Intratumoral Fc-optimized agonistic CD40 antibody induces tumor rejection and systemic antitumor immunity in patients with metastatic cancer.

While CD40 agonism is an attractive approach for activating antigen-presenting cells and initiating antitumor responses, previous attempts have encountered limited clinical efficacy coupled with toxicity. We previously demonstrated that interactions between the antibody Fc domain and the inhibitory receptor FcγRIIB are critical for enhanced antitumor activity. Here, we present the results of a phase 1 study on intratumoral administration of an anti-CD40 agonistic antibody (2141-V11) Fc-engineered to enhance FcγRIIB binding. Primary endpoints included safety, maximum tolerated dose (MTD), and recommended phase 2 dose. Secondary objectives included preliminary clinical activity and correlative studies from biospecimens. 2141-V11 was well-tolerated without dose-limiting toxicities and MTD was not reached. In ten evaluable patients with metastatic cancer, the overall response rate was 20%, with complete responses in two patients (melanoma and breast carcinoma) and stable disease in six patients. 2141-V11 induced tumor regression in injected and non-injected lesions, with increased leukocyte infiltration and tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) formation in post-treatment biopsies. In a humanized mouse model for CD40 and FcγRs, 2141-V11 induced TLS formation in mice bearing orthotopic breast carcinoma, correlating with local and abscopal antitumor effects, systemic immune activation, and immune memory. These findings support the safety and efficacy of 2141-V11, warranting phase 2 studies and suggesting a unique mechanism of action for this Fc-enhanced immunotherapy (NCT04059588).

FcγRIIB Is an Immune Checkpoint Limiting the Activity of Treg-Targeting Antibodies in the Tumor Microenvironment.

Preclinical murine data indicate that fragment crystallizable (Fc)-dependent depletion of intratumoral regulatory T cells (Treg) is a major mechanism of action of anti-CTLA-4. However, the two main antibodies administered to patients (ipilimumab and tremelimumab) do not recapitulate these effects. Here, we investigate the underlying mechanisms responsible for the limited Treg depletion observed with these therapies. Using an immunocompetent murine model humanized for CTLA-4 and Fcγ receptors (FcγR), we show that ipilimumab and tremelimumab exhibit limited Treg depletion in tumors. Immune profiling of the tumor microenvironment (TME) in both humanized mice and humans revealed high expression of the inhibitory Fc receptor, FcγRIIB, which limits antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity/phagocytosis. Blocking FcγRIIB in humanized mice rescued the Treg-depleting capacity and antitumor activity of ipilimumab. Furthermore, Fc engineering of antibodies targeting Treg-associated targets (CTLA-4 or CCR8) to minimize FcγRIIB binding significantly enhanced Treg depletion, resulting in increased antitumor activity across various tumor models. Our results define the inhibitory FcγRIIB as an immune checkpoint limiting antibody-mediated Treg depletion in the TME, and demonstrate Fc engineering as an effective strategy to overcome this limitation and improve the efficacy of Treg-targeting antibodies.

The antitumor activities of anti-CD47 antibodies require Fc-FcγR interactions.

While anti-CD47 antibodies hold promise for cancer immunotherapy, early-phase clinical trials have shown limited clinical benefit, suggesting that CD47 blockade alone might be insufficient for effective tumor control. Here, we investigate the contributions of the Fc domain of anti-CD47 antibodies required for optimal in vivo antitumor activity across multiple species-matched models, providing insights into the mechanisms behind the efficacy of this emerging class of therapeutic antibodies. Using a mouse model humanized for CD47, SIRPα, and FcγRs, we demonstrate that local administration of Fc-engineered anti-CD47 antibodies with enhanced binding to activating FcγRs promotes tumor infiltration of macrophages and antigen-specific T cells, while depleting regulatory T cells. These effects result in improved long-term systemic antitumor immunity and minimal on-target off-tumor toxicity. Our results highlight the importance of Fc optimization in the development of effective anti-CD47 therapies and provide an attractive strategy to enhance the activity of this promising immunotherapy.

IL-15 synergizes with CD40 agonist antibodies to induce durable immunity against bladder cancer.

CD40 is a central costimulatory receptor implicated in productive antitumor immune responses across multiple cancers, including bladder cancer. Despite strong preclinical rationale, systemic administration of therapeutic agonistic antibodies targeting the CD40 pathway has demonstrated dose-limiting toxicities with minimal clinical activity, emphasizing an important need for optimized CD40-targeted approaches, including rational combination therapy strategies. Here, we describe a role for the endogenous IL-15 pathway in contributing to the therapeutic activity of CD40 agonism in orthotopic bladder tumors, with upregulation of transpresented IL-15/IL-15Rα surface complexes, particularly by cross-presenting conventional type 1 DCs (Dendritic Cells), and associated enrichment of activated CD8 T cells. In bladder cancer patient samples, we identify DCs as the primary source of IL-15, although they lack high levels of IL-15Rα at baseline. Using humanized immunocompetent orthotopic bladder tumor models, we demonstrate the ability to therapeutically augment this interaction through combined treatment with anti-CD40 agonist antibodies and exogenous IL-15, including the fully-human Fc-optimized antibody 2141-V11 currently in clinical development for the treatment of bladder cancer. Collectively, these data reveal an important role for IL-15 in mediating antitumor CD40 agonist responses in bladder cancer and provide key proof-of-concept for combined use of Fc-optimized anti-CD40 agonist antibodies and agents targeting the IL-15 pathway. These data support expansion of ongoing clinical studies evaluating anti-CD40 agonist antibodies and IL-15-based approaches to develop combinations of these promising therapeutics for the treatment of patients with bladder cancer.

The Antitumor Activities of Anti-CD47 Antibodies Require Fc-FcγR interactions.

While anti-CD47 antibodies hold promise for cancer immunotherapy, early phase clinical trials have shown limited signs of clinical benefit, suggesting that blockade of CD47 alone may not be sufficient for effective tumor control. Here, we investigate the contributions of the Fc domain of anti-CD47 antibodies required for optimal in vivo antitumor activity across multiple species-matched models, providing new insights into the mechanisms underlying the efficacy of this emerging class of therapeutic antibodies. Using a novel mouse model humanized for CD47, SIRPα and FcγRs, we demonstrate that local administration of an Fc-engineered anti-CD47 antibody with enhanced binding to activating FcγRs modulates myeloid and T-cell subsets in the tumor microenvironment, resulting in improved long-term systemic antitumor immunity and minimal on-target off-tumor toxicity. Our results highlight the importance of Fc optimization in the development of effective anti-CD47 therapies and provide a novel approach for enhancing the antitumor activity of this promising immunotherapy.

IL-15 synergizes with CD40 agonist antibodies to induce durable immunity against bladder cancer.

CD40 is a central co-stimulatory receptor implicated in the development of productive anti-tumor immune responses across multiple cancers, including bladder cancer. Despite strong preclinical rationale, systemic administration of therapeutic agonistic antibodies targeting the CD40 pathway have demonstrated dose limiting toxicities with minimal clinical activity to date, emphasizing an important need for optimized CD40-targeted approaches, including rational combination therapy strategies. Here, we describe an important role for the endogenous IL-15 pathway in contributing to the therapeutic activity of CD40 agonism in orthotopic bladder tumors, with upregulation of trans-presented IL-15/IL-15Rα surface complexes, particularly by cross-presenting cDC1s, and associated enrichment of activated CD8 T cells within the bladder tumor microenvironment. In bladder cancer patient samples, we identify DCs as the primary source of IL-15, however, they lack high levels of IL-15Rα at baseline. Using humanized immunocompetent orthotopic bladder tumor models, we demonstrate the ability to therapeutically augment this interaction through combined treatment with anti-CD40 agonist antibodies and exogenous IL-15, including the fully-human Fc-optimized antibody 2141-V11 currently in clinical development for the treatment of bladder cancer. Combination therapy enhances the crosstalk between Batf3-dependent cDC1s and CD8 T cells, driving robust primary anti-tumor activity and further stimulating long-term systemic anti-tumor memory responses associated with circulating memory-phenotype T and NK cell populations. Collectively, these data reveal an important role for IL-15 in mediating anti-tumor CD40 agonist responses in bladder cancer and provide key proof-of-concept for combined use of Fc-optimized anti-CD40 agonist antibodies and agents targeting the IL-15 pathway. These data support expansion of ongoing clinical studies evaluating anti-CD40 agonist antibodies and IL-15-based approaches to evaluate combinations of these promising therapeutics for the treatment of patients with bladder cancer.

Immunotoxin-αCD40 therapy activates innate and adaptive immunity and generates a durable antitumor response in glioblastoma models.

D2C7-immunotoxin (IT), a dual-specific IT targeting wild-type epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and mutant EGFR variant III (EGFRvIII) proteins, demonstrates encouraging survival outcomes in a subset of patients with glioblastoma. We hypothesized that immunosuppression in glioblastoma limits D2C7-IT efficacy. To improve the response rate and reverse immunosuppression, we combined D2C7-IT tumor cell killing with αCD40 costimulation of antigen-presenting cells. In murine glioma models, a single intratumoral injection of D2C7-IT+αCD40 treatment activated a proinflammatory phenotype in microglia and macrophages, promoted long-term tumor-specific CD8+ T cell immunity, and generated cures. D2C7-IT+αCD40 treatment increased intratumoral Slamf6+CD8+ T cells with a progenitor phenotype and decreased terminally exhausted CD8+ T cells. D2C7-IT+αCD40 treatment stimulated intratumoral CD8+ T cell proliferation and generated cures in glioma-bearing mice despite FTY720-induced peripheral T cell sequestration. Tumor transcriptome profiling established CD40 up-regulation, pattern recognition receptor, cell senescence, and immune response pathway activation as the drivers of D2C7-IT+αCD40 antitumor responses. To determine potential translation, immunohistochemistry staining confirmed CD40 expression in human GBM tissue sections. These promising preclinical data allowed us to initiate a phase 1 study with D2C7-IT+αhCD40 in patients with malignant glioma (NCT04547777) to further evaluate this treatment in humans.

PD-1 directed immunotherapy alters Tfh and humoral immune responses to seasonal influenza vaccine.

Anti-programmed death-1 (anti-PD-1) immunotherapy reinvigorates CD8 T cell responses in patients with cancer but PD-1 is also expressed by other immune cells, including follicular helper CD4 T cells (Tfh) which are involved in germinal centre responses. Little is known, however, about the effects of anti-PD-1 immunotherapy on noncancer immune responses in humans. To investigate this question, we examined the impact of anti-PD-1 immunotherapy on the Tfh-B cell axis responding to unrelated viral antigens. Following influenza vaccination, a subset of adults receiving anti-PD-1 had more robust circulating Tfh responses than adults not receiving immunotherapy. PD-1 pathway blockade resulted in transcriptional signatures of increased cellular proliferation in circulating Tfh and responding B cells compared with controls. These latter observations suggest an underlying change in the Tfh-B cell and germinal centre axis in a subset of immunotherapy patients. Together, these results demonstrate dynamic effects of anti-PD-1 therapy on influenza vaccine responses and highlight analytical vaccination as an approach that may reveal underlying immune predisposition to adverse events.

Disease- and Therapy-Specific Impact on Humoral Immune Responses to COVID-19 Vaccination in Hematologic Malignancies.

Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) vaccine response data for patients with hematologic malignancy, who carry high risk for severe COVID-19 illness, are incomplete. In a study of 551 hematologic malignancy patients with leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma, anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike IgG titers and neutralizing activity were measured at 1 and 3 months from initial vaccination. Compared with healthy controls, patients with hematologic malignancy had attenuated antibody titers at 1 and 3 months. Furthermore, patients with hematologic malignancy had markedly diminished neutralizing capacity of 26.3% at 1 month and 43.6% at 3 months, despite positive seroconversion rates of 51.5% and 68.9% at the respective time points. Healthy controls had 93.2% and 100% neutralizing capacity at 1 and 3 months, respectively. Patients with leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma on observation had uniformly blunted responses. Treatment with Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitors, venetoclax, phosphoinositide 3-kinase inhibitors, anti-CD19/CD20-directed therapies, and anti-CD38/B-cell maturation antigen-directed therapies substantially hindered responses, but single-agent immunomodulatory agents did not. Significance: Patients with hematologic malignancy have compromised COVID-19 vaccine responses at baseline that are further suppressed by active therapy, with many patients having insufficient neutralizing capacity despite positive antibody titers. Refining vaccine response parameters is critical to guiding clinical care, including the indication for booster vaccines, for this vulnerable population.See related article by Tamari et al., p. 577. This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 549.

Predictors of Humoral Response to SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination after Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation and CAR T-cell Therapy.

Cellular therapies including allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (allo-HCT) and autologous hematopoietic cell transplant (auto-HCT) and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy render patients severely immunocompromised for extended periods after therapy, and data on responses to COVID-19 vaccines are limited. We analyzed anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike IgG Ab (spike Ab) titers and neutralizing Ab among 217 recipients of cellular treatments (allo-HCT, n = 149; auto-HCT, n = 61; CAR T-cell therapy, n = 7). At 3 months after vaccination, 188 patients (87%) had positive spike Ab levels and 139 (77%) had positive neutralization activity compared with 100% for both in 54 concurrent healthy controls. Time from cellular therapy to vaccination and immune recovery post-cellular therapy were associated with response. Vaccination against COVID-19 is an important component of post-cellular therapy care, and predictors of quantitative and qualitative response are critical in informing clinical decisions about optimal timing of vaccines and the requirement for booster doses. Significance: Identifying predictors of response to vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 in patients following cellular therapy is critical to managing this highly vulnerable patient population. To date, this is the most comprehensive study evaluating quantitative and qualitative responses to vaccination, providing parameters most predictive of response and potentially informing booster vaccination strategies.See related article by Chung et al., p. 568. This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 549.

Differentiation syndrome-induced Myopericarditis in the induction therapy of acute Promyelocytic leukemia: a case report.

BACKGROUND: All trans retinoic acid (ATRA) has revolutionized the treatment and outcomes of patients with Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia (APL). Induction therapy with ATRA is associated with the rare but potentially fatal complication of differentiation syndrome. While the presentation of this syndrome is varied, myopericarditis as a manifestation of differentiation syndrome is often fatal and rarely reported in literature. We present a case of myopericarditis as the sole manifestation of differentiation syndrome in a patient on induction therapy with ATRA and arsenic trioxide for APL. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: A 62 year old woman with remote history of breast and uterine cancer presented to the hospital for expedited work up of easy bruising and expanding hematomas. She was diagnosed with APL with peripheral blood and bone marrow cytogenetics revealing t (15;17) translocation and initiated on induction therapy with ATRA and ATO as well as steroids for differentiation syndrome prophylaxis. Eighteen days into induction therapy, patient developed pleuritic chest pain, elevated cardiac biomarkers, ECG changes suggestive of pericarditis. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging showed patchy multifocal sub-epicardial late gadolinium enhancement and elevated T2 signal consistent with acute myopericarditis. Given the timing of symptom onset and lack of other identifiable cause, patient was diagnosed with differentiation syndrome- induced myopericarditis and promptly initiated on high dose steroids with rapid improvement in symptoms, ECG, and cardiac biomarkers. Patient successfully resumed dose-reduced ATRA and arsenic trioxide without complication. CONCLUSION: Myopericarditis can be the sole manifestation of differentiation syndrome and the presentation may be atypical owing to the use of prophylactic steroids as illustrated in our patient's case. A high index of suspicion for differentiation syndrome, multimodality imaging, and prompt input from multidisciplinary providers is crucial for making the timely diagnosis and initiating life-saving treatment.

Pharmacologic modulation of RNA splicing enhances anti-tumor immunity.

Although mutations in DNA are the best-studied source of neoantigens that determine response to immune checkpoint blockade, alterations in RNA splicing within cancer cells could similarly result in neoepitope production. However, the endogenous antigenicity and clinical potential of such splicing-derived epitopes have not been tested. Here, we demonstrate that pharmacologic modulation of splicing via specific drug classes generates bona fide neoantigens and elicits anti-tumor immunity, augmenting checkpoint immunotherapy. Splicing modulation inhibited tumor growth and enhanced checkpoint blockade in a manner dependent on host T cells and peptides presented on tumor MHC class I. Splicing modulation induced stereotyped splicing changes across tumor types, altering the MHC I-bound immunopeptidome to yield splicing-derived neoepitopes that trigger an anti-tumor T cell response in vivo. These data definitively identify splicing modulation as an untapped source of immunogenic peptides and provide a means to enhance response to checkpoint blockade that is readily translatable to the clinic.

Dendritic cell targeting with Fc-enhanced CD40 antibody agonists induces durable antitumor immunity in humanized mouse models of bladder cancer.

Intravesical immunotherapy using Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) attenuated bacteria delivered transurethrally to the bladder has been the standard of care for patients with high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) for several decades. BCG therapy continues to be limited by high rates of disease recurrence and progression, and patients with BCG-unresponsive disease have few effective salvage therapy options besides radical cystectomy, highlighting a need for new therapies. We report that the immune-stimulatory receptor CD40 is highly expressed on dendritic cells (DCs) within the bladder tumor microenvironment of orthotopic bladder cancer mouse models, recapitulating CD40 expression by DCs found in human disease. We demonstrate that local CD40 agonism in mice with orthotopic bladder cancer through intravesical delivery of anti-CD40 agonist antibodies drives potent antitumor immunity and induces pharmacodynamic effects in the bladder tumor microenvironment, including a reduction in CD8+ T cells with an exhausted phenotype. We further show that type 1 conventional DCs (cDC1) and CD8+ T cells are required for both bladder cancer immune surveillance and anti-CD40 agonist antibody responses. Using orthotopic murine models humanized for CD40 and Fcγ receptors, we demonstrate that intravesical treatment with a fully human, Fc-enhanced anti-CD40 agonist antibody (2141-V11) induces robust antitumor activity in both treatment-naïve and treatment-refractory settings, driving long-term systemic antitumor immunity with no evidence of systemic toxicity. These findings support targeting CD40-expressing DCs in the bladder cancer microenvironment through an intravesical agonistic antibody approach for the treatment of NMIBC.

Site-Selective Chemoenzymatic Modification on the Core Fucose of an Antibody Enhances Its Fcγ Receptor Affinity and ADCC Activity.

Fc glycosylation profoundly impacts the effector functions of antibodies and often dictates an antibody's pro- or anti-inflammatory activities. It is well established that core fucosylation of the Fc domain N-glycans of an antibody significantly reduces its affinity for FcγRIIIa receptors and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC). Previous structural studies have suggested that the presence of a core fucose remarkably decreases the unique and favorable carbohydrate-carbohydrate interactions between the Fc and the receptor N-glycans, leading to reduced affinity. We report here that in contrast to natural core fucose, special site-specific modification on the core fucose could dramatically enhance the affinity of an antibody for FcγRIIIa. The site-selective modification was achieved through an enzymatic transfucosylation with a novel fucosidase mutant, which was shown to be able to use modified α-fucosyl fluoride as the donor substrate. We found that replacement of the core l-fucose with 6-azide- or 6-hydroxy-l-fucose (l-galactose) significantly enhanced the antibody's affinity for FcγRIIIa receptors and substantially increased the ADCC activity. To understand the mechanism of the modified fucose-mediated affinity enhancement, we performed molecular dynamics simulations. Our data revealed that the number of glycan contacts between the Fc and the Fc receptor was increased by the selective core-fucose modifications, showing the importance of unique carbohydrate-carbohydrate interactions in achieving high FcγRIIIa affinity and ADCC activity of antibodies. Thus, the direct site-selective modification turns the adverse effect of the core fucose into a favorable force to promote the carbohydrate-carbohydrate interactions.

Spontaneous Remission in a Patient With Acute Myeloid Leukemia Leading to Undetectable Minimal Residual Disease.

Although rare, spontaneous remission (SR) of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) has been reported in the literature, the underlying mechanisms driving remission remain unknown. However, it is most commonly associated with a preceding severe infection. We present a case of a 40-year-old man with no past medical history who presented to our hospital with severe left hip pain and fevers and was found to have AML. Chemotherapy was delayed because the patient required extensive debridement and fasciotomy of his left hip and a prolonged course of antibiotics. After his acute illness had stabilized, a repeat bone marrow biopsy was performed which showed no abnormal myeloid blasts and resolution of his original cytogenetic and molecular abnormalities. At the time of this writing, our patient remains in remission with undetectable minimal residual disease (MRD), now 14 months from his initial diagnosis of AML.

Immunotherapy for acute myeloid leukemia: from allogeneic stem cell transplant to novel therapeutics.

Immunotherapy in the form of allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT) plays an instrumental role in the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), with non-transplant modalities of immunotherapy including checkpoint blockade now being actively explored. Here, we provide an overview of the graft versus leukemia (GVL) effect in AML as a window into understanding the prospects of AML immunotherapy. We explore the roles of various cell types in orchestrating anti-leukemic immunity, as well as those contributing to the unique immune suppressive state of myeloid diseases. We discuss specific approaches to engage the immune system, while noting the challenges of the AML antigen landscape and the barriers to immune modulation. We review the potential for immunomodulatory agents in combination with cellular therapies, donor lymphocyte infusion, and following SCT. Finally, to address the challenge of minimal residual disease (MRD) following chemotherapy, we propose combination epigenetic and immunotherapy for the eradication of MRD.

Immunotherapy and Hyperprogression: Unwanted Outcomes, Unclear Mechanism.

Hyperprogression (HP) is a recently defined clinical phenomenon in which patients treated with immunotherapy paradoxically exhibit rapid tumor growth. The mechanisms of hyperprogression remain ill-defined, although recent studies in this issue point to a possible role for Fc receptors in this process.See related article by Lo Russo et al., p. 989.

Toxicity of an Fc-engineered anti-CD40 antibody is abrogated by intratumoral injection and results in durable antitumor immunity.

Immune stimulation has emerged as a promising approach to the treatment of neoplastic diseases. Currently approved therapeutics, such as anti-CTLA4 and anti-PD1, are primarily aimed at blocking inhibitory signaling by immune cells. An alternative and potentially synergistic approach would involve activation of immune pathways by agonism of stimulatory receptors, such as CD40. Agonistic antibodies, while promising in principle, have encountered significant barriers in clinical trials limited by the systemic toxicity of such approaches. Using a mouse model humanized for both Fc receptors and CD40, we previously demonstrated enhanced antitumor activity with an Fc-modified antibody. We now demonstrate that this model recapitulates the platelet and hepatic toxicities seen with anti-CD40 antibodies in patients, providing a predictive measure of the dose-limiting activity of this approach. We further show that such toxicity can be circumvented and durable systemic antitumor immunity achieved by intratumoral delivery of an Fc-engineered anti-CD40 agonistic antibody.