title: Enhancement of PSMA-Directed CAR Adoptive Immunotherapy by PD-1/PD-L1 Blockade.
abstract: Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy in hematologic malignancies has shown remarkable responses, but the same level of success has not been observed in solid tumors. A new prostate cancer model (Myc-CaP:PSMA(+)) and a second-generation anti-hPSMA human CAR T cells expressing a Click Beetle Red luciferase reporter) were used to study hPSMA targeting and assess CAR T cell trafficking and persistence by bioluminescence imaging (BLI). We investigated the antitumor efficacy of human CAR T cells targeting human prostate-specific membrane antigen (hPSMA), in the presence and absence of the target antigen; first alone and then combined with a monoclonal antibody targeting the human programmed death receptor 1 (anti-hPD1 mAb). PDL-1 expression was detected in Myc-CaP murine prostate tumors growing in immune competent FVB/N and immune-deficient SCID mice. Endogenous CD3+T cells were restricted from the centers of Myc-CaP tumor nodules growing in FVB/N mice. Following anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) treatment, the restriction of CD3+T cells was reversed, and a tumor-treatment response was observed. Adoptive hPSMA-CAR T cell immunotherapy was enhanced when combined with PD-1 blockade, but the treatment response was of comparatively short duration, suggesting other immune modulation mechanisms exist and restrict CAR T cell targeting, function, and persistence in hPSMA expressing Myc-CaP tumors. Interestingly, an "inverse pattern" of CAR T cell BLI intensity was observed in control and test tumors, which suggests CAR T cells undergo changes leading to a loss of signal and/or number following hPSMA-specific activation. The lower BLI signal intensity in the hPSMA test tumors (compared with controls) is due in part to a decrease in T cell mitochondrial function following T cell activation, which may limit the intensity of the ATP-dependent Luciferin-luciferase bioluminescence signal.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA; Molecular Pharmacology and Chemistry Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA.
authors.forename: Inna
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Serganova
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA; Molecular Pharmacology and Chemistry Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA.
authors.forename: Ekaterina
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Moroz
authors.affiliation: Gerstner Sloan Kettering Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, New York, NY 10065, USA.
authors.forename: Ivan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA; Molecular Pharmacology and Chemistry Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA.
authors.forename: Maxim
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Moroz
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA; Molecular Pharmacology and Chemistry Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA.
authors.forename: Mayuresh
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mane
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA; Molecular Pharmacology and Chemistry Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA.
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zurita
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA; Molecular Pharmacology and Chemistry Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA.
authors.forename: Larissa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Shenker
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA; Molecular Pharmacology and Chemistry Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA.
authors.forename: Vladimir
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ponomarev
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA; Department of Radiology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA; Molecular Pharmacology and Chemistry Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA.
authors.forename: Ronald
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Blasberg
keywords: BLI; CAR T cells; anti-PD1; bioluminescence imaging; human PSMA; luciferase reporters; prostate cancer