Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cells targeting CD19 demonstrate remarkable efficacy in treating B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BL-ALL), yet up to 39% of treated patients relapse with CD19(−) disease. We report that CD19(−) escape is associated with downregulation, but preservation, of targetable expression of CD20 and CD22. Accordingly, we reasoned that broadening the spectrum of CD19CAR T-cells to include both CD20 and CD22 would enable them to target CD19(−) escape BL-ALL while preserving their upfront efficacy. We created a CD19/20/22-targeting CAR T-cell by coexpressing individual CAR molecules on a single T-cell using one tricistronic transgene. CD19/20/22CAR T-cells killed CD19(−) blasts from patients who relapsed after CD19CAR T-cell therapy and CRISPR/Cas9 CD19 knockout primary BL-ALL both in vitro and in an animal model, while CD19CAR T-cells were ineffective. At the subcellular level, CD19/20/22CAR T-cells formed dense immune synapses with target cells that mediated effective cytolytic complex formation, were efficient serial killers in single-cell tracking studies, and were as efficacious as CD19CAR T-cells against primary CD19(+) disease. In conclusion, independent of CD19 expression, CD19/20/22CAR T-cells could be used as salvage or front-line CAR therapy for patients with recalcitrant disease.

CAR T-cells that target acute B-lineage leukemia irrespective of CD19 expression / Fousek, K.; Watanabe, J.; Joseph, S. K.; George, A.; An, X.; Byrd, T. T.; Morris, J. S.; Luong, A.; Martinez-Paniagua, M. A.; Sanber, K.; Navai, S. A.; Gad, A. Z.; Salsman, V. S.; Mathew, P. R.; Kim, H. N.; Wagner, D. L.; Brunetti, L.; Jang, A.; Baker, M. L.; Varadarajan, N.; Hegde, M.; Kim, Y. -M.; Heisterkamp, N.; Abdel-Azim, H.; Ahmed, N.. - In: LEUKEMIA. - ISSN 0887-6924. - 35:1(2021), pp. 75-89. [10.1038/s41375-020-0792-2]

CAR T-cells that target acute B-lineage leukemia irrespective of CD19 expression

Brunetti L.;
2021-01-01

Abstract

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cells targeting CD19 demonstrate remarkable efficacy in treating B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BL-ALL), yet up to 39% of treated patients relapse with CD19(−) disease. We report that CD19(−) escape is associated with downregulation, but preservation, of targetable expression of CD20 and CD22. Accordingly, we reasoned that broadening the spectrum of CD19CAR T-cells to include both CD20 and CD22 would enable them to target CD19(−) escape BL-ALL while preserving their upfront efficacy. We created a CD19/20/22-targeting CAR T-cell by coexpressing individual CAR molecules on a single T-cell using one tricistronic transgene. CD19/20/22CAR T-cells killed CD19(−) blasts from patients who relapsed after CD19CAR T-cell therapy and CRISPR/Cas9 CD19 knockout primary BL-ALL both in vitro and in an animal model, while CD19CAR T-cells were ineffective. At the subcellular level, CD19/20/22CAR T-cells formed dense immune synapses with target cells that mediated effective cytolytic complex formation, were efficient serial killers in single-cell tracking studies, and were as efficacious as CD19CAR T-cells against primary CD19(+) disease. In conclusion, independent of CD19 expression, CD19/20/22CAR T-cells could be used as salvage or front-line CAR therapy for patients with recalcitrant disease.
2021
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11566/293538
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