Project description:Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy is effective against many cancers, though resistance remains a major issue and novel strategies are needed to improve clinical outcomes. We studied ICB response in a cohort of patients with ovarian clear cell carcinoma (OCCC), a cancer type that poses significant clinical challenges and lacks effective therapies. Here we observed significantly prolonged overall and progression-free survival in patients with tumors harboring PPP2R1A inactivating mutations (PPP2R1Amut). Importantly, findings were validated in additional ICB-treated patient cohorts across multiple cancer types. Translational analyses from tumor biopsies demonstrated enhanced interferon-gamma signaling, and presence of tertiary lymphoid structures at baseline, as well as enhanced immune infiltration and expansion of CD45RO+ CD8+ T cells in the tumor neighborhood upon ICB treatment, in PPP2R1Amut tumors. Parallel pre-clinical investigations showed that targeting PPP2R1A (via pharmacologic inhibition or knockdown) in in vitro and in vivo models was associated with improved survival in the setting of treatment with several forms of immunotherapy, including chimeric antigen receptor-T cell therapy and ICB. Results from these studies suggest that therapeutic targeting of PPP2R1A may represent an effective strategy to improve patient outcomes following ICB or other forms of immunotherapy, though additional mechanistic and therapeutic insights are needed.
Project description:Cancers evade the immune system in order to grow or metastasise through the process of cancer immunoediting. While checkpoint inhibitor therapy has been effective for reactivating tumour immunity in some cancers, many solid cancers, including breast cancer, remain largely non-responsive. Understanding the way non-responsive cancers evolve to evade immunity, what resistance pathways are activated and whether this occurs at the clonal level will improve immunotherapeutic design. We tracked cancer cell clones during the immunoediting process and determined clonal transcriptional profiles that allow immune evasion in murine mammary tumour growth in response to immunotherapy with anti-PD1 and anti-CTLA4. Clonal diversity was significantly restricted by immunotherapy treatment at both the primary and metastatic sites. These findings demonstrate that immunoediting selects for pre-existing breast cancer cell populations, that immunoediting is not a static process and is ongoing during metastasis and immunotherapy treatment. Isolation of immunotherapy resistant clones revealed unique and overlapping transcriptional signatures. The overlapping gene signature was predictive of poor survival in basal-like breast cancer patient cohorts. Some of these overlapping genes have existing small molecules which can be used to potentially improve immunotherapy response.
Project description:Black men die more often of prostate cancer (PC) yet, interestingly, may derive greater survival benefits from immunotherapy. Since no signatures of immune-responsiveness exist for PC, we explored race-based immune-profiles to identify vulnerabilities. Black men have increases in plasma cell infiltrate and associated augmented NK cell and IgG activity. These findings are associated with improved survival and nominate plasma cells as drivers of PC immune-responsiveness.
Project description:Black men die more often of prostate cancer (PC) yet, interestingly, may derive greater survival benefits from immunotherapy. Since no signatures of immune-responsiveness exist for PC, we explored race-based immune-profiles to identify vulnerabilities. Black men have increases in plasma cell infiltrate and associated augmented NK cell and IgG activity. These findings are associated with improved survival and nominate plasma cells as drivers of PC immune-responsiveness.
Project description:Immunotherapy has transformed the landscape of cancer treatment but remains largely ineffective for patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Some patients, however, show improved outcomes when treated with a combination of immunotherapy and chemotherapy. Here, we conducted deep serum proteome analysis to investigate the protein profiles of PDAC patients and changes during this combinatorial treatment. Utilizing an advanced serum workflow, we quantified 1,011 proteins across 211 samples from 62 patients. Glycolytic enzymes were associated with survival in anti-PD-1 treated patients, with their abundances significantly correlating with expression levels in tumor biopsies. Notably, a set of protein biomarkers was found to be highly predictive of survival in anti-PD-1-treated patients (AUC = 0.91). Overall, our data demonstrate the potential of deep serum proteomics for precision medicine, offering a powerful tool to guide patient selection for treatment through minimally invasive serum protein biomarker measurements.
Project description:Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) suppress anti-tumor immunity mediated by T-lymphocytes – making CAFs tempting targets for enhancing cancer immunotherapy. Unfortunately, the signaling mechanisms driving CAF activity in tumors have crucial functions outside tumors. Consequently, agents like angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) that inhibit CAF activity are limited by systemic adverse effects such as hypotension. To address this challenge, we developed tumor microenvironment-activated ARBs (TMA-ARBs) by chemically linking ARBs to novel polymeric materials that selectively degrade in the tumor microenvironment. TMA-ARBs remain in an inactive, material-bound state until they reach tumors, wherein the ARBs become active as the materials break apart. This tumor-selective activity enhances the CAF-inhibiting effects of ARBs while eliminating blood pressure-lowering effects. By reducing CAF activity, TMA-ARBs induce a comprehensive immunostimulatory shift in the tumor microenvironment with improved T-lymphocyte activity and distribution. Accordingly, TMA-ARBs dramatically increase animal survival when combined with immunotherapy in mice with metastatic breast cancer.
Project description:Analysis of gene expression data to evaluate candidate targets for immunotherapy. Analysis of gene expression data to evaluate candidate targets for immunotherapy, We analyse 7 lung cancer samples and 3 reference samples (2x kidney, 1x lung).
Project description:How to revive anti-tumor immunity in cancer patients is an unmet challenge. Retrospective screening of common medications revealed that patients who took antihistamines during immunotherapy treatment had significantly improved survival. We further uncovered that histamine and histamine receptor H1 (HRH1) are frequently increased in tumor microenvironment to cause T-cell dysfunction. HRH1 activation in macrophages inhibits proinflammatory signaling and dysregulates fatty acid metabolism. HRH1 also increases membrane expression of immune checkpoint V-domain Ig suppressor of T-cell activation (VISTA) in macrophages, which renders CD8+ T-cells dysfunctional. Knockout HRH1 or antihistamine treatment negated the immunosuppressive activity of the macrophages, revitalized T-cell cytotoxic function, and restored immunotherapy response. Both animal and human data showed that allergy facilitated tumor growth and induced immunotherapy resistance via histamine/HRH1 axis, underscoring the tumor-p rone activity of allergy. These findings demonstrate that pre-existing allergy in cancer patients can dampen response to immunotherapies and warrant perspective investigation of antihistamines as an adjuvant agent for combinatorial immunotherapy.
Project description:Immunotherapy provides an alternative approach for cancer treatment. However, in-depth analyses of the effects of immunotherapy on the tumor microenvironment (TME) have not been conducted in non-melanoma tumors. Here we describe changes in the pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) TME following immunotherapy treatment, and show for the first time that vaccine-based immunotherapy directly alters the TME, inducing neogenesis of tertiary lymphoid structures that convert immunologically quiescent tumors into immunologically active tumors. Alterations in five pathways important for immune modulation and lymphoid structure development (TH17/Treg, NFkB, Ubiquitin-proteasome, Chemokines/chemokine receptors, and Integrins/adhesion molecules) in vaccine-induced intratumoral lymphoid aggregates were associated with improved post-vaccination responses. Additional studies in other cancers and patients treated with other forms of immunotherapy are warranted to further develop signatures defined in intratumoral lymphoid structures into biomarkers that predict effective anti-tumor immune responses. These signatures may also expose therapeutic targets for promoting more robust antitumor immune responses in the TME. Between July 2008 and September 2012, 59 patients were enrolled into an ongoing study of an irradiated, allogeneic GM-CSF-secreting pancreatic tumor vaccine (GVAX) administered intradermally either alone or in combination with immune modulatory doses of cyclophophamide (Cy) as neoadjuvant and adjuvant treatment for patients with resectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Patients were randomized 1:1:1 to 3 treatment arms. In Arm A, patients received GVAX alone; in Arm B, patients received GVAX plus a single intravenous dose of Cy at 200 mg/m2 1 day prior to each vaccination; in Arm C, patients received GVAX plus oral Cy at 100 mg once daily for 1 week on and 1 week off. Up to 6 GVAX treatments were administered and all of the patients remained in their initial treatment arms throughout the duration of the study. All 59 of the patients received the 1st GVAX treatment 2 weeks +/-4 days prior to surgery. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue blocks of surgically resected PDAC were obtained from the pathology archive. FFPE tissue blocks from each subject were stained by H&E immediately before the vaccine therapy-induced lymphoid aggregates were microdissected . To better understand the functional status of these vaccine therapy induced lymphoid aggregate structures, gene microarray analysis on RNA isolated from microdissected lymphoid aggregates was performed. Gene expression was compared among samples grouped according to patient overall survival, post-vaccination induction of enhanced mesothelin-specific T cell responses in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL), and the intratumoral CD8+ T effector to FoxP3+ Treg ratio. Post-vaccination induction of enhanced mesothelin-specific T cell responses has been reported to correlate with longer survival in patients treated with Panc GVAX.