The final goal of this study is to develop new strategies to rapidly reduce tumor burden while synergize with the tumor-specific immune response to eradicate the tumor. Most current chemotherapies transiently reduce tumor burden but concomitantly inhibit immune responses while current immunotherapeutic strategies alone fail to clear established tumors. The microenvironment of established tumors often prevents effective T cell priming or inhibits the effector phase of activated T cells entering tumor tissues for tumor destruction. To develop novel approaches for strong anti-tumor immunity without defined tumor antigens, we directly targeted tumor tissues with LIGHT, TNF superfamily member 14 (TNFSF14), which acts to break the tumor barrier by recruiting more immune cells directly to the tumor site and enhancing anti-tumor immunity against metastasis. Targeting tumors with anti-Her2 can greatly reduce tumor burden but fails to eradicate tumors alone. To test the potential efficacy of the combined treatments using ad-LIGHT and anti-her2/neu antibody to treat a neu+ tumor, we observed a remarkable synergy between LIGHT and anti-Her2/neu in effectively controlling primary tumor growth. We hypothesize that specific targeting of tumors with LIGHT enhances anti-her2/neu mediated apoptosis of tumor cells and amplifies LIGHT-mediated immunity against a Her2* tumor. Specifically, anti-her/neu might induce more apoptosis to break the tumor barrier and lead to better priming of T cells while ad-LIGHT expressed inside the tumor will lead to enhanced recruitment of additional FcR+ cells to enhance the apoptotic effect and further amplify the recruitment of activated T cells into tumor sites.
Aim 1 will study whether, and how, LIGHT can synergize with anti- Her2/neu to reject an established tumor. We will determine whether the synergy is immune mediated. If active immunity is enhanced, we will determine which types of immune cells are involved to overcome tumor suppression at the priming and effector phases. We will also determine whether combined treatment is able to generate strong immunity against not only neu+ tumors but also other tumor antigens to eradicate metastasis.
Aim 2 will explore whether linking anti-neu with LIGHT can systemically target micrometastasis. Our preliminary data suggest that a fusion protein linking an antibody specific for a tumor antigen and LIGHT can effectively inhibit tumor growth. We propose that using single chain of anti-neu with LIGHT might localize LIGHT to distal tumor sites thereby facilitating immune cell targeting to micrometastases.
Aim 3 will explore whether ad-LIGHT-neu-HA can be used as a therapeutic vaccine. We propose that ad-LIGHT-neu can serve as a new therapeutic vaccine, since it provides first and second signaling as well as innate signaling, especially for micrometastasis. Our study may provide new strategies to treat various patients by combining conventional treatment and a novel immunotherapy.
| Arina, Ainhoa; Karrison, Theodore; Galka, Eva et al. (2017) Transfer of Allogeneic CD4+ T Cells Rescues CD8+ T Cells in Anti-PD-L1-Resistant Tumors Leading to Tumor Eradication. Cancer Immunol Res 5:127-136 |
| Kammertoens, Thomas; Friese, Christian; Arina, Ainhoa et al. (2017) Tumour ischaemia by interferon-? resembles physiological blood vessel regression. Nature 545:98-102 |
| Tang, Haidong; Zhu, Mingzhao; Qiao, Jian et al. (2017) Lymphotoxin signalling in tertiary lymphoid structures and immunotherapy. Cell Mol Immunol 14:809-818 |
| Arina, Ainhoa; Idel, Christian; Hyjek, Elizabeth M et al. (2016) Tumor-associated fibroblasts predominantly come from local and not circulating precursors. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 113:7551-6 |
| Blankenstein, Thomas; Leisegang, Matthias; Uckert, Wolfgang et al. (2015) Targeting cancer-specific mutations by T cell receptor gene therapy. Curr Opin Immunol 33:112-9 |
| Smith, Sheena N; Harris, Daniel T; Kranz, David M (2015) T Cell Receptor Engineering and Analysis Using the Yeast Display Platform. Methods Mol Biol 1319:95-141 |
| Corrales, Leticia; Glickman, Laura Hix; McWhirter, Sarah M et al. (2015) Direct Activation of STING in the Tumor Microenvironment Leads to Potent and Systemic Tumor Regression and Immunity. Cell Rep 11:1018-30 |
| Gajewski, Thomas F; Corrales, Leticia (2015) New perspectives on type I IFNs in cancer. Cytokine Growth Factor Rev 26:175-8 |
| Spaapen, Robbert M; Leung, Michael Y K; Fuertes, Mercedes B et al. (2014) Therapeutic activity of high-dose intratumoral IFN-? requires direct effect on the tumor vasculature. J Immunol 193:4254-60 |
| Woo, Seng-Ryong; Fuertes, Mercedes B; Corrales, Leticia et al. (2014) STING-dependent cytosolic DNA sensing mediates innate immune recognition of immunogenic tumors. Immunity 41:830-42 |
Showing the most recent 10 out of 104 publications
