Chimeric antigen receptor T cell targeting EGFRvIII for metastatic lung cancer therapy

Lung cancer is the most common incident cancer and the leading cause of cancer death. In recent years, the development of tumor immunotherapy especially chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cell has shown a promising future. Epidermal growth factor receptor variant III (EGFRvlll) is a tumor-specific mutation expressed in various types of tumors and has been detected in non-small cell lung cancer with a mutation rate of 10%. Thus, EGFRvIII is a potential antigen for targeted lung cancer therapy. In this study, CAR vectors were constructed and transfected into virus-packaging cells. Then, activated T cells were infected with retrovirus harvested from stable virus-producing single clone cell lines. CAR expression on the surfaces of the T cells was detected by flow cytometry and Western blot. The function of CAR-T targeting EGFRvIII was then evaluated. The EGFRvIII-CAR vector was successfully constructed and confirmed by DNA sequencing. A stable virus-producing cell line was produced from a single clone by limited dilution. The culture conditions for the cell line, including cell density, temperature, and culture medium were optimized. After infection with retrovirus, CAR was expressed on more than 90% of the T cells. The proliferation of CAR-T cells were induced by cytokine and specific antigen in vitro. More importantly, EGFRvIII-CART specifically and efficiently recognized and killed A549-EGFRvIII cells with an effector/target ratio of 10:1 by expressing and releasing cytokines, including perforin, granzyme B, IFN-γ, and TNF-α. The in vivo study indicated that the metastasis of A549-EGFRvIII cells in mice were inhibited by EGFRvIII-CART cells, and the survival of the mice was significantly prolonged with no serious side effects. EGFRvIII-CART showed significantly efficient antitumor activity against lung cancer cells expressing EGFRvlll in vivo and in vitro. Therefore, CAR-T targeting EGFRvIII is a potential therapeutic strategy in preventing recurrence and metastasis of lung cancer after surgery.

Sintilimab (anti-PD-1 antibody) combined with high-dose methotrexate, temozolomide, and rituximab (anti-CD20 antibody) in primary central nervous system lymphoma: a phase 2 study

Primary central nervous system lymphoma(PCNSL)is a rare and frequently fatal lymphoma subtype.The programmed death-1(PD-1)pathway has emerged as a potential therapeutic target,but the effectiveness of PD-1 antibody sintilimab in combination with immunochemotherapy as a frontline treatment for PCNSL remains to be determined.In this phase 2 trial(ChiCTR1900027433)with a safety run-in,we included patients aged 18–70 with newly diagnosed PCNSL.Participants underwent six 21-day cycles of a SMTR regimen,which includes sintilimab(200 mg,Day 0),rituximab(375 mg/m2,Day 0),methotrexate(3.0 g/m2,Day 1 or 1.0 g/m2 for patients aged≥65 years),and temozolomide(150 mg/m2/d,Days 1–5).Among 27 evaluable patients,the overall response rate(ORR)was 96.3%(95%confidence interval:81–99.9%),with 25 complete responses.At a median follow-up of 24.4 months,the medians for duration of response,progression-free survival(PFS),and overall survival were not reached.The most common grade 3–4 treatment-related toxicities were increased levels of alanine aminotransferase(17.9%)and aspartate aminotransferase(14.3%).Additionally,baseline levels of interferon-αand the IL10/IL6 ratio in cerebrospinal fluid emerged as potential predictors of PFS,achieving areas under the curve of 0.88 and 0.84,respectively,at 2 years.Whole-exome sequencing revealed a higher prevalence of RTK-RAS and PI3K pathway mutations in the durable clinical benefit group,while a greater frequency of Notch and Hippo pathway mutations in the no durable benefit group.These findings suggest the SMTR regimen is highly efficacious and tolerable for newly diagnosed PCNSL,warranting further investigation.