A high throughput microelectroporation device to introduce a chimeric antigen receptor to redirect the specificity of human T cells.
It has been demonstrated that a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) can directly recognize the CD19 molecule expressed on the cell surface of B-cell malignancies independent of major histocompatibility complex (MHC). Although T-cell therapy of tumors using CD19-specific CAR is promising, this approach relies on using expression vectors that stably integrate the CAR into T-cell chromosomes. To circumvent the potential genotoxicity that may occur from expressing integrating transgenes, we have expressed the CD19-specific CAR transgene from mRNA using a high throughput microelectroporation device. This research was accomplished using a microelectroporator to achieve efficient and high throughput non-viral gene transfer of in vitro transcribed CAR mRNA into human T cells that had been numerically expanded ex vivo. Electro-transfer of mRNA avoids the potential genotoxicity associated with vector and transgene integration and the high throughput capacity overcomes the expected transient CAR expression, as repeated rounds of electroporation can replace T cells that have lost transgene expression. We fabricated and tested a high throughput microelectroporator that can electroporate a stream of 2 x 10(8) primary T cells within 10 min. After electroporation, up to 80% of the passaged T cells expressed the CD19-specific CAR. Video time-lapse microscopy (VTLM) demonstrated the redirected effector function of the genetically manipulated T cells to specifically lyse CD19+ tumor cells. Our biomedical microdevice, in which T cells are transiently and safely modified to be tumor-specific and then can be re-infused, offers a method for redirecting T-cell specificity, that has implications for the development of adoptive immunotherapy.
Choi
Yoonsu
Y
Division of Pediatrics, Children's Cancer Hospital, The University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Houston, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
Yuen
Carrie
C
Maiti
Sourindra N
SN
Olivares
Simon
S
Gibbons
Hillary
H
Huls
Helen
H
Raphael
Robert
R
Killian
Thomas C
TC
Stark
Daniel J
DJ
Lee
Dean A
DA
Torikai
Hiroki
H
Monticello
Daniel
D
Kelly
Susan S
SS
Kebriaei
Partow
P
Champlin
Richard E
RE
Biswal
Sibani L
SL
Cooper
Laurence J N
LJ
D000938:Antigen-Presenting Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D018941:Antigens, CD19 / Q000378:metabolism; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D018274:Electroporation / Q000295:instrumentation*; D006801:Humans; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D011946:Receptors, Antigen / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*
D018941:Antigens, CD19; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011946:Receptors, Antigen; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins