These findings suggest that exogenous IL-15 may have a potential role in adoptive immunotherapy by both enhancing proliferation and modulating functionality during ex vivo T-cell expansion.
Immunotherapy with ex vivo cultured T cells depends on a large supply of biologically active cells. Understanding the effects of culture parameters is essential for improving the proliferation and efficacy of the expanded cells. Low oxygen tension (5% pO(2)) was previously reported to improve T-cell expansion and alter cellular phenotypic characteristics compared to T cells cultured at 20% pO(2). Here we report the use of DNA-array based transcriptional analysis coupled with protein-level analysis to provide molecular insights into pO(2) and patient-variability effects on expanded primary human T cells. Analysis of seven blood samples showed that reduced pO(2) results in higher expression of genes important in lymphocyte biology, immune function, and cell-cycle progression. 20% pO(2) resulted in higher expression of genes involved in stress response, cell death, and cellular repair. Expression of granzyme A (gzmA) was found to be significantly regulated by oxygen tension with cells at 5% pO(2) having greater gzmA expression than at 20% pO(2). Protein-level analysis of gzmA was consistent with transcriptional analysis. Granzyme K (gzmK) was coexpressed with gzmA, whereas Granzyme B (gzmB) expression was found to precede the expression of both gzmA and gzmK in 15-day cultures. Temporal gene expression patterns for seven blood samples demonstrate that most genes are expressed by all patient samples in similar temporal patterns. However, several patient-specific gene clusters were identified, and one cluster was found to correlate well with cell proliferation and may potentially be used to predict patient-specific T-cell expansion.
Background Lisocabtagene maraleucel (liso-cel) is an investigational, CD19-directed, genetically modified, autologous cellular immunotherapy administered as a defined composition of CD8+ and CD4+ components to deliver target doses of viable chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells from both components. The CAR comprises a CD19-specific scFv and 4-1BB-CD3ζ endodomain. Liso-cel is being developed for the treatment of multiple B cell malignancies, including relapsed/refractory large B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)/small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL). The liso-cel manufacturing process design includes controls that enable robustness across heterogeneous patient populations and disease indications, minimizing between-lot variability. This is highlighted by consistency in process duration, reduction of terminally differentiated T cells present in the T cell starting material, and consistency in T cell purity across B cell NHL and CLL/SLL indications. Methods The liso-cel manufacturing process involves selection of CD8+ and CD4+ T cells from leukapheresis, followed by independent CD8+ and CD4+ activation, transduction, expansion, formulation, and cryopreservation. Liso-cel was manufactured in support of the TRANSCEND NHL 001 (NCT02631044) and TRANSCEND CLL 004 (NCT03331198) clinical trials. Phenotypic analysis of T cell and B cell composition from leukapheresis, T cell starting material, and CAR T cell product was performed by flow cytometry. Molecular characterization of T cell receptor (TCR) clonality was estimated from the T cell starting material and CAR T cell product through transcriptional profiling. Results Liso-cel manufacturing process optimizations have been implemented in advance of commercialization. These optimizations have significantly improved process duration consistency (Figure 1; F test P=4.1×10−36). Both phenotypic and molecular TCR clonality analyses demonstrated a significant reduction in terminally differentiated CD8+ T cells across the manufacturing process. Frequencies of CD45RA+ CCR7− populations were measured by flow cytometry in CD8+ T cell starting material (median=35.1%) and CAR T cell product (median=11.7%; Wilcoxon rank sum P=3.1×10−25). Characterization of TCR clonality showed a significant decrease in clonality in the CAR T cell product compared with T cell starting material (Wilcoxon rank sum P=5.6×10−6), suggesting selective expansion of clonally diverse, less differentiated T cell populations. These findings are supported by the predominant memory T cell composition observed in liso-cel. Manufacturing process robustness enabled by in-process T cell selection is further demonstrated by the capability to produce highly pure T cell products across heterogeneous patient populations and different disease indications. T cell and B cell composition were characterized in the leukapheresis, selected T cell material, and CAR T cell product, demonstrating consistent clearance of non-T cells, including CD19+ B cells in both B- cell NHL and CLL/SLL patient cohorts. Although the CD19+ B cell composition is significantly higher in leukapheresis from patients with CLL/SLL (median=10.0% of leukocytes) compared with B cell NHL patients (median=0.0% of leukocytes, Wilcoxon rank sum P=1.6×10−9), CAR T cell products manufactured from both CLL/SLL and B cell NHL patient populations consistently demonstrated clearance of non-T cells, including CD19+ cells, to below levels of quantitation. Conclusion Despite variation between B cell NHL and CLL/SLL patient leukapheresis, T cell enrichment before activation and transduction enables consistent downstream process performance and T cell purity, and a substantially reduced risk of transducing residual tumor cells. In addition, the reduction of terminally differentiated effector T cells and capacity to retain T cell diversity further improved consistency in product quality. Taken together, process modifications have enabled consistent manufacturing duration and quality of liso-cel product, which support operational efficiency and scalability for commercial production. Disclosures Teoh: Juno Therapeutics, a Celgene Company: Employment, Equity Ownership. Johnstone:Juno Therapeutics, a Celgene Company: Employment, Patents & Royalties: Author on a number of patent applications and invention disclosures relating to cell therapy and immunosequencing. Christin:Juno Therapeutics, a Celgene Company: Employment, Equity Ownership. Yost:Juno Therapeutics, a Celgene Company: Employment, Equity Ownership. Haig:Juno Therapeutics, a Celgene Company: Employment, Equity Ownership. Mallaney:Juno Therapeutics, a Celgene Company: Employment. Radhakrishnan:Juno Therapeutics, a Celgene Company: Employment, Equity Ownership. Gillenwater:Juno Therapeutics, a Celgene Company: Employment, Equity Ownership. Albertson:Juno Therapeutics, a Celgene Company: Employment, Equity Ownership. Guptill:Juno Therapeutics, a Celgene Company: Employment. Brown:Juno Therapeutics, a Celgene Company: Employment. Ramsborg:Juno Therapeutics, a Celgene Company: Employment, Equity Ownership, Patents & Royalties: Numerous patents. Hause:Juno Therapeutics, a Celgene Company: Employment, Equity Ownership. Larson:Juno Therapeutics, a Celgene Company: Employment, Equity Ownership.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.