Abstract 3183: Combination of anti-EGFR antibody cetuximab with NKX101, an allogeneic NKG2D-L targeting NK cell therapy, enhances potency and in vitro cytotoxicity against solid tumors
Authors: Cho Cynthia , Hansen Kyle , Zhang Max , Chan Carmel , Trager James 
Published: April 2023

Background: Antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) is a mechanism of cell-mediated immune defense against opsonized target cells wherein the Fc-fragment of an antibody binds to the CD16 Fc receptor (FcγRIIIa) on NK cells, triggering NK cell activation and targeted killing. Cetuximab is a human IgG1 antibody targeting epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) that is approved for the treatment of colorectal and head and neck cancers. Binding of cetuximab to EGRF+ cell lines has been shown to trigger ADCC mediated by NK cells. NKX101 is an investigational allogeneic NK cell therapy in development for the treatment of cancer. NKX101 is engineered to express an NKG2D-based chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) and membrane-bound IL-15. To investigate the combination of NKX101 and cetuximab, we developed in vitro assays to (i) demonstrate enhanced activity against cancer cells via CD16-mediated ADCC activity, (ii) compare ADCC activity of NKX101 cells generated from high-affinity CD16 and low-affinity CD16 donors, and (iii) evaluate the synergistic interaction between NKX101 and cetuximab.

Methods: NKX101 cells were generated from peripheral blood leukopaks from healthy donors. NucRed-labeled EGFR+ NKG2D-L+ human cancer cell lines were pre-incubated with cetuximab or isotype control and co-cultured with NKX101. Specific cell killing of target cells was measured using an Incucyte instrument. For synergy assessments, a dose response matrix of NKX101 cells and cetuximab was used to generate cytotoxicity values. Synergy scores for combinations were determined using the Synergy Finder Plus web application. To determine donor CD16 V/F 158 genotypes, genomic DNA was isolated from each donor and assayed using a TaqMan CD16 genotyping kit.

Results: We demonstrate that cetuximab increases the anti-tumor effect of NKX101 in a dose-dependent manner. Assessment of the interaction between NKX101 and cetuximab in vitro revealed that the two agents can combine to kill cancer cells in a synergistic manner. Blocking CD16 on NKX101 cells with a neutralizing antibody significantly decreased potency of the combination, suggesting that the improvement in potency observed is a direct result of CD16-mediated ADCC activity. To determine if common CD16 polymorphisms influence NKX101 ADCC activity, we compared NKX101 cells generated from CD16 158 V/V, V/F, and F/F donors. No significant differences in potency were observed with NKX101 cells expressing the high affinity CD16 158 V/V genotype compared with those derived from CD16 lower affinity 158 V/F or 158 F/F donors. In summary, we show that the combination of an engineered allogeneic NK cell therapy, NKX101, with cetuximab leads to an increase in the specific killing of cancer cells in vitro, supporting further investigation into this combination for the treatment of solid tumors.

Citation Format: Cynthia Cho, Kyle Hansen, Max Zhang, Carmel Chan, James Trager. Combination of anti-EGFR antibody cetuximab with NKX101, an allogeneic NKG2D-L targeting NK cell therapy, enhances potency and in vitro cytotoxicity against solid tumors [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 3183.