title: Systemic activation of antigen-presenting cells via RNA-loaded nanoparticles.
abstract: While RNA-pulsed dendritic cell (DC) vaccines have shown promise, the advancement of cellular therapeutics is fraught with developmental challenges. To circumvent the challenges of cellular immunotherapeutics, we developed clinically translatable nanoliposomes that can be combined with tumor-derived RNA to generate personalized tumor RNA-nanoparticles (NPs) with considerable scale-up capacity. RNA-NPs bypass MHC restriction, are amenable to central distribution, and can provide near immediate immune induction. We screened commercially available nanoliposomal preparations and identified the cationic lipid 1,2-dioleoyl-3-trimethylammonium-propane (DOTAP) as an efficient mRNA courier to antigen-presenting cells (APCs). When administered intravenously, RNA-NPs mediate systemic activation of APCs in reticuloendothelial organs such as the spleen, liver, and bone marrow. RNA-NPs increase percent expression of MHC class I/II, B7 co-stimulatory molecules, and maturation markers on APCs (all vital for T-cell activation). RNA-NPs also increase activation markers on tumor APCs and elicit potent expansion of antigen-specific T-cells superior to peptide vaccines formulated in complete Freund's adjuvant. We demonstrate that both model antigen-encoding and physiologically-relevant tumor-derived RNA-NPs expand potent antitumor T-cell immunity. RNA-NPs were shown to induce antitumor efficacy in a vaccine model and functioned as a suitable alternative to DCs in a stringent cellular immunotherapy model for a radiation/temozolomide resistant invasive murine high-grade glioma. Although cancer vaccines have suffered from weak immunogenicity, we have advanced a RNA-NP formulation that systemically activates host APCs precipitating activated T-cell frequencies necessary to engender antitumor efficacy. RNA-NPs can thus be harnessed as a more feasible and effective immunotherapy to re-program host-immunity.
authors.affiliation: Center for Brain Tumor Therapy, UF Brain Tumor Immunotherapy Program, McKnight Brain Institute, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Florida , Gainesville, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Elias J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Sayour
authors.affiliation: Center for Brain Tumor Therapy, UF Brain Tumor Immunotherapy Program, McKnight Brain Institute, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Florida , Gainesville, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Gabriel
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: De Leon
authors.affiliation: Center for Brain Tumor Therapy, UF Brain Tumor Immunotherapy Program, McKnight Brain Institute, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Florida , Gainesville, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pham
authors.affiliation: Center for Brain Tumor Therapy, UF Brain Tumor Immunotherapy Program, McKnight Brain Institute, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Florida , Gainesville, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Grippin
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Duke University Medical Center , Durham, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Hanna
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kemeny
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Duke University Medical Center , Durham, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Joshua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chua
authors.affiliation: Center for Brain Tumor Therapy, UF Brain Tumor Immunotherapy Program, McKnight Brain Institute, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Florida , Gainesville, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Jianping
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Duke University Medical Center , Durham, NC, USA.
authors.forename: John H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Sampson
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Duke University Medical Center , Durham, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sanchez-Perez
authors.affiliation: Center for Brain Tumor Therapy, UF Brain Tumor Immunotherapy Program, McKnight Brain Institute, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Florida , Gainesville, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Flores
authors.affiliation: Center for Brain Tumor Therapy, UF Brain Tumor Immunotherapy Program, McKnight Brain Institute, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Florida , Gainesville, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Duane A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Mitchell
keywords: Cancer immunotherapy; RNA nanoparticles; cancer vaccines; dendritic cells; liposomes