Abstract 3231: Oncolytic immunotherapy with PD-1 blockade and telomerase-specific oncolytic adenovirus in osteosarcoma
Authors: Demiya Koji , Tazawa Hiroshi , Mochizuki Yusuke , Kure Miho , Hasei Joe , Kunisada Toshiyuki , Urata Yasuo , Ozaki Toshifumi , Fujiwara Toshiyoshi 
Published: August 2019

Background: Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most frequent primary malignant tumor of bone in children and adolescents. Although immune checkpoint inhibitor, anti-programmed death protein 1 (PD-1) antibody, has dramatically improved the clinical outcome in some cancer patients, OS patients are less sensitive to PD-1 blockade due to poor immune responses. Recently, oncolytic virotherapy has been shown to stimulate the immune system through induction of immunogenic cell death (ICD). We recently developed a RGD fiber-modified telomerase-specific oncolytic adenovirus OBP-502, which can enter into tumor cells by binding to cell surface integrin and induce oncolytic cell death in a telomerase-dependent manner. In this study, we assessed the in vitro and in vivo antitumor efficacy of combination therapy with PD-1 blockade and OBP-502 in OS cells.

Methods: We used 2 murine OS cell lines, K7M2 and NHOS. The expression of PD-L1, coxsackie and adenovirus receptor (CAR), and integrin on the cell surface was analyzed by flow cytometric analysis. We analyzed the in vitro antitumor effect of OBP-502 using XTT assay and western blot analysis. Virus-induced ICD was assessed by analyzing the level of extracellular ATP and high-mobility group box protein B1 (HMGB1). To evaluate the therapeutic potential of oncolytic immunotherapy, we investigated the in vivo antitumor effect of combination therapy with anti-PD-1 antibody and OBP-502 using a subcutaneous K7M2 xenograft tumor model. Moreover, the number of tumor-infiltrating CD8+, CD4+ and Foxp3+ T cells was analyzed by immunohistochemistry.

Results: Flow cytometric analysis demonstrated that K7M2 and NHOS cells had the expression of PD-L1 and integrin, but not CAR. XTT assay showed that OBP-502 efficiently suppressed the viability of K7M2 and NHOS cells in a dose-dependent manner. Western blot analysis revealed that OBP-502 induced the apoptosis-related cell death in K7M2 and NHOS cells. ELISA assay demonstrated that OBP-502 significantly increased the level of extracellular ATP and HMGB1 in K7M2 and NHOS cells. In vivo experiment using a subcutaneous K7M2 xenograft tumor model showed that combination of anti-PD-1 antibody and OBP-502 significantly reduced tumor growth compared to mock treatment or monotherapy. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that OBP-502 significantly increased the number of tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T cells compared to mock treatment or monotherapy. By contrast, OBP-502 did not affect the number of CD4+ and Foxp3+ T cells in tumor tissues.

Conclusion: These results suggest that oncolytic immunotherapy with PD-1 blockade and telomerase-specific oncolytic adenovirus is a promising antitumor strategy to promote the therapeutic potential of PD-1 blockade in OS through stimulation of antitumor immune response.

Citation Format: Koji Demiya, Hiroshi Tazawa, Yusuke Mochizuki, Miho Kure, Joe Hasei, Toshiyuki Kunisada, Yasuo Urata, Toshifumi Ozaki, Toshiyoshi Fujiwara. Oncolytic immunotherapy with PD-1 blockade and telomerase-specific oncolytic adenovirus in osteosarcoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 3231.