Abstract LB068: Repurposing chimeric antigen receptor regulatory T cells for treating cancer
Authors: Ferreira Leonardo M. , Cochrane Russell W. , Robino Rob A. , Granger Bryan , Allen Eva , Gudivada Vishnu , de Cubas Aguirre A. , Berto Stefano 
Published: April 2024

Solid tumors are the deadliest form of cancer. Over the past decade, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has led to remarkable regression rates in leukemia and lymphoma. However, solid tumors have remained refractory to CAR T-cell therapy, with CAR T cells either failing to penetrate the solid tumor microenvironment (TME) or becoming exhausted once in it. Mechanisms behind these properties of the TME include nutrient scarcity, aberrant vascularization, stromal cell deposition, expression of inhibitory immune receptors by cancer cells, and the presence of immunosuppressive cells. Interestingly, there is a subset of T cells found in the TME - regulatory T cells (Tregs). Dedicated to suppressing immune responses, Tregs constitute a barrier to anticancer immunity by migrating to and heavily accumulating in solid tumors, inhibiting local immunity. Tregs can be redirected towards any cell surface antigen using a CAR and have been shown to be cytotoxic towards target antigen presenting cells. Can Tregs be converted from tumor protectors to anti-tumor effector cells? To test the anti-tumor potential of CAR Tregs, we modified human Tregs with an anti-CD19 CD28-CD3z CAR. Tregs activated via the CAR or endogenous TCR/CD28 were evaluated at the functional and gene expression levels. CAR and endogenous TCR/CD28 activation resulted in similar cell expansion and Treg stability (FOXP3 and HELIOS expression). However, CAR-mediated activation markedly increased Treg proinflammatory cytokine production. Moreover, compared to their TCR/CD28-activated counterparts, CAR Tregs displayed increased cytotoxic activity towards tumor cells and a diminished capacity to modulate antigen-presenting cells and suppress T cell proliferation, suggesting a global shift from suppression to inflammation. Strikingly, CAR Tregs suppressed tumor growth in immunodeficient mice inoculated with antigen-expressing B-cell leukemia, myeloid leukemia, and lung epithelial carcinoma. Single-cell RNA sequencing identified a cell cluster enriched in CAR Tregs characterized by high expression of effector T cell genes, such as IFNG, GZMB, and CD40LG, revealing that CAR activation creates a highly active population of proinflammatory Tregs. Multiplex cytokine analysis, whole-transcriptome RNA-seq, and intracellular cytokine staining confirmed that IFNG production by FOXP3+ Tregs is induced specifically by CAR activation. Of note, murine CAR Tregs are also cytotoxic towards tumor cells. Current experiments are focused on pinpointing and validating transcription factors and surface markers characteristic of proinflammatory CAR Tregs and further assessing CAR Treg antitumor efficacy in vivo. In conclusion, CAR-mediated activation induces a novel proinflammatory Treg phenotype that can be exploited in the next generation of engineered immune cell therapies against solid tumors.

Citation Format: Leonardo M. Ferreira, Russell W. Cochrane, Rob A. Robino, Bryan Granger, Eva Allen, Vishnu Gudivada, Aguirre A. de Cubas, Stefano Berto. Repurposing chimeric antigen receptor regulatory T cells for treating cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 2 (Late-Breaking, Clinical Trial, and Invited Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(7_Suppl):Abstract nr LB068.