the adjunct TCR activating molecules comprise an agonist of CD2, such as an anti-CD2 antibody. In various embodiments, each of the adjunct TCR activating molecules may be covalently connected to the surface via a linker. In various embodiments, each of the adjunct TCR activating molecules may be noncovalently bound to a linker covalently bound to the surface, e.g., through a CG, such as a biotin/streptavidin binding pair interaction. For example, the adjunct TCR activating molecules may comprise a site-specific C-terminal biotin moiety as discussed above that interacts with a streptavidin, which may be associated covalently or noncovalently with the surface as described herein. Further examples of coupling groups include biotin/avidin, biotin/NeutrAvidin, and digoxygenin/anti-digoxygenin. In some embodiments, one of the CG binding pair may itself be covalently bound to the surface, e.g., through a linker.
The antigen-presenting synthetic surface may further include at least one growth stimulatory molecular ligand, in accordance with various embodiments. The growth stimulatory molecular ligand may be a protein or peptide. The growth stimulatory protein or peptide may be a cytokine or fragment thereof. The growth stimulatory protein or peptide may be a growth factor receptor ligand. The growth stimulatory molecular ligand may comprise IL-21 or a fragment thereof. In various embodiments, the growth stimulatory molecular ligand may be connected to the antigen-presenting synthetic surface via a covalent linker. In various embodiments, the growth stimulatory molecular ligand may be connected to the antigen-presenting synthetic surface through a CG, such as a biotin/streptavidin binding pair interaction. Further examples of coupling groups include biotin/avidin, biotin/NeutrAvidin, and digoxygenin/anti-digoxygenin. In various embodiments, one of the CG binding pair may itself be covalently bound to the surface, e.g., through a linker. In other embodiments, the growth stimulatory molecular ligand may be attached to a surface either covalently or via a biotin/streptavidin binding interaction, where the surface is not the same surface as the antigen-presenting synthetic surface having MHC molecules connected thereto. For example, the surface to which the growth stimulatory molecular ligand is attached can be a second surface of a microfluidic device (e.g., a surface within the cell therapy manufacturing system [e.g., instrument or cartridge]) also comprising a first, antigen-presenting synthetic surface.
In various embodiments, there may be additional growth stimulatory molecular ligands, which may be one or more cytokines, or fragments thereof. In various embodiments, additional stimulatory molecular ligands including, but not limited to IL-2 or IL-7 may be connected to the antigen-presenting synthetic surface or to another surface that is not the antigen-presenting synthetic surface, as discussed above with respect to growth stimulatory molecular ligands.
In various embodiments, the antigen-presenting synthetic surface comprises an adhesion stimulatory molecular ligand, which is a ligand for a cell adhesion receptor including an ICAM protein sequence.
The additional stimulatory molecular ligands and/or adhesion stimulatory molecular ligands may be covalently connected to a surface or may be noncovalently connected to a surface through a CG, such as a biotin/streptavidin binding pair interaction. Further examples of coupling groups include biotin/avidin, biotin/NeutrAvidin, and digoxygenin/anti-digoxygenin. In various embodiments, one of the CG binding pair may itself be covalently bound to the surface, e.g., through a linker via a biotin/streptavidin binding interaction.
In various embodiments, the antigen-presenting synthetic surface comprises a plurality of surface-blocking molecular ligands, which may include a linker and a terminal surface-blocking group. The linker can include a linear chain of 6 or more atoms (e.g., 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 75, 100, or more atoms) covalently linked together. Optionally, the linker has a linear structure. The terminal surface-blocking group may be a hydrophilic moiety, an amphiphilic moiety, a zwitterionic moiety, or a negatively charged moiety. In various embodiments, the terminal blocking group comprises a terminal hydroxyl group. In some embodiments, the terminal blocking group comprises a terminal carboxyl group. In various embodiments, the terminal blocking group comprises a terminal zwitterionic group. The plurality of surface-blocking molecular ligands may have all the same terminal surface-blocking group or may have a mixture of terminal surface-blocking groups. Without being bound by theory, the terminal surface-blocking group as well as a hydrophilic linker of the surface-blocking molecular ligand may interact with water molecules in the aqueous media surrounding the antigen-presenting synthetic surface to create a more hydrophilic surface overall. This enhanced hydrophilic nature may render the contact between the antigen-presenting synthetic surface and a cell more compatible and more similar to natural intercellular interactions and/or cell-extracellular fluidic environment in-vivo. The linker can comprise, for example, a polymer. The polymer may include a polymer including alkylene ether moieties. A wide variety of alkylene ether containing polymers may be suitable for use on the surfaces described herein. One class of alkylene ether containing polymers is polyethylene glycol (PEG Mw<100,000 Da), which are known in the art to be biocompatible. In various embodiments, a PEG may have an Mw of about 88 Da, 100 Da, 132 Da, 176 Da, 200 Da, 220 Da, 264 Da, 308 Da, 352 Da, 396 Da, 440 Da, 500 Da, 600 Da, 700 Da, 800 Da, 900 Da, 1000 Da, 1500 Da, 2000 Da, 5000 Da, 10,000 Da or 20,000 Da, or may have a Mw that falls within a range defined by any two of the foregoing values. In various embodiments, the PEG polymer has a polyethylene moiety repeat of about 3, 4, 5, 10, 15, 25 units, or any value therebetween. In various embodiments, the PEG is a carboxyl substituted PEG moiety. In various embodiments, the PEG is a hydroxyl substituted PEG moiety. In some embodiments, each of the plurality of surface-blocking molecular ligands may have a linker having the same length as the linkers of the other ligands of the plurality. In various embodiments, the linkers of the plurality of surface-blocking molecular ligands may have varied lengths. In various embodiments, the surface-blocking group and the length of the linker may be same for each of the plurality of surface-blocking molecular ligands. Alternatively, the surface blocking group and the length of the linker may vary within the plurality of the surface-blocking molecular ligands and may include 2, 3, or 4 different surface-blocking groups and/or 2, 3, 4, or more different lengths, chosen in any combination. In general, the surface-blocking molecular ligands have a length and/or structure that is sufficiently short so as not to sterically hinder the binding and/or function of the primary activating molecular ligands and the co-activating molecular ligands. For example, in various embodiments, the length of the surface-blocking molecular ligands is equal to or less than the length of the other linkers bound to the surface (e.g., linkers that connect coupling groups, primary activating molecular ligands, co-stimulating molecular ligands, or other ligands). In some embodiments, the length of the surface-blocking molecular ligands is about 1 or more angstroms (e.g., about 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 75, 100, or more angstroms) less than the length of the other linkers bound to the surface (e.g., linkers that connect coupling groups, primary activating molecular ligands, co-stimulating molecular ligands, or other ligands). In various embodiments, the length of the surface-blocking molecular ligands is about 1 to about 100 angstroms (e.g., about 2 to about 75, about 3 to about 50, about 4 to about 40, or about 5 to about 30 angstroms) less than the length of the other linkers bound to the surface. When the surface-blocking molecular ligands have a length that is the same or somewhat less than the length of the other linkers bound to the surface, the resulting surface effectively presents the ligands attached to the other linkers in a manner that is readily available for coupling and/or interacting with cells. With respect to antigen-presenting beads, it has been found that including a surface-blocking molecular ligand such as a hydrophilic polymer, e.g., a PEG or PEO polymer and/or ligands comprising terminal hydroxyl or carboxyl groups, can beneficially reduce aggregation of the beads through hydrophobic interactions. The surface-blocking molecular ligands can be attached to the surface after the primary and other (e.g., coactivating, adjunct, etc.) ligands discussed above or may be introduced before any of the activating or co-activating species are attached to the surface, as set forth in any embodiments disclosed herein.
The antigen-presenting synthetic surface may comprise glass, metal, a polymer, or a metal oxide, in accordance with various embodiments. In various embodiments, the antigen-presenting synthetic surface is a surface of a wafer having any kind of configuration, a surface of a bead, at least one inner surface of a fluidic circuit containing device (e.g., microfluidic device) configured to contain a plurality of cells, or an inner surface of a tube (e.g., glass or polymer tube). In various embodiments, the wafer having an antigen-presenting synthetic surface configured to activate T lymphocytes may be sized to fit within a well of a standard 48, 96 or 384 wellplate. In various embodiments, beads having an antigen-presenting synthetic surface configured to activate T lymphocytes may be disposed for use within a wellplate or within a fluidic circuit containing device. In various embodiments, the density of the plurality of primary activating molecular ligands on the antigen-presenting synthetic surface (or in each portion or sub-region where it is attached) may be from about 50 to about 500 molecules per square micron; about 4×102 to about 2×103 molecules per square micron; about 1×103 to about 2×104 molecules per square micron; about 5 ×103 to about 3×104 molecules per square micron; about 4×102 to about 3×104 molecules per square micron; about 4×102 to about 2×103 molecules per square micron; about 2×103 to about 5×103 molecules per square micron; about 5×103 to about 2×104 molecules per square micron; about 1×104 to about 2×104 molecules per square micron; or about 1.25×104 to about 1.75×104 molecules per square micron.
In various embodiments, the density of the plurality of co-activating molecular ligands on the antigen-presenting synthetic surface (or in each portion or sub-region where it is attached) is from about 20 to about 250 molecules per square micron; about 2×102 to about 1×103 molecules per square micron; about 500 to about 5×103 molecules per square micron; about 1×103 to about 1×104 molecules per square micron; about 5×102 to about 2×104 molecules per square micron; about 5×102 to about 1.5×104 molecules per square micron; about 5×103 to about 2×104 molecules per square micron, about 5×103 to about 1.5×104 molecules per square micron, about 1×104 to about 2×104 per square micron, about 1×104 to about 1.5×104 per square micron, about 1.25×104 to about 1.75×104, or about 1.25×104 to about 1.5×104 per square micron.
b. Exemplary Unpatterned Planar Surfaces
In various embodiments, an antigen-presenting synthetic surface may comprise an unpatterned surface having a plurality of primary activating molecular ligands distributed evenly thereon. The primary activating molecular ligands can comprise MHC molecules, each of which may include a tumor associated antigen in accordance with various embodiments. In various embodiments, the unpatterned surface may further include a plurality of co-activating molecular ligands (e.g., TCR co-activating molecules and/or adjunct TCR activating molecules) distributed evenly thereon. The co-activating molecular ligands may be as described above for antigen-presenting surfaces, in any combination. In various embodiments, the density of the primary activating molecular ligands and the co-activating molecular ligands may the same ranges as described herein for antigen-presenting surfaces. The unpatterned antigen-presenting synthetic surface may further include additional growth stimulatory, adhesive, and/or surface-blocking molecular ligands, as described above for antigen-presenting surfaces, each of which (if present) can be evenly distributed on the unpatterned surface in accordance with various embodiments. For example, the unpatterned surface can include an adjunct stimulatory molecule such as IL-21 connected to the surface. In various embodiments, the primary activating molecular ligands, co-activating molecular ligands, and/or additional ligands may be linked to the surface as described above for the antigen-presenting surfaces. As used herein, a surface having a ligand “distributed evenly” thereon is characterized in that no portion of the surface having a size of 10% the total surface area, or greater, has a statistically significant higher concentration of ligand as compared to the average ligand concentration of the total surface area of the surface in accordance with various embodiments.
c. Exemplary Patterned Planar Surfaces
In various embodiments, the antigen-presenting synthetic surface may be patterned and may have a plurality of regions, each region including a plurality of the primary activating molecular ligands comprising MHC molecules, where the plurality of regions can be separated by a region configured to substantially exclude the primary activating molecular ligands. The antigen-presenting synthetic surface may be a planar surface. In various embodiments, each of the plurality of regions including the at least a plurality of the primary activating molecular ligands may further include a plurality of the co-activating molecular ligands, e.g., a TCR co-activating molecule and/or an adjunct TCR activating molecule. In various embodiments, the co-activating molecular ligands may be any of the co-activating molecular ligands as described herein and in any combination. In various embodiments, the primary activating molecular ligands and/or co-activating molecular ligands may be linked to the surface as described herein for the antigen-presenting surfaces. The density of the primary activating molecular ligands and/or the co-activating molecular ligands in each of the regions containing the primary activating molecular ligands and/or the co-activating molecular ligands may be in the same range as the densities described herein for antigen-presenting surfaces. In some embodiments, each of the plurality of regions comprising at least the plurality of the primary activating molecular ligands has an area of about 0.10 square microns to about 4.0 square microns. In other embodiments, the area of each of the plurality of regions may be about 0.20 square microns to about 0.8 square microns. The plurality of regions may be separated from each other by about 2 microns, about 3 microns, about 4 microns, or about 5 microns. The pitch between each region of the plurality and its neighbor may be about 2 microns, about 3 microns, about 4 microns, about 5 microns, or about 6 microns. See
In various embodiments, the region configured to substantially exclude the primary activating molecular ligands comprising MHC molecules may also be configured to substantially exclude TCR co-activating molecules and/or adjunct TCR activating molecules.
In various embodiments, the region configured to substantially exclude the primary activating molecular ligands and optionally the TCR co-activating molecules and/or adjunct TCR activating molecules may also be configured to include one or more of surface-blocking molecular ligands, growth stimulatory molecules, additional stimulatory molecules, and adhesion stimulatory molecular ligands. In various embodiments, the growth stimulatory molecules and/or additional stimulatory molecules include a cytokine or fragment thereof, and may further include IL-21 or fragment thereof. In various embodiments, the region configured to substantially exclude the primary activating molecular ligands and optionally the TCR co-activating molecules and/or adjunct TCR activating molecules may further be configured to include one or more supportive moieties. The supportive moieties may provide adhesive motifs to support T lymphocyte growth or may provide hydrophilic moieties providing a generally supportive environment for cell growth. The moiety providing adhesive support may include a peptide sequence including a RGD motif. In various embodiments, the moiety providing adhesive support may be an ICAM sequence. A moiety providing hydrophilicity may be a moiety such as a PEG moiety or carboxylic acid substituted PEG moiety.
d. Beads
Not being bound by any particular theory, certain experiments have indicated that it may be advantageous to provide and use beads for T-cell activation that have relatively defined surface-area to volume ratios. Such beads may present the relevant ligands (e.g., antigens) in a more accessible way so that they interact more efficiently with T-cells during activation. Such beads may provide a desired degree of T-cell activation with fewer ligands needed than beads with higher surface-area to volume ratios and/or may provide a higher degree of T-cell activation or more T-cells with desired features (e.g., antigen specificity and/or marker phenotypes described herein) than beads with higher surface-area to volume ratios in accordance with various embodiments. An ideally spherical solid has the lowest possible surface-area to volume ratio. Accordingly, in various embodiments, the bead surface-area can be within 10% of the surface-area of a sphere of an equal size (volume or diameter) and is referred to herein as “substantially spherical.” For example, for a bead with a 2.8 μm diameter (1.4 μm radius), the corresponding ideal sphere would have a surface area of 4πr2=24.63 μm2. A substantially spherical 2.8 μm diameter bead with a surface-area within 10% of the surface-area of an ideal sphere of an equal volume or diameter would therefore have a surface-area less than or equal to 27.093 μm2. It is noted that certain commercially available beads are reported as having higher surface areas; for example, Dynabeads M-270 Epoxy are described in their product literature as having a specific surface area of 2-5 m2/g and a 2.8 μm diameter, and the literature also indicates that 1 mg of beads is 6-7×107 beads. Multiplying the specific surface area by 1 mg/6-7×107 beads gives a surface area per bead of 28 to 83 μm2 per bead, which is more than 10% greater than the surface-area of an ideal sphere with a 2.8 μm diameter. Polymer beads having a surface area more than 10% greater than the surface-area of an ideal sphere are referred to herein as a “convoluted bead.” In various embodiments, a polymer bead may be either substantially spherical or convoluted. In some embodiments, the polymer bead is not convoluted, but is substantially spherical.
Referring to
In various embodiments, activation may occur within bioreactor 3199 of the cell therapy manufacturing system. In various embodiments, the beads can flow into the bioreactor 3199 through one or more inlet ports 3350, 3352.
vii. T-Cell Activation Methods
In various embodiments, a T-cell activation process or method can be carried out on a cell therapy manufacturing system.
Exemplary methods of activating T lymphocytes comprise contacting a plurality of T lymphocytes with an antigen-presenting synthetic surface including a plurality of primary activating molecular ligands, each including a major histocompatibility (MHC) molecule configured to bind to a T-cell receptor of the T cell, and a plurality of co-activating molecular ligands each including a T cell receptor (TCR) co-activating molecule or an adjunct TCR activating molecule, and, culturing the plurality of T lymphocytes in contact with the antigen-presenting synthetic surface, thereby converting at least a portion of the plurality of T Lymphocytes to activated T lymphocytes. The antigen-presenting surface may be any antigen-presenting surface as described herein. In some embodiments, the MHC molecule is an MHC Class 1 molecule. Any of the antigen-presenting synthetic surfaces described herein can be used. In various embodiments, the plurality of MHC molecules may each include an amino acid sequence, and further may be connected to the antigen-presenting synthetic surface via a C-terminal connection of the amino acid sequence. Alternatively, the MHC molecule can be connected to the antigen-presenting synthetic surface through a noncovalent association. Any noncovalent association can be used, e.g., biotinylation of the MHC and binding thereof to streptavidin on the surface. In various embodiments, the MHC molecule may further include an antigen molecule, such as a tumor associated antigen, e.g., any of the tumor associated antigens described herein. In various embodiments, the antigen molecule may be MART1, NYESO1, SLC45A2, TCL1, or VCX3A.
In various embodiments, the co-activating molecules may be connected to the antigen-presenting synthetic surface, as described herein. The T cell receptor (TCR) co-activating molecule or an adjunct TCR activating molecule of the plurality of co-activating molecules may be any TCR co-activating molecule or any adjunct TCR activating molecule as described herein and may be provided in any ratio described herein.
In various embodiments, the method may further include contacting the plurality of T lymphocytes with a plurality of growth stimulatory molecular ligands. In various embodiments, each of the growth stimulatory molecular ligands may include a growth factor receptor ligand. In various embodiments, contacting the plurality of T lymphocytes with the plurality of growth stimulatory molecular ligands may be performed after a first period of culturing of at least one day. In various embodiments, the plurality of growth stimulatory molecular ligands may include IL-21 or a fragment thereof. In various embodiments, the plurality of growth stimulatory molecular ligands may be connected to the antigen-presenting synthetic surface. In various embodiments, the plurality of growth stimulatory molecular ligands may be connected to a surface (e.g., of a bead) that is a different surface than the antigen-presenting synthetic surface including the biomolecules including MHC molecules. In various embodiments, the plurality of growth stimulatory molecular ligands may be connected to the antigen-presenting synthetic surface including MHC molecules.
In various embodiments, the method may include using antigen presenting surfaces on beads. When beads having antigen presenting surfaces are used, the ratio of beads to T lymphocytes may be about 1:1; about 3:1; about 5:1; about 7:1 or about 10:1. The beads may have antigen presenting MHC molecules and anti-CD28 antibodies attached thereto in any method as described herein. In various embodiments, IL-21 may also be attached to the antigen presenting surface of the bead. In various embodiments, IL-21 may be attached to a second bead that has IL-21 as the only biomolecule contributing to activation.
In various embodiments, the method may be performed using a planar surface which may be patterned or unpatterned.
In various embodiments, a first period of culturing may be performed for 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8 days. During the first period of culturing, growth stimulatory molecules such as IL-21, IL-2, and/or IL-7 may be added in solution or may be added on bead to feed the T lymphocytes.
At the end of a first period of culture, the population of cells may include a mixture of unactivated and activated T lymphocytes. Flow cytometry using multiple cell surface markers can be performed to determine the extent of activation and the phenotype of the cells analyzed.
In various embodiments, a second period of culture can be performed. If the antigen presenting surfaces are beads, a second aliquot of beads containing the primary activating molecular ligand including the MHC molecule, which includes the tumor associated antigen and co-activating molecules (e.g., TCR co-activating molecules and/or adjunct TCR activating molecules, such as anti-CD28 antibodies and/to anti-CD2 antibodies, respectively) may be provided to the T lymphocytes, e.g., by addition to the wellplate, chamber of the fluidic circuit containing device, or microfluidic device having sequestration pens as described herein. The antigen presenting beads may further include additional growth stimulatory molecules, e.g., IL-21, connected thereto. The antigen presenting beads may be added to the cells being cultured in about a 1:1; about 3:1, about 5: 1; or about 10:1 ratio to the cells. In various embodiments, a second aliquot of IL-21 may be added as a second set of beads having IL-21 connected thereto, or further, may be added as a solution. IL-2 and IL-7 may also be added during the second period of culturing to activate additional numbers of T lymphocytes.
When a patterned or unpatterned wafer, inner surface of a fluidic circuit containing device, inner surface of a tube, or inner surface of a microfluidic device having sequestration pens is used, a second period of culturing may be accomplished by continuing to culture in contact with the same antigen presenting surface. Alternatively, a new antigen presenting surface may be brought into contact with the T lymphocytes resultant from the first period of culturing. In various embodiments, antigen presenting beads, like any described above or set forth in any embodiments disclosed herein, may be added to the wells or interior chamber of a fluidic circuit containing device or the sequestration pens of a microfluidic device. Growth stimulatory molecules such as IL-21, IL-2, IL-7, or a combination thereof may be added in solution or on beads. In some embodiments, IL-2 and IL-7 are added.
At the conclusion of the second culturing period, flow cytometry analysis can be performed to determine the extent of activation and to determine the phenotype of the further activated T lymphocytes present at that time.
In various embodiments, a third period of culturing may be included. The third period may have any of the features described herein with respect to the second period. In various embodiments, the third period can be performed in the same way as the second period. For example, all of the actions employed in the second period of culturing may be repeated to further activate T lymphocytes in the wells of the wellplate, in a tube, or in the chamber of a fluidic circuit containing device or a microfluidic device having sequestration pens.
In various embodiments, the T lymphocytes being activated comprise CD8+ T lymphocytes, such as naive CD8+ T lymphocytes. In various embodiments, the T lymphocytes being activated are enriched for CD8+ T lymphocytes, such as naive CD8+ T lymphocytes. Alternatively, in various embodiments, the T lymphocytes being activated comprise CD4+ T lymphocytes, such as naïve CD4+ T lymphocytes. In various embodiments, the T lymphocytes being activated are enriched for CD4+ T lymphocytes, such as naive CD4+ T lymphocytes. CD4+ T lymphocytes can be used, e.g., if T cells specific for a Class II-restricted antigen are desired.
In various embodiments, the method produces activated T lymphocytes that are CD45RO+. In various embodiments, the method produces activated T lymphocytes that are CD28+. In various embodiments, the method produces activated T lymphocytes that are CD28+CD45RO+. In various embodiments, the method produces activated T lymphocytes that are CD197+. In various embodiments, the method produces activated T lymphocytes that are CD127+. In various embodiments, the method produces activated T lymphocytes that are positive for CD28, CD45RO, CD127 and CD197, or at least any combination of three of the foregoing markers, or at least any combination of two of the foregoing markers. The activated T lymphocytes with any of the foregoing phenotypes can further be CD8+. In various embodiments, any of the foregoing phenotypes that is CD28+ comprises a CD28 high phenotype.
In various embodiments, the method produces a population of T cells comprising antigen-specific T cells, wherein at least 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, or 98% of the antigen-specific T cells are CD45RO+/CD28High cells, wherein each of the foregoing values can be modified by “about.” Alternatively or in addition, in various embodiments, the method produces a population of T cells wherein at least 1%, 1.5%, 2%, 3,%, 4%, 5%, 6%, 7%, 8%, 9%, or 10% of the T cells are antigen-specific T cells; or wherein 1%-2%, 2%-3%, 3%-4%, 4%-5%, 5%-6%, 6%-7%, 7%-8%, 8%-9%, 9%-10%, 10%-11%, or 11%-12% of the T cells are antigen-specific T cells, wherein each of the foregoing values can be modified by “about.” The content of the population of T cells can be determined on the “crude” product of the method following contact with the antigen-presenting surface and optionally further expansion steps, i.e., before/without enriching or separating product T cells having a particular phenotype. The determination of antigen-specificity and/or T cell marker phenotype can exclude dead cells.
In various embodiments, the method provides a population of T cells in which the fraction of T cells that are antigen-specific is increased relative to the starting population.
In accordance with various embodiments, cell (e.g., T-cell) modification processes can be carried out using a cell therapy manufacturing system. In various embodiments, gene transfer systems and methods (e.g., transfection or transduction) can be used to encode a T-cell with a nucleic acid construct. In various embodiments, T-cell modification can be carried out using viral methods (e.g., transduction). In various embodiments, T-cell modification can be carried out using non-viral methods (e.g., transfection).
T-cell modification can occur prior to cells entering the cell therapy manufacturing system in accordance with various embodiments, whereby the T-cells can be prepared for an expansion process before being loaded into the cell therapy manufacturing system. In various embodiments, T-cell modification can occur on the cell therapy manufacturing system. In various embodiments, T-cell modification can occur on a cartridge of the cell therapy manufacturing system. In various embodiments, T-cell modification can occur on an instrument of the cell therapy manufacturing system prior to T-cell entry into the cartridge.
T-cell modification can occur via a variety of methods carried out on the cell therapy manufacturing system. Non-limiting examples of T-cell modification can include viral transfection, electroporation, mechanical squeeze, and chemical transfection. Various approaches to T-cell transduction, in accordance with various embodiments, can comprise combining cells and viral vectors, mixing the cells and viral vectors, and incubating cells with the viral vectors.
In various embodiments, a cartridge can be fluidically coupled to an instrument of a cell therapy manufacturing system. In various embodiments, a cartridge can be electronically coupled to an instrument of a cell therapy manufacturing system. In various embodiments, a control system 3364 can direct one or more processes occurring on a cell therapy manufacturing system.
In various embodiments, a motive force may be provided for moving fluidic through a fluidic network of the cell therapy manufacturing system. In some embodiments, the motive force can be provided by a gas source 3306. In alternative embodiments, the motive force can be provided by one or more pumps.
In various embodiments, one or more valves 3314, 3316, 3318 may be actuated allowing a pressurized gas to enter one or more reagent reservoirs 3346a, 3346b, 3346c and motivate one or more reagents contained therein to move to bioreactor 3399. In various embodiments, the one or more reagents comprise a viral vector. In various embodiments, T-cells can be transduced in the bioreactor 3399.
In various embodiments, one or more T-cell expansion processes can be carried out on a cell therapy manufacturing system. T-cell expansion can occur within a bioreactor of a cartridge (e.g., bioreactor 3399) in accordance with various embodiments.
i. Basic Description of Bioreactor Module
In various embodiments, flow rate of media into the bioreactor 3399 can be monitored using a flow sensor 3330. In various embodiments, a control system 3364 can receive the flow rate measurement. In various embodiments, the valves 3314, 3316, 3318 can be actuated to adjust the flow rate based on the flow rate measurement as compared to a setpoint.
In various embodiments, media can enter a second inlet opening 3352. In various embodiments, the second inlet opening 3352 can comprise a lower elevation to a first inlet opening 3350.
In various embodiments, a gas source 3306 can provide the motive force for moving the ingredients through the fluidic network 3362. In various embodiments, one or more pumps can provide the motive force for moving the ingredients through the fluidic network 3362.
In various embodiments, fluid (e.g., gas or media) can exit one or more outlet openings 3354, 3356, 3358, 3360. In various embodiments, a gas can exit an outlet opening 3354 having a higher elevation relative to other outlet openings 3356, 3358, 3360. In various embodiments, a flow path through the fluidic network 3362 can be opened via actuation of one of more valves 3320, 3326, 3328, thereby, directing the fluid to a waste receptacle 3344.
ii. Bioreactor Surfaces
In various embodiments, the the bioreactor 2750 can be tilted (see
iii. Cell Expansion Monitoring and Control
In various embodiments, bioreactor 3399 can comprise sensors capable of directly interrogating fluid within a compartment of a bioreactor.
a. Sensors and Probes
In various embodiments, the one or more sensors 3338, 3340 can comprise a pH sensor. In various embodiments, the one or more sensors 3338, 3340 can comprise a dissolved oxygen sensor. In various embodiments, the one or more sensors 3338, 3340 can comprise a pressure sensor.
b. Modulating Bioreactor Conditions Based on Sensor Feedback
In various embodiments, an interior of a bioreactor (e.g., bioreactor 3399) comprises a set of environmental conditions. In various embodiments, T-cells of a given cell culture optimally complete a process described herein under an optimal set of environmental conditions. In various embodiments, one or more sensors detect the environmental conditions of the bioreactor (e.g., bioreactor 3399). In various embodiments, a control system can receive the detected environmental conditions of the bioreactor and compare them to the optimal set of environmental conditions. In various embodiments, the control system can operate hardware (e.g., valves) to introduce reagents, media, etc. into the bioreactor to adjust the environmental conditions toward the optimal set of environmental conditions.
In various embodiments, assays may be performed at any step during a cell therapy manufacturing process. Non-limiting examples of assays can comprise post sorting assays, T-cell activation assays, transduction assays, cell count assays, and cytotoxicity assays.
i. In-Line Quality Control Assays
It is widely known in the industry that maintaining sterility is important, yet difficult to provide, in cell therapy manufacturing processes. Maintaining a sterile environment can ensure contaminants, which can cause a run failure, are avoided. As such, various embodiments of the cell therapy manufacturing system allow for assays to be carried out without leaving the sterile interior of the system or cartridge.
In various embodiments, the post sorting assay can comprise drawing an aliquot of a sample,
In various embodiments, the assays can take place within analysis region(s) on the cartridge (see, e.g., 2770 of
ii. Exemplary Assay Method
In various embodiments, reagents for the various assays can be stored in one or more assay reagent reservoirs 3348a, 3348b, 3348c, 3348d, 3348e, 3348f. In various embodiments, an aliquot or micro-aliquot of fluid comprising T-cells can be removed from bioreactor 3399 and transferred to an analysis region 3334, 3336 for interrogation. In various embodiments, one or more valves 3320, 3326, 3328 may be actuated for creating a flow path. In various embodiments, one or more reagents can enter the analysis region 3334, 3336 and combine with the fluid comprising T-cells. In various embodiments, T-cells can be removed from the cell therapy manufacturing system post-interrogation to a waste receptacle 3344. In various embodiments, T-cells can be preserved and reintroduced into the process. In various embodiments, a cell therapy product can be assessed for potency using one of more of the cytotoxicity assays described herein.
T-Cell Therapies: Provided herein are methods of treating a subject in need of treatment including obtaining a sample comprising T lymphocytes from the subject according to various embodiments. In various embodiments, the subject has a cancer, and the T lymphocytes have the ability to fight the cancer (e.g., by specifically attacking and/or killing cancer cells). The cancer can be characterized by liquid tumors (e.g., a cancer of the blood, such as a leukemia or a lymphoma) or solid tumors (e.g., a sarcoma or a carcinoma). In various embodiments, a step of a method can comprise separating the T lymphocytes from other cells in the sample. In various embodiments, a step of a method can comprise contacting the T lymphocytes with an activating surface. The activating surface can include an antigen-presenting synthetic surface, which may include MHC molecules presenting a disease-related antigen (e.g., an antigen specific for a cancer of the subject). Alternatively, on in addition, the activating surface can comprise one or more broad-spectrum T cell agonists, such as a T cell receptor (TCR) signaling agonist (e.g., a CD3 agonist), a TCR co-activating molecule (e.g., a CD28 agonist), an adjunct TCR activating molecule (e.g., a CD2 agonist), or any combination thereof. In various embodiments, a step of a method can comprise producing a plurality of T lymphocytes activated and specific against the disease-related antigen (e.g., cancer antigen) of the subject. In various embodiments, producing the plurality of T lymphocytes specific against the disease-related antigen can include contacting the T lymphocytes in the sample obtained from the subject with a nucleic acid molecule encoding a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR), a TCR, or equivalent molecule capable of specifically binding the disease-related antigen and generating a population of T lymphocytes that stably express the CAR, TCR, or equivalent molecule. In various embodiments, a step of a method can comprise separating the plurality of specific activated T lymphocytes from non-activated T lymphocytes. In various embodiments, a step of a method can comprise introducing the plurality of specific activated T lymphocytes into the subject.
Also provided herein is a plurality of specific activated T lymphocytes for use in treating a disease, such as a cancer. The cancer can be characterized by liquid tumors (e.g., a cancer of the blood, such as a leukemia or a lymphoma) or solid tumors (e.g., a sarcoma or a carcinoma). In various embodiments, the plurality of specific activated T lymphocytes is prepared by a method including: obtaining a sample comprising T lymphocytes from the subject; separating the T lymphocytes from other cells in the sample; contacting the T lymphocytes with an activating surface; producing a plurality of T lymphocytes activated and specific against cells of the subject causing the disease (e.g., cancer cells); and separating the plurality of specific activated T lymphocytes from non-activated T lymphocytes. The activating surface can include an antigen-presenting synthetic surface, which may include MHC molecules presenting a disease-related antigen (e.g., an antigen specific for a cancer of the subject). Alternatively, on in addition, the activating surface can comprise one or more broad-spectrum T cell agonists, such as a T cell receptor (TCR) signaling agonist (e.g., a CD3 agonist), a TCR co-activating molecule (e.g., a CD28 agonist), an adjunct TCR activating molecule (e.g., a CD2 agonist), or any combination thereof. In various embodiments, the method of preparing the plurality of specific activated T lymphocytes can comprise contacting T lymphocytes in the sample obtained from the subject with a nucleic acid molecule encoding a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR), a TCR, or equivalent molecule capable of specifically binding a disease-related antigen and generating a population of T lymphocytes that stably express the CAR, TCR, or equivalent molecule.
Also provided herein is the use of a plurality of specific activated T lymphocytes for the manufacture of a medicament for treating a disease, such as a cancer, wherein the plurality of specific activated T lymphocytes is prepared by a method including: obtaining a sample comprising T lymphocytes from the subject; separating the T lymphocytes from other cells in the sample; contacting the T lymphocytes with an activating surface; producing a plurality of T lymphocytes activated and specific against the cancer of the subject; and separating the plurality of specific activated T lymphocytes from non-activated T lymphocytes. The cancer can be characterized by liquid tumors (e.g., a cancer of the blood, such as a leukemia or a lymphoma) or solid tumors (e.g., a sarcoma or a carcinoma). The activating surface can include an antigen-presenting synthetic surface, which may include MHC molecules presenting a disease-related antigen (e.g., an antigen specific for a cancer of the subject). Alternatively, on in addition, the activating surface can comprise one or more broad-spectrum T cell agonists, such as a T cell receptor (TCR) signaling agonist (e.g., a CD3 agonist), a TCR co-activating molecule (e.g., a CD28 agonist), an adjunct TCR activating molecule (e.g., a CD2 agonist), or any combination thereof. In various embodiments, the method of preparing the plurality of specific activated T lymphocytes can comprise contacting T lymphocytes in the sample obtained from the subject with a nucleic acid molecule encoding a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR), a TCR, or equivalent molecule capable of specifically binding a disease-related antigen and generating a population of T lymphocytes that stably express the CAR, TCR, or equivalent molecule.
Also provided is a method of treating a subject in need of treatment (e.g., a subject suffering from a cancer), where the method includes introducing a plurality of specific activated T lymphocytes into the subject, and the plurality of specific activated T lymphocytes were produced by a method described herein. Also provided is a method of treating a subject in need of treatment (e.g., a subject suffering from a cancer), where the method includes introducing a population of specific activated T lymphocytes described herein into the subject. Such methods can further comprise separating activated T lymphocytes from non-activated T lymphocytes. Also provided is a population of specific activated T lymphocytes described herein for use in treating a subject (e.g., a subject in need of treating a cancer). Also provided is a use of a plurality of specific activated T lymphocytes for the manufacture of a medicament for treating a subject in need of treatment (e.g., a subject suffering from a cancer), where the plurality of specific activated T lymphocytes were produced by a method described herein. Also provided is a use of a population of specific activated T lymphocytes described herein for the manufacture of a medicament for treating a subject in need of treatment (e.g., a subject suffering from a cancer). Such a plurality or population of specific activated T lymphocytes can be further prepared by separating activated T lymphocytes from non-activated T lymphocytes.
In various embodiments, separating the plurality of specific activated T lymphocytes may further include detecting surface biomarkers of the specific activated T lymphocytes.
In various embodiments, the specific activated T lymphocytes are autologous (i.e., derived from the subject to which they are to be administered). In various embodiment, the specific activated T lymphocytes are engineered, e.g., to express a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) or T cell receptor (TCR) that specifically recognizes a target antigen.
In various embodiments, the methods or the preparation of the plurality or population of specific activated T lymphocytes may further include rapidly expanding the activated T lymphocytes to provide an expanded population of activated T lymphocytes. In some embodiments, the rapid expansion may be performed after separating the specific activated T lymphocytes from the non-activated T lymphocytes. The generation of sufficient levels of T lymphocytes may be achieved using rapid expansion methods described herein or known in the art. See, e.g., the Examples below; Riddell, U.S. Pat. No. 5,827,642; Riddell et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,040,177, and Yee and Li, PCT Patent App. Pub. No. WO2009/045308 A2.
Uses of T cells in treatment of human subjects (e.g., for adoptive cell therapy) are known in the art. T cells prepared according to the methods described herein can be used in such methods. For example, adoptive cell therapy using tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes including MART-1 antigen specific T cells have been tested in the clinic (Powell et al., Blood 105:241-250, 2005). Also, administration of T cells coactivated with anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody and IL-2 was described in Chang et al., J. Clinical Oncology 21:884-890, 2003. Additional examples and/or discussion of T cell administration for the treatment of cancer are provided in Dudley et al., Science 298:850-854, 2002; Roszkowski et al., Cancer Res 65(4): 1570-76, 2005; Cooper et al., Blood 101: 1637-44, 2003; Yee, US Patent App. Pub. No. 2006/0269973; Yee and Li, PCT Patent App. Pub. No. WO2009/045308 A2; Gruenberg et al., US Patent App. Pub. No. 2003/0170238; Rosenberg, U.S. Pat. No. 4,690,915; and Alajez et al., Blood 105:4583-89, 2005.
In various embodiments, the cells are formulated by first harvesting them from their culture medium, and then washing and concentrating the cells in a medium suitable for administration (a “pharmaceutically acceptable” carrier) in a treatment-effective amount. Suitable infusion medium can be any isotonic medium formulation, typically normal saline, Normosol R (Abbott) or Plasma-Lyte A (Baxter), but also 5% dextrose in water or Ringer's lactate can be utilized. The infusion medium can be supplemented with human serum albumin.
In various embodiments, the number of cells in the composition is at least 10^9, or at least 10^10 cells. In some embodiments, a single dose can comprise at least 10 million, 100 million, 1 billion, or 10 billion cells. The number of cells administered is indication specific, patient specific (e.g., size of patient), and will also vary with the purity and phenotype of the administered cells. The number of cells will depend upon the ultimate use for which the composition is intended as will the type of cells included therein. For example, if cells that are specific for a particular antigen are desired, then the population may contain greater than 50%, e.g., greater than 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, or even 90-95%, of such antigen-specific cells. For uses provided herein, the cells are generally in a volume of a liter or less, e.g., 750 milliliters or less, 500 milliliters or less, 250 milliliters or less, or even 100 milliliters or less. Hence the density of the desired cells may be greater than 1^6 cells/ml, greater than 10^7 cells/ml, greater than 10^8 cells/ml, or even greater. The clinically relevant number of immune cells can be apportioned into multiple infusions that cumulatively equal or exceed 10^9, 10^10, or even 10^11 cells.
In various embodiments, T lymphocytes described herein or prepared according to a method described herein of the invention may be used to confer immunity to individuals against a tumor or cancer cells. By “immunity” is meant a lessening of one or more physical symptoms associated with cancer cells or a tumor against an antigen of which the lymphocytes have been activated. The cells may be administered by infusion. In various embodiments, each infusion can be in a range of at least 10^5 to 10^10 cells/m2, e.g., in the range of at least 10^5 to 1^6 cells/m2, at least 10^5 to 10^7 cells/m2, at least 10^5 to 10^8 cells/m2, at least 1^6 to 10^7 cells/m2, at least 10^6 to 10^8 cells/m2, at least 10^6 to 10^9 cells/m2, at least 10^7 to 10^8 cells/m2, at least 10^7 to 10^9 cells/m2, at least 10^7 to 10^10 cells/m2, at least 10^8 to 10^9 cells/m2, at least 10^8 to 10^10 cells/m2, or at least 10^9 to 10^10 cells/m2. The clones may be administered by a single infusion, or by multiple infusions over a range of time. However, since different individuals are expected to vary in responsiveness, the type and number of cells infused, as well as the number of infusions and the time range over which multiple infusions are given are determined by the attending physician, and can be determined by examination.
Following the transfer of cells back into patients, methods may be employed to maintain their viability by treating patients with cytokines that could include IL-21 and IL-2 (Bear et al., Cancer Immunol. Immunother 50:269-74, 2001; and Schultze et al., Br. J. Haematol. 113:455-60, 2001). In another embodiment, cells are cultured in the presence of IL-21 before administration to the patient. See, e.g., Yee, US Patent App. Pub. No. 2006/0269973. IL-21 can increase T cell frequency in a population comprising activated T cells to levels that are high enough for expansion and adoptive transfer without further antigen-specific T cell enrichment. Accordingly, such a step can further decrease the time to therapy and/or obviate a need for further selection and/or cloning.
A. Microfluidic Device
In various embodiments, a microfluidic device comprises a patterned antigen-presenting synthetic surface having a plurality of regions according to any of the foregoing embodiments. While the antigen-presenting surface of microfluidic device may be any microfluidic (or nanofluidic) device as described herein, the disclosure is not so limited. Other classes of microfluidic devices, including but not limited to microfluidic devices including microwells or microchambers such as described in WO2014/153651, WO2016/115337, or WO2017/124101, may be modified to either incorporate an antigen presenting surface as described in this section, or may be used in combination with the antigen-presenting beads or antigen-presenting wafers as described herein in the methods described in this disclosure.
In various embodiments, the antigen-presenting synthetic surface is an inner surface of a microfluidic device comprising one or more sequestration pens and a channel. At least part of a surface within one or more such sequestration pens may comprise a plurality of primary activating molecular ligands and a plurality of co-activating molecular ligands, e.g., comprising TCR co-activating molecules and/or adjunct TCR activating molecules. The primary activating molecular ligands and the co-activating molecular ligands may be any described above for antigen-presenting surfaces, and may be present in any concentration or combination as described above. The nature of the ligands attachment to the surface of the microfluidic device may be any described above as for antigen-presenting surfaces. In various embodiments, this surface within the one or more such sequestration pens can further comprise one or more of surface-blocking molecular ligands, growth stimulatory molecular ligands, additional stimulatory molecular ligands, and adhesion stimulatory molecular ligands. At least part of a surface of the channel may comprise surface-blocking molecular ligands, e.g., any of the regions configured to substantially exclude the primary activating molecular ligands described herein. In various embodiments, the surface of the channel comprises surface-blocking molecular ligands and optionally other non-stimulatory ligands, but is substantially free of other ligands present on the surface of the sequestration pen, e.g., primary activating molecular ligands and co-activating molecular ligands.
B. Modulation of Cell-to-Surface Adhesion
In various embodiments, it can be useful to modulate the capacity for cells to adhere to surfaces within the microfluidic device. A surface that has substantially hydrophilic character may not provide anchoring points for cells requiring mechanical stress of adherence to grow and expand appropriately. A surface that presents an excess of such anchoring moieties may prevent successfully growing adherent cells from being exported from within a sequestration pen and out of the microfluidic device. In various embodiments, a covalently bound surface modification comprises surface contact moieties to help anchor adherent cells. The structures of the surfaces described herein and the methods of preparing them provide the ability to select the quantity of anchoring moieties that may be desirable for a particular use. A very small percentage of adherent type motifs may be needed to provide a sufficiently adhesion enhancing environment. In various embodiments, the adhesion enhancing moieties are prepared before cells are introduced to the microfluidic device. Alternatively, an adhesion enhancing modified surface may be provided before introducing cells, and a further addition of another adhesion enhancing moiety may be made, which is designed to attach to the first modified surface either covalently or non-covalently (e.g., as in the base of biotin/streptavidin binding).
In various embodiments, adhesion enhancing surface modifications may modify the surface in a random pattern of individual molecules of a surface modifying ligand. In various embodiments, a more concentrated pattern of adhesion enhancing surface modifications may be introduced by using polymers containing multiple adhesion enhancing motifs such as positively charged lysine side chains, which can create small regions of surface modification surrounded by the remainder of the surface, which may have hydrophilic surface modifications to modulate the adhesion enhancement. This may be further elaborated by use of dendritic polymers, having multiple adhesion enhancing ligands. A dendritic polymer type surface modifying compound or reagent may be present in a very small proportion relative to a second surface modification having only hydrophilic surface contact moieties, while still providing adhesion enhancement. Further a dendritic polymer type surface modifying compound or reagent may itself have a mixed set of end functionalities which can additionally modulate the behavior of the overall surface.
In various embodiments, it may be desirable to provide regioselective introduction of surfaces. For example, in the context of a microfluidic device comprising a microfluidic channel and sequestration pens, it may be desirable to provide a first type of surface within the microfluidic channel while providing a surface within the sequestration pens opening off of the channel that provides the ability to both culture adherent-type cells successfully as well as easily export them (e.g., using dielectrophoretic or other forces) when desired. In some embodiments, the adhesion enhancing modifications may include cleavable moieties. The cleavable moieties may be cleavable under conditions compatible with the cells being cultured within, such that at any desired timepoint, the cleavable moiety may be cleaved, and the nature of the surface may alter to be less enhancing for adhesion. The underlying cleaved surface may be usefully non-fouling such that export is enhanced at that time. While the examples discussed herein focus on modulating adhesion and motility, the use of these region selectively modified surfaces are not so limited. Different surface modifications for any kind of benefit for cells being cultured therein may be incorporated into the surface having a first and a second surface modification according to the disclosure.
Exemplary adherent motifs that may be used include poly-L-lysine, amine and the like, and the tripeptide sequence RGD, which is available as a biotinylated reagent and is easily adaptable to the methods described herein. Other larger biomolecules that may be used include fibronectin, laminin or collagen, amongst others. A surface modification having a structure of Formula XXVI as defined in WO2017/205830, including a polyglutamic acid surface contact moiety, can induce adherent cells to attach and grow viably. Another motif that may assist in providing an adherent site is an Elastin Like Peptide (ELP), which includes a repeat sequence of VPGXG, where X is a variable amino acid which can modulate the effects of the motif.
In various embodiments, in the context of a microfluidic device comprising a microfluidic channel and sequestration pens, a surface of the flow region (e.g., microfluidic channel) may be modified with a first covalently bound surface modification and a surface of the at least one sequestration pen may be modified with a second covalently bound surface modification, wherein the first and the second covalently bound surface modification have different surface contact moieties, different reactive moieties, or a combination thereof. The first and the second covalently bound surface modifications may be selected from any of Formula XXX, Formula V, Formula VII, Formula XXXI, Formula VIII, and/or Formula IX, all of which are as defined in WO2017/205830. When the first and the second covalently bound surface modifications both include functionalized surface of Formula XXX, Formula V, or Formula VII as defined in WO2017/205830, then orthogonal reaction chemistries are selected for the choice of the first reactive moiety and the second reactive moiety. In various embodiments, all the surfaces of the flow region may be modified with the first covalent surface modification and all the surfaces of the at least one sequestration pen may be modified with the second covalent modification.
Turning to
The intermediate reactive surface is then treated with functionalizing reagents including binding moieties BM, where the functionalizing reagents react with the reactive moieties RM to introduce binding moiety BM ligands. The binding moieties so introduced may be any binding moiety BM described herein. The binding moiety BM may be streptavidin or biotin. In various embodiments, the binding moiety BM is streptavidin which is covalently attached via a linker to the covalently functionalized surface, through a reaction with a reactive moiety RM. In various embodiments, the covalently functionalized surface may introduce a streptavidin binding moiety non-covalently, in a two-part structure. This two-part structure is introduced by contacting the intermediate reactive surface with a first functionalizing reagent to introduce a biotin moiety covalently attached via a linker through reaction with the reactive moieties RM. Subsequent introduction of streptavidin, as a second functionalizing reagent, provides the covalently functionalized surface wherein the binding moiety BM, streptavidin, is non-covalently attached to a biotin moiety which itself is covalently attached to the surface. Surface-blocking molecular ligands SB′ may be introduced at the same time as the introduction of the binding moieties or may be introduced to the covalently functionalized surface subsequent to the introduction of the binding moieties. The surface-blocking molecular ligands SB′ may be any surface-blocking molecular ligand as described herein and may be the same as or different from surface-blocking molecular ligands SB, if surface-blocking molecular ligands SB are present. In some embodiments, surface-blocking molecular ligands SB may be present and there may be no surface-blocking molecular ligands SB′. Alternatively, there may be surface-blocking molecular ligands SB′ but no surface-blocking molecular ligands SB. In some embodiments, both surface-blocking molecular ligands SB and SB′ are present. Without being bound by theory, there may be some reactive moieties RM left unreacted upon the covalently functionalized surface but there are insufficient numbers of reactive moieties RM present to prevent the product antigen presenting synthetic surface from functioning. Primary activating ligands MHC and Co-Activating Ligands Co-A1 and Co-A2 are introduced by reacting the binding moieties BM, of the covalently functionalized surface, with appropriate activating ligand reagents, providing the antigen-presenting synthetic surface. Co-A1 and Co-A2 may be the same or different co-activating ligands. For example, Co-A1 and Co-A2 can comprise one, the other, or collectively both of a TCR co-activating molecule and a TCR adjunct activating molecule. Co-A1 and/or Co-A2, may be any combination of TCR co-activating molecule and a TCR adjunct activating molecule as described herein. In various embodiments, the primary activating ligand MHC may be introduced to the covalently functionalized surface, before the covalently functionalized surface is contacted with the co-activating ligands Co-Ai and/or Co-A2. In various embodiments, the primary activating ligand MHC may be introduced to the covalently functionalized surface concurrently with or subsequently to the introduction of the Co-Activating ligands Co-A1 and Co-A2. In some embodiments, not shown in
A method of preparing an antigen-presenting synthetic surface for activating a T lymphocyte (T cell), is provided, comprising: reacting a plurality of primary activating molecules, with a first plurality of binding moieties of a covalently functionalized synthetic surface comprising binding moieties (e.g., a biotin-binding agent such as streptavidin, or biotin moieties that are noncovalently associated with a biotin-binding agent such as streptavidin), wherein each of the first plurality of binding moieties is configured for binding the primary activating molecule; and reacting a plurality of co-activating molecules, each comprising: a T cell receptor (TCR) co-activating molecule; or an adjunct TCR activating molecule, with a second plurality of binding moieties of the covalently functionalized synthetic surface, wherein each of the second plurality of binding moieties is configured for binding the co-activating molecule, thereby providing a plurality of specifically bound primary activating molecular ligands and a plurality of specifically bound co-activating molecular ligands on the antigen-presenting synthetic surface.
Also provided is a covalently functionalized synthetic surface comprising binding moieties (e.g., a biotin-binding agent such as streptavidin, or biotin moieties that are noncovalently associated with a biotin-binding agent such as streptavidin) and at least a first plurality of surface-blocking molecular ligands. To the extent that the following discussion describes features of a covalently functionalized synthetic surface, it applies both to embodiments of the covalently functionalized synthetic surface and to embodiments of methods of preparing an antigen-presenting surface in which a covalently functionalized synthetic surface is used.
The covalently functionalized synthetic surface may be any of the surface types described herein, e.g., a bead, wafer, inner surface of a microfluidic device, or tube (e.g., glass or polymer tube). The surface material may comprise, e.g., metal, glass, ceramic, polymer, or a metal oxide. The microfluidic device may be any microfluidic device as described herein, and may have any combination of features. The bead can be a bead with a surface-area that is within 10% of the surface-area of a sphere of an equal volume or diameter, as discussed herein in the section regarding antigen-presenting synthetic surfaces. In some embodiments, the bead may be a bead having a surface area that exceeds 10% of the surface area of a sphere of an equal volume or diameter, as discussed herein for antigen presenting surfaces. In various embodiments, the bead is not a bead that has a surface area that exceeds 10% of the surface area of a sphere of an equal volume or diameter, as discussed herein for antigen presenting surfaces.
The primary activating molecules and co-activating molecules may each be any such molecule described herein, and any combination thereof may be used. Thus, a primary activating molecule can comprise an MHC molecule and, optionally, an antigenic peptide; and a co-activating molecule can comprise any of the TCR co-activating molecules described herein or any of the adjunct TCR activating molecules described herein.
In various embodiments, reacting a plurality of primary activating molecules with a first plurality of binding moieties of a covalently functionalized synthetic surface comprising binding moieties comprises forming a noncovalent association between the primary activating molecules and the binding moieties. For example, the primary activating molecules can comprise biotin and the binding moieties can comprise a biotin-binding agent such as streptavidin (e.g., which may be covalently bound to the surface or which may be non-covalently bound to a second biotin which itself is covalently bound to the surface). In some embodiments, the biotin-binding agent such as streptavidin is linked to the surface through a series of about 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70 , 75, 80, 85, 95, 100, 200 bond lengths, or any number of bond lengths therebetween. For example, the biotin-binding agent may be linked to the surface through a series of one or more linkers having a selected length as described. In another example, both the binding moieties and the primary activating molecules can comprise biotin and a free, multivalent biotin-binding agent, such as streptavidin, can be used as a noncovalent linking agent. Any other suitable noncovalent binding pair, such as those described elsewhere herein, can also be used.
Alternatively, reacting a plurality of primary activating molecules with a first plurality of binding moieties of a covalently functionalized synthetic surface comprising binding moieties can comprise forming a covalent bond. For example, an azide-alkyne reaction (such as any of those described elsewhere herein) can be used to form the covalent bond, where the primary activating molecules and the binding moieties comprise, respectively, an azide and an alkyne, or an alkyne and an azide. Other reaction pairs may be used, as is known in the art, including but not limited to maleimide and sulfides. More generally, exemplary functionalities useful for forming covalent bonds include azide, carboxylic acid and active esters thereof, succinimide ester, maleimide, keto, sulfonyl halides, sulfonic acid, dibenzocyclooctyne, alkene, alkyne, and the like. Skilled artisans are familiar with appropriate combinations and reaction conditions for forming covalent bonds using such moieties.
Where the covalently functionalized synthetic surface comprises a covalently associated biotin, the surface can further comprise noncovalently associated biotin-binding agent (e.g., streptavidin), such that the surface can be reacted with primary activating molecules and co-activating molecules that comprise biotin moieties. In some embodiments, the method of preparing an antigen-presenting synthetic surface comprises reacting a covalently functionalized synthetic surface comprising a covalently associated biotin with a biotin-binding agent (e.g., streptavidin), and then with primary activating molecules and co-activating molecules comprising biotin moieties. In some embodiments, the biotin of the covalently functionalized surface is linked to the surface through a series of about 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70 , 75, 80, 85, 95, 100, 200 bond lengths, or any number of bond lengths therebetween.
In various embodiments, the reaction provides any of the densities described herein of primary activating molecular ligands on the surface, such as about 4×102 to about 3×104, 4×102 to about 2×103, about 5×103 to about 3×104, about 5×103 to about 2×104, or about 1×104 to about 2×104 molecules per square micron.
In various embodiments, reacting a plurality of co-activating molecules, each comprising: a T cell receptor (TCR) co-activating molecule; or an adjunct TCR activating molecule, with a second plurality of binding moieties of the covalently functionalized synthetic surface comprises forming a noncovalent association between the co-activating molecules and the binding moieties. Any of the embodiments described above or set forth in any embodiments disclosed herein with respect to primary activating molecules involving noncovalent binding pairs such as biotin and a biotin-binding agent such as streptavidin may be used.
Alternatively, reacting a plurality of co-activating molecules with a second plurality of binding moieties of the covalently functionalized synthetic surface can comprise forming a covalent bond. For example, an azide-alkyne reaction (such as any of those described elsewhere herein) can be used to form the covalent bond, where the primary activating molecules and the binding moieties comprise, respectively, an azide and an alkyne, or an alkyne and an azide.
In various embodiments, the reaction provides any of the densities described herein of co-activating molecular ligands on the surface, such as from about 4×102 to about 3×104, 4×102 to about 2×103, about 5×103 to about 3×104, about 5×103 to about 2×104, or about 1×104 to about 2×104 molecules per square micron.
In various embodiments, the reaction provides TCR co-activating molecules and adjunct TCR activating molecules on the surface in any of the ratios described herein, such as 100:1 to 1:100, 10:1 to 1:20, 5:1 to 1:5, or 3:1 to 1:3, wherein each of the foregoing values can be modified by “about.”
In various embodiments, the reactions described above or set forth in any embodiments disclosed herein provide primary activating molecular ligands and co-activating molecular ligands on the surface in any of the ratios described herein, such as about 1:1 to about 2:1; about 1:1; or about 3:1 to about 1:3.
In various embodiments, a method of preparing an antigen-presenting surface further comprises reacting a plurality of surface-blocking molecules with a third plurality of binding moieties of the covalently functionalized surface, wherein each of the binding moieties of the third plurality is configured for binding the surface-blocking molecule. Any surface-blocking molecule described elsewhere herein may be used. Any of the reaction approaches described herein for forming noncovalent associations or a covalent bond may be used.
In various embodiments, a method of preparing an antigen-presenting surface further comprises reacting a plurality of adhesion stimulatory molecular ligands, wherein each adhesion stimulatory molecular ligand includes a ligand for a cell adhesion receptor including an ICAM protein sequence, with a fourth plurality of binding moieties of the covalently functionalized bead, wherein each of the binding moieties of the fourth plurality is configured for binding with the cell adhesion receptor ligand molecule. Any of the reaction approaches described herein for forming noncovalent associations or a covalent bond may be used.
In various embodiments, a method of preparing an antigen-presenting surface further comprises producing the intermediate reactive surface. This can include, e.g., reacting at least a first portion of surface-exposed moieties disposed at a surface of a synthetic reactive surface with a plurality of intermediate preparation molecules including reactive moieties, thereby producing the intermediate reactive surface. Methods of preparing a covalently functionalized surface, which can be used as the intermediate reactive surface, are described in detail elsewhere herein. Producing the intermediate reactive surface can comprise any of the features described herein with respect to methods of preparing a covalently functionalized surface.
In various embodiments, the methods further comprise modulating the capacity for cells to adhere to surfaces within the microfluidic device, e.g., by providing anchoring points for cells requiring mechanical stress of adherence to grow and expand appropriately. This can be accomplished by introducing a covalently bound surface modification comprising surface contact moieties to help anchor adherent cells. Any of the surface contact moieties described elsewhere herein can be used.
The covalently functionalized synthetic surface can comprise moieties suitable for use in any of the reactions described herein.
Also provided is a method of preparing a covalently functionalized surface including a plurality of streptavidin or biotin functionalities and at least a first plurality of surface-blocking molecular ligands, wherein the method includes: reacting at least a first subset of reactive moieties of an intermediate reactive synthetic surface with a plurality of linking reagents, each linking reagent including streptavidin or biotin; and reacting at least a second subset of reactive moieties of the intermediate reactive synthetic surface with a plurality of surface-blocking molecules, thereby providing the covalently functionalized synthetic surface including at the least one plurality of streptavidin or biotin functionalities and at the least first plurality of surface-blocking molecular ligands. Generally, only one or the other of a linking reagent including streptavidin or a linking reagent including biotin is used. The intermediate reactive synthetic surface may be any of the surface types described herein, e.g., a bead, wafer, inner surface of a microfluidic device, or tube (e.g., glass or polymer tube). The surface material may comprise, e.g., metal, glass, ceramic, polymer, or a metal oxide. The antigen-presenting microfluidic device may be any microfluidic device as described herein, and may have any combination of features. The bead can be a bead with a surface-area is within 10% of the surface-area of a sphere of an equal volume or diameter, as discussed herein in the section regarding antigen-presenting synthetic surfaces.
In embodiments in which the linking reagents include biotin, the method can further comprise noncovalently associating streptavidin with the biotin. In such embodiments, with reference to
In some embodiments, the reactive moieties of an intermediate reactive synthetic surface are linked to the surface through a series of 5, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, or, in some embodiments, greater numbers of bonds. For example, the reactive moieties can be linked through a series of 15 bonds, e.g., using (11-(X)undecyl)trimethoxy silane, where X is the reactive moiety (e.g., X can be azido). With respect to linking reagents including biotin, biotin can then be covalently associated using a linking reagent such as one having the general structure DBCO-PEG4-biotin (commercially available from BroadPharm). In some embodiments, the biotin is linked to the surface through a series of about 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70 , 75, 80, 85, 95, 100, 200 bond lengths, or any number of bond lengths therebetween. . With respect to linking reagents including streptavidin, streptavidin can then be covalently associated using a linking reagent such as one having the general structure DBCO-PEG13-succinimide, followed by reaction of streptavidin with the succinimide. In some embodiments, the streptavidin is linked to the surface through a series of about 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70 , 75, 80, 85, 95, 100, 200 bond lengths, or any number of bond lengths therebetween. The number of bonds through which a moiety is linked to a surface can be varied, e.g., by using reagents similar to those mentioned above but with alkylene and/or PEG chains of different lengths.
In various embodiments, the reactive moieties of at least first region of the intermediate reactive synthetic surface include azide moieties. In some embodiments, covalent bonds are formed through an azide-alkyne reaction, such as any azide-alkyne reaction described elsewhere herein.
In various embodiments, the covalently functionalized synthetic surface includes a second region wherein the plurality of streptavidin functionalities is excluded. In some embodiments, the at least first plurality of surface-blocking molecular ligands are disposed in the second region of the covalently functionalized synthetic surface.
In various embodiments, a method further includes reacting a second plurality of surface-blocking molecules with a second subset of reactive moieties in the at least first region of the intermediate reactive synthetic surface.
In various embodiments, the reacting of the plurality of streptavidin functionalities and the reacting of the at least first plurality of surface-blocking molecules is performed at a plurality of sub-regions of the at least first region of the covalently prepared synthetic surface including reactive moieties.
In various embodiments, the second portion of the reactive synthetic surface includes surface exposed moieties configured to substantially not react with the pluralities of the primary activating and co-activating molecules.
In various embodiments, a method further includes preparing the intermediate reactive synthetic surface, including reacting at least a first surface preparing reagent including azide reactive moieties with surface-exposed moieties disposed at least a first region of a reactive synthetic surface.
In various embodiments, the surface-exposed moieties are nucleophilic moieties. In some embodiments, the nucleophilic moiety of the surface is a hydroxide, amino or thiol. In some other embodiments, the nucleophilic moiety of the surface may be a hydroxide.
In various embodiments, the surface-exposed moieties are displaceable moieties.
In various embodiments, where two modifying reagents are used, the reaction of the first modifying reagent and the reaction of the second modifying reagent with the surface may occur at random locations upon the surface. In other embodiments, the reaction of the first modifying reagent may occurs within a first region of the surface and reaction of the second modifying reagent may occur within a second region of the surface abutting the first region. For example, the surfaces within the channel of a microfluidic device may be selectively modified with a first surface modification and the surfaces within the sequestration pen, which abut the surfaces within the channel, may be selectively modified with a second, different surface modification.
In various embodiments, the reaction of the first modifying reagent may occurs within a plurality of first regions separated from each other on the at least one surface, and the reaction of the second modifying reaction may occur at a second region surrounding the plurality of first regions separated from each other.
In various embodiments, modification of one or more surfaces of a microfluidic device to introduce a combination of a first surface modification and a second surface modification may be performed after the microfluidic device has been assembled. For one nonlimiting example, the first and second surface modification may be introduced by chemical vapor deposition after assembly of the microfluidic device. In another nonlimiting example, a functionalized surface having a first surface modification having a first reactive moiety and a second surface modification having a second, orthogonal reactive moiety may be introduced. Differential conversion to two different surface modifying ligands having two different surface contact moieties can follow.
In various embodiments, at least one of the combination of first and second surface modification may be performed before assembly of the microfluidic device. In some embodiments, modifying the at least one surface may be performed after assembly of the microfluidic device.
In various embodiments, a covalently functionalized surface is prepared comprising a binding agent. In some embodiments, the distribution of the plurality of binding agent (e.g., plurality of multivalent binding agent, such as a tetravalent binding agent, e.g., streptavidin functionalities, which may be covalently associated or noncovalently associated with a covalently bound biotin) on the covalently functionalized synthetic surface is from about 6×102 to about 5×103 molecules per square micron, in each region where it is attached. In some embodiments, the distribution of the plurality of binding agent (e.g., plurality of multivalent binding agent, such as a trivalent binding agent) is about 1.5×103 to about 1×104, about 1.5×103 to about 7.5×103, or about 3×103 to about 7.5×103 molecules per square micron, in each region where it is attached. In some embodiments, the distribution of the plurality of binding agent (e.g., plurality of multivalent binding agent, such as a divalent binding agent) is about 2.5×103 to about 1.5×104, about 2.5×103 to about 1×104, or about 5×103 to about 1×104 molecules per square micron, in each region where it is attached. In some embodiments, the distribution of the plurality of binding agent (e.g., plurality of monovalent binding agent) is about 5×103 to about 3×104, about 5×103 to about 2×104, or about 1×104 to about 2×104 molecules per square micron, in each region where it is attached.
In various embodiments, a covalently functionalized surface is prepared comprising a binding agent, in which the distribution of the plurality of binding agent (e.g., streptavidin functionalities, which may be covalently associated or noncovalently associated with a covalently bound biotin) on the covalently functionalized synthetic surface is from about 1×104 to about 1×106 molecules per square micron, in each region where it is attached.
In various embodiments, a combined method comprising preparing a covalently functionalized surface and then preparing an antigen-presenting synthetic surface is provided. As such, any suitable combination of steps for preparing the covalently functionalized surface and steps for preparing the antigen-presenting synthetic surface may be used.
Any method of preparing a surface described herein, including methods of preparing an antigen-presenting synthetic surface and methods of preparing a covalently functionalized surface, may further comprise one or more of the following aspects. A covalently functionalized surface may further comprise one or more of the following aspects applicable to such surfaces, such as reactive groups.
In various embodiments, covalent bonds are formed by reacting an alkyne, such as an acyclic alkyne, with an azide. For example, a “Click” cyclization reaction may be performed, which is catalyzed by a copper (I) salt. When a copper (I) salt is used to catalyze the reaction, the reaction mixture may optionally include other reagents which can enhance the rate or extent of reaction. When an alkyne, e.g., of a surface modifying reagent or a functionalized surface is a cyclooctyne, the “Click” cyclization reaction with an azide of the corresponding functionalized surface or the surface modifying reagent may be copper-free. A “Click” cyclization reaction can thereby be used to couple a surface modifying ligand to a functionalized surface to form a covalently modified surface.
Any suitable copper (I) catalyst may be used. In some embodiments, copper (I) iodide, copper (I) chloride, copper (I) bromide or another copper (I) salt. In other embodiments, a copper (II) salt may be used in combination with a reducing agent such as ascorbate to generate a copper (I) species in situ. Copper sulfate or copper acetate are non-limiting examples of a suitable copper (II) salt. In other embodiments, a reducing agent such as ascorbate may be present in combination with a copper (I) salt to ensure sufficient copper (I) species during the course of the reaction. Copper metal may be used to provide Cu(I) species in a redox reaction also producing Cu(II) species. Coordination complexes of copper such as [CuBr(PPh3)3], silicotungstate complexes of copper, [Cu(CH3CN)4]PF6, or (Eto)3P Cul may be used. In yet other embodiments, silica supported copper catalyst, copper nanoclusters or copper/cuprous oxide nanoparticles may be employed as the catalyst.
As described above, reducing agents such as sodium ascorbate may be used to permit copper (I) species to be maintained throughout the reaction, even if oxygen is not rigorously excluded from the reaction. Other auxiliary ligands may be included in the reaction mixture, to stabilize the copper (I) species. Triazolyl containing ligands can be used, including but not limited to tris(benzyl-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl) methylamine (TBTA) or 3[tris(3-hydroxypropyltriazolylmethyl)amine (THPTA). Another class of auxiliary ligand that can be used to facilitate reaction is a sulfonated bathophenanthroline, which is water soluble, as well, and can be used when oxygen can be excluded. Other chemical couplings as are known in the art may be used to couple a surface modifying reagent to a functionalized surface.
The surface to be modified may be cleaned before modification to ensure that the nucleophilic moieties on the surface are freely available for reaction, e.g., not covered by oils or adhesives. Cleaning may be accomplished by any suitable method including treatment with solvents including alcohols or acetone, sonication, steam cleaning and the like. Alternatively, or in addition, such pre-cleaning can include cleaning (e.g., of the cover, the microfluidic circuit material, and/or the substrate in the context of components of a microfluidic device) in an oxygen plasma cleaner, which can remove various impurities, while at the same time introducing an oxidized surface (e.g., oxides at the surface, which may be covalently modified as described herein). Alternatively, liquid-phase treatments, such as a mixture of hydrochloric acid and hydrogen peroxide or a mixture of sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide (e.g., piranha solution, which may have a ratio of sulfuric acid to hydrogen peroxide from about 3:1 to about 7:1) may be used in place of an oxygen plasma cleaner. This can advantageously provide more sites for modification on the surface, thereby providing a more closely packed modified surface layer.
A surface of a material that may be used as a component of a microfluidic device may be modified before assembly thereof. Alternatively, a partially or completely constructed microfluidic device may be modified such that all surfaces that will contact biomaterials including biomolecules and/or micro-objects (which may include biological micro-objects) are modified at the same time. In some embodiments, the entire interior of a device and/or apparatus may be modified, even if there are differing materials at different surfaces within the device and/or apparatus. This discussion also applies to the methods of preparing an antigen-presenting synthetic surface described herein.
When an interior surface of a microfluidic device reacted with a surface modifying reagent, the reaction may be performed by flowing a solution of the surface modifying reagent into and through the microfluidic device.
In various embodiments, the surface modifying reagent may be used in a liquid phase surface modification reaction, e.g., wherein the surface modifying reagent is provided in solution, such as an aqueous solution. Other useful solvents include aqueous dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), DMF, acetonitrile, or an alcohol may be used. For example, surfaces activated with tosyl groups or labeled with epoxy groups can be modified in liquid phase reactions. Reactions to couple biotin or proteins such as antibodies, MHCs, or streptavidin to a binding moiety can also be performed as liquid phase reactions.
The reaction may be performed at room temperature or at elevated temperatures. In some embodiments, the reaction is performed at a temperature in a range from about 15° C. to about 60° C.; about 15° C. to about 55° C.; about 15° C. to about 50° C.; about 20° C. to about 45° C. In some embodiments, the reaction to convert a functionalized surface of a microfluidic device to a covalently modified surface is performed at a temperature of about 15° C., 20° C., 25° C., 30° C., 35° C., 40° C., 45° C., 50° C., 55° C., or about 60° C.
Alternatively, a surface modifying reagent may be used in a vapor phase surface modification reaction. For example, silica surfaces and other surfaces comprising hydroxyl groups can be modified in a vapor phase reaction. In some embodiments, a surface (e.g., a silicon surface) is treated with plasma (e.g., using an oxygen plasma cleaner; see the Examples for exemplary treatment conditions). In some embodiments, a surface, such as a plasma treated and/or silicon surface, is reacted under vacuum with a preparing reagent, e.g., comprising a methoxysilane and an azide, such as (11-azidoundecyl) trimethoxy silane. The preparing reagent can be provided initially in liquid form in a vessel separate from the surface and can be vaporized to render it available for reaction with the surface. A water source such as a hydrated salt, e.g., magnesium sulfate heptahydrate can also be provided, e.g., in a further separate vessel. For example, foil boat(s) in the bottom of a vacuum reactor can be used as the separate vessel(s). Exemplary reaction conditions and procedures include pumping the chamber to about 750 mTorr using a vacuum pump and then sealing the chamber. The vacuum reactor can then be incubated at a higher-than ambient temperature for an appropriate length of time, e.g., by placing it within an oven heated at 110° C. for 24-48 h. Following the reaction period, the chamber can be allowed to cool and an inert gas such as argon can be introduced to the evacuated chamber. The surface can be rinsed with one or more appropriate liquids such as acetone and/or isopropanol, and then dried under a stream of inert gas such as nitrogen. Confirmation of introduction of the modified surface can be obtained using techniques such as ellipsometry and contact angle goniometry.
Additional modified surfaces, surface-modifying reagents, and related methods that can be employed in accordance with this disclosure are described in WO2017/205830, published Nov. 30, 2017, which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.
An activated T lymphocyte (e.g., a T-cell) produced by any method described herein is provided. Specifically, T-cells
In various embodiments, the activated T lymphocytes can be CD45RO+. In some embodiments, the activated T lymphocytes can be CD28+. In some embodiments, the activated T lymphocytes can be CD28+CD45RO+. In some embodiments, the activated T lymphocytes can be CD197+. In some embodiments, the activated T lymphocytes can be CD127+. In some embodiments, the activated T lymphocytes can be positive for CD28, CD45RO, CD127 and CD197, at least any combination of three of the foregoing markers, or at least any combination of two of the foregoing markers. The activated T lymphocytes with any of the foregoing phenotypes can further be CD8+. In some embodiments, any of the foregoing phenotypes that is CD28+ comprises a CD28high phenotype.
In various embodiments, a population of T cells comprising activated T cells produced by any method described herein is provided. The population can have any of the features described above for T cell populations.
In various embodiments, a microfluidic device is provided comprising a population of T cells provided herein. The microfluidic device can be any of the antigen-presenting microfluidic devices or other microfluidic devices (e.g., for performing an antigen-specific cytotoxicity assay) described herein.
In various embodiments, a pharmaceutical composition is provided comprising a population of T cells provided herein. The pharmaceutical composition can further comprise, e.g., saline, glucose, and/or Human Serum Albumin. The composition may be an aqueous composition and can be provided in frozen or liquid form. A pharmaceutical composition can be provided as a single dose, e.g., within a syringe, and can comprise 10 million, 100 million, 1 billion, or 10 billion cells. The number of cells administered is indication specific, patient specific (e.g., size of patient), and will also vary with the purity and phenotype of the administered cells.
A. Methods of performing an antigen-specific cytotoxicity assay
Provided herein is a method of performing an antigen-specific cytotoxicity assay, comprising:
loading one or more target cells into a sequestration pen of a microfluidic device; loading one or more T cells in the sequestration pen, such that the one or more T cells can contact the one or more target cells; contacting the target cells with a detectable marker that labels apoptotic cells; and detecting whether the target cells become apoptotic.
The microfluidic device can be any device described herein. The microfluidic device included in a kit for performing an antigen-specific cytotoxicity assay need not comprise an antigen-presenting synthetic surface. The one or more T cells can be produced or activated according to any method described herein for producing or activating such cells. Any type of CD8+ T cell described herein can be used. In some embodiments, the one or more T cells express a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR). In some embodiments, the one or more T cells do not express a CAR.
The target cells can express a tumor antigen, such as any of the tumor antigens described herein. In some embodiments, the T cell is specific for the antigen expressed by the target cells. In some embodiments, the target cells are from an immortal cell line and/or are derived from a cancer such as a melanoma, breast cancer, or lung cancer.
In various embodiments, a single target cell and/or a single T cell is loaded into the sequestration pen. In some embodiments, a plurality of target cells and/or a plurality of T cells are loaded into the sequestration pen. In some embodiments, the plurality of T cells is a clonal population. In some embodiments, a single T cell and plurality of target cells are loaded into the sequestration pen.
Loading cells into the sequestration pen may be performed using gravity, e.g., by tilting the microfluidic device so that cells are pulled gravitationally into the pen. Alternatively, with a microfluidic device having a dielectrophoresis (DEP) configuration, DEP force can be used to load the cells. In some embodiments, the DEP force is activated by structured light.
Any suitable marker that labels apoptotic cells can be used. Markers that label apoptotic cells include those that label dead cells distinguishably from live cells, e.g., dyes that do not cross live cell membranes but do cross compromised dead cell membranes, and labels that are dependent on an apoptosis-associated protein or enzymatic activity (e.g., an apoptosis-associated protease) for labeling. In some embodiments, the marker comprises a nucleic acid-binding moiety. In some embodiments, the marker is a fluorogenic or cleavable marker that is activated by cleavage by a protease, such as an apoptosis-associated protease, such as a caspase, e.g., caspase-3. In some embodiments, the marker comprises a binding agent (e.g., antibody) that specifically binds to apoptotic cells and/or apoptotic bodies; the binding agent can further comprise a detectable moiety, such as a fluorophore.
The method can comprise detecting whether target cells have become apoptotic one time or periodically, e.g., two, three, or more times. The method can comprise detecting whether target cells have become apoptotic 2 or more hours after contacting the cells with the marker and/or the T cell(s).
Also provided herein are kits for performing an antigen-specific cytotoxicity assay. In some embodiments, the kit comprises a microfluidic device. The microfluidic device can be any of the microfluidic devices described herein. In some embodiments, the microfluidic device is as described above in the section regarding methods for performing an antigen-specific cytotoxicity assay or as set forth in any embodiments disclosed herein. The microfluidic device included in a kit for performing an antigen-specific cytotoxicity assay need not comprise an antigen-presenting synthetic surface. In some embodiments, the kit comprises a reagent for detecting apoptotic cells. In some embodiments, the reagent for detecting apoptotic cells is a detectable marker that labels apoptotic cells as described above in the section regarding methods for performing an antigen-specific cytotoxicity assay or as set forth in any embodiments disclosed herein.
A kit is also provided for preparing an antigen-presenting synthetic surface for activating a T lymphocyte (T cell), including: a any covalently functionalized synthetic surface as described herein, which includes a plurality of noncovalently or covalently associated first coupling agents; and a first modification reagent including a plurality of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) I molecules configured to bind with a T cell receptor of the T cell, and further wherein the MHC molecules are configured to bind to one of a first subset of the plurality of noncovalently or covalently associated first coupling agents of the covalently functionalized synthetic surface. In some embodiments, the first coupling agents may be a biotin-binding agent. The biotin-binding agent may be streptavidin. In some embodiments, each of the plurality of MHC molecules may further include at least one biotin functionality. Other coupling chemistries may be used, as is known in the art, wherein other site-specific protein tags may be attached to the MHC protein, which are configured to covalently attach to recognition protein-based species attached to the bead. These coupling strategies can provide the equivalent site specific and specifically orienting attachment of the MHC molecule as provided by C-terminal biotinylating of the MHC molecule. The covalently functionalized synthetic surface may be a wafer, a bead, at least one inner surface of a microfluidic device, or a tube.
The kit may further include a reagent including a plurality of co-activating molecules, each configured to bind one of a second subset of the plurality of noncovalently or covalently associated biotin-binding agents of the covalently functionalized synthetic surface. In various embodiments, each of the plurality of co-activating molecules may include a biotin functionality. Each of the co-activating molecules may include a T cell receptor (TCR) co-activating molecule, an adjunct TCR activating molecule, or any combination thereof. In various embodiments, the reagent is provided in individual containers containing the T cell receptor (TCR) co-activating molecule and/or an adjunct TCR activating molecule. Alternatively, the reagent including the plurality of co-activating molecules may be provided in one container containing the TCR co-activating molecules and/or the adjunct TCR activating molecules of the plurality of co-activating molecular ligands in a ratio from about 100:1 to 1:100. In various embodiments the reagent including the plurality of co-activating molecules includes a mixture of TCR co-activating molecules and adjunct TCR activating molecules wherein the ratio of the TCR co-activating molecules to the adjunct TCR activating molecules of the plurality of co-activating molecular ligands is 100:1 to 90:1, 90:1 to 80:1, 80:1 to 70:1, 70:1 to 60:1, 60:1 to 50:1, 50:1 to 40:1, 40:1 to 30:1, 30:1 to 20:1, 20:1 to 10:1, 10:1 to 1:1, 1:1 to 1:10, 1:10 to 1:20, 1:20 to 1:30, 1:30 to 1:40, 1:40 to 1:50, 1:50 to 1:60, 1:60 to 1:70, 1:70 to 1:80, 1:80 to 1:90, or 1:90 to 1:100, wherein each of the foregoing values is modified by “about”. In various embodiments, the reagent including a plurality of co-activating molecules contains the TCR co-activating molecules and the adjunct TCR activating molecules of the plurality of co-activating molecular ligands in a ratio from about 20:1 to about 1:20.
In various embodiments, the kit for preparing an antigen presenting synthetic surface may further include a reagent including adhesion stimulatory molecules, wherein each adhesion stimulatory molecule includes a ligand for a cell adhesion receptor including an ICAM protein sequence configured to react with a third subset of the plurality of noncovalently or covalently associated biotin-binding agent functionalities of the covalently functionalized synthetic surface. In some embodiments, the adhesion stimulatory molecule may include a biotin functionality.
In various embodiments, the kit for preparing an antigen presenting synthetic surface may further include a reagent including growth stimulatory molecules, wherein each growth stimulatory molecule may include a growth factor receptor ligand. In some embodiments, the growth factor receptor ligand may include a cytokine or a fragment thereof. In various embodiments, the cytokine may include IL-21 or a fragment thereof. In various embodiments, the growth stimulatory molecule may be attached to a covalently modified bead.
In various embodiments, the kit for preparing an antigen presenting synthetic surface may further include a reagent including one or more additional growth-stimulatory molecules. In some embodiments, the one or more additional growth-stimulatory molecules include IL2 and/or IL7, or fragments thereof. In various embodiments, the growth stimulatory molecule may be attached to a covalently modified bead.
Also provided is a kit for activating T lymphocytes, including an antigen-presenting synthetic surface as described herein. The kit can further comprise growth stimulatory molecules, wherein each growth stimulatory molecule may include a growth factor receptor ligand. The growth stimulatory molecules can be provided as free molecules, attached to the antigen presenting synthetic surface (in the same or a different region than the primary activating molecular ligand), or attached to a different covalently modified synthetic surface. For example, the kit can further comprise a plurality of covalently modified beads comprising an adjunct stimulatory molecule. In some embodiments, the growth factor receptor ligand molecule may include a cytokine or a fragment thereof. In some embodiments, the growth factor receptor ligand may include IL-21. In other embodiments, the kit may include one or more additional (e.g., a second or second and third) growth stimulatory molecules). In some embodiments, the one or more additional growth stimulatory molecules may include IL-2 and/or IL-7, or fragments thereof. Additional growth stimulatory molecules can be provided as a free molecule, attached to the antigen presenting synthetic surface (in the same or a different region than the primary activating molecular ligand), or attached to a different covalently modified synthetic surface, such as a bead.
Microfluidic devices and uses thereof described herein may have any of the following features, and can be used in conjunction with systems described below. In various embodiments, an analysis region can comprise one or more of the microfluidic devices described in this section.
A. Methods of loading
Loading of biological micro-objects or micro-objects such as, but not limited to, beads, can involve the use of fluid flow, gravity, a dielectrophoresis (DEP) force, electrowetting, a magnetic force, or any combination thereof as described herein. The DEP force can be generated optically, such as by an optoelectronic tweezers (OET) configuration and/or electrically, such as by activation of electrodes/electrode regions in a temporal/spatial pattern. Similarly, electrowetting force may be provided optically, such as by an opto-electro wetting (OEW) configuration and/or electrically, such as by activation of electrodes/electrode regions in a temporal spatial pattern.
B. Microfluidic Devices and Systems for Operating and Observing such Devices
As generally illustrated in
The support structure 104 can be at the bottom and the cover 110 at the top of the microfluidic circuit 120 as illustrated in
The support structure 104 can comprise one or more electrodes (not shown) and a substrate or a plurality of interconnected substrates. For example, the support structure 104 can comprise one or more semiconductor substrates, each of which is electrically connected to an electrode (e.g., all or a subset of the semiconductor substrates can be electrically connected to a single electrode). The support structure 104 can further comprise a printed circuit board assembly (“PCBA”). For example, the semiconductor substrate(s) can be mounted on a PCBA.
The microfluidic circuit structure 108 can define circuit elements of the microfluidic circuit 120. Such circuit elements can comprise spaces or regions that can be fluidly interconnected when microfluidic circuit 120 is filled with fluid, such as flow regions (which may include or be one or more flow channels), chambers, pens, traps, and the like. In the microfluidic circuit 120 illustrated in
The microfluidic circuit material 116 can be patterned with cavities or the like to define circuit elements and interconnections of the microfluidic circuit 120. The microfluidic circuit material 116 can comprise a flexible material, such as a flexible polymer (e.g., rubber, plastic, elastomer, silicone, polydimethylsiloxane (“PDMS”), or the like), which can be gas permeable. Other examples of materials that can compose microfluidic circuit material 116 include molded glass, an etchable material such as silicone (e.g., photo-patternable silicone or “PPS”), photo-resist (e.g., SU8), or the like. In some embodiments, such materials—and thus the microfluidic circuit material 116—can be rigid and/or substantially impermeable to gas. Regardless, microfluidic circuit material 116 can be disposed on the support structure 104 and inside the frame 114.
The cover 110 can be an integral part of the frame 114 and/or the microfluidic circuit material 116. Alternatively, the cover 110 can be a structurally distinct element, as illustrated in
In some embodiments, the cover 110 can comprise a rigid material. The rigid material may be glass or a material with similar properties. In some embodiments, the cover 110 can comprise a deformable material. The deformable material can be a polymer, such as PDMS. In some embodiments, the cover 110 can comprise both rigid and deformable materials. For example, one or more portions of cover 110 (e.g., one or more portions positioned over sequestration pens 124, 126, 128, 130) can comprise a deformable material that interfaces with rigid materials of the cover 110. In some embodiments, the cover 110 can further include one or more electrodes. The one or more electrodes can comprise a conductive oxide, such as indium-tin-oxide (ITO), which may be coated on glass or a similarly insulating material. Alternatively, the one or more electrodes can be flexible electrodes, such as single-walled nanotubes, multi-walled nanotubes, nanowires, clusters of electrically conductive nanoparticles, or combinations thereof, embedded in a deformable material, such as a polymer (e.g., PDMS). Flexible electrodes that can be used in microfluidic devices have been described, for example, in U.S. 2012/0325665 (Chiou et al.), the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. In some embodiments, the cover 110 can be modified (e.g., by conditioning all or part of a surface that faces inward toward the microfluidic circuit 120) to support cell adhesion, viability and/or growth. The modification may include a coating of a synthetic or natural polymer. In some embodiments, the cover 110 and/or the support structure 104 can be transparent to light. The cover 110 may also include at least one material that is gas permeable (e.g., PDMS or PPS).
The electrical power source 192 can provide electric power to the microfluidic device 100 and/or tilting device 190, providing biasing voltages or currents as needed. The electrical power source 192 can, for example, comprise one or more alternating current (AC) and/or direct current (DC) voltage or current sources. The imaging device 194 (part of imaging module 164, discussed below) can comprise a device, such as a digital camera, for capturing images inside microfluidic circuit 120. In some instances, the imaging device 194 further comprises a detector having a fast frame rate and/or high sensitivity (e.g., for low light applications). The imaging device 194 can also include a mechanism for directing stimulating radiation and/or light beams into the microfluidic circuit 120 and collecting radiation and/or light beams reflected or emitted from the microfluidic circuit 120 (or micro-objects contained therein). The emitted light beams may be in the visible spectrum and may, e.g., include fluorescent emissions. The reflected light beams may include reflected emissions originating from an LED or a wide spectrum lamp, such as a mercury lamp (e.g., a high-pressure mercury lamp) or a Xenon arc lamp. As discussed with respect to
System 150 further comprises a tilting device 190 (part of tilting module 166, discussed below) configured to rotate a microfluidic device 100 about one or more axes of rotation. In some embodiments, the tilting device 190 is configured to support and/or hold the enclosure 102 comprising the microfluidic circuit 120 about at least one axis such that the microfluidic device 100 (and thus the microfluidic circuit 120) can be held in a level orientation (i.e., at 0° relative to x- and y-axes), a vertical orientation (i.e., at 90° relative to the x-axis and/or the y-axis), or any orientation therebetween. The orientation of the microfluidic device 100 (and the microfluidic circuit 120) relative to an axis is referred to herein as the “tilt” of the microfluidic device 100 (and the microfluidic circuit 120). For example, the tilting device 190 can tilt the microfluidic device 100 at 0.1°, 0.2°, 0.3°, 0.4°, 0.5°, 0.6°, 0.7°, 0.8°, 0.9°, 1°, 2°, 3°, 4°, 5°, 10°, 15°, 20°, 25°, 30°, 35°, 40°, 45°, 50°, 55°, 60°, 65°, 70°, 75°, 80°, 90° relative to the x-axis or any degree therebetween. The level orientation (and thus the x- and y-axes) is defined as normal to a vertical axis defined by the force of gravity. The tilting device can also tilt the microfluidic device 100 (and the microfluidic circuit 120) to any degree greater than 90° relative to the x-axis and/or y-axis, or tilt the microfluidic device 100 (and the microfluidic circuit 120) 180° relative to the x-axis or the y-axis in order to fully invert the microfluidic device 100 (and the microfluidic circuit 120). Similarly, in some embodiments, the tilting device 190 tilts the microfluidic device 100 (and the microfluidic circuit 120) about an axis of rotation defined by flow path 106 or some other portion of microfluidic circuit 120.
In some instances, the microfluidic device 100 is tilted into a vertical orientation such that the flow path 106 is positioned above or below one or more sequestration pens. The term “above” as used herein in the context of microfluidic devices denotes that the flow path 106 is positioned higher than the one or more sequestration pens on a vertical axis defined by the force of gravity (i.e., an object in a sequestration pen above a flow path 106 would have a higher gravitational potential energy than an object in the flow path). The term “below” as used herein in the context of microfluidic devices denotes that the flow path 106 is positioned lower than the one or more sequestration pens on a vertical axis defined by the force of gravity (i.e., an object in a sequestration pen below a flow path 106 would have a lower gravitational potential energy than an object in the flow path).
In some instances, the tilting device 190 tilts the microfluidic device 100 about an axis that is parallel to the flow path 106. Moreover, the microfluidic device 100 can be tilted to an angle of less than 90° such that the flow path 106 is located above or below one or more sequestration pens without being located directly above or below the sequestration pens. In other instances, the tilting device 190 tilts the microfluidic device 100 about an axis perpendicular to the flow path 106. In still other instances, the tilting device 190 tilts the microfluidic device 100 about an axis that is neither parallel nor perpendicular to the flow path 106.
System 150 can further include a media source 178. The media source 178 (e.g., a container, reservoir, or the like) can comprise multiple sections or containers, each for holding a different fluidic medium 180. Thus, the media source 178 can be a device that is outside of and separate from the microfluidic device 100, as illustrated in
The master controller 154 can comprise a control module 156 and a digital memory 158. The control module 156 can comprise, for example, a digital processor configured to operate in accordance with machine executable instructions (e.g., software, firmware, source code, or the like) stored as non-transitory data or signals in the memory 158. Alternatively, or in addition, the control module 156 can comprise hardwired digital circuitry and/or analog circuitry. The media module 160, motive module 162, imaging module 164, tilting module 166, and/or other modules 168 can be similarly configured. Thus, functions, processes acts, actions, or steps of a process discussed herein as being performed with respect to the microfluidic device 100 or any other microfluidic apparatus can be performed by any one or more of the master controller 154, media module 160, motive module 162, imaging module 164, tilting module 166, and/or other modules 168 configured as discussed above. Similarly, the master controller 154, media module 160, motive module 162, imaging module 164, tilting module 166, and/or other modules 168 may be communicatively coupled to transmit and receive data used in any function, process, act, action or step discussed herein.
The media module 160 controls the media source 178. For example, the media module 160 can control the media source 178 to input a selected fluidic medium 180 into the enclosure 102 (e.g., through an inlet port 107). The media module 160 can also control removal of media from the enclosure 102 (e.g., through an outlet port (not shown)). One or more media can thus be selectively input into and removed from the microfluidic circuit 120. The media module 160 can also control the flow of fluidic medium 180 in the flow path 106 inside the microfluidic circuit 120. For example, in some embodiments media module 160 stops the flow of media 180 in the flow path 106 and through the enclosure 102 prior to the tilting module 166 causing the tilting device 190 to tilt the microfluidic device 100 to a desired angle of incline.
The motive module 162 can be configured to control selection, trapping, and movement of micro-objects (not shown) in the microfluidic circuit 120. As discussed below with respect to
The imaging module 164 can control the imaging device 194. For example, the imaging module 164 can receive and process image data from the imaging device 194. Image data from the imaging device 194 can comprise any type of information captured by the imaging device 194 (e.g., the presence or absence of micro-objects, droplets of medium, accumulation of label, such as fluorescent label, etc.). Using the information captured by the imaging device 194, the imaging module 164 can further calculate the position of objects (e.g., micro-objects, droplets of medium) and/or the rate of motion of such objects within the microfluidic device 100.
The tilting module 166 can control the tilting motions of tilting device 190. Alternatively, or in addition, the tilting module 166 can control the tilting rate and timing to optimize transfer of micro-objects to the one or more sequestration pens via gravitational forces. The tilting module 166 is communicatively coupled with the imaging module 164 to receive data describing the motion of micro-objects and/or droplets of medium in the microfluidic circuit 120. Using this data, the tilting module 166 may adjust the tilt of the microfluidic circuit 120 in order to adjust the rate at which micro-objects and/or droplets of medium move in the microfluidic circuit 120. The tilting module 166 may also use this data to iteratively adjust the position of a micro-object and/or droplet of medium in the microfluidic circuit 120.
In the example shown in
The microfluidic circuit 120 may comprise any number of microfluidic sequestration pens. Although five sequestration pens are shown, microfluidic circuit 120 may have fewer or more sequestration pens. As shown, microfluidic sequestration pens 124, 126, 128, and 130 of microfluidic circuit 120 each comprise differing features and shapes which may provide one or more benefits useful for maintaining, isolating, assaying or culturing biological micro-objects. In some embodiments, the microfluidic circuit 120 comprises a plurality of identical microfluidic sequestration pens.
In the embodiment illustrated in
In some instances, microfluidic circuit 120 comprises a plurality of parallel channels 122 and flow paths 106, wherein the fluidic medium 180 within each flow path 106 flows in the same direction. In some instances, the fluidic medium within each flow path 106 flows in at least one of a forward or reverse direction. In some instances, a plurality of sequestration pens is configured (e.g., relative to a channel 122) such that the sequestration pens can be loaded with target micro-objects in parallel.
In some embodiments, microfluidic circuit 120 further comprises one or more micro-object traps 132. The traps 132 are generally formed in a wall forming the boundary of a channel 122, and may be positioned opposite an opening of one or more of the microfluidic sequestration pens 124, 126, 128, 130. In some embodiments, the traps 132 are configured to receive or capture a single micro-object from the flow path 106. In some embodiments, the traps 132 are configured to receive or capture a plurality of micro-objects from the flow path 106. In some instances, the traps 132 comprise a volume approximately equal to the volume of a single target micro-object.
The traps 132 may further comprise an opening which is configured to assist the flow of targeted micro-objects into the traps 132. In some instances, the traps 132 comprise an opening having a height and width that is approximately equal to the dimensions of a single target micro-object, whereby larger micro-objects are prevented from entering into the micro-object trap. The traps 132 may further comprise other features configured to assist in retention of targeted micro-objects within the trap 132. In some instances, the trap 132 is aligned with and situated on the opposite side of a channel 122 relative to the opening of a microfluidic sequestration pen, such that upon tilting the microfluidic device 100 about an axis parallel to the microfluidic channel 122, the trapped micro-object exits the trap 132 at a trajectory that causes the micro-object to fall into the opening of the sequestration pen. In some instances, the trap 132 comprises a side passage 134 that is smaller than the target micro-object in order to facilitate flow through the trap 132 and thereby increase the likelihood of capturing a micro-object in the trap 132.
In some embodiments, dielectrophoretic (DEP) forces are applied across the fluidic medium 180 (e.g., in the flow path and/or in the sequestration pens) via one or more electrodes (not shown) to manipulate, transport, separate and sort micro-objects located therein. For example, in some embodiments, DEP forces are applied to one or more portions of microfluidic circuit 120 in order to transfer a single micro-object from the flow path 106 into a desired microfluidic sequestration pen. In some embodiments, DEP forces are used to prevent a micro-object within a sequestration pen (e.g., sequestration pen 124, 126, 128, or 130) from being displaced therefrom. Further, in some embodiments, DEP forces are used to selectively remove a micro-object from a sequestration pen that was previously collected in accordance with the embodiments of the current disclosure. In some embodiments, the DEP forces comprise optoelectronic tweezer (OET) forces.
In other embodiments, optoelectrowetting (OEW) forces are applied to one or more positions in the support structure 104 (and/or the cover 110) of the microfluidic device 100 (e.g., positions helping to define the flow path and/or the sequestration pens) via one or more electrodes (not shown) to manipulate, transport, separate and sort droplets located in the microfluidic circuit 120. For example, in some embodiments, OEW forces are applied to one or more positions in the support structure 104 (and/or the cover 110) in order to transfer a single droplet from the flow path 106 into a desired microfluidic sequestration pen. In some embodiments, OEW forces are used to prevent a droplet within a sequestration pen (e.g., sequestration pen 124, 126, 128, or 130) from being displaced therefrom. Further, in some embodiments, OEW forces are used to selectively remove a droplet from a sequestration pen that was previously collected in accordance with the embodiments of the current disclosure.
In some embodiments, DEP and/or OEW forces are combined with other forces, such as flow and/or gravitational force, so as to manipulate, transport, separate and sort micro-objects and/or droplets within the microfluidic circuit 120. For example, the enclosure 102 can be tilted (e.g., by tilting device 190) to position the flow path 106 and micro-objects located therein above the microfluidic sequestration pens, and the force of gravity can transport the micro-objects and/or droplets into the pens. In some embodiments, the DEP and/or OEW forces can be applied prior to the other forces. In other embodiments, the DEP and/or OEW forces can be applied after the other forces. In still other instances, the DEP and/or OEW forces can be applied at the same time as the other forces or in an alternating manner with the other forces.
Examples of microfluidic devices having pens in which biological micro-objects can be placed, cultured, and/or monitored have been described, for example, in US 2014/0116881 (application Ser. No. 14/060,117, filed Oct. 22, 2013), US 2015/0151298 (application Ser. No. 14/520,568, filed Oct. 22, 2014), and US 2015/0165436 (application Ser. No. 14/521,447, filed Oct. 22, 2014), each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. U.S. application Ser. Nos. 14/520,568 and 14/521,447 also describe exemplary methods of analyzing secretions of cells cultured in a microfluidic device. Each of the foregoing applications further describes microfluidic devices configured to produce dielectrophoretic (DEP) forces, such as optoelectronic tweezers (OET) or configured to provide opto-electro wetting (OEW). For example, the optoelectronic tweezers device illustrated in
C. Microfluidic Device Motive Configurations
As described above, the control and monitoring equipment of the system can comprise a motive module for selecting and moving objects, such as micro-objects or droplets, in the microfluidic circuit of a microfluidic device. The microfluidic device can have a variety of motive configurations, depending upon the type of object being moved and other considerations. For example, a dielectrophoresis (DEP) configuration can be utilized to select and move micro-objects in the microfluidic circuit. Thus, the support structure 104 and/or cover 110 of the microfluidic device 100 can comprise a DEP configuration for selectively inducing DEP forces on micro-objects in a fluidic medium 180 in the microfluidic circuit 120 and thereby select, capture, and/or move individual micro-objects or groups of micro-objects. Alternatively, the support structure 104 and/or cover 110 of the microfluidic device 100 can comprise an electrowetting (EW) configuration for selectively inducing EW forces on droplets in a fluidic medium 180 in the microfluidic circuit 120 and thereby select, capture, and/or move individual droplets or groups of droplets.
One example of a microfluidic device 200 comprising a DEP configuration is illustrated in
As seen in
In certain embodiments, the microfluidic device 200 illustrated in
With the power source 212 activated, the foregoing DEP configuration creates an electric field gradient in the fluidic medium 180 between illuminated DEP electrode regions 214a and adjacent dark DEP electrode regions 214, which in turn creates local DEP forces that attract or repel nearby micro-objects (not shown) in the fluidic medium 180. DEP electrodes that attract or repel micro-objects in the fluidic medium 180 can thus be selectively activated and deactivated at many different such DEP electrode regions 214 at the inner surface 208 of the region/chamber 202 by changing light patterns 218 projected from a light source 216 into the microfluidic device 200. Whether the DEP forces attract or repel nearby micro-objects can depend on such parameters as the frequency of the power source 212 and the dielectric properties of the medium 180 and/or micro-objects (not shown).
The square pattern 220 of illuminated DEP electrode regions 214a illustrated in
In some embodiments, the electrode activation substrate 206 can comprise or consist of a photoconductive material. In such embodiments, the inner surface 208 of the electrode activation substrate 206 can be featureless. For example, the electrode activation substrate 206 can comprise or consist of a layer of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H). The a-Si:H can comprise, for example, about 8% to 40% hydrogen (calculated as 100* the number of hydrogen atoms/the total number of hydrogen and silicon atoms). The layer of a-Si:H can have a thickness of about 500 nm to about 2.0 Um. In such embodiments, the DEP electrode regions 214 can be created anywhere and in any pattern on the inner surface 208 of the electrode activation substrate 206, in accordance with the light pattern 218. The number and pattern of the DEP electrode regions 214 thus need not be fixed, but can correspond to the light pattern 218. Examples of microfluidic devices having a DEP configuration comprising a photoconductive layer such as discussed above have been described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. RE 44,711 (Wu et al.) (originally issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,612,355), the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
In other embodiments, the electrode activation substrate 206 can comprise a substrate comprising a plurality of doped layers, electrically insulating layers (or regions), and electrically conductive layers that form semiconductor integrated circuits, such as is known in semiconductor fields. For example, the electrode activation substrate 206 can comprise a plurality of phototransistors, including, for example, lateral bipolar phototransistors, each phototransistor corresponding to a DEP electrode region 214. Alternatively, the electrode activation substrate 206 can comprise electrodes (e.g., conductive metal electrodes) controlled by phototransistor switches, with each such electrode corresponding to a DEP electrode region 214. The electrode activation substrate 206 can include a pattern of such phototransistors or phototransistor-controlled electrodes. The pattern, for example, can be an array of substantially square phototransistors or phototransistor-controlled electrodes arranged in rows and columns, such as shown in
Examples of microfluidic devices having electrode activation substrates that comprise phototransistors have been described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 7,956,339 (Ohta et al.) (see, e.g., device 300 illustrated in
In some embodiments of a DEP configured microfluidic device, the top electrode 210 is part of a first wall (or cover 110) of the enclosure 102, and the electrode activation substrate 206 and bottom electrode 204 are part of a second wall (or support structure 104) of the enclosure 102. The region/chamber 202 can be between the first wall and the second wall. In other embodiments, the electrode 210 is part of the second wall (or support structure 104) and one or both of the electrode activation substrate 206 and/or the electrode 210 are part of the first wall (or cover 110). Moreover, the light source 216 can alternatively be used to illuminate the enclosure 102 from below.
With the microfluidic device 200 of
In other embodiments, the microfluidic device 200 can have a DEP configuration that does not rely upon light activation of DEP electrodes at the inner surface 208 of the electrode activation substrate 206. For example, the electrode activation substrate 206 can comprise selectively addressable and energizable electrodes positioned opposite to a surface including at least one electrode (e.g., cover 110). Switches (e.g., transistor switches in a semiconductor substrate) may be selectively opened and closed to activate or inactivate DEP electrodes at DEP electrode regions 214, thereby creating a net DEP force on a micro-object (not shown) in region/chamber 202 in the vicinity of the activated DEP electrodes. Depending on such characteristics as the frequency of the power source 212 and the dielectric properties of the medium (not shown) and/or micro-objects in the region/chamber 202, the DEP force can attract or repel a nearby micro-object. By selectively activating and deactivating a set of DEP electrodes (e.g., at a set of DEP electrodes regions 214 that forms a square pattern 220), one or more micro-objects in region/chamber 202 can be trapped and moved within the region/chamber 202. The motive module 162 in
As yet another example, the microfluidic device 200 can have an electrowetting (EW) configuration, which can be in place of the DEP configuration or can be located in a portion of the microfluidic device 200 that is separate from the portion which has the DEP configuration. The EW configuration can be an opto-electrowetting configuration or an electrowetting on dielectric (EWOD) configuration, both of which are known in the art. In some EW configurations, the support structure 104 has an electrode activation substrate 206 sandwiched between a dielectric layer (not shown) and the bottom electrode 204. The dielectric layer can comprise a hydrophobic material and/or can be coated with a hydrophobic material, as described below. For microfluidic devices 200 that have an EW configuration, the inner surface 208 of the support structure 104 is the inner surface of the dielectric layer or its hydrophobic coating.
The dielectric layer (not shown) can comprise one or more oxide layers, and can have a thickness of about 50 nm to about 250 nm (e.g., about 125 nm to about 175 nm). In certain embodiments, the dielectric layer may comprise a layer of oxide, such as a metal oxide (e.g., aluminum oxide or hafnium oxide). In certain embodiments, the dielectric layer can comprise a dielectric material other than a metal oxide, such as silicon oxide or a nitride. Regardless of the exact composition and thickness, the dielectric layer can have an impedance of about 10 k Ohms to about 50 kOhms.
In some embodiments, the surface of the dielectric layer that faces inward toward region/chamber 202 is coated with a hydrophobic material. The hydrophobic material can comprise, for example, fluorinated carbon molecules. Examples of fluorinated carbon molecules include perfluoro-polymers such as polytetrafluoroethylene (e.g., TEFLON®) or poly(2,3-difluoromethylenyl-perfluorotetrahydrofuran) (e.g., CYTOP™). Molecules that make up the hydrophobic material can be covalently bonded to the surface of the dielectric layer. For example, molecules of the hydrophobic material can be covalently bound to the surface of the dielectric layer by means of a linker such as a siloxane group, a phosphonic acid group, or a thiol group. Thus, in some embodiments, the hydrophobic material can comprise alkyl-terminated siloxane, alkyl-termination phosphonic acid, or alkyl-terminated thiol. The alkyl group can be long-chain hydrocarbons (e.g., having a chain of at least 10 carbons, or at least 16, 18, 20, 22, or more carbons). Alternatively, fluorinated (or perfluorinated) carbon chains can be used in place of the alkyl groups. Thus, for example, the hydrophobic material can comprise fluoroalkyl-terminated siloxane, fluoroalkyl-terminated phosphonic acid, or fluoroalkyl-terminated thiol. In some embodiments, the hydrophobic coating has a thickness of about 10 nm to about 50 nm. In other embodiments, the hydrophobic coating has a thickness of less than 10 nm (e.g., less than 5 nm, or about 1.5 to 3.0 nm).
In some embodiments, the cover 110 of a microfluidic device 200 having an electrowetting configuration is coated with a hydrophobic material (not shown) as well. The hydrophobic material can be the same hydrophobic material used to coat the dielectric layer of the support structure 104, and the hydrophobic coating can have a thickness that is substantially the same as the thickness of the hydrophobic coating on the dielectric layer of the support structure 104. Moreover, the cover 110 can comprise an electrode activation substrate 206 sandwiched between a dielectric layer and the top electrode 210, in the manner of the support structure 104. The electrode activation substrate 206 and the dielectric layer of the cover 110 can have the same composition and/or dimensions as the electrode activation substrate 206 and the dielectric layer of the support structure 104. Thus, the microfluidic device 200 can have two electrowetting surfaces.
In some embodiments, the electrode activation substrate 206 can comprise a photoconductive material, such as described above. Accordingly, in certain embodiments, the electrode activation substrate 206 can comprise or consist of a layer of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H). The a-Si:H can comprise, for example, about 8% to 40% hydrogen (calculated as 100 * the number of hydrogen atoms/the total number of hydrogen and silicon atoms). The layer of a-Si:H can have a thickness of about 500 nm to about 2.0 m. Alternatively, the electrode activation substrate 206 can comprise electrodes (e.g., conductive metal electrodes) controlled by phototransistor switches, as described above. Microfluidic devices having an opto-electrowetting configuration are known in the art and/or can be constructed with electrode activation substrates known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,958,132 (Chiou et al.), the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference, discloses opto-electrowetting configurations having a photoconductive material such as a-Si:H, while U.S. Patent Publication No. 2014/0124370 (Short et al.), referenced above, discloses electrode activation substrates having electrodes controlled by phototransistor switches.
The microfluidic device 200 thus can have an opto-electrowetting configuration, and light patterns 218 can be used to activate photoconductive EW regions or photo responsive EW electrodes in the electrode activation substrate 206. Such activated EW regions or EW electrodes of the electrode activation substrate 206 can generate an electrowetting force at the inner surface 208 of the support structure 104 (i.e., the inner surface of the overlaying dielectric layer or its hydrophobic coating). By changing the light patterns 218 (or moving microfluidic device 200 relative to the light source 216) incident on the electrode activation substrate 206, droplets (e.g., containing an aqueous medium, solution, or solvent) contacting the inner surface 208 of the support structure 104 can be moved through an immiscible fluid (e.g., an oil medium) present in the region/chamber 202.
In other embodiments, microfluidic devices 200 can have an EWOD configuration, and the electrode activation substrate 206 can comprise selectively addressable and energizable electrodes that do not rely upon light for activation. The electrode activation substrate 206 thus can include a pattern of such electrowetting (EW) electrodes. The pattern, for example, can be an array of substantially square EW electrodes arranged in rows and columns, such as shown in
Regardless of the configuration of the microfluidic device 200, a power source 212 can be used to provide a potential (e.g., an AC voltage potential) that powers the electrical circuits of the microfluidic device 200. The power source 212 can be the same as, or a component of, the power source 192 referenced in
Non-limiting examples of generic sequestration pens 224, 226, and 228 are shown within the microfluidic device 230 depicted in
The sequestration pens 224, 226, and 228 of
The microfluidic channel 122 can thus be an example of a swept region, and the isolation regions 240 of the sequestration pens 224, 226, 228 can be examples of unswept regions. As noted, the microfluidic channel 122 and sequestration pens 224, 226, 228 can be configured to contain one or more fluidic media 180. In the example shown in
As is known, a flow 242 of fluidic medium 180 in a microfluidic channel 122 past a proximal opening 234 of sequestration pen 224 can cause a secondary flow 244 of the medium 180 into and/or out of the sequestration pen 224. To isolate micro-objects 246 in the isolation region 240 of a sequestration pen 224 from the secondary flow 244, the length Lcon of the connection region 236 of the sequestration pen 224 (i.e., from the proximal opening 234 to the distal opening 238) should be greater than the penetration depth Dp of the secondary flow 244 into the connection region 236. The penetration depth Dp of the secondary flow 244 depends upon the velocity of the fluidic medium 180 flowing in the microfluidic channel 122 and various parameters relating to the configuration of the microfluidic channel 122 and the proximal opening 234 of the connection region 236 to the microfluidic channel 122. For a given microfluidic device, the configurations of the microfluidic channel 122 and the opening 234 will be fixed, whereas the rate of flow 242 of fluidic medium 180 in the microfluidic channel 122 will be variable. Accordingly, for each sequestration pen 224, a maximal velocity Vmax for the flow 242 of fluidic medium 180 in channel 122 can be identified that ensures that the penetration depth Dp of the secondary flow 244 does not exceed the length Lcon of the connection region 236. As long as the rate of the flow 242 of fluidic medium 180 in the microfluidic channel 122 does not exceed the maximum velocity Vmax, the resulting secondary flow 244 can be limited to the microfluidic channel 122 and the connection region 236 and kept out of the isolation region 240. The flow 242 of medium 180 in the microfluidic channel 122 will thus not draw micro-objects 246 out of the isolation region 240. Rather, micro-objects 246 located in the isolation region 240 will stay in the isolation region 240 regardless of the flow 242 of fluidic medium 180 in the microfluidic channel 122.
Moreover, as long as the rate of flow 242 of medium 180 in the microfluidic channel 122 does not exceed Vmax, the flow 242 of fluidic medium 180 in the microfluidic channel 122 will not move miscellaneous particles (e.g., microparticles and/or nanoparticles) from the microfluidic channel 122 into the isolation region 240 of a sequestration pen 224. Having the length Lcon of the connection region 236 be greater than the maximum penetration depth Dp of the secondary flow 244 can thus prevent contamination of one sequestration pen 224 with miscellaneous particles from the microfluidic channel 122 or another sequestration pen (e.g., sequestration pens 226, 228 in
Because the microfluidic channel 122 and the connection regions 236 of the sequestration pens 224, 226, 228 can be affected by the flow 242 of medium 180 in the microfluidic channel 122, the microfluidic channel 122 and connection regions 236 can be deemed swept (or flow) regions of the microfluidic device 230. The isolation regions 240 of the sequestration pens 224, 226, 228, on the other hand, can be deemed unswept (or non-flow) regions. For example, components (not shown) in a first fluidic medium 180 in the microfluidic channel 122 can mix with a second fluidic medium 248 in the isolation region 240 substantially only by diffusion of components of the first medium 180 from the microfluidic channel 122 through the connection region 236 and into the second fluidic medium 248 in the isolation region 240. Similarly, components (not shown) of the second medium 248 in the isolation region 240 can mix with the first medium 180 in the microfluidic channel 122 substantially only by diffusion of components of the second medium 248 from the isolation region 240 through the connection region 236 and into the first medium 180 in the microfluidic channel 122. In some embodiments, the extent of fluidic medium exchange between the isolation region of a sequestration pen and the flow region by diffusion is greater than about 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94% 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or greater than about 99% of fluidic exchange. The first medium 180 can be the same medium or a different medium than the second medium 248. Moreover, the first medium 180 and the second medium 248 can start out being the same, then become different (e.g., through conditioning of the second medium 248 by one or more cells in the isolation region 240, or by changing the medium 180 flowing through the microfluidic channel 122).
The maximum penetration depth Dp of the secondary flow 244 caused by the flow 242 of fluidic medium 180 in the microfluidic channel 122 can depend on a number of parameters, as mentioned above. Examples of such parameters include: the shape of the microfluidic channel 122 (e.g., the microfluidic channel can direct medium into the connection region 236, divert medium away from the connection region 236, or direct medium in a direction substantially perpendicular to the proximal opening 234 of the connection region 236 to the microfluidic channel 122); a width Wch (or cross-sectional area) of the microfluidic channel 122 at the proximal opening 234; and a width Wcon (or cross-sectional area) of the connection region 236 at the proximal opening 234; the velocity V of the flow 242 of fluidic medium 180 in the microfluidic channel 122; the viscosity of the first medium 180 and/or the second medium 248, or the like.
In some embodiments, the dimensions of the microfluidic channel 122 and sequestration pens 224, 226, 228 can be oriented as follows with respect to the vector of the flow 242 of fluidic medium 180 in the microfluidic channel 122: the microfluidic channel width Wch (or cross-sectional area of the microfluidic channel 122) can be substantially perpendicular to the flow 242 of medium 180; the width Wcon (or cross-sectional area) of the connection region 236 at opening 234 can be substantially parallel to the flow 242 of medium 180 in the microfluidic channel 122; and/or the length Lcon of the connection region can be substantially perpendicular to the flow 242 of medium 180 in the microfluidic channel 122. The foregoing are examples only, and the relative position of the microfluidic channel 122 and sequestration pens 224, 226, 228 can be in other orientations with respect to each other.
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
The microfluidic device 250 of
Each sequestration pen 266 can comprise an isolation structure 272, an isolation region 270 within the isolation structure 272, and a connection region 268. From a proximal opening 274 at the microfluidic channel 264 to a distal opening 276 at the isolation structure 272, the connection region 268 fluidically connects the microfluidic channel 264 to the isolation region 270. Generally, in accordance with the above discussion of
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
In various embodiments of sequestration pens (e.g., 124, 126, 128, 130, 224, 226, 228, or 266), the isolation region (e.g., 240 or 270) is configured to contain a plurality of micro-objects. In other embodiments, the isolation region can be configured to contain only one, two, three, four, five, or a similar relatively small number of micro-objects. Accordingly, the volume of an isolation region can be, for example, at least 1×106, 2×106, 4×106, 6×106 cubic microns, or more.
In various embodiments of sequestration pens, the width Wch of the microfluidic channel (e.g., 122) at a proximal opening (e.g. 234) can be about 50-1000 microns, 50-500 microns, 50-400 microns, 50-300 microns, 50-250 microns, 50-200 microns, 50-150 microns, 50-100 microns, 70-500 microns, 70-400 microns, 70-300 microns, 70-250 microns, 70-200 microns, 70-150 microns, 90-400 microns, 90-300 microns, 90-250 microns, 90-200 microns, 90-150 microns, 100-300 microns, 100-250 microns, 100-200 microns, 100-150 microns, or 100-120 microns. In some other embodiments, the width Wch of the microfluidic channel (e.g., 122) at a proximal opening (e.g., 234) can be about 200-800 microns, 200-700 microns, or 200-600 microns. The foregoing are examples only, and the width Wch of the microfluidic channel 122 can be any width within any of the endpoints listed above. Moreover, the Wch of the microfluidic channel 122 can be selected to be in any of these widths in regions of the microfluidic channel other than at a proximal opening of a sequestration pen.
In some embodiments, a sequestration pen has a height of about 30 to about 200 microns, or about 50 to about 150 microns. In some embodiments, the sequestration pen has a cross-sectional area of about 1 ×104 — 3 ×106 square microns, 2×104-2×106 square microns, 4 ×104-1×106 square microns, 2 ×104-5 ×105 square microns, 2 ×104-1×105 square microns or about 2 ×105-2×106 square microns.
In various embodiments of sequestration pens, the height Hch of the microfluidic channel (e.g., 122) at a proximal opening (e.g., 234) can be a height within any of the following heights: 20-100 microns, 20-90 microns, 20-80 microns, 20-70 microns, 20-60 microns, 20-50 microns, 30-100 microns, 30-90 microns, 30-80 microns, 30-70 microns, 30-60 microns, 30-50 microns, 40-100 microns, 40-90 microns, 40-80 microns, 40-70 microns, 40-60 microns, or 40-50 microns. The foregoing are examples only, and the height Hch of the microfluidic channel (e.g., 122) can be a height within any of the endpoints listed above. The height Hch of the microfluidic channel 122 can be selected to be in any of these heights in regions of the microfluidic channel other than at a proximal opening of a sequestration pen.
In various embodiments of sequestration pens a cross-sectional area of the microfluidic channel (e.g., 122) at a proximal opening (e.g., 234) can be about 500-50,000 square microns, 500-40,000 square microns, 500-30,000 square microns, 500-25,000 square microns, 500-20,000 square microns, 500-15,000 square microns, 500-10,000 square microns, 500-7,500 square microns, 500-5,000 square microns, 1,000-25,000 square microns, 1,000-20,000 square microns, 1,000-15,000 square microns, 1,000-10,000 square microns, 1,000-7,500 square microns, 1,000-5,000 square microns, 2,000-20,000 square microns, 2,000-15,000 square microns, 2,000-10,000 square microns, 2,000-7,500 square microns, 2,000-6,000 square microns, 3,000-20,000 square microns, 3,000-15,000 square microns, 3,000-10,000 square microns, 3,000-7,500 square microns, or 3,000 to 6,000 square microns. The foregoing are examples only, and the cross-sectional area of the microfluidic channel (e.g., 122) at a proximal opening (e.g., 234) can be any area within any of the endpoints listed above.
In various embodiments of sequestration pens, the length Lcon of the connection region (e.g., 236) can be about 1-600 microns, 5-550 microns, 10-500 microns, 15-400 microns, 20-300 microns, 20-500 microns, 40-400 microns, 60-300 microns, 80-200 microns, or about 100-150 microns. The foregoing are examples only, and length Lcon of a connection region (e.g., 236) can be in any length within any of the endpoints listed above.
In various embodiments of sequestration pens the width con ofW a connection region (e.g., 236) at a proximal opening microns,(e.g., 234) can be about 20-500 microns, 20-400 microns, 20-300 microns, 20-200 microns, 20-150 microns, 20-100 microns, 20-80 microns, 20-60 microns, 30-400 microns, 30-300 microns, 30-200 microns, 30-150 microns, 30-100 microns, 30-80 microns, 30-60 microns, 40-300 microns, 40-200 microns, 40-150 microns, 40-100 microns, 40-80 microns, 40-60 microns, 50-250 microns, 50-200 microns, 50-150 microns, 50-100 microns, 50-80 microns, 60-200 microns, 60-150 microns, 60-100 microns, 60-80 microns, 70-150 microns, 70-100 microns, or 80-100 microns. The foregoing are examples only, and the width Wcon of a connection region (e.g., 236) at a proximal opening (e.g., 234) can be different than the foregoing examples (e.g., any value within any of the endpoints listed above).
In various embodiments of sequestration pens, the width con of a connection region (e.g., 236) at a proximal opening (e.g., 234) can be at least as large as the largest dimension of a micro-object (e.g., biological cell which may be a T cell, or B cell) that the sequestration pen is intended for. The foregoing are examples only, and the width Wcon of a connection region (e.g., 236) at a proximal opening (e.g., 234) can be different than the foregoing examples a width within any of the endpoints listed above).
In various embodiments of sequestration pens, the width Wpr of a proximal opening of a connection region may be at least as large as the largest dimension of a micro-object (e.g., a biological micro-object such as a cell) that the sequestration pen is intended for. For example, the width Wpr may be about 50 microns, about 60 microns, about 100 microns, about 200 microns, about 300 microns or may be about 50-300 microns, about 50-200 microns, about 50 -100 microns, about 75-150 microns, about 75-100 microns, or about 200-300 microns.
In various embodiments of sequestration pens, a ratio of the length Lcon of a connection region (e.g., 236) to a width Wcon of the connection region (e.g., 236) at the proximal opening 234 can be greater than or equal to any of the following ratios: 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0, 6.0, 7.0, 8.0, 9.0, 10.0, or more. The foregoing are examples only, and the ratio of the length Lcon of a connection region 236 to a width con ofW the connection region 236 at the proximal opening 234 can be different than the foregoing examples.
In various embodiments of microfluidic devices 100, 200, 23, 250, 280, 290, Vmax can be set around 0.2, 0.5, 0.7, 1.0, 1.3, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0, 5.5, 6.0, 6.7, 7.0, 7.5, 8.0, 8.5, 9.0, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, or 15 microliters/sec.
In various embodiments of microfluidic devices having sequestration pens, the volume of an isolation region (e.g., 240) of a sequestration pen can be, for example, at least 5×105, 8×105, 1×106, 2×106, 4×106, 6×106, 8×106, 1×107, 5×107, 1×108, 5×108, or 8×108 cubic microns, or more. In various embodiments of microfluidic devices having sequestration pens, the volume of a sequestration pen may be about 5×105, 6×105, 8×105, 1×106, 2×106, 4×106, 8×106, 1×107, 3×107, 5×107, or about 8×107 cubic microns, or more. In some other embodiments, the volume of a sequestration pen may be about 1 nanoliter to about 50 nanoliters, 2 nanoliters to about 25 nanoliters, 2 nanoliters to about 20 nanoliters, about 2 nanoliters to about 15 nanoliters, or about 2 nanoliters to about 10 nanoliters.
In various embodiment, the microfluidic device has sequestration pens configured as in any of the embodiments discussed herein where the microfluidic device has about 5 to about 10 sequestration pens, about 10 to about 50 sequestration pens, about 100 to about 500 sequestration pens; about 200 to about 1000 sequestration pens, about 500 to about 1500 sequestration pens, about 1000 to about 2000 sequestration pens, about 1000 to about 3500 sequestration pens, about 2700 to about 7000 sequestration pens, about 5000 to about 10,000 sequestration pens, about 9,000 to about 15,000 sequestration pens, or about 12,000 to about 20,000 sequestration pens. The sequestration pens need not all be the same size and may include a variety of configurations (e.g., different widths, different features within the sequestration pen).
As illustrated in
Typically, the electrical signal generation subsystem 304 will include a waveform generator (not shown). The electrical signal generation subsystem 304 can further include an oscilloscope (not shown) and/or a waveform amplification circuit (not shown) configured to amplify a waveform received from the waveform generator. The oscilloscope, if present, can be configured to measure the waveform supplied to the microfluidic device 320 held by the socket 302. In certain embodiments, the oscilloscope measures the waveform at a location proximal to the microfluidic device 320 (and distal to the waveform generator), thus ensuring greater accuracy in measuring the waveform actually applied to the device. Data obtained from the oscilloscope measurement can be, for example, provided as feedback to the waveform generator, and the waveform generator can be configured to adjust its output based on such feedback. An example of a suitable combined waveform generator and oscilloscope is the Red Pitaya™.
In certain embodiments, the nest 300 further comprises a controller 308, such as a microprocessor used to sense and/or control the electrical signal generation subsystem 304. Examples of suitable microprocessors include the Arduino™ microprocessors, such as the Arduino Nano™. The controller 308 may be used to perform functions and analysis or may communicate with an external master controller 154 (shown in
In some embodiments, the nest 300 can comprise an electrical signal generation subsystem 304 comprising a Red Pitaya™ waveform generator/oscilloscope unit (“Red Pitaya unit”) and a waveform amplification circuit that amplifies the waveform generated by the Red Pitaya unit and passes the amplified voltage to the microfluidic device 100. In some embodiments, the Red Pitaya unit is configured to measure the amplified voltage at the microfluidic device 320 and then adjust its own output voltage as needed such that the measured voltage at the microfluidic device 320 is the desired value. In some embodiments, the waveform amplification circuit can have a +6.5V to −6.5V power supply generated by a pair of DC-DC converters mounted on the PCBA 322, resulting in a signal of up to 13 Vpp at the microfluidic device 100.
As illustrated in
In some embodiments, the nest 300 can include a thermal control subsystem 306 with a feedback circuit that is an analog voltage divider circuit (not shown) which includes a resistor (e.g., with resistance 1 kOhm+/−0.1%, temperature coefficient +/−0.02 ppm/C0) and a NTC thermistor (e.g., with nominal resistance 1 kOhm+/−0.01%). In some instances, the thermal control subsystem 306 measures the voltage from the feedback circuit and then uses the calculated temperature value as input to an on-board PID control loop algorithm. Output from the PID control loop algorithm can drive, for example, both a directional and a pulse-width-modulated signal pin on a Pololu™ motor drive (not shown) to actuate the thermoelectric power supply, thereby controlling the Peltier thermoelectric device.
The nest 300 can include a serial port 324 which allows the microprocessor of the controller 308 to communicate with an external master controller 154 via the interface 310 (not shown). In addition, the microprocessor of the controller 308 can communicate (e.g., via a Plink tool (not shown)) with the electrical signal generation subsystem 304 and thermal control subsystem 306. Thus, via the combination of the controller 308, the interface 310, and the serial port 324, the electrical signal generation subsystem 304 and the thermal control subsystem 306 can communicate with the external master controller 154. In this manner, the master controller 154 can, among other things, assist the electrical signal generation subsystem 304 by performing scaling calculations for output voltage adjustments. A Graphical User Interface (GUI) (not shown) provided via a display device 170 coupled to the external master controller 154, can be configured to plot temperature and waveform data obtained from the thermal control subsystem 306 and the electrical signal generation subsystem 304, respectively. Alternatively, or in addition, the GUI can allow for updates to the controller 308, the thermal control subsystem 306, and the electrical signal generation subsystem 304.
As discussed above, system 150 can include an imaging device 194. In some embodiments, the imaging device 194 comprises a light modulating subsystem 330 (See
In certain embodiments, the imaging device 194 further comprises a microscope 350. In such embodiments, the nest 300 and light modulating subsystem 330 can be individually configured to be mounted on the microscope 350. The microscope 350 can be, for example, a standard research-grade light microscope or fluorescence microscope. Thus, the nest 300 can be configured to be mounted on the stage 344 of the microscope 350 and/or the light modulating subsystem 330 can be configured to mount on a port of microscope 350. In other embodiments, the nest 300 and the light modulating subsystem 330 described herein can be integral components of microscope 350.
In certain embodiments, the microscope 350 can further include one or more detectors 348. In some embodiments, the detector 348 is controlled by the imaging module 164. The detector 348 can include an eye piece, a charge-coupled device (CCD), a camera (e.g., a digital camera), or any combination thereof. If at least two detectors 348 are present, one detector can be, for example, a fast-frame-rate camera while the other detector can be a high sensitivity camera. Furthermore, the microscope 350 can include an optical train configured to receive reflected and/or emitted light from the microfluidic device 320 and focus at least a portion of the reflected and/or emitted light on the one or more detectors 348. The optical train of the microscope can also include different tube lenses (not shown) for the different detectors, such that the final magnification on each detector can be different.
In certain embodiments, imaging device 194 is configured to use at least two light sources. For example, a first light source 332 can be used to produce structured light (e.g., via the light modulating subsystem 330) and a second light source 334 can be used to provide unstructured light. The first light source 332 can produce structured light for optically-actuated electrokinesis and/or fluorescent excitation, and the second light source 334 can be used to provide bright field illumination. In these embodiments, the motive module 164 can be used to control the first light source 332 and the imaging module 164 can be used to control the second light source 334. The optical train of the microscope 350 can be configured to (1) receive structured light from the light modulating subsystem 330 and focus the structured light on at least a first region in a microfluidic device, such as an optically-actuated electrokinetic device, when the device is being held by the nest 300, and (2) receive reflected and/or emitted light from the microfluidic device and focus at least a portion of such reflected and/or emitted light onto detector 348. The optical train can be further configured to receive unstructured light from a second light source and focus the unstructured light on at least a second region of the microfluidic device, when the device is held by the nest 300. In certain embodiments, the first and second regions of the microfluidic device can be overlapping regions. For example, the first region can be a subset of the second region. In other embodiments, the second light source 334 may additionally or alternatively include a laser, which may have any suitable wavelength of light. The representation of the optical system shown in
In
In some embodiments, the second light source 334 emits blue light. With an appropriate dichroic filter 346, blue light reflected from the sample plane 342 is able to pass through dichroic filter 346 and reach the detector 348. In contrast, structured light coming from the light modulating subsystem 330 gets reflected from the sample plane 342, but does not pass through the dichroic filter 346. In this example, the dichroic filter 346 is filtering out visible light having a wavelength longer than 495 nm. Such filtering out of the light from the light modulating subsystem 330 would only be complete (as shown) if the light emitted from the light modulating subsystem did not include any wavelengths shorter than 495 nm. In practice, if the light coming from the light modulating subsystem 330 includes wavelengths shorter than 495 nm (e.g., blue wavelengths), then some of the light from the light modulating subsystem would pass through filter 346 to reach the detector 348. In such an embodiment, the filter 346 acts to change the balance between the amount of light that reaches the detector 348 from the first light source 332 and the second light source 334. This can be beneficial if the first light source 332 is significantly stronger than the second light source 334. In other embodiments, the second light source 334 can emit red light, and the dichroic filter 346 can filter out visible light other than red light (e.g., visible light having a wavelength shorter than 650 nm).
Without intending to be limited by theory, maintenance of a biological micro-object (e.g., a biological cell) within a microfluidic device (e.g., a DEP-configured and/or EW-configured microfluidic device) may be facilitated (i.e., the biological micro-object exhibits increased viability, greater expansion and/or greater portability within the microfluidic device) when at least one or more inner surfaces of the microfluidic device have been conditioned or coated so as to present a layer of organic and/or hydrophilic molecules that provides the primary interface between the microfluidic device and biological micro-object(s) maintained therein. In some embodiments, one or more of the inner surfaces of the microfluidic device (e.g., the inner surface of the electrode activation substrate of a DEP-configured microfluidic device, the cover of the microfluidic device, and/or the surfaces of the circuit material) may be treated with or modified by a coating solution and/or coating agent to generate the desired layer of organic and/or hydrophilic molecules.
The coating may be applied before or after introduction of biological micro-object(s), or may be introduced concurrently with the biological micro-object(s). In some embodiments, the biological micro-object(s) may be imported into the microfluidic device in a fluidic medium that includes one or more coating agents. In other embodiments, the inner surface(s) of the microfluidic device (e.g., a DEP-configured microfluidic device) are treated or “primed” with a coating solution comprising a coating agent prior to introduction of the biological micro-object(s) into the microfluidic device.
In some embodiments, at least one surface of the microfluidic device includes a coating material that provides a layer of organic and/or hydrophilic molecules suitable for maintenance and/or expansion of biological micro-object(s) (e.g., provides a conditioned surface as described below). In some embodiments, substantially all the inner surfaces of the microfluidic device include the coating material. The coated inner surface(s) may include the surface of a flow region (e.g., channel), chamber, or sequestration pen, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, each of a plurality of sequestration pens has at least one inner surface coated with coating materials. In other embodiments, each of a plurality of flow regions or channels has at least one inner surface coated with coating materials. In some embodiments, at least one inner surface of each of a plurality of sequestration pens and each of a plurality of channels is coated with coating materials.
Any convenient coating agent/coating solution can be used, including but not limited to: serum or serum factors, bovine serum albumin (BSA), polymers, detergents, enzymes, and any combination thereof.
The at least one inner surface may include a coating material that comprises a polymer. The polymer may be covalently or non-covalently bound (or may be non-specifically adhered) to the at least one surface. The polymer may have a variety of structural motifs, such as found in block polymers (and copolymers), star polymers (star copolymers), and graft or comb polymers (graft copolymers), all of which may be suitable for the methods disclosed herein.
The polymer may include a polymer including alkylene ether moieties. A wide variety of alkylene ether containing polymers may be suitable for use in the microfluidic devices described herein. One non-limiting exemplary class of alkylene ether containing polymers are amphiphilic nonionic block copolymers which include blocks of polyethylene oxide (PEO) and polypropylene oxide (PPO) subunits in differing ratios and locations within the polymer chain. Pluronic® polymers (BASF) are block copolymers of this type and are known in the art to be suitable for use when in contact with living cells. The polymers may range in average molecular mass Mw from about 2000 Da to about 20 KDa. In some embodiments, the PEO-PPO block copolymer can have a hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) greater than about 10 (e.g., 12-18). Specific Pluronic® polymers useful for yielding a coated surface include Pluronic® L44, L64, P85, and F127 (including F127NF). Another class of alkylene ether containing polymers is polyethylene glycol (PEG Mw<100,000 Da) or alternatively polyethylene oxide (PEO, Mw>100,000). In some embodiments, a PEG may have an Mw of about 88 Da, 100 Da, 132 Da, 176 Da, 200 Da, 220 Da, 264 Da, 308 Da, 352 Da, 396 Da, 440 Da, 500 Da, 600 Da, 700 Da, 800 Da, 900 Da, 1000 Da, 1500 Da, 2000 Da, 5000 Da, 10,000 Da or 20,000 Da, or may have a Mw that falls within a range defined by any two of the foregoing values.
In other embodiments, the coating material may include a polymer containing carboxylic acid moieties. The carboxylic acid subunit may be an alkyl, alkenyl or aromatic moiety containing subunit. One non-limiting example is polylactic acid (PLA). In other embodiments, the coating material may include a polymer containing phosphate moieties, either at a terminus of the polymer backbone or pendant from the backbone of the polymer. In yet other embodiments, the coating material may include a polymer containing sulfonic acid moieties. The sulfonic acid subunit may be an alkyl, alkenyl or aromatic moiety containing subunit. One non-limiting example is polystyrene sulfonic acid (PSSA) or polyanethole sulfonic acid. In further embodiments, the coating material may include a polymer including amine moieties. The polyamino polymer may include a natural polyamine polymer or a synthetic polyamine polymer. Examples of natural polyamines include spermine, spermidine, and putrescine.
In other embodiments, the coating material may include a polymer containing saccharide moieties. In a non-limiting example, polysaccharides such as xanthan gum or dextran may be suitable to form a material which may reduce or prevent cell sticking in the microfluidic device. For example, a dextran polymer having a size about 3 kDa may be used to provide a coating material for a surface within a microfluidic device.
In other embodiments, the coating material may include a polymer containing nucleotide moieties, i.e., a nucleic acid, which may have ribonucleotide moieties or deoxyribonucleotide moieties, providing a polyelectrolyte surface. The nucleic acid may contain only natural nucleotide moieties or may contain unnatural nucleotide moieties which comprise nucleobase, ribose or phosphate moiety analogs such as 7-deazaadenine, pentose, methyl phosphonate or phosphorothioate moieties without limitation.
In yet other embodiments, the coating material may include a polymer containing amino acid moieties. The polymer containing amino acid moieties may include a natural amino acid containing polymer or an unnatural amino acid containing polymer, either of which may include a peptide, a polypeptide or a protein. In one non-limiting example, the protein may be bovine serum albumin (BSA) and/or serum (or a combination of multiple different sera) comprising albumin and/or one or more other similar proteins as coating agents. The serum can be from any convenient source, including but not limited to fetal calf serum, sheep serum, goat serum, horse serum, and the like. In certain embodiments, BSA in a coating solution is present in a concentration from about 1 mg/mL to about 100 mg/mL, including 5 mg/mL, 10 mg/mL, 20 mg/mL, 30 mg/mL, 40 mg/mL, 50 mg/mL, 60 mg/mL, 70 mg/mL, 80 mg/mL, 90 mg/mL, or more or anywhere in between. In certain embodiments, serum in a coating solution may be present in a concentration of about 20% (v/v) to about 50% v/v, including 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45%, or more or anywhere in between. In some embodiments, BSA may be present as a coating agent in a coating solution at 5 mg/mL, whereas in other embodiments, BSA may be present as a coating agent in a coating solution at 70 mg/mL. In certain embodiments, serum is present as a coating agent in a coating solution at 30%. In some embodiments, an extracellular matrix (ECM) protein may be provided within the coating material for optimized cell adhesion to foster cell growth. A cell matrix protein, which may be included in a coating material, can include, but is not limited to, a collagen, an elastin, an RGD-containing peptide (e.g., a fibronectin), or a laminin. In yet other embodiments, growth factors, cytokines, hormones or other cell signaling species may be provided within the coating material of the microfluidic device.
In some embodiments, the coating material may include a polymer containing more than one of alkylene oxide moieties, carboxylic acid moieties, sulfonic acid moieties, phosphate moieties, saccharide moieties, nucleotide moieties, or amino acid moieties. In other embodiments, the polymer conditioned surface may include a mixture of more than one polymer each having alkylene oxide moieties, carboxylic acid moieties, sulfonic acid moieties, phosphate moieties, saccharide moieties, nucleotide moieties, and/or amino acid moieties, which may be independently or simultaneously incorporated into the coating material.
In addition, in embodiments in which a covalently modified surface is used in conjunction with coating agents, the anions, cations, and/or zwitterions of the covalently modified surface can form ionic bonds with the charged portions of non-covalent coating agents (e.g., proteins in solution) that are present in a fluidic medium (e.g., a coating solution) in the enclosure.
In the embodiment shown schematically in
In other embodiments, the surface modifying ligand 298 used to covalently modify the inner surface(s) 292, 294 of the microfluidic device 290 can include anionic, cationic, or zwitterionic moieties, or any combination thereof. Without intending to be limited by theory, by presenting cationic moieties, anionic moieties, and/or zwitterionic moieties at the inner surfaces of the enclosure 284 of the microfluidic circuit 120, the surface modifying ligand of the covalently modified surface 298 can form strong hydrogen bonds with water molecules such that the resulting water of hydration acts as a layer (or “shield”) that separates the biological micro-objects from interactions with non-biological molecules (e.g., the silicon and/or silicon oxide of the substrate).
Further details of appropriate coating treatments and modifications may be found at U.S. application Ser. No. 15/135,707, filed on Apr. 22, 2016, and is incorporated by reference in its entirety.
H. Additional System Components for Maintenance of Viability of Cells within the Sequestration Pens of the Microfluidic Device
In order to promote growth and/or expansion of cell populations, environmental conditions conducive to maintaining functional cells may be provided by additional components of the system. For example, such additional components can provide nutrients, cell growth signaling species, pH modulation, gas exchange, temperature control, and removal of waste products from cells.
1A. Silica beads having covalent PEG 3 disulfide biotin linked to streptavidin. Spherical silica beads (2.5-micron, G biosciences Catalog #786-915, having a substantially simple spherical volume, e.g., the surface area of the bead is within the range predicted by the relationship 4πr2 +/− no more than 10%) were dispersed in isopropanol, and then dried. The dried beads were treated in an oxygen plasma cleaner (Nordson Asymtek) for 5 min, using 100W power, 240 mTorr pressure and 440 sccm oxygen flow rate. The cleaned beads were treated in a vacuum reactor with (11-azidoundecyl) trimethoxy silane (300 microliters) in a foil boat in the bottom of the vacuum reactor in the presence of magnesium sulfate heptahydrate (0.5 g, Acros Cat. # 10034-99-8), as a water reactant source in a separate foil boat in the bottom of the vacuum reactor. The chamber was then pumped to 750 mTorr using a vacuum pump and then sealed. The vacuum reactor was placed within an oven heated at 110° C. for 24-48 h. This introduced a covalently modified surface to the beads, where the modified surface had an azide functionalized structure of Formula I:
After cooling to room temperature and introducing argon to the evacuated chamber, the covalently modified beads were removed from the reactor. The beads having a covalently modified surface functionalized with azide reactive moieties were rinsed with acetone, isopropanol, and dried under a stream of nitrogen. The covalently modified azide functionalized beads were dispersed at a concentration of 1 mg/20 microliters in a 5.7 mM DMSO solution of dibenzylcyclooctynyl (DBCO) S—S biotin modified-PEG3 (Broadpharm, Cat. # BP-22453) then incubated at 90° C./2000 RPM in a thermomixer for 18 hours. The biotin modified beads were washed three times each in excess DMSO, then rinsed with PBS. The biotin modified beads in PBS were dispersed in PBS solution containing approximately 30 micromoles/700 microliter concentration streptavidin. The reaction mixture is shaken at 30° C./2000 RPM in a thermomxer for 30 minutes. At the completion of the reaction period, the covalently modified beads presenting streptavidin were washed three times in excess PBS. FTIR analysis determined that SAV was added to the surface (Data not shown). The disulfide containing linker may be particularly useful if cleavage from the surface may be desirable. The disulfide linker is susceptible to cleavage with dithiothreitol at concentrations that were found to be compatible with T lymphocyte viability (Data not shown).
1B. Silica beads having covalent PEG4 biotin linked to streptavidin diluted with PEGS-carboxylic acid surface-blocking molecular ligands. Beads having a covalently modified surface functionalized with azide reactive moieties of Formula 1, prepared as above in Example 1A, were rinsed with acetone, isopropanol, and dried under a stream of nitrogen. The covalently modified azide functionalized beads were dispersed at a concentration of 1 mg/10 microliters in a DMSO solution of 0.6 mM dibenzylcyclooctynyl (DBCO)-modified-PEG4-biotin (Broadpharm, Cat. # BP-22295), 5.4 mM dibenzylcyclooctynyl (DBCO)-modified-PEGS-carboxylic acid (Broadpharm, Cat. # BP-22449), and 100 mM sodium iodide then incubated at 30° C./1,000 RPM in a thermornixer for 18 hours. The biotin modified beads were washed three times each in excess DMSO, then rinsed with PBS. The biotin modified beads in PBS were dispersed in PBS solution containing approximately 10 nanomoles/1 milliliter concentration streptavidin. The reaction mixture was shaken at 30° C./1000 RPM in a thermomxer for 30 minutes. At the completion of the reaction period, the covalently modified beads presenting streptavidin were washed three times in excess PBS. FTIR analysis determined that SAV was added to the surface (Data not shown).
Streptavidin functionalized (covalently coupled) convoluted spherical polymeric beads (e.g., the actual surface area of the bead is greater than the relationship surface area=4πr2+/− no more than 10%, DynaBeads™ (ThermoFisher Catalog # 11205D, bead stock at 6.67e8/mL)) were delivered (15 microliters; 1e7 beads) to a 1.5 mL microcentrifuge tube with 1 mL of Wash Buffer (DPBS (No Magnesium+2, No Calcium+2, 244 mL); EDTA (1 ml, final concentration 2 mM); and BSA (5 ml of 5%, final concentration 0.1%), and separated using a magnetic DyneBead rack. The wash/separation with 1 mL of the Wash Buffer was repeated, and a further 200 microliters of Wash Buffer was added with subsequent pulse centrifugation. Supernatant Wash Buffer was removed.
Wash Buffer (600 microliters) containing 1.5 micrograms biotinylated Monomer MHC (HLA-A* 02:01 MART-1 (MBL International Corp., Catalog No. MR01008, ELAGIGILTV) was dispensed into the microcentrifuge tube, and the beads were resuspended by pipetting up and down. The monomer was allowed to bind for 30 min at 4° C. After 15 minutes, the mixture was pipetted up and down again. The tube was pulse centrifuged and the supernatant liquid removed, and the tube was placed within the magnetic rack to remove more supernatant without removing beads.
A solution of biotinylated anti-CD28 (Miltenyi Biotec, Catalog #130-100-144, 22.5 microliters) in 600 microliters Wash Buffer was added to the microcentrifuge tube. The beads were resuspended by pipetting up and down. The beads were incubated at 4° C. for 30 min, resuspending after 15 min with another up and down pipetting. At the end of the incubation period, the tube was briefly pulse centrifuged. After placing back into the magnetic rack, and allowing separation for 1 min, the Buffer solution was aspirated away from the functionalized beads. The MHC monomer/anti-CD28 antigen presenting beads were resuspended in 100 microliters Buffer Wash, stored at 4° C., and used without further manipulation. The 1e7 2.80-micron diameter functionalized DyneBeads have a nominal (ideal predicted surface area of a sphere) surface area of about 24e6 square microns available for contact with T lymphocyte cells. However, the convolutions of this class of polymeric bead which are not necessarily accessible by T lymphocyte cells, are also functionalized in this method. Total ligand count may not reflect what is available to contact and activate T lymphocyte cells.
The MHC monomer/anti-CD28 antigen presenting beads were characterized by staining with Alexa Fluor 488-conjugated Rabbit anti Mouse IgG (H+L) Cross-adsorbed secondary antibody (Invitrogen Catalog # A-11059) and APC-conjugated anti-HLA-A2 antibody (Biolegend Catalog #343307), and characterized by flow cytometry.
Cells: CD8+ T lymphocytes were enriched in a medium including RPMI plus 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS) from commercially available PBMCs following manufacturer's directions for EasySep™ Human CD8 Positive Selection Kit II, commercially available kit from StemCell Technologies Canada Inc. (Catalog #17953), by negative selection.
Dendritic cells: were generated from autologous PBMCs. Autologous PBMCs (10-50 e6) were thawed into 10 mL of pre-warmed RPMI media including 10% FBS. Cells were pelleted by centrifuging for 5 mins at 400×g. Cells were resuspended in RPMI and counted.
The cells were enriched for monocytes using negative bead isolation (EasySep™ Human Monocyte Isolation Kit, StemCell Technologies, Catalog #19359), according to manufacturer's instructions. The resulting monocytes were counted, providing about a 5% yield, and then plated at 1.5- 3 e6 cells per 3mL per well in AIM-V® Medium (ThermoFisher Catalog #12055091) containing 17 ng/mL IL-4 and 53 ng/mL Human Granulocyte Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Fact (GM-CSF, ThermoFisher Catalog # PHC2013)). The cells were incubated for a total of 6 days at 37° C. At Day 2 and Day 4, 100 microliters of feeding media (AIM-V® Medium plus IL-4 (167 U/mL) and GM-CSF (540 ng/mL)) was added to each well, and incubation was continued.
On Day 6, 0.5 mL of a maturation cocktail was added to each well. The maturation cocktail included 10 ng/mL TNF-alpha; 2 ng/mL IL-1B; 1000 U/mL IL-6, 1000 ng/mL PGE2; 167 U/mL IL-4 and 267 U/mL GM-CSF in AIM-V® Medium. The cells were incubated for a further 24h at 37° C. Mature DCs were then collected from the maturation medium, counted, and prepared for further use. The DCs were characterized by staining for CD3 (BD Catalog #344828), DC-SIGN (CD209, Biolegend Catalog #330104), CD14 (Biolegend Catalog #325608), CD86 (BD Catalog #560359), Fc Block (BioLegend Catalog #422302), and viability (BD Catalog #565388); suspended in FACS buffer; and examined by FACS flow cytometry.
Dendritic cells presenting antigen were prepared by plating at a concentration of 2e6/mL in 1% HSA, and pulsing with antigen (MART1 peptide, Anaspec, custom synthesis, 40 micrograms/mL) and beta2-microglobulin (Sigma Aldrich Catalog # M4890, 3 micrograms/mL), and then culturing with agitation for 4h. The pulsed DCs were irradiated in a Faxitron CellRad® x-ray cell irradiator for 30 min before use, with a target dose of 50 greys.
Culture medium and diluent for reagent additions: Advanced RPMI (ThermoFisher Catalog #12633020, 500mL); 1× GlutaMAX (ThermoFisher Catalog #35050079, 5mL); 10% Human AB serum (zen-bio, Catalog # HSER-ABP 100 mL, 50mL); and 50nM beta-mercaptoethanol (ThermoFisher Catalog #31350010, 50nm stock, 0.5 mL, final conc 50 micromolar).
Experimental Setup: For each activating species, a single 96-well tissue-culture treated plate (VWR Catalog #10062-902) was used (wellplate 1 (DCs); wellplate 2 (Antigen presenting beads)). CD8+ T lymphocytes (2e5) (80-90% pure) were added to each individual well.
Pulsed DCs were added at 5e3 for each well in wellplate 1, yield a 1:40 ratio of DCs: CD8+ T lymphocytes.
Antigen presenting surface polymeric beads (2e5), prepared as in Example 2, presenting pMHC including MART1 and anti-CD28 antibody, were added to each of the wells in wellplate 2. pMHC was loaded at 1.5 micrograms/1e7 beads. Anti-CD 28 antibody was loaded on the beads at three different levels: 0.25 micrograms/1e7 beads; 0.75 micrograms/1e7 beads; and 2.25 micrograms/1e7 beads.
Each wellplate was cultured at 37° C. On day 0, IL-21 (150 ng/milliliter) in CTL media, was added to each well of wellplates 1 and 2, providing a final concentration in each well of 30 ng/mL. On day 2, IL21 was added to each well of the wellplates, to a final concentration of 30 ng/mL. Culturing was continued to day 7.
Day 7. A subset of wells from each wellplate was individually stained for MHC tetramer (Tetramer PE, MBL Catalog # T02000, 1 microliter/well), CD4 (Biolegend Catalog #300530, 0.5 microliters/well); CD8 (Biolegend Catalog #301048, 0.5 microliters/well); CD28 (Biolegend Catalog #302906, 0.31 microliters/well); CD45RO (Biolegend Catalog #304210, 0.63 microliters/well); CCR7 (CD197, Biolegend Catalog #353208, 0.5 microliters/well); and viability (BD Catalog #565388, 0.125 microliters/well). Each well was resuspended with 150 microliters FACS buffer and 10 microliters of Countbright™ beads (ThermoFisher Catalog # C36950). FACS analysis was performed on a FACSCelesta™ flow cytometer (BD Biosciences).
Day 7. Restimulation. A second aliquot of pulsed DCs or antigen presenting beads, respectively, was delivered to each occupied well in wellplate 1 and wellplate 2. IL21 was added to each well of the wellplate to a final concentration of 30 ng/mL. Culturing was continued.
Day 8. Addition of 50 microliters of IL-2 (50 IU/mL) and IL-7 (25 ng/mL) was made to each well in wellplate 1 and wellplate 2 to provide a final concentration of 10 IU/mL and 5 ng/mL respectively. Culturing was continued.
Day 9. Addition of 50 microliters of IL-21(150 ng/mL) was made to each occupied well of wellplate 1 and wellplate 2 to a final concentration of 30 ng/mL. Culturing was continued.
Day 14. A second subset of wells from each wellplate was individually stained and FACS sorted as described for the analysis on Day 7. The flow cytometry results are shown in
Third period of culturing. In another experiment, where antigen presenting surfaces on beads were used as described in the immediately preceding paragraphs, but where comparison was not made with DCs, a third period of stimulation and culturing was performed. Day 14 to Day 21. Restimulation and feeding was performed as above for Day 7-Day 14, during continuation of culture conditions until Day 21. On Day 21, a last subset of wells from each wellplate was individually stained and FACS sorted as described for the analysis on Day 7. Additional activation was observed for the extended third stimulation sequence (Data not shown).
Silica beads (2.5 micron, G biosciences Catalog #786-915, having a substantially simple spherical surface, e.g., the surface area of the bead is within the range predicted by the relationship 4πr2+/− no more than 10%) were dispersed in isopropanol, and then dried. The dried beads were treated in an oxygen plasma cleaner (Nordson Asymtek) for 5 min, using 100W power, 240 mTorr pressure and 440 sccm oxygen flow rate. The cleaned beads were treated in a vacuum reactor with (11-azidoundecyl) trimethoxy silane (300 microliters) in a foil boat in the bottom of the vacuum reactor in the presence of magnesium sulfate heptahydrate (0.5 g, Acros Cat. #10034-99-8), as a water reactant source in a separate foil boat in the bottom of the vacuum reactor. The chamber was then pumped to 750 mTorr using a vacuum pump and then sealed. The vacuum reactor was placed within an oven heated at 110° C. for 24-48 h. This introduced a covalently linked surface presenting reactive azide moieties to the beads, where the modified surface has a structure of Formula I.
After cooling to room temperature and introducing argon to the evacuated chamber, the intermediate reactive azide presenting beads were removed from the reactor and were rinsed with acetone, isopropanol, and dried under a stream of nitrogen. The azide presenting reactive beads (50 mg) were dispersed in 500 microliters DMSO with vigorous vortexing/brief sonication. The beads were pelleted, and 450 microliters of the DMSO were aspirated away from the beads. The pellet, in the remaining 50 microliters DMSO was vortexed vigorously to disperse. DBCO-SAV (52 microliters of 10 micromolar concentration, Compound 1) having a PEG13 linker, was added. The beads were dispersed by tip mixing, followed by vortexing. 398 microliters of PBS with 0.02% sodium azide solution was added, followed by additional vortexing. The reaction mixture was incubated overnight on a thermomixer at 30° C., 1000 RPM.
After 16 hours, 10 microliters of 83.7 mM DBCO-PEG5-acid were added to each sample and they were incubated an additional 30 minutes at 30° C./1,000 RPM. The beads were washed 3× in PBS/azide, then suspended in 500 microliters of the same.
These covalently functionalized beads are modified to introduce primary activating molecules and co-activating molecules as described below in Example 9.
Divinylbenzene-crosslinked polystyrene beads (14-20 micron, Cospheric Catalog #786-915) were dispersed in isopropanol, and then dried in a glass petri dish. The dried beads were treated in an oxygen plasma cleaner (Nordson Asymtek) for 40 seconds, using 100W power, 240 mTorr pressure and 440 sccm oxygen flow rate. The cleaned beads were treated in a vacuum oven with (11-azidoundecyl) trimethoxy silane (Compound 5, 900 microliters) in a foil boat on the shelf of the oven in the presence of magnesium sulfate heptahydrate (1 g, Acros Cat. #10034-99-8), as a water reactant source in a separate foil boat on the same shelf of the oven. The oven was then pumped to 250 mTorr using a vacuum pump and then sealed. The oven was heated at 110° C. for 18-24 h. This introduced a covalently modified surface to the beads, where the modified surface had a structure of Formula I:
After pump-purging the oven three times, the covalently modified beads were removed from the oven and cooled. The covalently modified azide functionalized beads were dispersed at a concentration 15 mg/50 microliters in DMSO. To this, a 450 microliter solution of DBCO-labeled streptavidin (SAV) (Compound 1) at a concentration of 9.9 micromolar were added. The solution was then incubated at 30° C/1000 RPM in a thermomixer for 18 hours. The SAV modified beads were washed three times in PBS. FTIR analysis determined that SAV was added to the surface as shown in
Streptavidin functionalized (covalently coupled) DynaBeads™ (ThermoFisher Catalog #11205D), bead stock at 6.67e8/mL, convoluted (as described above) polymeric beads) were delivered (15 microliters; 1e7 beads) to 1.5 mL microcentrifuges tube with 1mL of Wash Buffer (DPBS (No Magnesium+2, No Calcium+2, 244 mL); EDTA (1 ml, final concentration 2 mM); and BSA (5 ml of 5%, final concentration 0.1%), and separated using a magnetic DyneBead rack. The wash/separation with 1 mL of the Wash Buffer was repeated, and a further 200 microliters of Wash Buffer was added with subsequent pulse centrifugation. Supernatant Wash Buffer was removed.
Wash Buffer (600 microliters) containing 0.5 micrograms biotinylated Monomer MHC (HLA-A* 02:01 MART-1 (MBL International Corp., Catalog No. MR01008, ELAGIGILTV) was dispensed into the microcentrifuge tubes, and the beads were resuspended by pipetting up and down. The monomer was allowed to bind for 30 min at 4° C. After 15 minutes, the mixtures were pipetted up and down again. The tubes were pulse-centrifuged and the supernatant liquid removed, and the tubes were placed within the magnetic rack to remove more supernatant without removing beads.
Solutions of biotinylated anti-CD28 (Biolegend, Catalog #302904) and biotinylated anti-CD2 (Biolegend, Catalog # 300204) in 600 microliters Wash Buffer were added to the microcentrifuge tubes. Solutions contained a total of 3 micrograms of antibody. The solutions contained: 3 micrograms of anti-CD28 and 0 micrograms of anti-CD2, 2.25 micrograms of anti-CD28 and 0.75 micrograms of anti-CD2, 1.5 micrograms of anti-CD28 and 1.5 micrograms of anti-CD2, 0.75 micrograms of anti-CD28 and 2.25 micrograms of anti-CD2, or 0 micrograms of anti-CD28 and 3 micrograms of anti-CD2. The beads were resuspended by pipetting up and down. The beads were incubated at 4° C. for 30 min, then resuspended after 15 min with another up and down pipetting. At the end of the incubation period, the tube was briefly pulse centrifuged. After placing back into the magnetic rack, and allowing separation for 1 min, the Buffer solution was aspirated away from the functionalized beads. The MHC monomer/anti CD28 antigen presenting beads were resuspended in 100 microliters Buffer Wash, stored at 4° C., and used without further manipulation. The 1e7 2.80 micron diameter functionalized DynaBeads have a nominal surface area of about 24e6 square microns available for contact with T lymphocyte cells, but as described above, these convoluted spherical beads have a practical surface area of more than 10% above that of the nominal surface area.
In the first step of the manufacturing process, M-450 Epoxy-functionalized paramagnetic convoluted polymeric beads (DynaBeads™, ThermoFisher Cat. #14011 (convoluted having the same meaning as above)) were reacted with Tetrabutylammonium Azide to prepare polymeric beads presenting azide reactive moieties capable of reacting with functionalizing reagents having Click chemistry compatible reactive groups.
The azide-prepared convoluted beads from Example 7 were then reacted with dibenzocyclooctynyl (DBCO)-coupled Streptavidin to attach Streptavidin covalently to the polymeric beads. The DBCO-Streptavidin reagent was generated by reacting Streptavidin with amine-reactive DBCO-polyethylene glycol (PEG)13-NHS Ester, providing more than one attachment site per Streptavidin unit.
Further reaction with surface-blocking molecules. The resulting covalently functionalized polymeric beads presenting streptavidin functionalities may subsequently be treated with DBCO functionalized surface-blocking molecules to react with any remaining azide reactive moieties on the polymeric bead. In some instances, the DBCO functionalized surface-blocking molecule may include a PEG molecule. In some instances, the DBCO PEG molecule may be a DBCO PEGS-carboxylic acid. Streptavidin functionalized polymeric beads including additional PEG or PEG-carboxylic acid surface-blocking molecules provide superior physical behavior, demonstrating improved dispersal in aqueous environment. Additionally, the surface-blocking of remaining azide moieties prevents other unrelated/undesired components present in this or following preparation steps or activation steps from also covalently binding to the polymeric bead. Finally, introduction of the surface-blocking molecular ligands can prevent surface molecules present on the T lymphocytes from contacting reactive azide functionalities.
Further generalization. It may be desirable to modify the azide functionalized surface of Example 7 with a mixture of DBCO containing ligand molecules. For example, DBCO-polyethylene glycol (PEG)13-streptavidin (Compound 1) may be mixed with DBCO-PEG5-COOH (surface-blocking molecules) in various ratios, and then placed in contact with the azide functionalized beads. In some instances, the ratio of DBCO-streptavidin molecules to DBCO — PEG5-COOH may be about 1:9; about 1:6, about 1:4 or about 1:3. Without wishing to be bound by theory, surface-blocking molecular ligands prevent excessive loading of streptavidin molecules to the surface of the bead, and further provide enhanced physico-chemical behavior by providing additional hydrophilicity. The surface-blocking molecules are not limited to PEG5-COOH but may be any suitable surface-blocking molecule described herein.
Materials: A. Antigen bearing major histocompatibility complex (MHC) I molecule. Biotinylated peptide-Human Leukocyte Antigen complexes (pMHC), were commercially available from MBL, Immunitrack or Biolegend. The biotinylated peptide-HLA complex included an antigenic peptide non-covalently bound to the peptide-binding groove of a Class I HLA molecule, which was produced and folded into the HLA complex at the manufacturer. The biotinylated peptide-HLA complex was also non-covalently bound to Beta2-Microglobulin. This complex was covalently biotinylated at the side chain amine of a lysine residue introduced by the BirA enzyme at a recognized location on the C-terminal peptide sequence of the HLA, also performed by the manufacturer.
B. Co-activating molecules. Biotinylated antibodies were used for costimulation and were produced from the supernatants of murine hybridoma cultures. The antibodies were conjugated to biotin through multiple amine functionalities of the side chains of lysines, randomly available at the surfaces of the antibodies. The biotinylated antibodies were commercially available (Biolegend, Miltenyi, or Thermo Fisher).
Biotinylated anti-CD28 useful in these experiments were produced from clone CD28.2, 15e8, or 9.3.
Biotinylated anti-CD2 useful in these experiments were produced from clone LT2 or RPA-2.10. Other clones may also be used in construction of covalently modified antigen presenting synthetic surfaces such as these polymeric beads.
Conjugation of the primary activating and co-activating molecules to a covalently functionalized surface of a bead. The MHC molecule (containing the antigenic molecule) and the co-activating molecules were conjugated to beads produced in a two-step process. In various experiments, the ratio of the co-activating molecules—in this case, biotinylated anti-CD28 and biotinylated anti-CD2—may be varied in a range from about 100:1 to about 1:100; or from about 20:1 to about 1:20. In other experiments, the ratio of the co-activating molecules was from about 3:1 to about 1:3 or about 1:1. See
pMHC loading. Streptavidin functionalized (covalently coupled) DynaBeads™ (ThermoFisher Catalog #11205D), bead stock at 6.67e8/mL, convoluted (as described above) polymeric beads) were washed with Wash Buffer (Dulbecco's Phosphate-Buffered Saline without Calcium or Magnesium; 0.1% Bovine Serum Albumin; 2 mM Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid). Wash buffer was pipetted into a tube, to which the Streptavidin beads were added. Typically, ˜1e7 beads were pipetted into 1 mL of Wash Buffer. The beads were collected against the wall of the tube using a magnet (e.g., DYNAL DynaMag-2,ThermoFisher Cat. #12-321-D). After the beads migrated to the wall of the tube, the Wash Buffer was removed via aspiration, avoiding the wall to which the beads were held. This wash process was repeated twice more. After the third wash, the beads were resuspended at 1.67e7 beads/mL in Wash Buffer.
The beads were then mixed with pMHC. The pMHC was added to the beads in Wash Buffer at a final concentration of 0.83 micrograms of pMHC/mL. The beads and pMHC were thoroughly mixed by vortexing, then incubated at 4° C. for 15 minutes. The beads were again vortexed, then incubated at 4° C. for an additional 15 minutes.
Co-activating molecule loading. The pMHC-functionalized beads were again captured via magnet, and the pMHC reagent mixture removed by aspiration. The beads were then brought to 1.67e7/mL in Wash Buffer. Biotinylated Anti-CD28 and biotinylated anti-CD2 (if used) were then added to the beads at a final concentration of 5 micrograms/mL of total antibody. If both anti-CD28 and anti-CD2 were used, then each antibody was added at 2.5 micrograms/mL.
The beads and pMHC were thoroughly mixed by vortexing, then incubated at 4° C. for 15 minutes. The beads are again vortexed, then incubated at 4° C. for an additional 15 minutes.
After modification by the biotinylated antibodies, the beads were captured via magnet, and the antibody mixture was removed by aspiration. The beads were resuspended in Wash Buffer at a final density of 1e8 beads/mL. The beads were used directly, without further washing.
Characterization. To assess the degree of loading and homogeneity of the resulting antigen-presenting beads, the beads were stained with antibodies that bind the pMHC and co-activating CD28/CD2 (if present) antibodies on the beads. The resulting amount of staining antibody was then quantified by flow cytometry. The number of pMHC and costimulatory antibodies on the beads was then determined using a molecular quantification kit (Quantum Simply Cellular, Bangs Labs) according to the manufacturer's instructions.
To analyze the beads, 2e5 beads were added to each of two microcentrifuge tubes with 1 mL of Wash Buffer. The pMHC quantification, and costimulation antibody quantification were performed in separate tubes. In each separate experiment, the beads were collected against the wall of the tube using a magnet, and the Wash Buffer removed. The beads were resuspended in the respective tubes in 0.1 mL of Wash Buffer, and each tube was briefly vortexed to separate the beads from the wall of the tube. To detect pMHC, 0.5 microliters of anti-HLA-A conjugated to APC (Clone BB7.2, Biolegend) was added to the first tube. The first tube was again vortexed briefly to mix the beads and detection antibody. To detect the costimulation antibodies, 0.5 microliters of anti-mouse IgG conjugated to APC was added to the second tube. Depending on the costimulation antibody clones used, different anti-mouse antibodies were used, e.g., RMG1-1 (Biolegend) is used to detect CD28.2 (anti-CD28) and RPA-2.10 (anti-CD2). The detection antibodies were incubated with the beads for 30 minutes in the dark at room temperature for each tube.
For each tube, the beads were then captured against the wall of the tube via magnet, and the staining solution was removed by aspiration. 1 mL of Wash Buffer was added to each tube, then aspirated to remove any residual staining antibody. The beads in each tube were resuspended in 0.2 mL of Wash Buffer and then the beads from each tube was transferred to a 5 mL Polystyrene tube, keeping the two sets of beads separate.
To quantify the loading of the different species, the beads were analyzed on a flow cytometer (FACS Aria or FACS
Celesta, BD Biosciences). First, a sample of unstained product antigen-bearing beads is collected. A gate is drawn around the singlet and doublet beads. Doublet beads are discriminated from singlet beads based on their higher forward and side scatter amplitudes. Typically, approximately 10,000 bead events were recorded. The beads stained for pMHC and costimulation antibodies are then analyzed in separate experiments. Again, approximately 10,000 bead events were collected for each sample, and the APC median fluorescence intensity (MFI) and coefficient of variation of the APC MFI (100*[Standard Deviation of the MFI]/[MFI]) of the singlet bead events was recorded.
To determine the number of pMHC and costimulation antibodies per bead, a molecular quantification kit is used. The kit (Quantum Simply Cellular (Bangs Laboratories) included a set of beads with specified antibody binding capacities (determined by the manufacturer). These beads are used to capture the detection antibody. Briefly, the quantification beads are incubated with saturating amounts of the detection binding, then washed thoroughly to remove excess antibody. The beads with different binding capacities are mixed, along with negative control beads and resuspended in Wash Buffer. The mixed beads are then analyzed by Flow Cytometry. The APC MFI of each bead with specified binding capacity is recorded, and a linear fit of the MFI vs binding capacity is generated. The MFI of the aAPCs is then used to determine the number of detection antibodies bound per aAPC. This number is equal to the number of (pMHC or costimulation) antibodies on the bead. The following table shows results for:
A. Antigen-presenting convoluted polymeric beads produced in Examples 7-8 and functionalized above in this experiment.
B. Antigen-Presenting Substantially Spherical Silica Beads as Produced in Example 1B
Input cell populations. To increase the number of antigen-specific, CD8+ T cells plated per well, CD8+ T cells were first isolated from Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells using commercially available reagents. The cells can be isolated using negative selection, e.g., EasySep™ Human CD8+ T Cell Isolation Kit (StemCell Technologies) or by positive selection, e.g., CliniMACS CD8 Reagent (Miltenyi Biotec). The CD8+ T cells were isolated according to the manufacturers recommended protocol. Alternatively, different subsets of T cells can be isolated, e.g., Naive CD8+ T cells only, or a less-stringent purification can be performed, e.g., depletion of Monocytes by CliniMACS CD14 Reagent (Miltenyi Biotec). Alternatively, if T cells specific for a Class I l-restricted antigen are desired, CD4+ T cells can be isolated by corresponding methods.
First T cell stimulation period. The enriched CD8+ T cells were resuspended at 1e6/mL in media with IL-21 at 30 nanograms/mL (R&D Systems). The media used for T cells was Advanced RPMI 1640 Medium (Thermo Fisher) supplemented with 10% Human AB Serum (Corning CellGro) plus GlutaMax (Thermo Fisher) and 50 micromolar Beta-MercaptoEthanol (Thermo Fisher) or ImmunoCult™-XF T Cell Expansion Medium (StemCell Technologies).
Antigen-presenting beads were prepared as described in Example 9, where the convoluted polymeric beads were loaded at a final concentration of 0.83 micrograms of pMHC/mL. The resulting lot of beads was split into five portions, loading the costimulating ligands in the following proportions:
Set 1: CD28 at 3.00 micrograms/mL and CD2 at zero concentration.
Set 2: CD28 at 2.25 micrograms/mL and CD2 at 0.75 micrograms/mL.
Set 3: CD28 at 1.50 micrograms/mL and CD2 at 2.25 micrograms/mL.
Set 4: CD28 at 0.75 micrograms/mL and CD2 at 2.25 micrograms/mL.
Set 5: CD28 at 0.00 micrograms/mL and CD2 at 3.00 micrograms/mL.
To the T cells in media, an aliquot of each set of antigen-presenting beads were added to separate wells to a final concentration of 1 antigen-presenting bead per cell. The cells and antigen-presenting beads were mixed and seeded into tissue culture-treated, round-bottom, 96-well microplates. 0.2 mL (2e5 cells) was added to each well of the plate, which was then placed in a standard 5% CO2, 37° C. incubator. Typically, 48-96 wells were used per plate. Two days later, IL-21 was diluted to 150 nanograms/mL in media. 50 microliters of IL-21 diluted in media was added to each well, and the plate was returned to the incubator.
After culturing the cells for an additional 5 days (seven days total), the cells were analyzed for antigen-specific T cell expansion. Alternatively, the cells were-stimulated in a second stimulation period as described in the following paragraphs to continue expanding antigen specific T cells.
Second T cell stimulation period. From each well of the above well plate at the conclusion of the first stimulation period, 50 microliters of media were removed, being careful not to disturb the cell pellet at the bottom of the well. IL-21 was diluted to 150 ng/mL in fresh media, and the antigen-presenting beads as produced above were added to the IL-21/media mixture at a final density of 4e6 antigen-presenting beads/mL. 50 microliters of this IL-21/antigen-presenting bead/media mixture was added to each well, resulting in an additional 2e5 antigen-presenting beads being added to each well. Optionally, the wellplate can be centrifuged for 5 minutes at 400×g to pellet the antigen-presenting beads onto the cells. The wellplate was returned to the incubator.
The next day (8 days from start of stimulation experiments), the wellplate was removed from the incubator, and 50 microliters of media was removed from each well. IL-2 (R&D Systems) was diluted into fresh media to 50 Units/mL. To this, media containing IL-2, IL-7 (R&D Systems) was added to a final concentration of 25 ng/mL. 50 microliters of this IL-2/IL-7/media mixture was added to each well, and the wellplate was returned to the incubator.
The following day (9 days from start of stimulation experiments), the wellplate was removed from the incubator, and 50 microliters of media was again removed from each well. IL-21 was diluted into fresh media to 150 nanograms/mL. 50 microliters of this IL-21/media mixture was added to each well, and the wellplate was returned to the incubator.
After culturing the cells for an additional 5 days (14 days from the start of stimulation experiments), the cells were typically analyzed for antigen-specific T cell expansion. However, the cells can be re-stimulated with more antigen-presenting beads for another period of culturing as above to continue expanding antigen specific T cells.
Analysis of antigen-specific T cell stimulation and expansion. Once the desired number of T cell stimulations were performed, the cells were analyzed for expansion of T cells specific for the pMHC complex used to prepare the antigen-presenting beads. Antigen-specific T cells are detected using Phycoerythrin (PE) conjugated Streptavidin, which is bound to 4 pMHC complexes. These complexes are referred to as tetramers. Typically, a tetramer manufactured with the same peptide used in the pMHC of the antigen-presenting beads was used to detect the antigen-specific T cells.
To detect and characterize the antigen-specific T cells, a mixture of PE-tetramer (MBL, Intl) and antibodies specific for various cell surface markers with various fluorophores, e.g., FITC-conjugated anti-CD28, PerCP-Cy5.5-conjugated anti-CD8, was prepared in FACS Buffer (Dulbecco's Phosphate-Buffered Saline without Calcium or Magnesium; 2% Fetal Bovine Serum; 5 mM Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid, 10 mM HEPES). The amount of antibody used was determined by titration against standard cell samples. The surface markers typically used for characterization used are: CD4, CD8, CD28, CD45RO, CD127 and CD197. Additionally, a Live/Dead cell discrimination dye, e.g., Zombie Near-IR (Biolegend) and Fc Receptor blocking reagent, e.g., Human TruStain FcX™ (Biolegend) were added to distinguish live cells and prevent non-specific antibody staining of any Fc-Receptor expressing cells in the culture, respectively.
Typically, the wells were mixed using a multi-channel micro-pipettor, and 50 microliters of cells from each well were transferred to a fresh, non-treated, round-bottom, 96-well microplate. The cells were washed by addition of 0.2 mL of FACS buffer to each well. Cells were centrifuged at 400×g for 5 minutes at room temperature, and the wash removed. To each well, 25 microliters of the Tetramer, Antibody, Live/Dead, Fc blocking reagent mixture was added. The cells were stained for 30 minutes under foil at room temperature. The cells were then washed again, and finally resuspended in FACS Buffer with CountBright Absolute Counting Beads (Thermo Fisher). The cells were then analyzed by Flow Cytometry (FACS Aria or FACS Celesta, BD Biosciences). The frequency of antigen-specific T cells was determined by gating first on Single/Live cells, then gating on CD8+/Tetramer+cells. Appropriate gating conditions were determined from control stains, such as a negative control Tetramer with no known specificity (MBL, Intl) or antibody isotype controls. Within the antigen-specific T cell population, the frequency of CD45RO+/CD28High cells was determined, as well as the number of cells expressing CD127. Activated T cells, which express CD45RO, that continue to express high levels of CD28 and CD127 have been shown to include memory precursor effector cells. Memory precursor cells have been shown to be less differentiated and have higher replicative potential than activated T cells that do not express these markers.
It was observed that production of antigen specific T cells was possible with a wide range of proportions of the costimulatory ligands anti-CD28 and anti-CD2. Production was possible using only one of the two costimulatory ligands. However, a combination of anti-CD28 and anti-CD2, including at ratios of anti-CD28:anti-CD2 from about 3:1 to about 1:3, provided increased measurements of each of the above characteristics.
Cytotoxicity: Killing of target tumor cells and non-target tumor cells by SLC45A2-specific T cells expanded using Dendritic cells pulsed with SLC45A2 antigen (DCs, Black bars) or antigen-presenting beads (presenting SLC45A2 antigen) produced as described above (gray hatched bars). See
11A. Preparation of an antigen presenting surface of a bead with lysine-biotinylated CD80 and CD58. Streptavidin functionalized (covalently coupled, convoluted (as described above) polymeric) DynaBeads™ (ThermoFisher Catalog #11205D, bead stock at 6.67e8/mL) were delivered (15 microliters; 1e7 beads) to 1.5 mL microcentrifuges tube with 1 mL of Wash Buffer (DPBS (No Magnesium+2, No Calcium+2, 244 mL); EDTA (1 ml, final concentration 2 mM); and BSA (5 ml of 5%, final concentration 0.1%), and separated using a magnetic DynaBead rack. The wash/separation with 1 mL of the Wash Buffer was repeated, and a further 200 microliters of Wash Buffer was added with subsequent pulse centrifugation. Supernatant Wash Buffer was removed.
Wash Buffer (600 microliters) containing 0.5 micrograms biotinylated Monomer MHC (HLA-A*02:01 SLC45A2 (Biolegend, Custom Product, SLYSYFQKV) was dispensed into the microcentrifuge tubes, and the beads were resuspended by pipetting up and down. The monomer was allowed to bind for 30 min at 4° C. After 15 minutes, the mixtures were pipetted up and down again. The tubes were pulse centrifuged and the supernatant liquid removed, and the tubes were placed within the magnetic rack to remove more supernatant without removing beads.
A solution of biotinylated recombinant CD80 protein (R&D Systems, Custom Product) and biotinylated recombinant CD58 (R&D Systems, Custom Product) in 600 microliters Wash Buffer was added to the microcentrifuge tubes. The CD80 was prepared as an N-terminal fusion to a human IgG1 Fc domain and biotinylated on random Lysine residues by the manufacturer. The CD58 was biotinylated in the same manner. The solution contained a total of 4.5 micrograms of CD80 and 1.5 micrograms of CD58. The beads were resuspended by pipetting up and down. The beads were incubated at 4C for 30 min, resuspending after 15 min with another up and down pipetting. At the end of the incubation period, the tube was briefly pulse centrifuged. After placing back into the magnetic rack, and allowing separation for 1 min, the Buffer solution was aspirated away from the functionalized beads. The MHC monomer/CD80/CD58 antigen presenting beads were resuspended in 100 microliters Wash Buffer, stored at 4° C., and used without further manipulation. The 1e7 2.80 micron diameter functionalized DynaBeads have a nominal surface area of about 24e6 square microns available for contact with T lymphocyte cells, which, as described herein, does not reflect the total surface occupied by pMHC and costimulatory molecular ligands.
11B. Preparation of an antigen presenting surface of a bead with BirA biotinylated CD80 and CD58. Streptavidin functionalized (covalently coupled, convoluted (as described above) polymeric) DynaBeads™ (ThermoFisher Catalog #11205D, bead stock at 6.67e8/mL) were delivered (15 microliters; 1e7 beads) to 1.5 mL microcentrifuges tube with 1 mL of Wash Buffer (DPBS (No Magnesium+2, No Calcium+2, 244 mL); EDTA (1 ml, final concentration 2 mM); and BSA (5 ml of 5%, final concentration 0.1%), and separated using a magnetic DyneBead rack. The wash/separation with 1 mL of the Wash Buffer was repeated, and a further 200 microliters of Wash Buffer was added with subsequent pulse centrifugation. Supernatant Wash Buffer was removed.
Wash Buffer (600 microliters) containing 0.5 micrograms biotinylated Monomer MHC (HLA-A* 02:01 MART1 (Biolegend, Custom Product, ELAGIGILTV) was dispensed into the microcentrifuge tubes, and the beads were resuspended by pipetting up and down. The monomer was allowed to bind for 30 min at 4° C. After 15 minutes, the mixtures were pipetted up and down again. The tubes were pulse centrifuged and the supernatant liquid removed, and the tubes were placed within the magnetic rack to remove more supernatant without removing beads.
A solution of biotinylated recombinant CD80 protein (BPS Biosciences, Catalog Number 71114) and biotinylated recombinant CD58 (BPS Biosciences, Catalog Number 71269) in 600 microliters Wash Buffer was added to the microcentrifuge tubes. The recombinant proteins were prepared as N-terminal fusions to a human IgG1 Fc domain, with a final C-terminal BirA biotinylation site, and biotinylated by the manufacturer. The solution contained a total of 1.5 micrograms of recombinant CD80 and 1.5 micrograms of recombinant CD58 proteins. The beads were resuspended by pipetting up and down. The beads were incubated at 4° C. for 30 min, then resuspended after 15 min with another up and down pipetting. At the end of the incubation period, the tube was briefly pulse centrifuged. After placing back into the magnetic rack, and allowing separation for 1 min, the Buffer solution was aspirated away from the functionalized beads. The MHC monomer/CD80/CD58 antigen presenting beads were resuspended in 100 microliters Wash Buffer, stored at 4° C., and used without further manipulation. The 1e7 2.80 micron diameter functionalized DynaBeads have a nominal surface area of about 24e6 square microns available for contact with T lymphocyte cells, which, as described herein, does not reflect the total surface occupied by pMHC and costimulatory molecular ligands.
Cells: CD8+ T lymphocytes were enriched in a medium including RPMI plus 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS) from commercially available PBMCs following manufacturer's directions for EasySep™ Human CD8+ T Cell Isolation Kit, commercially available kit from StemCell Technologies Canada Inc. (Catalog #17953), by negative selection.
Culture medium and diluent for reagent additions: Advanced RPMI (ThermoFisher Catalog #12633020, 500mL); 1× GlutaMAX (ThermoFisher Catalog #35050079, 5mL); 10% Human AB serum (zen-bio, Catalog # HSER-ABP 100mL, 50 mL); and 50 nM beta-mercaptoethanol (ThermoFisher Catalog #31350010, 50 nm stock, 0.5 mL, final conc 50 micromolar).
Experimental Setup: For each activating species, a single 96-well tissue-culture treated plate (VWR Catalog #10062-902) was used:
Wellplate 1. Antigen presenting beads with antibody costimulation).
Wellplate 2. Antigen presenting beads with random biotinylated recombinant protein co-activation.
Wellplate 3. Antigen presenting beads with BirA biotinylated recombinant protein co-activation.
CD8+ T lymphocytes (2e5) (80-90% pure) were added to each individual well.
Antigen presenting surface beads (2e5), prepared by a similar preparation as described in Example 6, presenting pMHC including MART1, anti-CD28 antibody and anti-CD2 antibody, were added to each of the wells in wellplate 1. pMHC was loaded at 0.5 micrograms/1e7 beads. Anti-CD28 antibody was loaded at 1.5 micrograms/1e7 beads. Anti-CD2 antibody was loaded at 1.5 micrograms/1e7 beads.
Antigen presenting surface beads (2e5), prepared as in Example 11A, presenting pMHC including MART1, recombinant CD80 and recombinant CD58, were added to each of the wells in wellplate 2. pMHC was loaded at 0.5 micrograms/1e7 beads. Recombinant CD80 was loaded at 4.5 micrograms/1e7 beads. Recombinant CD58 was loaded at 1.5 micrograms/1e7 beads.
Antigen presenting surface beads (2e5), prepared as in Example 11B, presenting pMHC including MART1, BirA biotinylated recombinant CD80 and recombinant CD58, were added to each of the wells in wellplate 3. pMHC was loaded at 0.5 micrograms/1e7 beads. Recombinant CD80 was loaded at 1.5 micrograms/1e7 beads. Recombinant CD58 was loaded at 1.5 micrograms/1e7 beads.
Each wellplate was cultured at 37° C. On day 0, IL-21 (150 ng/milliliter) in CTL media, was added to each well of wellplates 1 and 2, providing a final concentration in each well of 30 ng/mL. On day 2, IL21 was added to each well of the wellplates, to a final concentration of 30 ng/mL. Culturing was continued to day 7.
Day 7. Restimulation. A second aliquot of antigen presenting beads with antibody costimulation or recombinant protein costimulation was delivered to each occupied well in wellplate 1, wellplate 2 and wellplate 3, respectively. IL21 was added to each well of the wellplate to a final concentration of 30 ng/mL. Culturing was continued.
Day 8. Addition of 50 microliters of IL-2 (50 IU/mL) and IL-7 (25 ng/mL) was made to each well in each wellplate to provide a final concentration of 10 IU/mL and 5 ng/mL respectively. Culturing was continued.
Day 9. Addition of 50 microliters of IL-21(150 ng/mL) was made to each occupied well of each well plate to a final concentration of 30 ng/mL. Culturing was continued.
Day 14. The wells from each wellplate were individually stained for MHC tetramer (Tetramer PE, MBL Catalog # 102000, 1 microliter/well), CD4 (Biolegend Catalog #300530, 0.5 microliters/well); CD8 (Biolegend Catalog #301048, 0.5 microliters/well); CD28(Biolegend Catalog #302906, 0.31 microliters/well); CD45R0 (Biolegend Catalog #304210, 0.63 microliters/well); CCR7 (CD197, Biolegend Catalog #353208, 0.5 microliters/well); and viability (BD Catalog #565388, 0.125 microliters/well). Resuspend each well with 150 microliters FACS buffer and 10 microliters of Countbright™ beads (ThermoFisher Catalog # C36950). FACS analysis was performed on a FACSCelesta™ flow cytometer (BD Biosciences).
Amounts of pMHC and costimulation antibodies that could be deposited onto Polymer and Silica beads was measured.
Streptavidin functionalized (covalently coupled) DynaBeads™ (ThermoFisher Catalog #11205D, bead stock at 6.67e8/mL) were delivered (15 microliters; 1e7 beads) to 1.5 mL microcentrifuges tube with 1 mL of Wash Buffer (DPBS (No Magnesium+2, No Calcium+2, 244 mL); EDTA (1 ml, final concentration 2 mM); and BSA (5 ml of 5%, final concentration 0.1%), and separated using a magnetic DyneBead rack. The wash/separation with 1 mL of the Wash Buffer was repeated, and a further 200 microliters of Wash Buffer was added with subsequent pulse centrifugation. Supernatant Wash Buffer was removed.
Biotin functionalized (covalently coupled) smooth silica beads were first coated with Streptavidin by storage in 100 micromolar Streptavidin. Approximately 5e6 beads were washed by dilution into 1 milliliter of Wash Buffer in a microcentrifuge tube, followed by centrifugation at 1,000×g for 1 minute. The supernatant was carefully removed by aspiration, and the wash process repeated twice more. Supernatant Wash Buffer was removed.
To prepare antigen presenting beads, Wash Buffer (600 microliters) containing 0.5 micrograms biotinylated Monomer MHC (HLA-A* 02:01 SLC45A2 (Biolegend, Custom Product, SLYSYFQKV) was dispensed into the tubes with the DyneBeads and Silica beads, and the beads were resuspended by pipetting up and down. The monomer was allowed to bind for 30 min at 4° C. After 15 minutes, the mixtures were pipetted up and down again. The tubes were centrifuged at 1,000×g for one minute, and the supernatant liquid removed.
Wash Buffer (600 microliters) with 1.5 micrograms of biotinylated anti-CD28 and 1.5 micrograms of biotinylated anti-CD2 was used to resuspend each bead sample, and the beads were resuspended by pipetting up and down. The antibodies were allowed to bind for 30 min at 4C. After 15 minutes, the mixtures were pipetted up and down again. The tubes were centrifuged at 1,000×g for one minute, and the supernatant liquid removed. Finally, the beads were resuspended in 100 microliters of Wash Buffer.
Two samples of approximately 2e5 Polymer antigen presenting beads or 1e5 Silica antigen presenting beads were washed with Wash Buffer (1 milliliter). The bead samples were resuspended in 100 microliters of Wash Buffer and stained by addition of 1 microliter of APC-conjugated anti-HLA-A (Biolegend, Catalog Number 343308) or 1 microliter of APC-conjugated monoclonal anti-Mouse-IgG1 (Biolegend, Catalog Number 406610). The beads were mixed with the antibody and allowed to stain for 30 minutes in the dark. After staining, beads were washed, resuspended in Wash Buffer (200 microliters) and transferred to tubes for analysis by Flow Cytometry.
A set of Quantum Simply Cellular fluorescence quantitation beads (Bangs Labs, Catalog Number 815) was then prepared to determine the number of anti-HLA-A antibodies and anti-Mouse IgG1 antibodies bound to each antigen presenting bead sample. The quantitation beads have antibody binding capacities determined by the manufacturer. A drop of each bead with pre-determined binding capacity was placed in microcentrifuge tubes with 50 microliters of Wash Buffer. To the tubes, 5 microliters of APC-conjugated anti-HLA-A or APC-conjugated anti-Mouse IgG1 was added and mixed by vortexing. The beads were stained for 30 minutes in the dark, washed using the same method as above. The beads with different binding capacities were then pooled into one sample and transferred to a single tube. A drop of blank beads (no antibody binding capacity) was added, and the beads were analyzed by Flow Cytometry.
The quantitation beads were analyzed by Flow Cytometry (BD FACSCelesta, Becton Dickinson and Company) by recording 5,000 events. The quantitation beads were identified by Forward Scatter and Side Scatter, and the median intensity in the APC channel of each bead recorded. This data was recorded in a proprietary Excel spreadsheet provided by the manufacturer (Bangs) that calculates a standard curve of APC intensity versus antibody binding capacity. After verifying that the calibration was linear, the antigen presenting bead samples were analyzed. The beads were identified by Forward and Side Scatter, and the median intensity in the APC channel recorded on the spreadsheet. The spreadsheet calculates the number of APC anti-HLA-A antibodies or APC anti-Mouse IgG1 on each antigen presenting bead. Assuming that 1 anti-HLA-A antibody binds to one pMHC on the antigen presenting bead, this value represents the number of pMHC molecules on each bead. Similarly, the number of costimulation antibodies can be determined.
From the nominal surface area of each antigen presenting bead, the density (number of molecules/square micron of bead surface) of each species can be determined. The total number of pMHC on the Silica microspheres was determined to be approximately 800,000 pMHC/antigen presenting bead. The total number of costimulation antibodies was determined to be about 850,000 antibodies/bead. As there is no way to distinguish the anti-CD28 and anti-CD2 clones used to prepare the antigen presenting beads (they are the same isotype), it is assumed that the ratio of the two antibodies is 1:1. Due to the regularity of the Silica bead surfaces, the surface area can be reasonably modeled from a sphere. For a 4.08 micron diameter microsphere, this corresponds to a surface area of about 52.3 square microns. From this, it can be estimated that about 15,000 pMHC and 15,000 costimulation antibodies per square micron of bead surface are presented by the Silica antigen presenting beads as shown in Table 1. The distribution across each bead population for each ligand class is shown in
For Polymer beads, the convoluted surface makes the relationship between bead diameter and surface area less straightforward. From the quantitation, it was determined that Polymer antigen presenting beads based on M-280 DynaBeads had about 480,000 pMHC molecules and 425,000 costimulation antibodies on their surface. For a sphere of radius 1.4 microns (equal to the nominal radius of M-280 DynaBeads, this corresponds to about 20,000 pMHC and 17,000 costimulation antibodies per square micron, as shown in Table 1. However, due to the convoluted surface of the Polymer beads, the actual surface area is likely larger, and thus the actual density lower. From
Antigen presenting beads were prepared in the same manner using M-450 Epoxy DynaBeads modified with Streptavidin. From flow cytometry, antigen presenting beads prepared from M-450 beads had approximately the same number of pMHC and costimulation antibody molecules as antigen presenting beads prepared with M-280 DynaBeads. As the M-450 DynaBeads are larger than the M-280 beads, this implies that the density of the activating species on the M-450 antigen presenting beads was about 2-3 times lower than on M-280 antigen presenting beads. However, as can be seen from
Example 13B. Expansion of Antigen-Specific T Cells with Polymer vs Silica Beads. Expansion of antigen-specific T cells using Silica antigen presenting beads was tested and compared to convoluted polymeric beads (polystyrene).
Streptavidin functionalized (covalently coupled, convoluted) DynaBeads™ (ThermoFisher Catalog #11205D, bead stock at 6.67e8/mL) were delivered (15 microliters; 1e7 beads) to 1.5 mL microcentrifuges tube with 1 mL of Wash Buffer (DPBS (No Magnesium+2, No Calcium+2, 244 mL); EDTA ((1 ml, final concentration 2 mM); and BSA (5 ml of 5%, final concentration 0.1%), and separated using a magnetic DyneBead rack. The wash/separation with 1 mL of the Wash Buffer was repeated, and a further 200 microliters of Wash Buffer was added with subsequent pulse centrifugation. Supernatant Wash Buffer was removed.
Biotin functionalized (covalently coupled) smooth silica beads, prepared as in Example 1B, were first coated with Streptavidin by storage in 100 micromolar Streptavidin. Approximately 5e6 beads were washed by dilution into 1 milliliter of Wash Buffer in a microcentrifuge tube, followed by centrifugation at 1,000×g for 1 minute. The supernatant was carefully removed by aspiration, and the wash process repeated twice more. Supernatant Wash Buffer was removed.
To prepare antigen presenting beads, Wash Buffer (600 microliters) containing 0.5 micrograms biotinylated Monomer MHC (HLA-A* 02:01 SLC45A2 (Biolegend, Custom Product, SLYSYFQKV) was dispensed into the tubes with the DyneBeads and Silica beads, and the beads were resuspended by pipetting up and down. The monomer was allowed to bind for 30 min at 4° C. After 15 minutes, the mixtures were pipetted up and down again. The tubes were centrifuged at 1,000×g for one minute, and the supernatant liquid removed.
Wash Buffer (600 microliters) with 1.5 micrograms of biotinylated anti-CD28 and 1.5 micrograms of biotinylated anti-CD2 was used to resuspend each bead sample, and the beads were resuspended by pipetting up and down. The antibodies were allowed to bind for 30 min at 4° C. After 15 minutes, the mixtures were pipetted up and down again. The tubes were centrifuged at 1,000×g for one minute, and the supernatant liquid removed. Finally, the beads were resuspended in 100 microliters of Wash Buffer.
Cells: CD8+ T lymphocytes were enriched in a medium including RPMI plus 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS) from commercially available PBMCs following manufacturer's directions for EasySep™ Human CD8+ T Cell Isolation Kit, commercially available kit from StemCell Technologies Canada Inc. (Catalog #17953), by negative selection.
Culture medium and diluent for reagent additions: Advanced RPMI (ThermoFisher Catalog #12633020, 500 mL); 1× GlutaMAX (ThermoFisher Catalog #35050079, 5 mL); 10% Human AB serum (zen-bio, Catalog # HSER-ABP 100 mL, 50 mL); and 50 nM beta-mercaptoethanol (ThermoFisher Catalog #31350010, 50 nm stock, 0.5 mL, final conc 50 micromolar).
Experimental Setup: For each type of antigen presenting bead (Silica or Polymer, as prepared above in this example), a single 96 tissue-culture treated wellplate (VWR Catalog #10062-902) was used. Silica antigen presenting beads were mixed with CD8+ T lymphocytes at ˜1:2 beads:cell. CD8+ T lymphocytes (2e5) (80-90% pure) were added to each well with approximately 1e5 antigen presenting beads (wellplate 1). Polymer antigen presenting beads were mixed with CD8+ T lymphocytes at ˜1:1 beads:cell. CD8+ T lymphocytes (2e5) (80-90% pure) were added to each well with approximately 2e5 antigen presenting beads (wellplate 2).
Each wellplate was cultured at 37° C. On day 0, IL-21 (150 ng/milliliter) in CTL media, was added to each well of wellplates 1 and 2, providing a final concentration in each well of 30 ng/mL. On day 2, IL21 was added to each well of the wellplates, to a final concentration of 30 ng/mL. Culturing was continued to day 7.
Day 7. Restimulation. A second aliquot of antigen presenting beads was added to the corresponding wells in wellplate 1 and wellplate 2. For the Silica beads, approximately 1e5 beads (Silica beads as prepared above in this example) were added. For the Polymer beads, approximately 2e5 beads (convoluted polymer beads as prepared above in this example) were added. IL21 was added to each well of the wellplate to a final concentration of 30 ng/mL. Culturing was continued.
Day 8. Addition of 50 microliters of IL-2 (50 IU/mL) and IL-7 (25 ng/mL) was made to each well in wellplate 1 and wellplate 2 to provide a final concentration of 10 IU/mL and 5 ng/mL respectively. Culturing was continued.
Day 9. Addition of 50 microliters of IL-21(150 ng/mL) was made to each occupied well of wellplate 1 and wellplate 2 to a final concentration of 30 ng/mL. Culturing was continued.
Day 14. The wells from each wellplate were individually stained for MHC tetramer (Tetramer PE, MBL Catalog # 102000, 1 microliter/well), CD4 (Biolegend Catalog #300530, 0.5 microliters/well); CD8 (Biolegend Catalog #301048, 0.5 microliters/well); CD28(Biolegend Catalog #302906, 0.31 microliters/well); CD45RO (Biolegend Catalog #304210, 0.63 microliters/well); CCR7 (CD197, Biolegend Catalog #353208, 0.5 microliters/well); and viability (BD Catalog #565388, 0.125 microliters/well). Each well was resuspended with 150 microliters FACS buffer and 10 microliters of Countbright™ beads (ThermoFisher Catalog # C36950). FACS analysis was performed on a FACSCelesta™ flow cytometer (BD Biosciences).
For Polymer beads, the convoluted surface makes the relationship between bead diameter and surface area less straightforward. From the quantitation, it was determined that Polymer antigen presenting beads based on M-280 DynaBeads had about 480,000 pMHC molecules and 425,000 costimulation antibodies on their surface. For a sphere of radius 1.4 microns (equal to the nominal radius of M-280 DynaBeads, this corresponds to about 20,000 pMHC and 17,000 costimulation antibodies per square micron. However, due to the convoluted surface of the Polymer beads, the actual surface area is likely larger, and thus the actual density lower. However, from
In addition, from
Example 14A.1. Preparation of streptavidin presenting beads. Three-fold serial dilutions of pMHC (HLA-A* 02:01 SLC45A2 (Biolegend, Custom Product, SLYSYFQKV) in Wash Buffer were prepared. 20 microliters of Wash Buffer was added to a microcentrifuge tube for each serial dilution to be performed. Into the first serial dilution tube, 10 microliters of the pMHC were added. The diluted pMHC was mixed by vortexing. 10 uL of the diluted pMHC mixture was then used to prepare the subsequent serial dilution for a total of seven dilutions.
To determine the relationship between concentration of pMHC in solution and the density (molecules/unit area) deposited on the beads, Biotin functionalized (covalently coupled) smooth (e.g., substantially spherical as described above) 4 micron monodisperse silica beads (Cat. # SiO2MS-1.8 4.08 um-1g, Cospheric), prepared as in Example 1B, were first coated with Streptavidin by storage in 100 micromolar Streptavidin. Approximately 1e7 beads were washed by dilution into 1 milliliter of Wash Buffer in a microcentrifuge tube, followed by centrifugation at 1,000×g for 1 minute. The supernatant was carefully removed by aspiration, and the wash process repeated twice more. After washing, approximately 1e6 beads were delivered into eight microcentrifuge tubes, centrifuged again, and the supernatant carefully removed.
Example 14A.2. Preparation of beads having a range of MHC concentration. Wash Buffer (120 microliters) containing 4.5 micrograms biotinylated Monomer MHC (HLA-A*02:01 SLC45A2 (Biolegend, Custom Product, SLYSYFQKV) was dispensed into one of the microcentrifuge tubes, and the beads were resuspended by pipetting up and down. The undiluted pMHC and serial dilutions of pMHC were further diluted into Wash Buffer (120 microliters) and used to resuspend beads, resulting in beads suspended in solutions with 4.5, 1.5, 0.5, 0.167, 0.056, 0.019, 0.006, or 0.002 micrograms of pMHC monomer per 5e6 beads. The monomer was allowed to bind for 30 min at 4° C. After 15 minutes, the mixtures were pipetted up and down again. The tubes were centrifuged, the supernatant liquid removed, and the beads resuspended at approximately 5e7/milliliter.
Approximately 1e5 beads prepared with each concentration of pMHC were washed with Wash Buffer (1 milliliter). The bead samples were resuspended in 100 microliters of Wash Buffer and stained by addition of 1 microliter of APC-conjugated anti-HLA-A (Biolegend, Catalog Number 343308). The beads were mixed with the antibody and allowed to stain for 30 minutes in the dark. After staining, beads were washed, resuspended in Wash Buffer (200 microliters) and transferred to tubes for analysis by Flow Cytometry.
A set of Quantum Simply Cellular fluorescence quantitation beads (Bangs Labs, Catalog Number 815) was then prepared to determine the number of anti-HLA-A antibodies bound to each antigen presenting bead sample. The quantitation beads have antibody binding capacities determined by the manufacturer. A drop of each bead with pre-determined binding capacity was placed in a microcentrifuge tube with 50 microliters of Wash Buffer. To the tube, 5 microliters of APC-conjugated anti-HLA-A was added and mixed by vortexing. The beads were stained for 30 minutes in the dark, washed using the same method as above. The beads with different binding capacities were then pooled into one sample and transferred to a single tube. A drop of blank beads (no antibody binding capacity) was added, and the beads were analyzed by Flow Cytometry.
The quantitation beads were analyzed by Flow Cytometry (BD FACSCelesta, Becton Dickinson and Company) by recording 5,000 events. The quantitation beads were identified by Forward Scatter and Side Scatter, and the median intensity in the APC channel of each bead recorded. Quantitation was calculated as described in Example 13A, using the proprietary methodology provided by the quantitation bead manufacturer. From the antigen presenting bead standard, it is then possible to determine the concentration of pMHC in solution with beads that generates antigen presenting beads with a targeted density of pMHC, e.g., beads with approximately 10,000, 1,000, or 100 pMHC molecules per square micron, as seen in
Example 14A.3. Costimulation molecule concentration variation. Three-fold serial dilutions of biotinylated anti-CD28 and anti-CD2 in Wash Buffer were prepared. 20 microliters of anti-CD28 was mixed with 20 microliters of anti-CD2 in a microcentrifuge tube. Wash Buffer (20 microliters) was then added to a microcentrifuge tube for each serial dilution. The anti-CD28/anti-CD2 mixture (10 microliters) was then added to the first serial dilution tube. The solution was mixed using a vortexer, and 10 uL of the diluted anti-CD28/anti-CD2 mixture was then used to prepare the subsequent serial dilution for a total of seven dilutions.
To quantify the relationship between costimulation antibody in solution and the density (molecules/unit area) deposited on the beads, approximately 1e7 substantially spherical 4 micron silica beads, prepared as in Example 14A.1, having streptavidin binding moieties, were first washed by dilution into 1 milliliter of Wash Buffer in a microcentrifuge tube, followed by centrifugation at 1,000×g for 1 minute. The supernatant was carefully removed by aspiration, and the wash process repeated twice more. After washing, approximately 1e6 beads were delivered into eight microcentrifuge tubes, centrifuged again, and the supernatant carefully removed.
The beads were first functionalized with 1.0 micrograms of pMHC in Wash Buffer (1,200 microliters). After washing, the beads were resuspended in Wash Buffer (1,000 microliters). Into eight microcentrifuge tubes, 100 microliters of pMHC functionalized beads was dispended. The beads were centrifuged, and the supernatant carefully removed.
The undiluted mixed anti-CD28 and anti-CD2 and serial dilutions of anti-CD28/anti-CD2 were further diluted into Wash Buffer (120 microliters) and used to resuspend the beads, resulting in beads suspended in solutions with 4.5, 1.5, 0.5, 0.167, 0.056, 0.019, 0.006, or 0.002 micrograms of mixed costimulation antibodies monomer per 5e6 beads. The monomer was allowed to bind for 30 min at 4° C. After 15 minutes, the mixtures were pipetted up and down again. The tubes were centrifuged, the supernatant liquid removed, and the beads resuspended at approximately 5e7/milliliter.
Approximately 1e5 beads prepared with each concentration of costimulation antibodies was washed with Wash Buffer (1 milliliter). The bead samples were resuspended in 100 microliters of Wash Buffer and stained by addition of 1 microliter of APC-conjugated monoclonal anti-Mouse-IgG1 (Biolegend, Catalog Number 406610). The beads were mixed with the antibody and allowed to stain for 30 minutes in the dark. After staining, beads were washed, resuspended in Wash Buffer (200 microliters) and transferred to tubes for analysis by Flow Cytometry.
A set of Quantum Simply Cellular fluorescence quantitation beads (Bangs Labs, Catalog Number 815) was then prepared to determine the number of APC anti-Mouse IgG1 antibodies bound to each antigen presenting bead sample. A drop of each bead with pre-determined binding capacity was placed in a microcentrifuge tube with 50 microliters of Wash Buffer. To the tube, 5 microliters of APC-conjugated anti-Mouse IgG1 was added and mixed by vortexing. The beads were stained for 30 minutes in the dark, washed using the same method as above. The beads with different binding capacities were then pooled into one sample and transferred to a single tube. A drop of blank beads (no antibody binding capacity) was added, and the beads were analyzed by Flow Cytometry.
The quantitation beads were analyzed by Flow Cytometry (BD FACSCelesta, Becton Dickinson and Company) by recording 5,000 events. The quantitation beads were identified by Forward Scatter and Side Scatter, and the median intensity in the APC channel of each bead recorded. Quantitation was performed as described in Example 13A, using proprietary methods provided by the quantitation bead manufacturer. This quantitation method calculates the number of APC anti-Mouse IgG1 antibodies on each antigen presenting bead. Assuming that 1 anti-Mouse IgG1 antibody binds to one costimulation antibody on the antigen presenting bead, this value represents the number of costimulation antibodies on each bead. From the antigen presenting bead standards, it is then possible to determine the concentration of costimulation antibodies in solution with beads that generates antigen presenting beads with a targeted density of costimulation antibodies, e.g., beads with approximately 10,000, 1,000, or 100 costimulation molecules per square micron, as seen in
Example 14B. Expansion of antigen-specific T cells with antigen presenting beads with different ligand densities. Using the plots of pMHC and costimulation antibody concentration versus density on the resulting antigen presenting beads (
Example 14B.1. Biotin functionalized (covalently coupled) smooth silica beads, prepared as in Example 14. A.1 were first coated with Streptavidin by storage in 100 micromolar Streptavidin. Approximately 5e7 beads were washed by dilution into 1 milliliter of Wash Buffer in a microcentrifuge tube, followed by centrifugation at 1,000×g for 1 minute. The supernatant was carefully removed by aspiration, and the wash process repeated twice more. After washing, approximately 5e6 beads were delivered into three microcentrifuge tubes, centrifuged again, and the supernatant carefully removed.
Example 14B.2. To prepare antigen presenting beads with titrated pMHC, Wash Buffer (600 microliters) containing 0.5, 0.056, or 0.006 micrograms biotinylated Monomer MHC (HLA-A* 02:01 MART-1 (MBL International Corp., Catalog No. MR01008, ELAGIGILTV) was dispensed into three microcentrifuge tubes, and the beads were resuspended by pipetting up and down. The monomer was allowed to bind for 30 min at 4° C. After 15 minutes, the mixtures were pipetted up and down again. The tubes were centrifuged at 1,000×g for one minute, and the supernatant liquid removed.
Wash Buffer (600 microliters) with 1.0 microgram of mixed biotinylated anti-CD28 and biotinylated anti-CD2 was used to resuspend each bead sample, and the beads were resuspended by pipetting up and down. The antibodies were allowed to bind for 30 min at 4° C. After 15 minutes, the mixtures were pipetted up and down again. The tubes were centrifuged at 1,000×g for one minute, and the supernatant liquid removed. Finally, the beads were resuspended in 100 microliters of Wash Buffer. The loading of the beads with the desired order of magnitude of pMHC and antibodies was verified by Flow Cytometry analysis and comparison to quantitation beads. Wash Buffer (600 microliters) with 1.0 micrograms of anti-CD28 and anti-CD2 was used to resuspend each bead sample, and the beads were resuspended by pipetting up and down. The monomer was allowed to bind for 30 min at 4° C. After 15 minutes, the mixtures were pipetted up and down again. The tubes were centrifuged at 1,000×g for one minute, and the supernatant liquid removed. Finally, the beads were resuspended in 100 microliters of Wash Buffer. The loading of the beads with the desired order of magnitude of pMHC was verified by Flow Cytometry analysis and comparison to quantitation beads.
Example 14B.3. To prepare antigen presenting beads with titrated costimulation antibodies, Wash Buffer (1,200 microliters) containing 1.5 micrograms biotinylated Monomer MHC (HLA-A* 02:01 MART-1 (MBL International Corp., Catalog No. MR01008, ELAGIGILTV) was dispensed into a microcentrifuge tube containing 1.5e7 washed beads from Example 14.6.1, and the beads were resuspended by pipetting up and down. The monomer was allowed to bind for 30 min at 4° C. After 15 minutes, the mixtures were pipetted up and down again. The tubes were centrifuged at 1,000×g for one minute, and the supernatant liquid removed.
The beads were then resuspended in Wash Buffer (900 microliters), and 300 microliters of the beads transferred to 3 microcentrifuge tubes.
Wash Buffer (300 microliters) with 1.0 microgram of mixed anti-CD28 and anti-CD2, 0.111 micrograms of mixed antiCD28 and anti-CD2, or 0.012 micrograms of mixed anti-CD28 and anti-CD2 was mixed into the three bead samples, and the beads were thoroughly mixed by pipetting up and down. The antibodies were allowed to bind for 30 min at 4° C. After 15 minutes, the mixtures were pipetted up and down again. The tubes were centrifuged at 1,000×g for one minute, and the supernatant liquid removed. Finally, the beads were resuspended in 100 microliters of Wash Buffer. The loading of the beads with the desired order of magnitude of costimulation antibodies was verified by Flow Cytometry analysis and comparison to quantitation beads.
Example 14B.4. Stimulation. Cells: CD8+ T lymphocytes were enriched in a medium including RPMI plus 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS) from commercially available PBMCs following manufacturer's directions for EasySep™ Human CD8+ T Cell Isolation Kit, commercially available kit from StemCell Technologies Canada Inc. (Catalog #17953), by negative selection.
Culture medium and diluent for reagent additions: Advanced RPMI (ThermoFisher Catalog #12633020, 500 mL); 1× GlutaMAX (ThermoFisher Catalog #35050079, 5 mL); 10% Human AB serum (zen-bio, Catalog # HSER-ABP 100 mL, 50mL); and 50 nM beta-mercaptoethanol (ThermoFisher Catalog #31350010, 50 nm stock, 0.5 mL, final conc 50 micromolar).
Experimental Setup: For each activation species titration (pMHC or costimulation antibodies), a single 96 tissue-culture treated wellplate (VWR Catalog #10062-902) was used. Antigen presenting beads with ˜10,000, ˜1,000 or ˜100 pMHC per square micron of bead surface and with ˜10,000 costimulation antibodies per square micron of bead surface (from Example 14.6.2) were mixed with CD8+ T lymphocytes at ˜1:2 beads:cell. CD8+ T lymphocytes (2e5) (80-90% pure) were added to each well with approximately 1e5 antigen presenting beads (wellplate 1). Antigen presenting beads with ˜10,000 pMHC per square micron of bead surface and with ˜10,000, ˜1,000 or ˜100 costimulation antibodies per square micron of bead surface (from Example 14.6.3) were mixed with CD8+ T lymphocytes at ˜1:2 beads:cell. CD8+ T lymphocytes (2e5) (80-90% pure) were added to each well with approximately 1e5 antigen presenting beads (wellplate 2).
Each wellplate was cultured at 37° C. On day 0, IL-21 (150 ng/milliliter) in CTL media, was added to each well of wellplates 1 and 2, providing a final concentration in each well of 30 ng/mL. On day 2, IL21 was added to each well of the wellplates, to a final concentration of 30 ng/mL. Culturing was continued to day 7.
Day 7. Restimulation. A second aliquot of antigen presenting beads with the targets density of pMHC or costimulation antibody was added to the corresponding wells in wellplate 1 and wellplate 2. IL21 was added to each well of the wellplate to a final concentration of 30 ng/mL. Culturing was continued.
Day 8. Addition of 50 microliters of IL-2 (50 IU/mL) and IL-7 (25 ng/mL) was made to each well in wellplate 1 and wellplate 2 to provide a final concentration of 10 IU/mL and 5 ng/mL respectively. Culturing was continued.
Day 9. Addition of 50 microliters of IL-21(150 ng/mL) was made to each occupied well of wellplate 1 and wellplate 2 to a final concentration of 30 ng/mL. Culturing was continued.
Day 14. The wells from each wellplate were individually stained for MHC tetramer (Tetramer PE, MBL Catalog # T02000, 1 microliter/well), CD4 (Biolegend Catalog #300530, 0.5 microliters/well); CD8 (Biolegend Catalog #301048, 0.5 microliters/well); CD28 (Biolegend Catalog #302906, 0.31 microliters/well); CD45RO (Biolegend Catalog #304210, 0.63 microliters/well); CCR7 (CD197, Biolegend Catalog #353208, 0.5 microliters/well); and viability (BD Catalog #565388, 0.125 microliters/well). Each well was resuspended with 150 microliters FACS buffer and 10 microliters of Countbright™ beads (ThermoFisher Catalog # C36950). FACS analysis was performed on a FACSCelesta™ flow cytometer (BD Biosciences).
Experimental Design: Tumor cell lines obtained from melanoma cells, including Mel 526 cells and A375 cells, were tested in an on-chip T cell killing assay. Each cell line was grown up in vitro according to standard procedures, then labeled with CellTrace™ Far Red dye (Cat. #C34572, ThermoFisher Scientific), which provides stable intracellular labelling. Each population of labeled tumor cells were flowed into an individual microfluidic chip (Berkeley Lights, Inc.) in T cell media (Adv. RPMI+10% Human AB serum (Cat. #35-060-CI, Corning)+Gln+50 uM 2-mercaptoethanol (BME, Cat. #31350-010, Gibco, ThermoFisher Scientific) supplemented with 10 uM fluorogenic Caspase-3 substrate (DEVD, Green) (Nucview®488, Cat. #10403, Biotium). Groups of labeled tumor cells (˜2-10) were loaded into each of a plurality of sequestration pens on each of the two microfluidic chips (one for Mel 526 cells, and one for A375 cells) by tilting the microfluidic chip and allowing gravity to pull the tumor cells into the sequestration pens, providing a final concentration of the Caspase-3 substrate at 5 uM at Time=0 for the assay for each microfluidic chip. The Caspase-3 substrate provides no fluorescent signal until cleaved, so at Time=0, there was no fluorescent signal due to this reagent. T cells expanded against the SLC45A2 antigen, according to an endogenous T cell (ETC) protocol as described above, were flowed into each of the two microfluidic chips and gravity loaded on top of the tumor cells of each respective chip. Typically, after loading the tumor cells and T cells, each sequestration pen contained 0-5 tumor cells per T cell. As shown in the brightfield image (BF) for each time point and for each microfluidic chip containing SLC45A2-specific T cells and MeL526 tumor cells (
The MeL526 melanoma cell line expresses the SLC45A2 tumor-associated antigen and was expected to be targeted and killed by the SLC45A2-specific T cells. The A375 melanoma cell line does not express the SLC45A2 tumor-associated antigen and was not expected to be targeted or killed by the SLC45A2-specific T cells, and thus was used as a negative control for T cell cytotoxicity.
Results: Mel526 tumor cells (
Typically after completion of antigen specific T lymphocyte activation as described in the preceding experiments, the antigen specific enriched T cells were sorted by FACS on an FACSAria Fusion System (Becton Dickinson, San Jose, Calif.) after staining 30 min RT in FACS buffer (1×DPBS w/o Ca2+Mg2+ (Cat. #4190250, ThermoFisher), 5 mM EDTA (Cat. # AM9260G, ThermoFisher), 10 mM HEPES (Cat. #15630080, ThermoFisher), 2% FBS) with anti-CD8-PerCPCy5.5 (Clone RPA-T8, 301032,Biolegend, San Diego, Calif.), Tetramer-PE (MBL International, Woburn, Mass.) specific to the antigen, and Zombie NIR (Cat. #423106, Biolegend, San Diego, Calif.) to exclude dead cells. Desired cells were purity sorted by gating: size, singles, live, CD8 positive, and Tetramer positive into CTL media (Advanced RPMI (Cat. #12633020, ThermoFisher), 1× Glutamax (Cat. #35050079, ThermoFisher), 10% Human Serum (Cat. # MT35060CI, ThermoFisher), 50 uM b-Mercaptoethanol (Cat. #31350010, ThermoFisher) with 2 mM HEPES.
The sorted antigen-specific T cells were then expanded in at least one round of Rapid Expansion Protocol (REP), as described in Riddell, U.S. Pat. No. 5,827,642. Lymphoblastoid Cell Line cells (LCL, the LCL cell line was a gift from Cassian Yee, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center) were irradiated with 100 Gy and PBMC from 3 donors were irradiated with 50 Gy using an X-ray irradiator. Irradiated cells were washed in RPMI containing 10% FBS and mixed in a ratio of 1:5 (LCL:PBMC). These irradiated cells were added to either FACS-sorted T cells (for a first cycle of REP), or to the product of a first cycle of REP in 200 to 500-fold excess. Cultures were set up in T cell media (Advanced RPMI, 10% Human AB Serum, GlutaMax, 50 uM b-mercaptoethanol) supplemented with 50 U/mL IL-2 (Cat. #202-IL, R&D Systems) and 30 ng/mL anti-CD3 antibody (Cat. #16-0037-85, ThermoFisher). Cells were fed with fresh IL-2 on days 2, 5 and 10, and expanded according to their growth rates.
Expansion is typically 1,000-fold during a first REP cycle. Expansion during REP1 varied highly (316-7,800-fold, data not shown). Inaccurate quantification of low input cell numbers may have contributed to this variability. Shown here in
In
In
In
Therefore, the processes of activation via antigen presentation on a synthetic surface as described herein can provide well controlled, reproducible and characterizable cellular products suitable for use in immunotherapy. The antigen-presenting surfaces described herein provide lower cost of manufacture for these individualized therapies compared to currently available experimental processes.
Sorting and Activation. A sample of PBMCs is obtained from a subject, which may be a patient. If the sample has been frozen, it should be thawed. A tube containing the PBMCs is spun down and the cells are resuspended in 20 ml of RPMI medium, which includes 10% FBS, 25 microgram/ml DNasel solution (STEMCELL, catalog #07900), and then incubated for 10 min at room temperature. The mixture is filtered using a 40 micron 50 ml tube filter, and viable cells are counted. Typically, this provides about 1-6 e7 cells/ml and viability is greater than about 90-95%. An aliquot of cells is spun down and resuspended in 50 ml separation buffer and CD3/CD28 magnetic Dynabeads™ beads (ThermoFisher) are added to a 3:1 ratio of Dynabeads™:cells. For example, 6e8 Dynabeads™ can be mixed with 2e8 cells. The cell/bead mixture is introduced to a cell culture chamber (e.g., a bioreactor) of a cartridge as described herein and incubated with agitation for 30-40 minutes at room temperature. The agitation can include, for example, rocking the cartridge back and forth. During this incubation period, the CD3/CD28 antibody-coated Dynabeads™ bind to the desirable T cell population and not to other cell types of the PBMC mixture, while simultaneously activating the bound T cells. A magnet assembly is then positioned proximal to a base surface of the cell culture chamber of the cartridge for a period of about 5 minutes while the cartridge (and associated cell culture chamber) continued to be agitated. The magnet assembly pulls the DynabeadsTM (and any cells bound thereto) to the base of the cell culture chamber, after which the supernatant medium is removed from the cartridge. A new aliquot (30-50 ml) of isolation buffer is introduced into the cell culture chamber and the bead:cells mixture is incubated for about 5 minutes with continued agitation. During this period, the magnet assembly remains positioned proximal to the cell culture chamber. After the incubation, removal of the supernatant fluid is effected again with continued agitation. This washing process is repeated for a total of 10 cycles of medium addition, incubation with agitation in the presence of the magnet assembly, and draw off of the supernatant medium. This procedure provides a high purity population of T cells (e.g., a population having greater than about 85%, about 87%, about 90%, about 92%, about 93%, about 94%, about 95%, about 96%, about 97%, about 98%, about 99% or higher Tcells) remaining in the cartridge.
Model Cartridge enrichment. The efficiency of enriching a population of PBMCs to obtain a desired subpopulation of Tcells a simple model cartridge, an ulltem plate with dimpled surface and manual magnet application (Model Cartridge), was compared with sorting and activating in a tube (Falcon tube) using standard bench-top vortexing and magnetic pulldown capabilities (Control). The degree of purity was important, with high percentages of CD3-positive Tcells and low percentages of unwanted cells such as CD19 B cells, CD14 monocytes, CD56 NK Cells, and CD235a red blood cells being desirable endpoints. A single PBMC sample tube, prepared as described above, was split into two portions. Each portion included 1e8 cells. The sample treated in the model cartridge was treated as described in the preceding paragraph. The Control sample was handled similarly but with standard vortexing and magnetic pulldown. The Control sample was washed with fresh medium for four cycles of washing, rather than the more extensive washing performed for the Model Cartridge. The final cell populations present in the Model Cartridge and the Control samples were examined by FACS. The population of cells isolated from the Model Cartridge contained greater than 92% T cells, which was considered an acceptable level of enrichment compared to that obtained using standard bench-top tube procedures.
As part of this test, the cells exported with the wash liquors were also examined by FACS to determine the proportions of unwanted cells (B cells, monocytes, NK/NT) removed as well as the extent of loss of desirable T cells.
Selective retention of Tcells in the Model Cartridge was found by use of this method. Cell loss from the washes was also found to be non-limiting, as Model Cartridge yielded close to 80% of the T cells obtained using the standard bench-top method.
On cartridge enrichment. In another example, the enrichment and activating process for T cells was performed similarly as above, but using a cartridge as described herein having a bioreactor chamber having a dimpled base surface, fluidics, and integrated microfluidic assay chip. About 2e8 PBMCs were prepared as above and mixed with 6e8 (3:1 ratio) CD3/CD28 magnetic Dynabeads™ beads, imported into the bioreactor chamber of the cartridge, and incubated at room temperature on a rotating platform. Washes, agitation, application of magnetic force, and export were performed as described above for the Model Cartridge experiment, with a total of 10 washes. The aliquots of new medium were each imported over 120 seconds, and the supernatant fluid export was performed over 180 seconds. Analysis of both the initial population of donor cells and the final enriched cellular product was performed by FACS, and showed better than 97% Tcell enrichment in the sample.
The total number of washes performed may be about 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or more, and the period of time for medium importation and supernatant export may be varied as desired.
Activation. The CD3CD28 Dynabeads™ also activate at the same time enrichment is being performed. In exemplary cell populations that were enriched as described above, the enriched T cell populations were examined by FACS to assess phenotype. The cells were found to have CD28+, CD69+, CD45RO+, and CD197+ status; CD28+/CD45RO+ cells comprised 91% of the population, and CD197+cells comprised 90.6% of the population, indicating a central memory phenotype. Therefore, the cells were activated and suitable for expansion.
T-cells exhibiting a CD8+ phenotype may be a useful cellular therapy product. Alternatively, T-cells exhibiting a CD4+ phenotype or a mixed population of CD8+ and CD4+ cells may be useful as a cell therapy product. The CD4+/CD8+ phenotypic T cells may be further modified with antigen specific activation or introduction of exogenous genes, such as a CAR or an exogenous TCR. The workflow can support any variety of additional activation or transduction steps after the initial activation by the CD3CD28 coated magnetic beads.
Expansion. The enriched activated Tcells are expanded for up to 14 days within the bioreactor of the cartridge. Expansion may be performed for about 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, or more days while maintaining an activated state and minimizing exhausted phenotypes. Fluidic medium, which may include cytokines or other molecules necessary for maintaining the health and activated state of the T cells, while preventing overstimulation and development of exhausted phenotype cells, can be delivered periodically to the bioreactor (e.g., daily, every other day, once every 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7 days, depending on the cytokine or other molecule). Samples of the expanding cells are periodically exported from the bioreactor and delivered within the cartridge to the assay sector (e.g., microfluidic chip) of the cartridge. The samples are evaluated for cell count, which can be performed daily, every other day, or less often depending upon the need. Cell count is measured using the Optical Density of the sample within the microfluidic chip, and may be performed within a large chamber or a microfluidic channel of the microfluidic chip, as described herein. The T cells are expanded in the bioreactor to obtain a cellular population of 1e8, 5e8, 1e9, or more cells which may be sufficient to form a therapeutic dose.
In one example, enriched and activated Tcells (starting with 1e8 cells) were expanded within the bioreactor sector of a cartridge as described herein. The media was CTL, which included 10 ng/ml IL-7 and 10 ng/ml IL-15 , as well as PenStrep. Feeding was performed by exporting 20 ml of supernatant from the bioreactor (total volume of the bioreactor was 40 ml) and supplying 20 ml of fresh medium to replace the removed supernatant. This was repeated on each of three days. Daily cell counts of small samples withdrawn from the bioreactor showed that viability was maintained at over 96% and that 5e8 cells were produced by the end of the fourth day of expansion within the bioreactor.
In-process analysis. Cell CountNiability/Phenotype. A sample is exported from the bioreactor and delivered to the assay region of the cartridge, which is typically a microfluidic device. The microfluidic device includes one or more channels, optionally with sequestration pens opening off of the channel(s), and a transparent cover permitting imaging. Non-limiting examples of such microfluidic devices are described in
Functional Assays. Samples from the bioreactor are exported to the assay region of the cartridge (i.e., the microfluidic device) and assayed for functional ability to kill target cells or to assess the expression of cytokines of interest, such as IFNgamma, TNFalpha, and/or IL-2. Target cells are imported into the microfluidic device from external reagent sources without passing through the bioreactor containing the cellular product. Reagents to perform cytotoxicity and/or cytokine assays are similarly imported into the microfluidic device without passing through the bioreactor sector of the cartridge. For example, the reagents can be stored in reagent reservoirs of the cartridge and transported to the microfluidic device using a portion of the fluidic network of the cartridge that connects the reagent reservoirs to the microfluidic device. Multiplex cytokine release assays and/or cytotoxicty assays may be performed as described in International Application Publication No. WO2020/092975, entitled “Methods for Assaying Biological Cells in a Microfluidic Device”, and its contents herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Other assays. Other assays are performed as needed, including Vector Copy Number assays, if CAR engineered Tcells are being produced.
Formulation. After determining that T cell expansion is sufficient, and/or the T cells are viable and have a useful/desirable phenotype, the expansion media in the bioreactor is exchanged for media suitable for storage or administration of the cellular product. As part of this formulation process, washes are performed to reduce the level of feeder components or other additives to an acceptable level. The concentration of the cellular product may be adjusted for suitable storage/administration. The cellular product is then, for the first time, removed from the bioreactor and exported from the cartridge for storage/administration as needed.
Dilution/washing is not the only process by which final formulation may be achieved. Antibodies specific to the Tcell product and bound to gold particles may be used to bind to the desired product, and the bound cells may be separated off cartridge using a density gradient. Commercially available systems such as that available from LevitasBio may be used. Other methods of removing the culture medium, adding a formulation medium and establishing a desired concentration or volume, as is known in the art, may be performed off cartridge after exporting the T cells from the cartridge.
The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/136,211, filed on Jan. 12, 2021, U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/294,839, filed on Dec. 29, 2021 and U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/297,649, filed on Jan. 7, 2022, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference as if set forth in full.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63136211 | Jan 2021 | US | |
| 63294839 | Dec 2021 | US | |
| 63297649 | Jan 2022 | US |
