Search

Background: Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has proven to be a valuable new treatment option for patients with B-cell malignancies. However, by applying selective pressure, outgrowth of antigen-negative tumor cells can occur, eventually resulting in relapse. Subsequent rescue by administration of CAR-T cells with different antigen-specificity indicates that those tumor cells are still sensitive to CAR-T treatment and points towards a multi-target strategy. Due to their natural tumor sensitivity and highly cytotoxic nature, natural killer (NK) cells are a compelling alternative to T cells, especially considering the availability of an off-the-shelf unlimited supply in the form of the clinically validated NK-92 cell line.Methods: Given our goal to develop a flexible system whereby the CAR expression repertoire of the effector cells can be rapidly adapted to the changing antigen expression profile of the target cells, electrotransfection with CD19-/BCMA-CAR mRNA was chosen as CAR loading method in this study. We evaluated the functionality of mRNA-engineered dual-CAR NK-92 against tumor B-cell lines and primary patient samples. In order to test the clinical applicability of the proposed cell therapy product, the effect of irradiation on the proliferative rate and functionality of dual-CAR NK-92 cells was investigated.Results: Co-electroporation of CD19 and BMCA CAR mRNA was highly efficient, resulting in 88.1% dual-CAR NK-92 cells. In terms of CD107a degranulation, and secretion of interferon (IFN)-γ and granzyme B, dual-CAR NK-92 significantly outperformed single-CAR NK-92. More importantly, the killing capacity of dual-CAR NK-92 exceeded 60% of single and dual antigen-expressing cell lines, as well as primary tumor cells, in a 4h co-culture assay at low effector to target ratios, matching that of single-CAR counterparts. Furthermore, our results confirm that dual-CAR NK-92 irradiated with 10 Gy cease to proliferate and are gradually cleared while maintaining their killing capacity.Conclusions: Here, using the clinically validated NK-92 cell line as a therapeutic cell source, we established a readily accessible and flexible platform for the generation of highly functional dual-targeted CAR-NK cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-modified T cell therapy is a rapidly emerging immunotherapeutic approach that is revolutionizing cancer treatment. The impressive clinical results obtained with CAR-T cell therapy in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and lymphoma have fueled the development of CAR-T cells targeting other malignancies, including multiple myeloma (MM). The field of CAR-T cell therapy for MM is still in its infancy, but remains promising. To date, most studies have been performed with B cell maturation antigen (BCMA)-targeted CARs, for which high response rates have been obtained in early-phase clinical trials. However, responses are usually temporary, and relapses have frequently been observed. One of the major reasons for relapse is the loss or downregulation of BCMA expression following CAR-T therapy. This has fostered a search for alternative target antigens that are expressed on the MM cell surface. In this review, we provide an overview of myeloma target antigens other than BCMA that are currently being evaluated in pre-clinical and clinical studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T-cell therapy is an innovative form of adoptive cell therapy that has revolutionized the treatment of certain hematological malignancies, including B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The treatment is currently also being studied in other B-cell neoplasms, including multiple myeloma (MM) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). CD19 and B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) have been the most popular target antigens for CAR-T-cell immunotherapy of these malignancies. This review will discuss the efficacy and toxicity data from the pivotal clinical studies of CD19- and BCMA-targeted CAR-T-cell therapies in relapsed/refractory B-cell malignancies (NHL, ALL, CLL) and MM, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]