Abstract 1596: Disrupting local immunosuppression by combined myCAF/myeloid targeting in pancreatic cancer
Authors: Marie C. Hasselluhn, Dafydd Thomas, Lukas Vlahos, Alvaro Curiel-Garcia, Amanda R. Decker-Farrell, Tanner C. Dalton, Stephen A. Sastra, Carmine F. Palermo, Andrea Califano, Kenneth P. Olive
Journal: Cancer Research (2024)

Abstract Immunotherapy has revolutionized clinical care for many patients, but some cancers, such as pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remain stubbornly resistant. Local immunosuppression (LIS) is one of the striking hallmarks of PDAC due to the combined effects of multiple different immunosuppressive cell types in the tumor microenvironment (TME). There is great need for an increased understanding of the cellular crosstalk within tumors to understand how stromal cells coordinate in their suppression of immune responses. Oncogenic KRAS activation in tumor cells promotes the invasion and proliferation of tumor-supporting stromal cells, while excluding cancer-targeted cytotoxic T cells. Prior attempts to reverse LIS in PDAC by targeting individual stromal cell populations have been unsuccessful, alluding to the contributions of multiple distinct cell types. Here we examine the interactions of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) and how they coordinate to suppress immune responses in the PDAC TME. We interrogate PDAC stromal cell biology by using targeted therapies to perturb various cell populations both in vivo using genetically engineered mouse models, and ex vivo using PDAC tumor explants. Explants are short-term slice cultures that enable experimental study of intact tumor sections with a full complement of cell types. Importantly, PDAC explants maintain their histopathological architecture and cellular diversity over time. This medium-throughput platform allows for testing of multiple drugs and mechanistic hypotheses in the native PDAC TME. We show in preliminary data that Smoothened inhibition (SMOi) decreases the proliferation and activity of myCAFs, but provokes the expansion of CD11b-positive myeloid cells in vivo. Thus, we hypothesize that LIS in PDAC is maintained by a balance between myCAFs and myeloid cells, preventing effective T cell invasion. Single cell RNA-seq data comparing ctrl vs. SMOi-treated murine PDAC elucidates stromal subpopulations involved in the LIS phenotype and guides the identification of myeloid subtypes emerging after SMOi. Strikingly, we demonstrated that simultaneous SMOi and targeting myeloid cells via anti-Gr1 or CCR1 inhibition significantly elevates cytotoxic T cell numbers within the TME. We are currently investigating whether the activity of these T cells may be further potentiated through combination with immunomodulatory agents. By testing various treatment combination in the same TME, we will identify the best synergistic effects for future immunotherapy approaches in human PDAC. In summary, we are elucidating the complex mechanism behind LIS in PDAC by employing our novel explant culture system alongside in vivo studies. We aim to develop a translatable regimen to neutralize LIS, reactivating the cytotoxic T cells in the tumor periphery to invade, proliferate, and attack cancer cells. Citation Format: Marie C. Hasselluhn, Dafydd Thomas, Lukas Vlahos, Alvaro Curiel-Garcia, Amanda R. Decker-Farrell, Tanner C. Dalton, Stephen A. Sastra, Carmine F. Palermo, Andrea Califano, Kenneth P. Olive. Disrupting local immunosuppression by combined myCAF/myeloid targeting in pancreatic cancer [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 1596.