Abstract 1827: CD70 is a novel therapeutic target for EGFR mutant NSCLC with acquired, EMT-associated EGFR TKI resistance
Authors: Nilsson Monique B. , Yang Yan , Patel Sonia , Heeke Simon , Le Xiuning , Aruguman Thiru , Robichaux Jacqulyne , Yu Xiaoxing , Poteete Alissa , Ren Xiaoyang , Diao Lixia , Shen Li , Wang Qi , Zhang Fahao , Clemente Leticia Campos , Soto Luisa Solis , Shi Chunhua , Tran Hai , Bock Jason , Wang Jing , Wistuba Ignacio I. , Minna John D. , Heymach John V. 
Published: June 2022

Approximately 15% of all patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and nearly 35% of Asian patients with NSCLC harbor activating mutations within the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Although these patients are initially highly sensitive to first or second generation EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) including erlotinib or third-generation inhibitors including osimertinib, EGFR TKI-refractory disease inevitably emerges. While therapeutic strategies to target resistant disease that emerges though secondary EGFR mutations or MET amplification have been developed, there remains a void of therapeutic options for patients where resistance occurs through EGFR-independent mechanism such as epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) or transformation to small cell lung cancer (SCLC). To identify cell surface proteins that could be targeted by antibody-based or adoptive cell therapy approaches we interrogated RNAseq data from EGFR mutant NSCLC cell lines (HCC827 and HCC4006) and their associated EGFR TKI resistant variants previously shown to have developed resistance through EMT and filtered gene expression data to include only genes which transcribed proteins localized to the cell surface. We identified CD70 as a being highly upregulated in EGFR TKI resistant cells (p = 7.2e-42). Given that CD70 expression is highly restricted and only transiently expressed on immune cells, CD70 was selected as a top candidate cell surface protein for targeting studies. Western blotting and flow cytometry analysis confirmed CD70 protein levels to be highly upregulated in EGFR TKI resistant cells that had undergone EMT but not in cells harboring secondary EGFR mutations or MET amplifications. We also observed CD70 upregulation in osimertinib-treated drug tolerant persister cells, indicating that CD70 upregulation is an early event in the evolution of TKI resistance. Moreover, patient-derived models of acquired EGFR TKI resistance also exhibited CD70 positivity. Our data also indicated that in EGFR mutant NSCLC cells, CD70 could be upregulated through decreased CD70 promoter methylation as well as by the EMT regulators, transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) and ZEB1, both of which were upregulated in TKI resistant cells. In EGFR TKI resistant cells, CD70 knockdown impaired cell viability and invasiveness, and stimulation of CD70 using the exogenous binding partner CD27 resulted in activation of AKT and MAPK, pathways known to be re-activated with acquired TKI resistance. CD70-targeting approaches including anti-CD70 antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) and CD70-targeting CAR T cell and CAR NK cells showed promising in vitro and in vivo activity against CD70 positive tumor cells and in osimertinib drug-tolerant persister cells. These results identify CD70 as a novel therapeutic target for EGFR mutant tumors with acquired EGFR TKI resistance that merits further investigation in the clinic.

Citation Format: Monique B. Nilsson, Yan Yang, Sonia Patel, Simon Heeke, Xiuning Le, Thiru Aruguman, Jacqulyne Robichaux, Xiaoxing Yu, Alissa Poteete, Xiaoyang Ren, Lixia Diao, Li Shen, Qi Wang, Fahao Zhang, Leticia Campos Clemente, Luisa Solis Soto, Chunhua Shi, Hai Tran, Jason Bock, Jing Wang, Ignacio I. Wistuba, John D. Minna, John V. Heymach. CD70 is a novel therapeutic target for EGFR mutant NSCLC with acquired, EMT-associated EGFR TKI resistance [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 1827.