The mechanisms by which the immune system distinguishes normal developmental cell death from pathological immunogenic cell killing are central to effective cancer immunotherapy. The goal of this project is to understand the mechanisms by which tumor cell death can induce immune activation, and exploit these mechanisms to develop novel cytotoxic gene therapies for cancer. Preliminary data indicates that the mode of cell death is critical to generation of effective anti-tumor immune responses, such that cells dying via non-apoptotic mechanisms generate greater immune activation than cells dying via apoptotic mechanisms. We have also shown that macrophages are a key cell distinguishing between tumor cells dying through classical apoptosis and cells engineered to die through non-apoptotic mechanisms, and these differential responses of macrophages can be used to cure mice of established tumors. These data indicate that there are specific characteristics of non-apoptotic cell killing that result in immune activation.
We aim to develop novel cytotoxic gene therapies that combine the key features of non-apoptotic cell killing, including release of cell contents, activation of cellular stress programs, and generation of an inflammatory tumor environment. To achieve this aim, in combination with candidate cytotoxic genes we will develop a novel approach in gene therapy that involves delivery of transcription factors and signaling molecules to activate broad- spectrum cellular gene expression programs. In view of preliminary data indicating that expression of cell stress- related genes such as Hsp70 by tumor cells during cell killing is key to immune activation, we aim to activate, by genetic means, programs of cell stress in tumor cells. Additionally in view of data indicating that immune activation is achieved in a pro- inflammatory cytokine environment generated by macrophages exposed to non-apoptotic tumor death, concomitant with cell death we aim to activate the broad immune cascade characteristic of the anti-viral response. We hypothesize that this combination of non-apoptotic cell death in a manner and an environment optimal for immune activation will result in increased efficacy of cytotoxic gene therapy approaches. Thus through increased understanding the mechanisms by which immune processes are activated by cytotoxic modalities we will significantly overcome some of the major current limitations of cancer gene therapy; namely limited efficiency of gene delivery and limited efficacy of in vivo cellular cytotoxicity.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01CA094180-03
Application #
6710105
Study Section
Experimental Therapeutics Subcommittee 1 (ET)
Program Officer
Welch, Anthony R
Project Start
2002-03-01
Project End
2006-02-28
Budget Start
2004-03-01
Budget End
2006-02-28
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
2004
Total Cost
$257,210
Indirect Cost
Name
Mayo Clinic, Rochester
Department
Type
DUNS #
006471700
City
Rochester
State
MN
Country
United States
Zip Code
55905
Hatfield, Paul; Merrick, Alison E; West, Emma et al. (2008) Optimization of dendritic cell loading with tumor cell lysates for cancer immunotherapy. J Immunother 31:620-32
Merrick, Alison; Diaz, Rosa Maria; O'Donnell, Dearbhaile et al. (2008) Autologous versus allogeneic peptide-pulsed dendritic cells for anti-tumour vaccination: expression of allogeneic MHC supports activation of antigen specific T cells, but impairs early naive cytotoxic priming and anti-tumour therapy. Cancer Immunol Immunother 57:897-906
Kottke, Timothy; Sanchez-Perez, Luis; Diaz, Rosa Maria et al. (2007) Induction of hsp70-mediated Th17 autoimmunity can be exploited as immunotherapy for metastatic prostate cancer. Cancer Res 67:11970-9
Thanarajasingam, Uma; Sanz, Laura; Diaz, Rosa et al. (2007) Delivery of CCL21 to metastatic disease improves the efficacy of adoptive T-cell therapy. Cancer Res 67:300-8
Diaz, Rosa Maria; Galivo, Feorillo; Kottke, Timothy et al. (2007) Oncolytic immunovirotherapy for melanoma using vesicular stomatitis virus. Cancer Res 67:2840-8
Sanchez-Perez, L; Gough, M; Qiao, J et al. (2007) Synergy of adoptive T-cell therapy and intratumoral suicide gene therapy is mediated by host NK cells. Gene Ther 14:998-1009
Kottke, T; Qiao, J; Diaz, R M et al. (2006) The perforin-dependent immunological synapse allows T-cell activation-dependent tumor targeting by MLV vector particles. Gene Ther 13:1166-77
Cole, Caroline; Qiao, Jian; Kottke, Timothy et al. (2005) Tumor-targeted, systemic delivery of therapeutic viral vectors using hitchhiking on antigen-specific T cells. Nat Med 11:1073-81
Gough, Michael; Crittenden, Marka; Thanarajasingam, Uma et al. (2005) Gene therapy to manipulate effector T cell trafficking to tumors for immunotherapy. J Immunol 174:5766-73
Sanchez-Perez, Luis; Kottke, Timothy; Diaz, Rosa Maria et al. (2005) Potent selection of antigen loss variants of B16 melanoma following inflammatory killing of melanocytes in vivo. Cancer Res 65:2009-17

Showing the most recent 10 out of 22 publications