PO.IM01.07 · 免疫学
用LTBR基因对gammadelta CAR T细胞进行合成重编程,优化其在TME中的功能并克服效应器局限
Synthetic reprogramming of gammadelta CAR T cells with the LTBR gene optimizes function in the TME and overcomes effector limitations
作者与单位 Authors & Affiliations
摘要 Abstract
中文摘要
细胞疗法已彻底改变了血液系统肿瘤的疗效,然而其在实体瘤中的疗效仍受限于高度免疫抑制的肿瘤微环境(TME),后者采用多种重叠机制来抑制免疫活性。当前的装甲化策略逐一应对这些障碍,遗留了关键的脆弱环节,而自体方法仍然成本高昂且难以规模化。同种异体gammadelta CAR T细胞代表了一个有吸引力的即用型平台,但其在实体瘤TME内的持久性和效力需要增强。
为推进可规模化且有效的实体瘤疗法,我们采用了一种数据驱动的策略来优化gammadelta T细胞生物学特性,同时增强其在TME中的抵抗力。由于对gammadelta T细胞在抗肿瘤反应中的功能状态了解有限,我们实施了一种经验性方法,整合基因组规模的发现与AI驱动的分析,以揭示调控gammadelta CAR T功能的通路。
我们开展了一项全基因组过表达筛选,以鉴定能够保护CAR T细胞免受腺苷、TGF-beta、免疫抑制性巨噬细胞和调节性T细胞影响、同时改善持久性的重编程基因。在筛选的12,000个基因中,51个候选基因对三种或更多抑制机制提供了保护。淋巴毒素beta受体(LTbetaR)——一种通常不在T细胞中表达的TNF超家族受体——成为最突出的命中,将T细胞重编程为高度增殖、持久且多功能的状态,这一点已通过bulk和单细胞RNA-seq得到证实。
在高应激实验中,LTbetaR表达赋予了对免疫抑制的广泛抵抗力,包括完全消除Treg介导的抑制。在gammadelta CAR T细胞中,LTbetaR诱导出一种alphabeta样效应程序,其特征为增强的细胞毒性、持久性和细胞因子调节。scRNA-seq揭示了gammadelta CAR T耗竭和效应分化的新机制,这些机制与alphabeta CAR T细胞不同。在体内,靶向CLDN6的LTbetaR装甲化alphabeta和gammadelta CAR T细胞在一个侵袭性卵巢癌模型中介导了完全、持久的肿瘤消退,而对照组则无效。
最后,我们建立了一套针对gammadelta T细胞生物学特性量身定制的符合GMP要求的生产工艺,生产出高纯度、高效力、适合多患者同种异体使用的细胞。总之,这项工作定义了一个全面的新一代工程化与生产框架,克服了gammadelta CAR T细胞的局限,并使其在实体瘤中实现持久活性。
查看英文原文 English abstract
Cell therapies have transformed outcomes in hematologic cancers, yet their efficacy in solid tumors remains limited by the profoundly immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME), which employs multiple, overlapping mechanisms to suppress immune activity. Current armoring strategies address these barriers individually, leaving key vulnerabilities, while autologous approaches remain costly and difficult to scale. Allogeneic gammadelta CAR T cells represent an attractive, off-the-shelf platform, but their persistence and potency within the solid tumor TME require enhancement.
To advance scalable and effective solid tumor therapies, we pursued a data-driven strategy to optimize gammadelta T cell biology while increasing TME resilience. Owing to limited knowledge of gammadelta T cell functional states in antitumor response, we implemented an empirical approach integrating genome-scale discovery and AI-driven analytics to uncover pathways governing gammadelta CAR T function.
We conducted a genome-wide overexpression screen to identify reprogramming genes that protect CAR T cells from adenosine, TGF-beta, immunosuppressive macrophages, and regulatory T cells while improving persistence. Among 12,000 genes screened, 51 candidates conferred protection against three or more suppressive mechanisms. Lymphotoxin beta receptor (LTbetaR)-a TNF superfamily receptor not normally expressed in T cells-emerged as the top hit, reprogramming T cells into highly proliferative, persistent, and multifunctional states, as confirmed by bulk and single-cell RNA-seq.
In high-stress assays, LTbetaR expression conferred broad resistance to immunosuppression, including complete abrogation of Treg-mediated inhibition. In gammadelta CAR T cells, LTbetaR induced an alphabeta-like effector program characterized by enhanced cytotoxicity, persistence, and cytokine modulation. scRNA-seq revealed new mechanisms of gammadelta CAR T exhaustion and effector differentiation distinct from alphabeta CAR T cells. In vivo, LTbetaR-armored alphabeta and gammadelta CAR T cells targeting CLDN6 mediated complete, durable regressions in an aggressive ovarian cancer model where controls were ineffective.
Finally, we established a GMP-compatible manufacturing process tailored to gammadelta T cell biology, producing highly pure, potent cells suitable for multi-patient allogeneic use. Together, this work defines a comprehensive next-generation engineering and manufacturing framework that overcomes gammadelta CAR T cell limitations and enables durable activity in solid tumors.
利益披露 Disclosure
M. S. Wang, None..
I. Reyes-Torres, None..
K. C. Vogt, None..
C. K. Hanlon, None..
A. N. Thornal, None..
M. Guarino, None..
E. M. Johnson, None..
M. P. Roberto, None..
N. G. Reddy, None..
M. Chen, None.
T. Giavridis,
Arsenal Bio Stock.
M. Legut, None.