Abstract LB074: Preclinical development of API-192: An engineered CAR-NKT allogeneic cell therapy targeting CD19 and CD20 for the treatment of B-cell malignancies
Authors: Gov Lanny , Yu Jiaji , Qubain Maha , Pompura Saige L. , Allen Sean D. , Christopher Michael A. , Wiezorek Jeff 
Published: April 2024

Autologous chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T therapies have elicited high rates of durable complete responses in B cell lymphomas. Unfortunately, disease progression, manufacturing failures, and prohibitive costs highlight the need for an alternative source of cells that would provide a consistent and readily available therapy for patients. The “Appia Cells Utilized for Allogeneic” (ACUA) platform is an innovative process that differentiates cord blood-derived CD34+ hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells into large numbers of natural killer T (NKT) cells to support off-the-shelf treatment. NKT cells express an invariant T cell receptor (iTCR) and are naturally non-alloreactive, making them an ideal cell type for an allogeneic product. The ACUA platform circumvents the challenge of expanding NKT cells from the periphery where the cells comprise less than 1% of T cells. API-192 is an ACUA-derived, NKT cell product engineered to express dual CARs targeting CD19 and CD20 to prevent tumor antigen escape. At research scale, API-192 is a highly pure product (&gt;90% iTCR+ 19CAR+ 20CAR+) that secretes soluble interleukin-15 for improved expansion and persistence. The transgenic iTCR is not expressed above physiologic levels and upon engagement, API-192 proliferates in response to and is cytotoxic against CD1d+ tumor cells in a ligand-dependent manner. In response to Raji and Nalm6 tumor cells, API-192 secretes pro-inflammatory cytokines, proliferates, and is cytotoxic in a dose- and CAR-dependent manner. API-192 can also control multiple rounds of tumor cell rechallenge in vitro. Using human tumor xenograft mouse models, we show that API-192 expands, controls tumor growth, and prolongs survival. Furthermore, API-192 persists in the periphery, enabling control of a tumor rechallenge at 70 days after initial dosing of effector cells. Indicative of a favorable immunogenic profile, API-192 expresses lower levels of MHC I and MHC II molecules relative to conventional CAR-T cells and elicits less interferon (IFN)-γ release by NK and T cells in a mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) assay. To address a theoretical concern that endogenous TCRαβ rearrangement could occur during the ACUA process, we performed genomic DNA based TCR sequencing to quantify the level of TCRα or TCRβ rearrangement and preliminary data suggested negligible levels (&lt;0.2%). Using a MLR assay, we demonstrate that compared to conventional CAR-T cells, API-192 secretes minimal levels of IFN-γ in response to co-culture with healthy donor peripheral blood mononuclear cells, consistent with a low graft vs host risk. In an autonomous growth assay, API-192 expands at a low level and subsequently contracts, suggesting a lack of dysregulated growth. Collectively, these results demonstrate the favorable manufacturability, potency, and safety of API-192 and its potential as a novel allogeneic therapy.

Citation Format: Lanny Gov, Jiaji Yu, Maha Qubain, Saige L. Pompura, Sean D. Allen, Michael A. Christopher, Jeff Wiezorek. Preclinical development of API-192: An engineered CAR-NKT allogeneic cell therapy targeting CD19 and CD20 for the treatment of B-cell malignancies [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 LB074.