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Immune checkpoint blockade can induce potent and durable responses in patients with highly immunogenic mismatch repair-deficient tumors; however, these drugs are ineffective against immune-cold neuroblastoma tumors. To establish a role for a T cell-based therapy against neuroblastoma, we show that T cell and memory T cell-dependent gene expression are associated with improved survival in high-risk neuroblastoma patients. To stimulate anti-tumor immunity and reproduce this immune phenotype in neuroblastoma tumors, we used CRISPR-Cas9 to knockout MLH1-a crucial molecule in the DNA mismatch repair pathway-to induce mismatch repair deficiency in a poorly immunogenic murine neuroblastoma model. Induced mismatch repair deficiency increased the expression of proinflammatory genes and stimulated T cell infiltration into neuroblastoma tumors. In contrast to adult cancers with induced mismatch repair deficiency, neuroblastoma tumors remained unresponsive to anti-PD1 treatment. However, anti-CTLA4 therapy was highly effective against these tumors. Anti-CTLA4 therapy promoted immune memory and T cell epitope spreading in cured animals. Mechanistically, the effect of anti-CTLA4 therapy against neuroblastoma tumors with induced mismatch repair deficiency is CD4

This figure shows our gating strategy and representative dot plots for our flow cytometry-based phagocytosis assay.

These four supplementary tables summarize the following: Supplementary Table 1. TTI-621 binding to human tumor cell lines Supplementary Table 2. TTI-621 binding to human primary tumor samples Supplementary Table 3. TTI-621 binding to peripheral blood cells of healthy donors Supplementary Table 4: TTI-621 Potency In Vitro

Tumor-specific CD8+ T cells are critical components of antitumor immunity; however, factors that modulate their phenotype and function have not been completely elucidated. Cytokines IL-12 and IL-27 have recognized roles in promoting CD8+ T cells’ effector function and mediated antitumor responses. Tumor-specific CD8+ tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) can be identified based on surface expression of CD39, whereas bystander CD8+ TILs do not express this enzyme. It is currently unclear how and why tumor-specific CD8+ T cells uniquely express CD39. Given the important roles of IL-12 and IL-27 in promoting CD8+ T cell functionality, we investigated whether these cytokines could modulate CD39 expression on these cells. Using in vitro stimulation assays, we identified that murine splenic CD8+ T cells differentially upregulate CD39 in the presence of IL-12 and IL-27. Subsequently, we assessed the exhaustion profile of IL-12– and IL-27–induced CD39+CD8+ T cells. Despite the greatest frequency of exhausted CD39+CD8+ T cells after activation with IL-12, as demonstrated by the coexpression of TIM-3+PD-1+LAG-3+ and reduced degranulation capacity, these cells retained the ability to produce IFN-γ. IL-27–induced CD39+CD8+ T cells expressed PD-1 but did not exhibit a terminally exhausted phenotype. IL-27 was able to attenuate IL-12–mediated inhibitory receptor expression on CD39+CD8+ T cells but did not rescue degranulation ability. Using an immunogenic neuro-2a mouse model, inhibiting IL-12 activity reduced CD39+CD8+ TIL frequency compared with controls without changing the overall CD8+ TIL frequency. These results provide insight into immune regulators of CD39 expression on CD8+ T cells and further highlight the differential impact of CD39-inducing factors on the phenotype and effector functions of CD8+ T cells.

This figure shows representative hematology data from non-human primates (cynomolgus monkeys) dosed with TTI-621.

Purpose: The ubiquitously expressed transmembrane glycoprotein CD47 delivers an anti-phagocytic (do not eat) signal by binding signal-regulatory protein α (SIRPα) on macrophages. CD47 is overexpressed in cancer cells and its expression is associated with poor clinical outcomes. TTI-621 (SIRPαFc) is a fully human recombinant fusion protein that blocks the CD47–SIRPα axis by binding to human CD47 and enhancing phagocytosis of malignant cells. Blockade of this inhibitory axis using TTI-621 has emerged as a promising therapeutic strategy to promote tumor cell eradication.Experimental Design: The ability of TTI-621 to promote macrophage-mediated phagocytosis of human tumor cells was assessed using both confocal microscopy and flow cytometry. In vivo antitumor efficacy was evaluated in xenograft and syngeneic models and the role of the Fc region in antitumor activity was evaluated using SIRPαFc constructs with different Fc tails.Results: TTI-621 enhanced macrophage-mediated phagocytosis of both hematologic and solid tumor cells, while sparing normal cells. In vivo, TTI-621 effectively controlled the growth of aggressive AML and B lymphoma xenografts and was efficacious in a syngeneic B lymphoma model. The IgG1 Fc tail of TTI-621 plays a critical role in its antitumor activity, presumably by engaging activating Fcγ receptors on macrophages. Finally, TTI-621 exhibits minimal binding to human erythrocytes, thereby differentiating it from CD47 blocking antibodies.Conclusions: These data indicate that TTI-621 is active across a broad range of human tumors. These results further establish CD47 as a critical regulator of innate immune surveillance and form the basis for clinical development of TTI-621 in multiple oncology indications. Clin Cancer Res; 23(4); 1068–79. ©2016 AACR.

Strategies to modify the gut microbiome in cancer patients using fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) have gained momentum as a therapeutic intervention. However, how FMT impacts innate-like, antimicrobial T lymphocytes is unclear. In this study, we assessed peripheral blood (PB) mucosa-associated invariant T (MAIT) cell frequencies and functions in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) before and seven days after they received FMT as part of a clinical trial. We found comparable MAIT cell frequencies in healthy controls and mRCC patients. In contrast, γδ T cells exhibited a numerical decline in mRCC, which was partially reversed by FMT. We also found a significant increase in the PB CD4

Although infection with human papillomavirus (HPV) is associated with nearly all cervical cancers (CC), a small proportion are HPV-negative. Recently, it has become clear that HPV-negative CC represent a distinct disease phenotype compared to HPV-positive disease and exhibit increased mortality. In addition, variations between different HPV types associated with CC have been linked to altered molecular pathology and prognosis. We compared the immune microenvironments of CC caused by HPV α9 species (HPV16-like), HPV α7 species (HPV18-like) and HPV-negative disease. HPV-negative CC appeared distinct from other subtypes, with greatly reduced levels of lymphocyte infiltration compared to either HPV α9 or α7 CC. Besides reduced levels of markers indicative of B, T, and NK lymphocytes, the expression of T-cell effector molecules, activation/exhaustion markers, and T-cell receptor diversity were also significantly lower in HPV-negative CC. Interestingly, HPV-negative CC expressed much higher levels of potential neoantigens than HPV-positive CC. These results identify profound differences between the immune landscape of HPV-positive and HPV-negative CC as well as modest differences between HPV α9 and α7 CC. These differences may contribute to altered patient outcomes between HPV-negative and HPV-positive CC and potentially between CC associated with different HPV types.

Neoadjuvant immunotherapy involves administering immune checkpoint inhibitors before surgical resection in high-risk resectable disease. This strategy was shown to have a high pathological response rate and prolonged relapse-free survival in randomized trials in melanoma, glioblastoma, and colon cancer with small numbers of patients. In resectable cancers, immune checkpoint inhibitors such as anti-programmed cell death-1 (PD1) and anti-cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein-4 (CTLA-4) can enhance antitumor immunity by activating antigen-specific T cells found in the primary tumor. These tumor-reactive T cells continue to exert antitumor effects on remaining neoplastic cells after the resection of the primary tumor, potentially preventing relapses from occurring. Based on the scientific rationale and early clinical observations with surrogate survival endpoints, neoadjuvant immunotherapy may provide an effective alternative to other therapeutic strategies such as adjuvant treatment. However, this can be determined only by conducting randomized controlled trials comparing neoadjuvant immunotherapy with the current standard of care for each tumor site. This review discusses the cellular mechanisms that occur during successful neoadjuvant immunotherapy and highlights the clinical data from the available human studies that support the preclinical mechanistic data. Here we also discuss strategies required for successful neoadjuvant immunotherapy, including combination treatment strategies and resistance mechanisms to neoadjuvant treatment.

CD5 is expressed on T cells and a subset of B cells (B1a). It can attenuate TCR signalling and impair CTL activation and is a therapeutic targetable tumour antigen expressed on leukemic T and B cells. However, the potential therapeutic effect of functionally blocking CD5 to increase T cell anti-tumour activity against tumours (including solid tumours) has not been explored. CD5 knockout mice show increased anti-tumour immunity: reducing CD5 on CTLs may be therapeutically beneficial to enhance the anti-tumour response. Here, we show that ex vivo administration of a function-blocking anti-CD5 MAb to primary mouse CTLs of both tumour-naive mice and mice bearing murine 4T1 breast tumour homografts enhanced their capacity to respond to activation by treatment with anti-CD3/anti-CD28 MAbs or 4T1 tumour cell lysates. Furthermore, it enhanced TCR signalling (ERK activation) and increased markers of T cell activation, including proliferation, CD69 levels, IFN-γ production, apoptosis and Fas receptor and Fas ligand levels. Finally, CD5 function-blocking MAb treatment enhanced the capacity of CD8+ T cells to kill 4T1-mouse tumour cells in an ex vivo assay. These data support the potential of blockade of CD5 function to enhance T cell-mediated anti-tumour immunity.

Not all cancer patients who receive immunotherapy respond positively and emerging evidence suggests that the gut microbiota may be linked to treatment efficacy. Though mechanisms of microbial contributions to the immune response have been postulated, one likely function is the supply of basic co-factors to the host including selected vitamins. Bacteria, fungi, and plants can produce their own vitamins, whereas humans primarily obtain vitamins from exogenous sources, yet despite the significance of microbial-derived vitamins as crucial immune system modulators, the microbiota is an overlooked source of these nutrients in humans. Microbial-derived vitamins are often shared by gut bacteria, stabilizing bioenergetic pathways amongst microbial communities. Compositional changes in gut microbiota can affect metabolic pathways that alter immune function. Similarly, the immune system plays a pivotal role in maintaining the gut microbiota, which parenthetically affects vitamin biosynthesis. Here we elucidate the immune-interactive mechanisms underlying the effects of these microbially derived vitamins and how they can potentially enhance the activity of immunotherapies in cancer.

We have previously found that TdT-interacting factor 1 (TdIF1) is a potential oncogene expressed in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and is associated with poor prognosis. However, its exact mechanism is still unclear. The lysine-specific demethylase 1 (LSD1) is a crucial mediator of the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT), an important process triggered during cancer metastasis. Here, we confirm that TdIF1 is highly expressed in NSCLC and related to lymph node metastasis through The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) analysis of clinical samples. Silencing TdIF1 can regulate the expression of EMT-related factors and impair the migration and invasion ability of cancer cells in vitro. An analysis of tumor xenografts in nude mice confirmed that silencing TdIF1 inhibits tumor growth. Furthermore, we determined the interaction between TdIF1 and LSD1 using immunoprecipitation. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) revealed that TdIF1 was enriched in the E-cadherin promoter region. The knockdown of TdIF1 repressed the enrichment of LSD1 at the E-cadherin promoter region, thereby regulating the level of promoter histone methylation and modulating E-cadherin transcription activity, ultimately leading to changes in EMT factors and cancer cell migration and invasion ability. The LSD1 inhibitor and TdIF1 knockdown combination showed a synergistic effect in inhibiting the growth, migration, and invasion of NSCLC cells. Taken together, this is the first demonstration that TdIF1 regulates E-cadherin transcription by recruiting LSD1 to the promoter region, thereby promoting EMT and tumor metastasis and highlighting the potential of TdIF1 as a therapeutic target for NSCLC.

Brain metastases affect more breast cancer patients than ever before due to increased overall patient survival with improved molecularly targeted treatments. Approximately 25–34% of breast cancer patients develop brain metastases in their lifetime. Due to the blood–brain barrier (BBB), the standard treatment for breast cancer brain metastases (BCBM) is surgery, stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and/or whole brain radiation therapy (WBRT). At the cost of cognitive side effects, WBRT has proven efficacy in treating brain metastases when used with local therapies such as SRS and surgery. This review investigated the potential use of glial activation positron emission tomography (PET) imaging for radiation treatment of BCBM. In order to put these studies into context, we provided background on current radiation treatment approaches for BCBM, our current understanding of the brain microenvironment, its interaction with the peripheral immune system, and alterations in the brain microenvironment by BCBM and radiation. We summarized preclinical literature on the interactions between glial activation and cognition and clinical studies using translocator protein (TSPO) PET to image glial activation in the context of neurological diseases. TSPO-PET is not employed clinically in assessing and guiding cancer therapies. However, it has gained traction in preclinical studies where glial activation was investigated from primary brain cancer, metastases and radiation treatments. Novel glial activation PET imaging and its applications in preclinical studies using breast cancer models and glial immunohistochemistry are highlighted. Lastly, we discuss the potential clinical application of glial activation imaging to improve the therapeutic ratio of radiation treatments for BCBM.

Immunotherapy has led to a paradigm shift in the treatment of several cancers. There have been significant efforts to identify biomarkers that can predict response and toxicities related to immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICPI) therapy. Despite these advances, it has been challenging to tease out why a subset of patients benefit more than others or why certain patients experience immune-related adverse events (irAEs). Although the immune-modulating properties of the human gut bacterial ecosystem are yet to be fully elucidated, there has been growing interest in evaluating the role of the gut microbiome in shaping the therapeutic response to cancer immunotherapy. Considerable research efforts are currently directed to utilizing metagenomic and metabolic profiling of stool microbiota in patients on ICPI-based therapies. Dysbiosis or loss of microbial diversity has been associated with a poor treatment response to ICPIs and worse survival outcomes in cancer patients. Emerging data have shown that certain bacterial strains, such as Faecalibacterium that confer sensitivity to ICPI, also have a higher propensity to increase the risk of irAEs. Additionally, the microbiome can modulate the local immune response at the intestinal interface and influence the trafficking of bacterial peptide primed T-cells distally, influencing the toxicity patterns to ICPI. Antibiotic or diet induced alterations in composition of the microbiome can also indirectly alter the production of certain bacterial metabolites such as deoxycholate and short chain fatty acids that can influence the anti-tumor tolerogenesis. Gaining sufficient understanding of the exact mechanisms underpinning the interplay between ICPI induced anti-tumor immunity and the immune modulatory role gut microbiome can be vital in identifying potential avenues of improving outcomes to cancer immunotherapy. In the current review, we have summarized and highlighted the key emerging data supporting the role of gut microbiome in regulating response to ICPIs in cancer.

Background Clinical variables may correlate with lack of response to treatment (primary resistance) or clinical benefit in patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) treated with anti-programmed death 1/ligand one antibodies. Methods In this multi-institutional collaboration, clinical characteristics of patients with primary resistance (defined as progression on initial computed tomography scan) were compared to patients with clinical benefit using Two sample t-test and Chi-square test (or Fisher’s Exact test). The Kaplan–Meier method was used to estimate the distribution of progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in all patients and the subsets of patients with clinical benefit or primary resistance. Cox’s regression model was used to evaluate the correlation between survival endpoints and variables of interest. To explore clinical factors in a larger, independent patient sample, The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) was analyzed. RNAseq gene expression data as well as demographic and clinical information were downloaded for primary tumors of 517 patients included within TCGA-ccRCC. Results Of 90 patients, 38 (42.2%) had primary resistance and 52 (57.8%) had clinical benefit. Compared with the cohort of patients with initial benefit, primary resistance was more likely to occur in patients with worse ECOG performance status (p = 0.03), earlier stage at diagnosis (p = 0.04), had no prior nephrectomy (p = 0.04) and no immune-related adverse events (irAE) (p = 0.02). In patients with primary resistance, improved OS was significantly correlated with lower International Metastatic RCC Database Consortium risk score (p = 0.02) and lower neutrophil:lymphocyte ratio (p = 0.04). In patients with clinical benefit, improved PFS was significantly associated with increased BMI (p = 0.007) and irAE occurrence (p = 0.02) while improved OS was significantly correlated with overweight BMI (BMI 25–30; p = 0.03) and no brain metastasis (p = 0.005). The cohort TCGA-ccRCC was examined for the correlations between gene expression patterns, clinical factors, and survival outcomes observing associations of T-cell inflammation and angiogenesis signatures with histologic grade, pathologic stage and OS. Conclusions Clinical characteristics including performance status, BMI and occurrence of an irAE associate with outcomes in patients with ccRCC treated with immunotherapy. The inverse association of angiogenesis gene signature with ccRCC histologic grade highlight opportunities for adjuvant combination VEGFR2 tyrosine kinase inhibitor and immune-checkpoint inhibition.

Context The recent discovery of the existence of a human genitourinary microbiome has led to the investigation of its role in mediating the pathogenesis of genitourinary malignancies, including bladder, kidney, and prostate cancers. Furthermore, although it is largely recognized that members of the gastrointestinal microbiota are actively involved in drug metabolism, new studies demonstrate additional roles and the potential necessity of the gastrointestinal microbiota in dictating cancer treatment response. Objective To summarize the current evidence of a mechanistic role for the genitourinary and gastrointestinal microbiome in genitourinary cancer initiation and treatment response. Evidence acquisition We conducted a literature search up to October 2018. Search terms included microbiome, microbiota, urinary microbiome, bladder cancer, urothelial carcinoma, renal cell carcinoma, kidney cancer, testicular cancer, and prostate cancer. Evidence synthesis There is preliminary evidence to implicate the members of the genitourinary microbiota as causative factors or cofactors in genitourinary malignancy. Likewise, the current evidence for gastrointestinal microbes in dictating cancer treatment response is mainly correlative; however, we provide examples where therapeutic agents used for the treatment of genitourinary cancers are affected by the human-associated microbiota, or vice versa. Clinical trials, such as fecal microbiota transplant to increase the efficacy of immunotherapy, are currently underway. Conclusions The role of the microbiome in genitourinary cancer is an emerging field that merits further studies. Translating microbiome research into clinical action will require incorporation of microbiome surveillance into ongoing and future clinical trials as well as expansion of studies to include metagenomic sequencing and metabolomics. Patient summary This review covers recent evidence that microbial populations that reside in the genitourinary tract—and were previously not known to exist—may influence the development of genitourinary malignancies including bladder, kidney, and prostate cancers. Furthermore, microbial populations that exist at sites outside of the genitourinary tract, such as those that reside in our gut, may influence cancer development and/or treatment response.

Cancers of the urinary system are likely to be influenced by both the urinary and gut microbiotas. While commensal organisms do not densely colonize the urinary system, those present still play a significant role in health and disease. Like other organs, there is always a potential for malignancy to occur when microorganisms cause chronic inflammation. Additionally, the urinary system is commonly exposed to the waste products in the body, including those microbial metabolites from the gut which have entered the circulation. It is, therefore, possible that the microbiota of different sites contributes to the process of carcinogenesis through metabolic toxification and detoxification as well as immune interactions. The emerging clinical evidence also suggests a prominent role for microbiota in affecting the efficacy of cancer therapeutics, including chemotherapy and immunotherapy agents.

Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte Associated Protein 4 (CTLA-4) is an immune checkpoint molecule highly expressed on regulatory T-cells (Tregs) that can inhibit the activation of effector T-cells. Anti-CTLA-4 therapy can confer long-lasting clinical benefits in cancer patients as a single agent or in combination with other immunotherapy agents. However, patient response rates to anti-CTLA-4 are relatively low, and a high percentage of patients experience severe immune-related adverse events. Clinical use of anti-CTLA-4 has regained interest in recent years; however, the mechanism(s) of anti-CTLA-4 is not well understood. Although activating T-cells is regarded as the primary anti-tumor mechanism of anti-CTLA-4 therapies, mounting evidence in the literature suggests targeting intra-tumoral Tregs as the primary mechanism of action of these agents. Tregs in the tumor microenvironment can suppress the host anti-tumor immune responses through several cell contact-dependent and -independent mechanisms. Anti-CTLA-4 therapy can enhance the priming of T-cells by blockading CD80/86-CTLA-4 interactions or depleting Tregs through antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity and phagocytosis. This review will discuss proposed fundamental mechanisms of anti-CTLA-4 therapy, novel uses of anti-CTLA-4 in cancer treatment and approaches to improve the therapeutic efficacy of anti-CTLA-4.

The use of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has become standard therapy in many tumor sites. The aim of this study is to systematically review the literature to determine whether the incidence of immune-related adverse events (irAEs) after the use of ICIs is associated with clinical outcomes in all solid malignancies.Embase and PubMed were searched from January 1st, 2000 until March 14, 2020 for relevant studies assessing the relationship between irAEs and treatment efficacy. Outcome measures of interest included: incidence of irAEs, objective response rate (ORR), progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS).Of 3384 unique citations, 51 studies met inclusion criteria. Studies included melanoma (n = 21), lung (n = 19), renal (n = 4), urothelial (n = 1), head and neck (n = 2) and gastrointestinal cancers (n = 1). In patients with metastatic melanoma (n = 1474), the development of irAEs (irAE + versus irAE-) was associated with better weighted average OS (15.24 months (95% CI 9.95 to 20.5) versus 8.94 months (95% CI 7.76 to 10.1), HR = 0.46 (n = 640, CI 0.35-0.62, p 0.00001), PFS (17.61 months (95% CI 10.1 to 25.1) versus 2.23 months (95% CI 1.77 to 2.68), HR = 0.51 (n = 1763, CI 0.42-0.63, p 0.00001), and ORR (37.67% (95% CI 32.8 to 42.5) versus. 23.44% (95% CI 17.8 to 29.1). Similarly, in lung cancer patients, the ORR (irAE + versus. irAE-) was 41.49% (95% CI 36.5 to 46.5) versus 18.01% (95% CI 13.5 to 22.6). The weighted average PFS and OS were 8.97 months (95% CI 7.14 to 10.8) versus 3.06 months (95% CI 2.4 to 3.72) with HR = 0.46 (n = 1575, CI 0.39-0.54, p 0.00001) and 19.07 months (95% CI 14.3 to 23.8) versus 7.45 months (95% CI 5.34 to 9.56) HR = 0.40 (n = 1085, CI 0.30-0.51, p 0.00001), respectively. Improved treatment efficacy in patients who developed irAEs was also seen in renal cell carcinoma, urothelial and head and neck cancers. Notably, grade 3 or 4 irAEs were associated with increased ORR but worse OS.A positive association was noted between the development of irAEs and ORR, PFS, and OS in patients treated with ICIs, irrespective of disease site, type of ICI and irAE. Grade 3 or higher toxicities resulted in better ORR, but worse OS.

The importance of the immune system in combating many different types of malignancies has been firmly established. Indeed, the success of immune checkpoint-blocking antibodies in cancer treatment has focused the attention of many researchers on the tumor immune microenvironment. As one consequence, the analysis of the number, type, and activation status of tumor-infiltrating leukocytes (TILs) has become an area of great interest. Detailed knowledge of the immunological profile of a given tumor has the potential to predict patient response to therapy and overall survival. This chapter is intended to summarize the steps necessary for basic comparative analysis of the infiltration and activation status of immune cells in various human solid tumors, using freely available data obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA).

The importance of the immune system in combating many different types of malignancies has been firmly established. Indeed, the success of immune checkpoint-blocking antibodies in cancer treatment has focused the attention of many researchers on the tumor immune microenvironment. As one consequence, the analysis of the number, type, and activation status of tumor-infiltrating leukocytes (TILs) has become an area of great interest. Detailed knowledge of the immunological profile of a given tumor has the potential to predict patient response to therapy and overall survival. This chapter is intended to summarize the steps necessary for basic comparative analysis of the infiltration and activation status of immune cells in various human solid tumors, using freely available data obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA).

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an exponential increase in SARS-CoV-2 infections and associated deaths, and represents a significant challenge to healthcare professionals and facilities. Individual countries have taken several prevention and containment actions to control the spread of infection, including measures to guarantee safety of both healthcare professionals and patients who are at increased risk of infection from COVID-19. Faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has a well-established role in the treatment of Clostridioides difficile infection. In the time of the pandemic, FMT centres and stool banks are required to adopt a workflow that continues to ensure reliable patient access to FMT while maintaining safety and quality of procedures. In this position paper, based on the best available evidence, worldwide FMT experts provide guidance on issues relating to the impact of COVID-19 on FMT, including patient selection, donor recruitment and selection, stool manufacturing, FMT procedures, patient follow-up and research activities.

Summary: Thymine DNA glycosylase (TDG) is a nuclear receptor coactivator that plays an essential role in the maintenance of epigenetic stability in cells. Here, we demonstrate that the conditional deletion of TDG in adult mice results in a male-predominant onset of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). TDG loss leads to a prediabetic state, as well as bile acid (BA) accumulation in the liver and serum of male mice. Consistent with these data, TDG deletion led to dysregulation of the farnesoid X receptor (FXR) and small heterodimer partner (SHP) regulatory cascade in the liver. FXR and SHP are tumor suppressors of HCC and play an essential role in BA and glucose homeostasis. These results indicate that TDG functions as a tumor suppressor of HCC by regulating a transcriptional program that protects against the development of glucose intolerance and BA accumulation in the liver. : TDG is a base excision repair protein that is essential for embryonic development. Hassan et al. show that the conditional deletion of TDG in adult mice causes dysregulation of FXR signaling and a loss of glucose and bile acid homeostasis. This leads to a late-onset development of hepatocellular carcinoma. Keywords: thymine DNA glycosylase, active DNA demethylation, TET, hepatocellular carcinoma, FXR, bile acids, insulin resistance, conditional deletion, hepatoblastoma

CD5 is expressed on T cells and a subset of B cells (B1a). It can attenuate TCR signalling and impair CTL activation and is a therapeutic targetable tumour antigen expressed on leukemic T and B cells. However, the potential therapeutic effect of functionally blocking CD5 to increase T cell anti-tumour activity against tumours (including solid tumours) has not been explored. CD5 knockout mice show increased anti-tumour immunity: reducing CD5 on CTLs may be therapeutically beneficial to enhance the anti-tumour response. Here, we show that ex vivo administration of a function-blocking anti-CD5 MAb to primary mouse CTLs of both tumour-naïve mice and mice bearing murine 4T1 breast tumour homografts enhanced their capacity to respond to activation by treatment with anti-CD3/anti-CD28 MAbs or 4T1 tumour cell lysates. Furthermore, it enhanced TCR signalling (ERK activation) and increased markers of T cell activation, including proliferation, CD69 levels, IFN-γ production, apoptosis and Fas receptor and Fas ligand levels. Finally, CD5 function-blocking MAb treatment enhanced the capacity of CD8

The primary function of myeloid cells is to protect the host from infections. However, during cancer progression or states of chronic inflammation, these cells develop into myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) that play a prominent role in suppressing anti-tumor immunity. Overcoming the suppressive effects of MDSCs is a major hurdle in cancer immunotherapy. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms by which MDSCs promote tumor growth is essential for improving current immunotherapies and developing new ones. This review explores mechanisms by which MDSCs suppress T-cell immunity and how this impacts the efficacy of commonly used immunotherapies.

Identification of novel anti-cancer compounds with high efficacy and low toxicity is critical in drug development. High-throughput screening and other such strategies are generally resource-intensive. Therefore, in silico computer-aided drug design has gained rapid acceptance and popularity. We employed our proprietary computational platform (CHEMSAS®), which uses a unique combination of traditional and modern pharmacology principles, statistical modeling, medicinal chemistry, and machine-learning technologies to discover and optimize novel compounds that could target various cancers. COTI-2 is a small molecule candidate anti-cancer drug identified using CHEMSAS. This study describes the in vitro and in vivo evaluation of COTI-2. Our data demonstrate that COTI-2 is effective against a diverse group of human cancer cell lines regardless of their tissue of origin or genetic makeup. Most treated cancer cell lines were sensitive to COTI-2 at nanomolar concentrations. When compared to traditional chemotherapy or targeted-therapy agents, COTI-2 showed superior activity against tumor cells, in vitro and in vivo. Despite its potent anti-tumor efficacy, COTI-2 was safe and well-tolerated in vivo. Although the mechanism of action of COTI-2 is still under investigation, preliminary results indicate that it is not a traditional kinase or an Hsp90 inhibitor.

Simple Summary Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive disease that has few options for treatment. Immune checkpoint blockers have been revolutionary in specific cancer types yet have not shown promise in pancreatic cancers. This review discusses components of the immune system needed for successful anti-tumor responses against pancreatic cancer and how these mechanisms can be exploited to develop new therapeutic strategies. Abstract Pancreatic cancer has a high mortality rate, and its incidence is increasing worldwide. The almost universal poor prognosis of pancreatic cancer is partly due to symptoms presenting only at late stages and limited effective treatments. Recently, immune checkpoint blockade inhibitors have drastically improved patient survival in metastatic and advanced settings in certain cancers. Unfortunately, these therapies are ineffective in pancreatic cancer. However, tumor biopsies from long-term survivors of pancreatic cancer are more likely to be infiltrated by cytotoxic T-cells and certain species of bacteria that activate T-cells. These observations suggest that T-cell activation is essential for anti-tumor immunity in pancreatic cancers. This review discusses the immunological mechanisms responsible for effective anti-tumor immunity and how immune-based strategies can be exploited to develop new pancreatic cancer treatments.

Blockade of programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) is approved for treatment of multiple human cancers and is the focus of multiple studies due to its key role in T cell function. However, only patients with ‘'hot'' tumors (i.e. those with increased numbers of tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T cells) respond well to the blockade. This suggests that new strategies to increase infiltration of CD8+ T cells into tumors will increase the number of tumor types and patients benefiting from anti-PD-1 therapy. CD5, a member of the scavenger receptor cysteine-rich (SRCR) superfamily, is expressed on T cells and a subset of B cells (B1a). It can attenuate TCR signaling and impair cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) activation. CD5 knockout mice have increased anti-tumor immunity and reduced homograft tumor growth: reducing CD5 on CTLs may be therapeutically beneficial to enhance the anti-tumor response and increase tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T cells. We report that in vivo administration of anti-CD5 blocking MAb treatment increased primary T cell activation in response to 4T1 tumor cell homografts and ex vivo activation as measured by increased CD69, Fas, Fas ligand, IFNγ, PD-1, and apoptosis. Further, anti-CD5 treatment enhanced the capacity of primary T cells to kill 4T1 tumor cells ex vivo. Mice receiving anti-CD5 and anti-PD-1 in combination exhibited increased overall survival compared to mice treated with either agent alone. These data support the potential of blockade of CD5 function to enhance T cell-mediated anti-tumor immunity and PD-1 blockade treatment. Citation Format: Faizah Alotaibi, Mateusz Rytelewski, Rene Figueredo, Ronak Zareardalan1, Saman Maleki Vareki, Xiufen Zheng, Meng Zhang, Peter Ferguson, Mikal El-Hajjar, Yousef Najajreh, Wei-ping Min, James Koropatnick. Functional blocking of CD5 on T cells to enhance the efficacy of therapeutic PD-1 blockade in treatment of mouse 4T1 breast tumors [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 917.

Immunotherapy represents a breakthrough in cancer treatment in the past decade. It is a powerful treatment modality that can help transform cancer into a manageable disease by enabling the immune system to eliminate tumor cells. Advances in the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors, adoptive cell therapy, and oncolytic viruses have led to exceptional and durable clinical responses in patients with late-stage disease. Here we discuss some approved or under investigation immunotherapeutics that either directly involve T-cells such as chimeric antigen receptor T-cells and checkpoint inhibitors or lead to the activation of T-cells such as oncolytic viruses.

Precision medicine now needs to also consider the microbiome in oncology treatment. Ingested substances, whether they are a carcinogenic or therapeutic agent, will likely come into contact with the microbiota. Even those delivered extra-intestinally can be influenced beyond xenobiotic metabolism by biochemical factors associated with the microbiota or by an immunological predisposition created by the microbiome. We need to undertake one of the largest paradigm shifts to ever occur in medicine, that is, every drug or ingested substance needs to be re-evaluated for its pharmacological effect post-microbiome interaction. The importance of the microbiome with a focus on the treatment of cancer is discussed. In the near future, it may be possible to specifically manipulate the microbial composition within cancer patients to improve the therapeutic potential of existing oncological agents. However, the current tools to do so are limited. Targeted modulation is likely to be achieved by addition, selective enhancement or depletion of specific microbial types. This may include compounds such as narrow spectrum antimicrobial agents or oligosaccharides that will kill or enhance the bacterial growth of distinct members of the microbiota, respectively. This will stimulate a new era in these fields.

Immunotherapy represents a breakthrough in cancer treatment in the past decade. It is a powerful treatment modality that can help transform cancer into a manageable disease by enabling the immune system to eliminate tumor cells. Advances in the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors, adoptive cell therapy, and oncolytic viruses have led to exceptional and durable clinical responses in patients with late-stage disease. Here we discuss some approved or under investigation immunotherapeutics that either directly involve T-cells such as chimeric antigen receptor T-cells and checkpoint inhibitors or lead to the activation of T-cells such as oncolytic viruses.

Nucleoside metabolism enzymes are determinants of chemotherapeutic drug activity. The nucleoside salvage enzyme deoxycytidine kinase (dCK) activates gemcitabine (2', 2'-difluoro-2'-deoxycytidine) and is negatively regulated by deoxycytidine triphosphate (dCTP). Reduction of dCTP in tumor cells could, therefore, enhance gemcitabine activity. Mitochondrial thymidine kinase 2 (TK2) phosphorylates deoxycytidine to generate dCTP. We hypothesized that: (1) TK2 modulates human tumor cell sensitivity to gemcitabine, and (2) antisense knockdown of TK2 would decrease dCTP and increase dCK activity and gemcitabine activation. siRNA downregulation of TK2 sensitized MCF7 and HeLa cells (high and moderate TK2) but not A549 cells (low TK2) to gemcitabine. Combined treatment with TK2 siRNA and gemcitabine increased dCK. We also hypothesized that TK2 siRNA-induced drug sensitization results in mitochondrial damage that enhances gemcitabine effectiveness. TK2 siRNA and gemcitabine decreased mitochondrial redox status, DNA content, and activity. This is the first demonstration of a direct role for TK2 in gemcitabine resistance, or any independent role in cancer drug resistance, and further distinguishes TK2 function from that of other dTMP-producing enzymes [cytosolic TK1 and thymidylate synthase (TS)]. siRNA knockdown of TK1 and/or TS did not sensitize cancer cells to gemcitabine indicating that, among the 3 enzymes, only TK2 is a candidate therapeutic target for combination with gemcitabine.

Identification of novel anti-cancer compounds with high efficacy and low toxicity is critical in drug development. High-throughput screening and other such strategies are generally resource-intensive. Therefore, in silico computer-aided drug design has gained rapid acceptance and popularity. We employed our proprietary computational platform (CHEMSAS®), which uses a unique combination of traditional and modern pharmacology principles, statistical modeling, medicinal chemistry, and machine-learning technologies to discover and optimize novel compounds that could target various cancers. COTI-2 is a small molecule candidate anti-cancer drug identified using CHEMSAS. This study describes the in vitro and in vivo evaluation of COTI-2. Our data demonstrate that COTI-2 is effective against a diverse group of human cancer cell lines regardless of their tissue of origin or genetic makeup. Most treated cancer cell lines were sensitive to COTI-2 at nanomolar concentrations. When compared to traditional chemotherapy or targeted-therapy agents, COTI-2 showed superior activity against tumor cells, in vitro and in vivo. Despite its potent anti-tumor efficacy, COTI-2 was safe and well-tolerated in vivo. Although the mechanism of action of COTI-2 is still under investigation, preliminary results indicate that it is not a traditional kinase or an Hsp90 inhibitor.

Tumor cells have unstable genomes relative to non‐tumor cells. Decreased DNA integrity resulting from tumor cell instability is important in generating favorable therapeutic indices, and intact DNA repair mediates resistance to therapy. Targeting DNA repair to promote the action of anti‐cancer agents is therefore an attractive therapeutic strategy. BRCA2 is involved in homologous recombination repair. BRCA2 defects increase cancer risk but, paradoxically, cancer patients with BRCA2 mutations have better survival rates. We queried TCGA data and found that BRCA2 alterations led to increased survival in patients with ovarian and endometrial cancer. We developed a BRCA2‐targeting second‐generation antisense oligonucleotide (ASO), which sensitized human lung, ovarian, and breast cancer cells to cisplatin by as much as 60%. BRCA2 ASO treatment overcame acquired cisplatin resistance in head and neck cancer cells, but induced minimal cisplatin sensitivity in non‐tumor cells. BRCA2 ASO plus cisplatin reduced respiration as an early event preceding cell death, concurrent with increased glucose uptake without a difference in glycolysis. BRCA2 ASO and cisplatin decreased metastatic frequency in vivo by 77%. These results implicate BRCA2 as a regulator of metastatic frequency and cellular metabolic response following cisplatin treatment. BRCA2 ASO, in combination with cisplatin, is a potential therapeutic anti‐cancer agent.

Immunotherapy is a promising treatment strategy for cancer that has recently shown unprecedented survival benefits in selected patients. A number of immunomodulatory agents that target immune system checkpoints such as the cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA-4), the programmed death-1 (PD-1) or its ligand (PD-L1), have received regulatory approval for the treatment of multiple cancers including malignant melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer, renal cell carcinoma, classical Hodgkin lymphoma, and recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Nevertheless, a substantial proportion of patients treated with checkpoint inhibitors have little or no benefit while these treatments are costly and might have associated toxicities. Hence, the establishment of valid predictors of treatment response has become a priority. This review summarizes the current evidence around biomarkers of response to PD-1/PD-L1 inhibition, considering features related to the tumor and to the host immune system.