Abstract 3734: Cancer cell-targeted photoimmunotherapy elicits immunogenic cell death and activates the innate and adaptive immune response in the tumor microenvironment
Authors: Hsu Michelle A. , Okamura Stephanie M. , Bergeron Daniele M. , Yadav Deepak , Fong Jerry J. , Heim Roger , Garcia-Guzman Miguel 
Published: August 2019

INTRODUCTION: Cancer cell-targeted photoimmunotherapy (PIT) is a platform technology under development for the treatment of various cancers. PIT is a drug + device combination that utilizes monoclonal antibodies conjugated to a dye (IRDye 700DX) that are activated with nonthermal red light illumination to induce rapid cell death by necrosis. Binding of the antibody-dye conjugate to cancer cells followed by photoactivation with nonthermal red light elicits rapid necrosis of the cancer cells bound to the antibody conjugate, providing very high cancer cell specificity. Given the rapid cell necrosis induced by PIT treatment, we hypothesized that PIT also induces immunogenic cell death (ICD) as a step to activate immune cells in the tumor microenvironment. The objective of this study was to evaluate, through in vitro and in vivo experiments, whether PIT results in ICD of targeted cancer cells and activation of the innate and adaptive immune response.

METHODS: Human cancer cells (A431 and FaDu cells) were targeted by PIT, and evaluated for ICD markers in vitro. Human dendritic cells exposed to supernatants of PIT-killed cancer cells were evaluated for activation markers and cytokine production. An immunocompetent mouse model for PIT was also developed to determine intratumoral immune activation after treatment with PIT.

RESULTS: After photoactivation, PIT-targeted human cancer cells upregulated cell surface ICD markers Hsp70, Hsp90, and calreticulin, as well as release of intracellular HMGB1. Human dendritic cells exposed to PIT-killed cell supernatants exhibited markers of immune activation (CD86 and MHCII), and secreted proinflammatory cytokines including TNF, IP-10, IL-1β, MIP-1a, MIP-1b, and IL-8. In an immunocompetent mouse model, tumors treated by PIT displayed increased percentage of intratumoral CD11c+ dendritic cells with activation markers MHCIIhigh, CD80, and PD-L1. In addition, intratumoral natural killer cells from PIT treated tumors displayed increased cytotoxic activity (CD3-DX5+CD69+ and CD3-DX5+CD107a+), as well as an increased population of total CD3+ CD8+ T cells, compared to non-PIT treated tumors.

CONCLUSION: Cancer cells killed by PIT undergo ICD, which results in the activation of intratumoral innate and adaptive immune response in a preclinical mouse model. Combination studies with PIT and immune modulators are warranted to explore potential synergistic anticancer effects.

Citation Format: Michelle A. Hsu, Stephanie M. Okamura, Daniele M. Bergeron, Deepak Yadav, Jerry J. Fong, Roger Heim, Miguel Garcia-Guzman. Cancer cell-targeted photoimmunotherapy elicits immunogenic cell death and activates the innate and adaptive immune response in the tumor microenvironment [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 3734.