Abstract 13: Discovery and development of T cell receptors targeting MAGE family antigens for adoptive T cell therapy against solid tumors
Authors: Lujan Juliana Velez , Fields Hannah , Wu Kan Xing , Purwanti Yovita , Tang Emily Xin Zi , Cordeau Michael , Mendez Kathleen , Wirawan Melissa , Fehlings Michael , Fink Katja , Liu Zilei , MacLeod Daniel 
Published: March 2024

Background: T cell receptors (TCRs) recognize epitopes from intracellular and cell surface antigens, enabling targeting of diverse tumor antigen classes including overexpressed, differentiation, cancer-testis antigens, as well as those from driver mutations, frameshift mutations, splice variants, and human endogenous retroviral elements (HERV). Melanoma-associated antigens (MAGE) are highly expressed in various solid tumor types, including melanoma, non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC), bladder, and head and neck cancers, representing promising targets for TCR-T therapy. However, discovering robust and specific MAGE-reactive TCRs remains challenging due to limited throughput of TCR screening methodologies, and the inherently low frequency of tumor-reactive T cells in tumor samples and peripheral blood.

Methods: We employ a proprietary mass-cytometry-based multiplexed tetramer staining approach, TargetScape®, to screen and characterize CD8+ T cells in healthy donors and patients’ samples. Our screening panels contain multiple peptides for MAGE family antigens including A1, C2, and A10. Subsequent single cell sequencing or single cell PCR (scPCR) of identified tumor antigen-specific T cells with high sensitivity enables comprehensive analysis of T cell phenotype, transcriptome, TCR specificity, and paired TCR sequence. TCRs identified through this method are transduced for expression in Jurkat reporter cell lines and their reactivity to corresponding peptides is assessed. Selected TCR candidates are then transduced into primary T cells and evaluated for activation and effector function using a variety of cancer cell lines expressing the corresponding endogenous antigens. Specificity assessment is performed through alanine scans and identification of potential off-target peptides and screening for reactivity.

Results: We utilized this approach to discover natural TCRs that target several MAGE family antigens. Through Jurkat reporter screening, we observed specific activation of multiple TCRs in the presence of antigen presenting cells and the peptide initially employed to identify the TCRs. Primary T-cells expressing promising TCR candidates exhibited killing activities and cytokine release when confronted with multiple solid tumor cell lines expressing endogenous levels of the MAGE antigen. Specificity assessment is currently in progress, with preliminary data indicating overall favorable specificity profiles for selected TCRs.

Conclusions: Our Deep Immunomics platform enables us to detect, characterize, and validate TCR candidates against highly clinically relevant shared cancer antigens. Leveraging this platform, we identified various natural tumor specific TCRs exhibiting activities against a range of solid tumor cell lines expressing MAGE antigens. Promising candidates are currently undergoing in vivo efficacy studies.

Citation Format: Juliana Velez Lujan, Hannah Fields, Kan Xing Wu, Yovita Purwanti, Emily Xin Zi Tang, Michael Cordeau, Kathleen Mendez, Melissa Wirawan, Michael Fehlings, Katja Fink, Zilei Liu, Daniel MacLeod. Discovery and development of T cell receptors targeting MAGE family antigens for adoptive T cell therapy against solid tumors [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 13.