Name: tracking bispecific antibody-induced t cell trafficking using luciferase-transduced human t cells
Uploaded: 2023-05-12T12:05:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Tracking Bispecific Antibody-Induced T Cell Trafficking Using Luciferase-Transduced Human T Cells at JoVE.com

The authors would like to thank Dr. Vladimir Ponomarev for sharing the luciferase constructs used in the experiments described in the representative results section of this article.

The following procedures have been evaluated and approved by Memorial Sloan Kettering&#39;s Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.
1. Transfection of 293T cells with luciferase and harvest of viral supernatant
<ol>
	<li>Culture of 293T cells
	<ol>
		<li>Prepare media by adding the following to a liter of DMEM each: 110 mL of heat-inactivated fetal bovine serum (FBS), 11 mL of penicillin-streptomycin.</li>
		<li>Thaw 5 x 106 293T cells and transfer them into ...

<ol>
	<li>G&#246;kbuget, N., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Blinatumomab+for+minimal+residual+disease+in+adults+with+B-cell+precursor+acute+lymphoblastic+leukemia.">Blinatumomab for minimal residual disease in adults with B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia.</a> Blood. 131 (14), 1522-1531 (2018).</li><li>Runcie, K., Budman, D. R., John, V., Seetharamu, N. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Bi-specific+and+tri-specific+antibodies-+the+next+big+thing+in+solid+tumor+therapeutics.">Bi-specific and tri-specific antibodies- the next big thing in solid tumor therapeutics.</a> Molecular Medicine. 24 (1), 50 (2018).</li><li>Dreier, T., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=T+Cell+costimulus-independent+and+very+efficacious+inhibition+of+tumor+growth+in+mice+bearing+subcutaneous+or+leukemic+human+B+cell+lymphoma+xenografts+by+a+CD19-/CD3-+Bispecific+single-chain+antibody+construct.">T Cell costimulus-independent and very efficacious inhibition of tumor growth in mice bearing subcutaneous or leukemic human B cell lymphoma xenografts by a CD19-/CD3- Bispecific single-chain antibody construct.</a> The Journal of Immunology. 170 (8), 4397-4402 (2003).</li><li>Offner, S., Hofmeister, R., Romaniuk, A., Kufer, P., Baeuerle, P. A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Induction+of+regular+cytolytic+T+cell+synapses+by+bispecific+single-chain+antibody+constructs+on+MHC+class+I-negative+tumor+cells.">Induction of regular cytolytic T cell synapses by bispecific single-chain antibody constructs on MHC class I-negative tumor cells.</a> Molecular Immunology. 43 (6), 763-771 (2006).</li><li>Santich, B. H., Cheung, N. V., Klein, C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Editorial:+Bispecific+antibodies+for+T-cell+based+immunotherapy.">Editorial: Bispecific antibodies for T-cell based immunotherapy.</a> Frontiers in Oncology. 10, 628005 (2020).</li><li>Santich, B. H., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Interdomain+spacing+and+spatial+configuration+drive+the+potency+of+IgG-[L]-scFv+T+cell+bispecific+antibodies.">Interdomain spacing and spatial configuration drive the potency of IgG-[L]-scFv T cell bispecific antibodies.</a> Science Translational Medicine. 12 (534), eaax1315 (2020).</li><li>Wang, L., Hoseini, S. S., Xu, H., Ponomarev, V., Cheung, N. K. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Silencing+Fc+domains+in+T+cell-engaging+bispecific+antibodies+improves+T-cell+trafficking+and+antitumor+potency.">Silencing Fc domains in T cell-engaging bispecific antibodies improves T-cell trafficking and antitumor potency.</a> Cancer Immunology Research. 7 (12), 2013-2024 (2019).</li><li>Park, J. A., Cheung, N. V. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=GD2+or+HER2+targeting+T+cell+engaging+bispecific+antibodies+to+treat+osteosarcoma.">GD2 or HER2 targeting T cell engaging bispecific antibodies to treat osteosarcoma.</a> Journal of Hematology &amp; Oncology. 13 (1), 172 (2020).</li><li>Wu, Z., Guo, H. F., Xu, H., Cheung, N. V. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Development+of+a+tetravalent+anti-GPA33/anti-CD3+bispecific+antibody+for+colorectal+cancers.">Development of a tetravalent anti-GPA33/anti-CD3 bispecific antibody for colorectal cancers.</a> Molecular Cancer Therapeutics. 17 (10), 2164-2175 (2018).</li><li>Lin, T. Y., Park, J. A., Long, A., Guo, H. F., Cheung, N. V. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Novel+potent+anti-STEAP1+bispecific+antibody+to+redirect+T+cells+for+cancer+immunotherapy.">Novel potent anti-STEAP1 bispecific antibody to redirect T cells for cancer immunotherapy.</a> Journal for Immunotherapy of Cancer. 9 (9), e003114 (2021).</li><li>Hoseini, S. S., Espinosa-Cotton, M., Guo, H. F., Cheung, N. V. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Overcoming+leukemia+heterogeneity+by+combining+T+cell+engaging+bispecific+antibodies.">Overcoming leukemia heterogeneity by combining T cell engaging bispecific antibodies.</a> Journal for Immunotherapy of Cancer. 8 (2), e001626 (2020).</li><li>Hoseini, S. S., Guo, H., Wu, Z., Hatano, M. N., Cheung, N. V. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=A+potent+tetravalent+T-cell-engaging+bispecific+antibody+against+CD33+in+acute+myeloid+leukemia.">A potent tetravalent T-cell-engaging bispecific antibody against CD33 in acute myeloid leukemia.</a> Blood Advances. 2 (11), 1250-1258 (2018).</li><li>Hoseini, S. S., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=T+cell+engaging+bispecific+antibodies+targeting+CD33+IgV+and+IgC+domains+for+the+treatment+of+acute+myeloid+leukemia.">T cell engaging bispecific antibodies targeting CD33 IgV and IgC domains for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia.</a> Journal for Immunotherapy of Cancer. 9 (5), e002509 (2021).</li><li>Li, H., Er Saw, P., Song, E. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Challenges+and+strategies+for+next-generation+bispecific+antibody-based+antitumor+therapeutics.">Challenges and strategies for next-generation bispecific antibody-based antitumor therapeutics.</a> Cellular and Molecular Immunology. 17 (5), 451-461 (2020).</li><li>Rajabzadeh, A., Hamidieh, A. A., Rahbarizadeh, F. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Spinoculation+and+retronectin+highly+enhance+the+gene+transduction+efficiency+of+Mucin-1-specific+chimeric+antigen+receptor+(CAR)+in+human+primary+T+cells.">Spinoculation and retronectin highly enhance the gene transduction efficiency of Mucin-1-specific chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) in human primary T cells.</a> BMC Molecular and Cell Biology. 22 (1), 57 (2021).</li><li>Kleeman, B., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=A+guide+to+choosing+fluorescent+protein+combinations+for+flow+cytometric+analysis+based+on+spectral+overlap.">A guide to choosing fluorescent protein combinations for flow cytometric analysis based on spectral overlap.</a> Cytometry Part A. 93 (5), 556-562 (2018).</li><li>Park, J. A., Santich, B. H., Xu, H., Lum, L. G., Cheung, N. V. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Potent+ex+vivo+armed+T+cells+using+recombinant+bispecific+antibodies+for+adoptive+immunotherapy+with+reduced+cytokine+release.">Potent ex vivo armed T cells using recombinant bispecific antibodies for adoptive immunotherapy with reduced cytokine release.</a> Journal for Immunotherapy of Cancer. 9 (5), e002222 (2021).</li><li>Park, J. A., Wang, L., Cheung, N. V. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Modulating+tumor+infiltrating+myeloid+cells+to+enhance+bispecific+antibody-driven+T+cell+infiltration+and+anti-tumor+response.">Modulating tumor infiltrating myeloid cells to enhance bispecific antibody-driven T cell infiltration and anti-tumor response.</a> Journal of Hematology &amp; Oncology. 14 (1), 142 (2021).</li><li>Str&#246;hlein, M. A., Heiss, M. M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+trifunctional+antibody+catumaxomab+in+treatment+of+malignant+ascites+and+peritoneal+carcinomatosis.">The trifunctional antibody catumaxomab in treatment of malignant ascites and peritoneal carcinomatosis.</a> Future Oncology. 6 (9), 1387-1394 (2010).</li><li>Rabinovich, B. A., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Visualizing+fewer+than+10+mouse+T+cells+with+an+enhanced+firefly+luciferase+in+immunocompetent+mouse+models+of+cancer.">Visualizing fewer than 10 mouse T cells with an enhanced firefly luciferase in immunocompetent mouse models of cancer.</a> Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 105 (38), 14342-14346 (2008).</li><li>Skovgard, M. S., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Imaging+CAR+T-cell+kinetics+in+solid+tumors:+Translational+implications.">Imaging CAR T-cell kinetics in solid tumors: Translational implications.</a> Molecular Therapy Oncolytics. 22, 355-367 (2021).</li></ol>

While the T-BsAb blinatumomab has been approved for CD19-positive hematological malignancies, the successful implementation of T-BsAbs in solid tumors has proven much more difficult. Catumaxomab, a T-BsAb directed against epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EPCAM), was approved for the treatment of malignant ascites in ovarian cancer patients, but production of the drug was subsequently halted for commercial reasons19. No other T-BsAbs have been approved for solid tumors, underlining the challenges...

T cell-engaging bispecific antibodies (T-BsAbs) are engineered antibodies used to provide artificial specificity to polyclonal T cells by engaging T cells through one binding arm and a tumor antigen through another binding arm. This technology has been successfully applied to hematological cancers (CD19-targeting blinatumomab1), and numerous T-BsAbs are in preclinical and clinical development for a variety of solid tumors as well2. T-BsAbs engage polyclonal T cells in a major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-independent manner, and therefore even tumors that downregulate human leukocyte antigens (HLAs) are susceptible to this type of therapy3,4. T-BsAbs have been developed in dozens of different formats, with differences in the valency and spatial arrangement of the T cell and tumor binding arms, interdomain distances, and the inclusion of an Fc domain, which affects the half-life and can induce effector functions if present5. Previous work in our lab has shown that these factors significantly affect the anti-tumor efficacy of T-BsAbs, with up to 1,000-fold differences in potency6. Through this work, we identified the IgG-[L]-scFv format as the ideal platform for T-BsAbs (see Representative Results section for more detail regarding T-BsAb formats), and have applied this platform to targets including GD2 (neuroblastoma), HER2 (breast cancer and osteosarcoma), GPA33 (colorectal cancer), STEAP1 (Ewing Sarcoma), CD19 (B cell malignancies), and CD33 (B cell malignancies)7,8,9,10,11,12,13.
One of the major challenges to successfully implementing T-BsAb therapy in solid tumors is overcoming an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) to drive T cell trafficking to tumors14. The factors affecting T-BsAb efficacy described above have a significant impact on the ability of T-BsAbs to effectively induce T cell homing to tumors, but this effect is difficult to evaluate in an in vivo system in real time. This manuscript provides a detailed description of the use of luciferase-transduced T cells in preclinical studies of T-BsAbs to evaluate T cell trafficking to various tissues in experimental immunocompromised mouse models during treatment. The overall goal of this method is to provide a means to evaluate T cell infiltration in tumors and other tissues, as well as real-time insight into T cell homing kinetics and persistence, without the need to sacrifice animals during treatment. For the increasing number of researchers focusing on cellular immunotherapies, the ability to track T cells in vivo in preclinical animal models is crucial. We aim to provide a thorough, detailed description of the method we have employed for tracking luciferase-transduced T cells to enable other researchers to easily replicate this technique.

<table border="1" fo:keep-together.within-page="1" fo:keep-with-next.within-page="always">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>293T cells</td>
			<td>ATCC</td>
			<td>CRL-11268</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>BSA</td>
			<td>Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td>A7030-10G</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>CD3/CD28 beads</td>
			<td>Gibco (ThermoFisher)</td>
			<td>11161D</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>D-Luciferin, Potassium Salt</td>
			<td>Goldbio</td>
			<td>LUCK-1G</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>DMEM</td>
			<td>Gibco (ThermoFisher)</td>
			<td>11965092</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>DNA in vitro transfection reagent (polyjet)</td>
			<td>SignaGen Laboratories</td>
			<td>SL100688</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>EDTA</td>
			<td>Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td>E9884-100G</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>FBS</td>
			<td>Gibco (ThermoFisher)</td>
			<td>10437028</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Gag/pol plasmid</td>
			<td>Addgene</td>
			<td>14887</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>GFP plasmid</td>
			<td>Addgene</td>
			<td>11150-DNA.cg</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Penicilin-Streptomycin</td>
			<td>Gibco (ThermoFisher)</td>
			<td>15140122</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Recombinant human IL-2</td>
			<td>R&#38;D Systems</td>
			<td>202-IL-010/CF</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Retronectin</td>
			<td>Takara</td>
			<td>T100B</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Trypsin</td>
			<td>Gibco (ThermoFisher)</td>
			<td>25-300-120</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>VSV-G plasmid</td>
			<td>Addgene</td>
			<td>8454</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

tracking bispecific antibody-induced t cell trafficking using luciferase-transduced human t cells

T cell-engaging bispecific antibodies (T-BsAbs) are in various stages of preclinical development and clinical testing for solid tumors. Factors such as valency, spatial arrangement, interdomain distance, and Fc mutations affect the anti-tumor efficacy of these therapies, commonly by influencing the homing of T cells to tumors, which remains a major challenge. Here, we describe a method to transduce activated human T cells with luciferase, allowing in vivo tracking of T cells during T-BsAb therapy studies. The ability of T-BsAbs to redirect T cells to tumors can be quantitatively evaluated at multiple time points during treatment, allowing researchers to correlate the anti-tumor efficacy of T-BsAbs and other interventions with the persistence of T cells in tumors. This method alleviates the need to sacrifice animals during treatment to histologically assess T cell infiltration and can be repeated at multiple time points to determine the kinetics of T cell trafficking during and after treatment.

As described in step 4.3, mice can be oriented in different positions during imaging to evaluate the presence of T cells in different tissues. Supine positioning allows for the assessment of T cells in the lungs, which is common at early time points after injection. Lateral positioning with the subcutaneous xenograft facing up is used to best assess T cell trafficking to the tumor. Female C.Cg-Rag2tm1Fwa Il2rgtm1Sug/JicTac mice were used for all experiments described in this manuscript. <st...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Tracking Bispecific Antibody-Induced T Cell Trafficking Using Luciferase-Transduced Human T Cells at JoVE.com

Tracking Bispecific Antibody-Induced T Cell Trafficking Using Luciferase-Transduced Human T Cells

Here, we describe a method for transducing human T cells with luciferase to facilitate in vivo tracking of bispecific antibody-induced T cell trafficking to tumors in studies to evaluate the anti-tumor efficacy and mechanism of T cell-engaging bispecific antibodies.

T cell-engaging bispecific antibodies (T-BsAbs) are in various stages of preclinical development and clinical testing for solid tumors. Factors such as ...

This method allows users to easily track T cells in vivo to evaluate the kinetics of homing and to monitor T cell persistence. The main advantage of this technique is that it can be repeated at multiple time points on the same animal without requiring sacrifice in flow cytometry or immunohistochemistry. This technique could be modified for tracking other types of immune cells as well.To culture 293T cells, prepare one liter of DMEM by adding 110 milliliters of heat-inactivated fetal bovine serum and 11 milliliters of penicillin streptomycin. Thaw five times 10 to the sixth 293T cells and transfer them into a T175 flask containing DMEM. Split the cells one to 10 every three days for six days before the cells become more than 90%confluent.For transfection, transfer 1.5 milliliters of media to two 50 milliliter tubes using a pipette. To one tube, add 10 micrograms of VSVG plasmid, 20 micrograms of gag pol, and 20 micrograms of click beetle red TDtomato or CBRTDR luciferase plasmid and mix. Add 100 microliters of DNA in vitro transfection reagent to another tube and mix.Incubate both tubes at room temperature for five minutes. Transfer the media containing the DNA in vitro transfection reagent dropwise to the tube containing the DNA plasmids and mix gently with a pipette. Incubate at room temperature for 20 minutes.During incubation, detach the 293T cells by adding five to 10 milliliters of 0.05%trypsin. Once the cells have detached, add 10 milliliters of media and centrifuge at 800 G for five minutes. Resuspend the cells in 1.5 milliliters of media.Add the media containing the DNA in vitro transfection reagent and the DNA plasmids to the 293T cells and incubate at 37 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes. After incubation, transfer the suspension to a T175 flask. Add 18 milliliters of media and incubate at 37 degrees Celsius overnight.The next day, carefully aspirate the media with a glass pipette without detaching the cells and replace it with 18 milliliters of fresh media. Again, incubate overnight at 37 degrees Celsius. The following day, remove the viral supernatant using a pipette put on ice and centrifuge at 800 G for five minutes to pellet the cells and debris.Filter the viral supernatant using a 0.22 micron filter and immediately place it on ice. For in vitro activation of human T cells, add 10 milliliters of PBS containing 0.1%bovine serum albumin or BSA and two millimolar EDTA to a sterile 15 milliliter tube. Then to wash the beads, add beads into a tube and place the tube in a magnetic rack.After two minutes, remove the PBS from the tube. After preparing DMEM, add washed beads and interleukin-2 or IL-2 to a final concentration of 30 international units per milliliter. Count the T cells using a hemo cytometer and Trypan blue stain.After counting, add desired number of T cells to the media and gently invert the tube to mix. Plate 2.5 milliliters of media containing two million T cells, beads, and IL-2 in each well of a 24-well tissue culture plate. Culture at 37 degrees Celsius in humidified 5%carbon dioxide.Examine the T cells under a 20X objective every day for three days to determine when to transduce with luciferase. Next, to prepare a RetroNectin plate, add two milliliters of 20 micrograms per milliliter RetroNectin in PBS to a well of an untreated six-well plate and incubate for two hours at room temperature. Aspirate the RetroNectin without scratching the bottom of the plate and add three milliliters of 2%BSA in PBS per well in the six-well plate.Incubate for 30 minutes at room temperature. Next, for spinoculation, aspirate the BSA and wash the wells once with three milliliters of PBS. Continue or replace with fresh PBS and leave the plate covered at four degrees Celsius overnight.The next day, add two milliliters of CBRTDR luciferase viral supernatant per well and centrifuge at 1, 240 G for 90 minutes at 32 degrees Celsius. For transduction, after counting the T cells, aspirate the viral supernatant and plate two million T cells per well in six milliliters of DMEM containing 30 international units per milliliter of human IL-2. Examine the T cells for two days.When the cells are nearly confluent, gently wash them off the bottom of the plate using a pipette and transfer each well to a separate T75 flask. Add nine milliliters of media for a total of 15 milliliter volume per flask. The next day, add 15 milliliters of media and confirm successful transduction by performing flow cytometry.After anesthetizing the mouse, using a 26 gauge needle, inject 20 million T cells in 100 microliters of media retroorbitally. Administer 1, 000 units of recombinant IL-2 subcutaneously to support T cell survival in vivo. Then administer the bispecific antibody retroorbitally or intraperitoneally.For in vivo imaging, administer 100 microliters of three milligrams of D-luciferin by retroorbital injection with a 26 gauge needle in an anesthetized mouse. To capture images, place the mouse in the light tight chamber of the imager such that the flank bearing the xenograft is facing up toward the camera. Using the acquisition control panel, select luminescent, photograph, and overlay.Set the exposure time to auto, the binning to medium, and f-stop to one and acquire images. After the first image, set the exposure time to match that automatically calculated for the first image so that subsequent images may be compared directly. Take another set of images with the mouse supine to evaluate T cell presence in the lungs.Armed T cells trafficked to the tumor faster than unarmed T cells, leaving the lungs two days sooner. Quantitation of T cell infiltration into tumors over time was measured by bioluminescence and expressed as total flocks or radiance per pixel integrated over the tumor contour. T cell trafficking could be monitored for 28 days post-injection of the luciferase-transduced T cells, allowing for tracking T cell homing and persistence throughout treatment.T cell trafficking into HER2 positive human breast cancer patient-derived xenografts in DKO mice is shown. Treatment with the HER2 bispecific antibody with an unsilenced FC had no effect on tumor growth compared to a controlled bispecific antibody. In contrast, treatment with HER2 bispecific antibody containing N297A mutation alone or in combination with a K322A mutation was able to halt tumor growth completely.For groups with the silencing mutations, the T cell luminescence signal reached a higher peak on day three post-injection and persisted at a higher level compared to the controlled bispecific antibody and unsilenced HER2 bispecific antibody. Mice bearing neuroblastoma patient-derived xenografts demonstrated depletion of Ly6C positive macrophages significantly increased T cell homing to tumors, resulting in decreased tumor growth and prolonged survival. The effect was more pronounced in osteosarcoma patient-derived xenografts.Among bispecific antibodies targeting the tumor antigen STEAP1, the IGGL SCFV format resulted in significantly more T cell infiltration on day six after the first dose of T cells which persisted for the duration of treatment. Such observations were not predicted by in vitro cytotoxicity assays. After tracking T cells in vivo, users can still perform immunohistochemistry to determine more specifically where the T cells are located within the tumor or other normal tissues.

tracking-bispecific-antibody-induced-t-cell-trafficking-using

Research

JoVE Journal

Cancer Research

Four-color Fluorescence Immunohistochemistry of T-cell Subpopulations in Archival Formalin-fixed, Paraffin-embedded Human Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Samples

The four-color fluorescence immunohistochemistry (IHC) technique is a method to quantify cell populations of interest while taking into account their relative distribution and their localization in the tissue. This technique has been extensively applied to study the immune infiltrate in various tumor types. The tumor microenvironment is infiltrated by immune cells that are attracted to the tumor site. Different immune cell populations have been found to play different roles in the tumor microenvironment and to have a different impact on the outcome of disease. This manuscript describes the use of multiparameter fluorescence IHC on oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) as an example. This technique can be extended to other tissue samples and cell types of interest. In the presented study, we analyzed the intraepithelial and stromal compartment of a large OPSCC cohort (n = 162). We focused on total T lymphocytes (CD3+), immunosuppressive regulatory T cells (Tregs; i.e., FoxP3+), and T helper 17 (Th17) cells (i.e., IL-17+CD3+) using a nuclear counterstain to distinguish tumor epithelium from stroma. A high number of T cells was found to be correlated with improved disease-free survival in patients with a low number of intratumoral IL-17+ non-T cells. This suggests that IL-17+ non-T cells may be correlated with a poor immune response in OPSCC, which is in agreement with the correlation described between IL-17 and poor survival in cancer patients. Currently, novel multiparameter fluorescence IHC techniques are being developed using up to 7 different fluorochromes and will enable the more precise characterization and localization of immune cells in the tumor microenvironment.

Multiparameter fluorescence immunohistochemistry can be used to assess the number, relative distribution, and localization of immune cell populations in the tumor microenvironment. This manuscript describes the use of this technique to analyze T-cell subpopulations in oropharyngeal cancer.

The four-color fluorescence immunohistochemistry (IHC) technique is a method to quantify cell populations of interest while taking into account their ...

Ex Vivo Imaging of Resident CD8 T Lymphocytes in Human Lung Tumor Slices Using Confocal Microscopy

CD8 T cell are key players in the fight against cancer. In order for CD8 T cells to kill tumor cells they need to enter into the tumor, migrate within the tumor microenvironment and respond adequately to tumor antigens. The recent development of improved imaging approaches, such as 2-photon microscopy, and the use of powerful mouse tumor models have shed light on some of the mechanisms that regulate anti-tumor T cell activities. Whereas such systems have provided valuable insights, they do not always predict human responses. In human, our knowledge in the field mainly comes from a description of fixed tumor samples from human patients, as well as in vitro studies. However, in vitro models lack the complex three-dimensional tumor milieu and, therefore, are incomplete approximations of in vivo T cell activities. Fresh slices made from explanted tissue represent a complex multi-cellular tumor environment that can act as an important link between co-cultured studies and animal models. Originally set up in murine lymph nodes1 and previously described in a JoVE article2, this approach has now been transposed to human tumors to examine the dynamics of both plated3&#160;as well as resident&#160;T cells4.
Here, a protocol for the preparation of human lung tumor slices, immunostaining of resident CD8 T and tumor cells, and tracking of CD8 T lymphocytes within the tumor microenvironment using confocal microscopy is described. This system is uniquely placed to screen for novel immunotherapy agents favoring T cell migration in tumors.

Ex Vivo Imaging of Resident CD8 T Lymphocytes in Human Lung Tumor Slices Using Confocal Microscopy

This protocol describes a method to image resident tumor-infiltrating CD8 T cells labeled with fluorescently coupled antibodies within human lung tumor slices. This technique permits real-time analyses of CD8 T cell migration using confocal microscopy.

CD8 T cell are key players in the fight against cancer. In order for CD8 T cells to kill tumor cells they need to enter into the tumor, migrate within the ...

A Syngeneic Mouse B-Cell Lymphoma Model for Pre-Clinical Evaluation of CD19 CAR T Cells

The astonishing clinical success of CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has led to the approval of two second generation chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) andnon-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). The focus of the field is now on emulating these successes in other hematological malignancies where less impressive complete response rates are observed. Further engineering of CAR T cells or co-administration of other treatment modalities may successfully overcome obstacles to successful therapy in other cancer settings.
We therefore present a model in which others can conduct pre-clinical testing of CD19 CAR T cells. Results in this well tested B-cell lymphoma model are likely to be informative CAR T-cell therapy in general.
This protocol allows the reproducible production of mouse CAR T cells through calcium phosphate transfection of Plat-E producer cells with MP71 retroviral constructs and pCL-Eco packaging plasmid followed by collection of secreted retroviral particles and transduction using recombinant human fibronectin fragment and centrifugation. Validation of retroviral transduction, and confirmation of the ability of CAR T cells to kill target lymphoma cells ex vivo, through the use of flow cytometry, luminometry and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), is also described.
Protocols for testing CAR T cells in vivo in lymphoreplete and lymphodepleted syngeneic mice, bearing established, systemic lymphoma are described. Anti-cancer activity is monitored by in vivo bioluminescence and disease progression. We show typical results of eradication of established B-cell lymphoma when utilizing 1st or 2nd generation CARs in combination with lymphodepleting pre-conditioning and a minority of mice achieving long term remissions when utilizing CAR T cells expressing IL-12 in lymphoreplete mice.
These protocols can be used to evaluate CD19 CAR T cells with different additional modification, combinations of CAR T cells and other therapeutic agents or adapted for the use of CAR T cells against different target antigens.

Here, we present a protocol for the production and pre-clinical testing of murine CD19 CAR T cells by retroviral transduction and utilization as a therapy against established syngeneic A20 B-cell lymphoma in BALB/c mice with or without lymphodepleting pre-conditioning.

The astonishing clinical success of CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has led to the approval of two second generation chimeric antigen ...

A Spheroid Killing Assay by CAR T Cells

Immunotherapy has become a field of growing interest in the fight against cancer otherwise untreatable. Among all immunotherapeutic methods, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) redirected T cells obtained the most spectacular results, in particular with pediatric B-acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL). Classical validation methods of CAR T cells rely on the use of specificity and functionality assays of the CAR T cells against target cells in suspension and in xenograft models. Unfortunately, observations made in vitro are often decoupled from results obtained in vivo and a lot of effort and animals could be spared by adding another step: the use of 3D culture. The production of spheroids out of potential target cells that mimic the 3D structure of the tumor cells when they are engrafted into the animal model represents an ideal alternative. Here, we report an affordable, reliable and easy method to produce spheroids from a transduced colorectal cell line as a validation tool for adoptive cell therapy (exemplified here by CD19 CAR T cells). This method is coupled with an advanced live imaging system that can follow spheroid growth, effector cells cytotoxicity and tumor cell apoptosis.

This protocol is designed to assess immunotherapeutic redirected T-cell (CAR T-cell) cytotoxicity against 3D structured cancerous cells (spheroids) in real time.

Immunotherapy has become a field of growing interest in the fight against cancer otherwise untreatable. Among all immunotherapeutic methods, chimeric ...

Using CRISPR/Cas9 to Knock Out GM-CSF in CAR-T Cells

Chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cell therapy is a cutting edge and potentially revolutionary new treatment option for cancer. However, there are significant limitations to its widespread use in the treatment of cancer. These limitations include the development of unique toxicities such as cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and neurotoxicity (NT) and limited expansion, effector functions, and anti-tumor activity in solid tumors. One strategy to enhance CAR-T efficacy and/or control toxicities of CAR-T cells is to edit the genome of the CAR-T cells themselves during CAR-T cell manufacturing. Here, we describe the use of CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing in CAR-T cells via transduction with a lentiviral construct containing a guide RNA to granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and Cas9. As an example, we describe CRISPR/Cas9 mediated knockout of GM-CSF. We have shown that these GM-CSFk/o CAR-T cells effectively produce less GM-CSF while maintaining critical T cell function and result in enhanced anti-tumor activity in vivo compared to wild type CAR-T cells.

Here, we present a protocol to genetically edit CAR-T cells via a CRISPR/Cas9 system.

Chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cell therapy is a cutting edge and potentially revolutionary new treatment option for cancer. However, there are ...

Manufacturing Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T Cells for Adoptive Immunotherapy

Adoptive immunotherapy holds promise for the treatment of cancer and infectious disease. We describe a simple approach to transduce primary human T cells with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) and expand their progeny ex vivo. We include assays to measure CAR expression as well as differentiation, proliferative capacity and cytolytic activity. We describe assays to measure effector cytokine production and inflammatory cytokine secretion in CAR T cells. Our approach provides a reliable and comprehensive method to culture CAR T cells for preclinical models of adoptive immunotherapy.

Manufacturing Chimeric Antigen Receptor CAR T Cells for Adoptive Immunotherapy

We describe an approach to reliably generate chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells and test their differentiation and function in vitro and in vivo.

Adoptive immunotherapy holds promise for the treatment of cancer and infectious disease. We describe a simple approach to transduce primary human T cells ...

Using Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells for the Generation of Tumor Antigen-specific T Cells

The generation and expansion of functional T cells in vitro can lead to a broad range of clinical applications. One such use is for the treatment of patients with advanced cancer. Adoptive T cell transfer (ACT) of highly enriched tumor antigen-specific T cells has been shown to cause durable regression of metastatic cancer in some patients. However, during expansion, these cells may become exhausted or senescent, limiting their effector function and persistence in vivo. Induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology may overcome these obstacles by leading to in vitro generation of large numbers of less differentiated tumor antigen-specific T cells. Human iPSC (hiPSC) have the capacity to differentiate into any type of somatic cell, including lymphocytes, which retain the original T cell receptor (TCR) genomic rearrangement when a T cell is used as a starting cell. Therefore, reprogramming of human tumor antigen-specific T cells to hiPSC followed by redifferentiation to T cell lineage has the potential to produce rejuvenated tumor antigen-specific T cells. Described here is a method for generating tumor antigen-specific CD8&#945;&#946;+ single positive (SP) T cells from hiPSC using OP9/DLL1 co-culture system. This method is a powerful tool for in vitro T cell lineage generation and will facilitate the development of in vitro derived T cells for use in regenerative medicine and cell-based therapies.

This article describes a method to generate functional tumor antigen-specific induced pluripotent stem cell-derived CD8&#945;&#946;+ single positive T cells using OP9/DLL1 co-culture system.

The generation and expansion of functional T cells in vitro can lead to a broad range of clinical applications. One such use is for the treatment of ...

Isolation and Expansion of Cytotoxic Cytokine-induced Killer T Cells for Cancer Treatment

Adoptive cellular immunotherapy focuses on restoring cancer recognition via the immune system and improves effective tumor cell killing. Cytokine-induced killer (CIK) T cell therapy has been reported to exert significant cytotoxic effects against cancer cells and to reduce the adverse effects of surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy in cancer treatments. CIK can be derived from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), bone marrow, and umbilical cord blood. CIK cells are a heterogeneous subpopulation of T cells with CD3+CD56+ and natural killer (NK) phenotypic characteristics that include major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-unrestricted antitumor activity. This study describes a qualified, clinically applicable, flow cytometry-based method for the quantification of the cytolytic capability of PBMC-derived CIK cells against hematological and solid cancer cells. In the cytolytic assay, CIK cells are co-incubated at different ratios with prestained target tumor cells. After the incubation period, the number of target cells are determined by a nucleic acid-binding stain to detect dead cells. This method is applicable to both research and diagnostic applications. CIK cells possess potent cytotoxicity that could be explored as an alternative strategy for cancer treatment upon its preclinical evaluation by a cytometer setup and tracking (CS &#38; T)-based flow cytometry system.

Here, we present a protocol to perform the isolation and expansion of peripheral blood mononuclear cells-derived cytokine-induced CD3+CD56+ killer cells and illustrate their cytotoxicity effect against hematological and solid cancer cells by using an in vitro diagnosis flow cytometry system.

Adoptive cellular immunotherapy focuses on restoring cancer recognition via the immune system and improves effective tumor cell killing. Cytokine-induced ...

Monitoring Cancer Cell Invasion and T-Cell Cytotoxicity in 3D Culture

Significant progress has been made in treating cancer with immunotherapy, although a large number of cancers remain resistant to treatment. A limited number of assays allow for direct monitoring and mechanistic insights into the interactions between tumor and immune cells, amongst which, T-cells play a significant role in executing the cytotoxic response of the adaptive immune system to cancer cells. Most assays are based on two-dimensional (2D) co-culture of cells due to the relative ease of use but with limited representation of the invasive growth phenotype, one of the hallmarks of cancer cells. Current three-dimensional (3D) co-culture systems either require special equipment or separate monitoring for invasion of co-cultured cancer cells and interacting T-cells.
Here we describe an approach to simultaneously monitor the invasive behavior in 3D of cancer cell spheroids and T-cell cytotoxicity in co-culture. Spheroid formation is driven by enhanced cell-cell interactions in scaffold-free agarose microwell casts with U-shaped bottoms. Both T-cell co-culture and cancer cell invasion into type I collagen matrix are performed within the microwells of the agarose casts without the need to transfer the cells, thus maintaining an intact 3D co-culture system throughout the assay. The collagen matrix can be separated from the agarose cast, allowing for immunofluorescence (IF) staining and for confocal imaging of cells. Also, cells can be isolated for further growth or subjected to analyses such as for gene expression or fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS). Finally, the 3D co-culture can be analyzed by immunohistochemistry (IHC) after embedding and sectioning. Possible modifications of the assay include altered compositions of the extracellular matrix (ECM) as well as the inclusion of different stromal or immune cells with the cancer cells.

The presented approach simultaneously evaluates cancer cell invasion in 3D spheroid assays and T-cell cytotoxicity. Spheroids are generated in a scaffold-free agarose multi-microwell cast. Co-culture and embedding in type I collagen matrix are performed within the same device which allows to monitor cancer cell invasion and T-cell mediated cytotoxicity.

Significant progress has been made in treating cancer with immunotherapy, although a large number of cancers remain resistant to treatment. A limited ...

Isolating Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells and CD4+ T cells from S&#233;zary Syndrome Patients for Transcriptomic Profiling

Cutaneous T-cell lymphomas (CTCL) are derived from the transformation and uncontrolled proliferation of mature skin-homing T cells, and mycosis fungoides (MF) and S&#233;zary syndrome (SS) represent the most common subtypes. Despite a number of studies on characterizing gene expression, genetic alterations, and epigenetic abnormalities of CTCL, the molecular pathogenesis of MF/SS remains unclear. MF refers to the more common CTCL with a skin-predominance, and is usually limited to skin, whereas&#160;SS is an aggressive leukemic variant of CTCL with widespread skin involvement and is characterized by neoplastic distribution mainly involving blood, skin, and lymph node. Focusing on clinical practice, the identification of gene expression biomarkers has&#160;enormous potential to improve diagnosis and treatment of MF/SS. Indeed, recent transcriptomic studies have identified potential diagnostic biomarkers from differences in gene expression between normal and malignant T cells, which may improve our understanding of SS biology, and reveal potential therapeutic targets. This manuscript describes a detailed reproducible protocol for the isolation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from fresh whole blood from patients diagnosed with SS, selection of CD4+ memory T cells (CD4+CD45RO+ T cells), chemical stimulation, and preparation of RNA suitable for transcriptomic profiling to discover novel prognostic molecular markers to gain additional insight in disease etiology. The stimulation using chemical agonist to activate nuclear regulation provides more specific assessment for pathways important in the dynamic transcription regulation and gene expression and eliminates confounding defects that may arise from upstream signaling defects arising from TCR antigen loss at the cell membrane. The data obtained from comparison of transcriptome of unstimulated to stimulated SS T cells unmasks functional regulatory gene expression defects not evident from analysis of quiescent unstimulated cells. Furthermore, the method outlined from this approach can be adapted for studying T cell gene expression defects in other T cell immune diseases.

We present a simple protocol for the isolation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from whole blood obtained from patients diagnosed with S&#233;zary Syndrome, followed by selection of CD4+ T cells, their stimulation with phorbol12-myristate13-acetate and A23187 ionophore, and preparation of RNA for transcriptomic profiling.

Cutaneous T-cell lymphomas (CTCL) are derived from the transformation and uncontrolled proliferation of mature skin-homing T cells, and mycosis fungoides ...