Abstract 2947: Intratumoral injection of the toll-like receptor 4 agonist G100 induces a T-cell response in the soft tissue sarcoma microenvironment
Authors: Seo Yongwoo D. , Kim Edward Y. , Conrad Ernest U. , O'Malley Ryan B. , Cooper Sara , Donahue Bailey , Cranmer Lee D. , Lu Hailing , Hsu Frank , Loggers Elizabeth T. , Hain Taylor , Davidson Darin J. , Bonham Lynn , Pillarisetty Venu G. , Kane Gabrielle M. , Riddell Stanley R. , Jones Robin L. , Pollack Seth M. 
Published: July 2017

Introduction: Soft tissue sarcomas (STS) are heterogeneous mesenchymal tumors which are both morbid and lethal. G100 is a stable oil-in-water emulsion of glucopyranosyl lipid adjuvant, a highly potent toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) agonist, which has been utilized for intratumoral (IT) injections and as vaccine adjuvants without significant toxicity. We hypothesized that IT G100 would induce a robust local and potentially systemic anti-tumor immune response in the STS microenvironment, leading to improved outcomes.

Methods: 15 metastatic STS patients who had a superficial injectable lesion were treated with weekly IT G100 for 8-12 weeks; 12 patients received concurrent radiation for 2 weeks at the start, while 3 got IT G100 alone for 6 weeks prior to radiation. Biopsies and blood were collected pre and post treatment, and flow cytometry was performed on fresh tumor samples. T-cell receptor (TCR) deep sequencing of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) was performed on 7 patients. RECIST v1.1 and the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events were used to monitor clinical outcomes.

Results: Patients had a median of 3 (0~5) prior lines of therapy and mean tumor size of 5.6cm (1~20cm). No grade 3 or higher treatment-related toxicity was observed, and local tumor control was achieved in 93% (14/15). 6 (40%) had stable disease after treatment, and 1 (P06) had complete regression of injected tumor. This tumor had a high percentage of infiltrating pre-treatment immune cells (12% CD45+ on flow cytometry versus 2.7% for all other tumors). TCR sequencing showed that the increase in clonality of PBMC after treatment was greater in P06 (389%) compared to 6 other patients (mean 34%). There was also higher overlap in TCR sequence between TIL versus PBMC after treatment (13% versus 22%), suggesting systemic expansion of tumor-specific T-cells. In 7 patients evaluable for tumor-associated macrophages (tumors with &gt;1000 CD45+CD11b+ cells), 71% had a shift from an M2 to M1 phenotype. In all patients who received G100 alone, there was an increase in T-cell infiltration into tumor after treatment. In one patient (P14), the proportion of CD3+ live cells in tumor went from &lt;1% to 62%; of these, 51% were CD4+ and 44% were CD8+. TIL from P14 had a 251% increase in clonality after treatment; at the same time, percentage of live tumor cells that were PD-L1+ increased from 0.02% to 1.3%.

Conclusion: IT G100 provides a potentially viable agent for local control of metastatic STS. With or without radiation, G100 appears to shift the tumor microenvironment into a more inflammatory state with significant infiltration of T cells. The increase in clonality in PBMC and TIL, as well as increased overlap of tumor-associated versus peripheral TCR sequences, suggest induction of a tumor-specific response. Combination of G100 with other immunomodulators may further enhance the adaptive anti-tumor response.

Citation Format: Yongwoo D. Seo, Edward Y. Kim, Ernest U. Conrad, Ryan B. O'Malley, Sara Cooper, Bailey Donahue, Lee D. Cranmer, Hailing Lu, Frank Hsu, Elizabeth T. Loggers, Taylor Hain, Darin J. Davidson, Lynn Bonham, Venu G. Pillarisetty, Gabrielle M. Kane, Stanley R. Riddell, Robin L. Jones, Seth M. Pollack. Intratumoral injection of the toll-like receptor 4 agonist G100 induces a T-cell response in the soft tissue sarcoma microenvironment [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 2947. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-2947