Abstract 493: Unlocking solid tumors to nano-immunotherapy
Authors: Carreira Barbara , Acúrcio Rita C. , Matos Ana I. , Moura Liane M. , Santos Ana C. , Gouveia Raquel , Cordeiro Jéssica , Peres Carina , Vaskovich-Koubi Daniela , Kleiner Ron , Pozzi Sabina , Satchi-Fainaro Ronit , Florindo Helena F. 
Published: March 2024

Despite the remarkable efficiency of cancer immunotherapies, only a low percentage of patients achieve long-lasting clinical responses. Non-tumor cells within the tumor microenvironment (TME), including tumor vasculature and immune stromal cells, dictate therapeutic efficacy. The presence of germinal centers (GC) within the TME of cancer patients, including infiltrating T follicular helper (Tfh) cells and B cells, has been considered predictive of response to immunotherapies. We are developing nano-immunotherapies to induce immunological memory to control tumor relapse without any follow-up treatment.Nanomaterials co-incorporated tumor-associated antigens, clinically relevant toll-like receptor ligands, and regulators of tumor progression, namely the PD-L1/PD-1 expression and the secretion of TGF-β. Nanoparticle (NP) physicochemical properties were fully addressed. The immunotherapeutic potential of this nano-immunotherapy was addressed in melanoma, colorectal cancer (CRC), pancreatic cancer, and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) 3D models. These were created using patient-derived tumor cells, cancer-associated fibroblasts, and endothelial cells, to which paired patients' peripheral blood mononuclear cells were added to assess T-cell infiltration and tumor sprouting to identify the best nano-immunotherapy dosage/schedule. Our in vivo studies evaluated tumor volume, and animals’ survival, and characterized the tumor-infiltrating immune cells within TME, including the differentiation of Tfh cells and primary GC by flow cytometry.Our nano-immunotherapy remodeled the TME of B16F10 melanoma, MC38 CRC, 4T1 and E0771 TNBC, and KPC PDAC. Different TME subpopulations were identified as major blockers of anti-tumor immunity, and this knowledge guided the selection of combination approaches using modulators of those tumor immune evasion-related pathways (e.g., PD-L1, FAK). Our combination nano-immunotherapies tailored to address the tumor immune suppression profile found in vaccinated animals, significantly delayed tumor development, and increased disease-free survival rates. We found that the adjuvants delivered by our NP led to a ~4-fold increase in antibody production, being far more effective in generating GC responses. Thus, the effectiveness of combinational immunotherapy is at least partially related to the modulation of Tfh cells driving the formation of GC responses.Our nano-immunotherapy is a promising clinically translatable approach to defeating solid tumors.

Acknowledgments: This work was supported by PTDC/BTM-SAL/4350/2021 and LCF/PR/HR22/52420016.

Citation Format: Barbara Carreira, Rita C. Acúrcio, Ana I. Matos, Liane M. Moura, Ana C. Santos, Raquel Gouveia, Jéssica Cordeiro, Carina Peres, Daniela Vaskovich-Koubi, Ron Kleiner, Sabina Pozzi, Ronit Satchi-Fainaro, Helena F. Florindo. Unlocking solid tumors to nano-immunotherapy [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 493.