Phase 1 Safety and Immunogenicity Study of a Respiratory Syncytial Virus Vaccine With an Adenovirus 26 Vector Encoding Prefusion F (Ad26.RSV.preF) in Adults Aged ≥60 Years.

BACKGROUND: Despite the high disease burden of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in older adults, there is no approved vaccine. We evaluated the experimental RSV vaccine, Ad26.RSV.preF, a replication-incompetent adenovirus 26 vector encoding the F protein stabilized in prefusion conformation. METHODS: This phase 1 clinical trial was performed in healthy adults aged ≥60 years. Seventy-two participants received 1 or 2 intramuscular injections of low-dose (LD; 5 × 1010 vector particles) or high-dose (HD; 1 × 1011 vector particles) Ad26.RSV.preF vaccine or placebo, with approximately 12 months between doses and 2-year follow-up for safety and immunogenicity outcomes. RESULTS: Solicited adverse events were reported by 44% of vaccine recipients and were transient and mild or moderate in intensity. No serious adverse events were related to vaccination. After the first vaccination, geometric mean titers for RSV-A2 neutralization increased from baseline (432 for LD and 512 for HD vaccine) to day 29 (1031 for LD and 1617 for HD). Pre-F-specific antibody geometric mean titers and median frequencies of F-specific interferon γ-secreting T cells also increased substantially from baseline. These immune responses were still maintained above baseline levels 2 years after immunization and could be boosted with a second immunization at 1 year. CONCLUSIONS: Ad26.RSV.preF (LD and HD) had an acceptable safety profile and elicited sustained humoral and cellular immune responses after a single immunization in older adults.

Mass cytometric single cell immune profiles of peripheral blood from acute myeloid leukemia patients in complete remission with measurable residual disease.

Measurable residual disease (MRD) is detected in approximately a quarter of AML chemotherapy responders, serving as a predictor for relapse and shorter survival. Immunological control of residual disease is suggested to prevent relapse, but the mechanisms involved are not fully understood. We present a peripheral blood single cell immune profiling by mass cytometry using a 42-antibody panel with particular emphasis on markers of cellular immune response. Six healthy donors were compared with four AML patients with MRD (MRD+) in first complete remission (CR1MRD+). Three of four patients demonstrated a favorable genetic risk profile, while the fourth patient had an unfavorable risk profile (complex karyotype, TP53-mutation) and a high level of MRD. Unsupervised clustering using self-organizing maps and dimensional reduction analysis was performed for visualization and analysis of immune cell subsets. CD57+ natural killer (NK)-cell subsets were found to be less abundant in patients than in healthy donors. Both T and NK cells demonstrated elevated expression of activity and maturation markers (CD44, granzyme B, and phosho-STAT5 Y694) in patients. Although mass cytometry remains an expensive method with limited scalability, our data suggest the utility for employing a 42-plex profiling for cellular immune surveillance in whole blood, and possibly as a biomarker platform in future clinical trials. The findings encourage further investigations of single cell immune profiling in CR1MRD+ AML-patients.

Safety and immunogenicity of a new Sabin inactivated poliovirus vaccine candidate produced on the PER.C6® cell-line: a phase 1 randomized controlled trial in adults.

This first-in-human study (NCT03032588), conducted in Belgium, evaluated a new inactivated poliovirus vaccines (IPV) candidate based on Sabin poliovirus strains grown on the high-yield PER.C6® cell line. Healthy adults (N = 32) were randomized (1:1) to receive a single dose of PER.C6-based Sabin-IPV (sIPV, 15:35:112.5 DU/dose) or conventional Salk-IPV (cIPV, 40:8:32 DU/dose). Reactogenicity was assessed up to 7 days after vaccination, immunogenicity 28 days after vaccination, and safety up to 6 months after vaccination.Solicited adverse events (AEs) were mild to moderate, no changes of concern in vital signs or safety laboratory values were observed, and no severe AEs (SAEs) or vaccine-related unsolicited AEs were reported after vaccination. A trend to more frequent solicited AEs after sIPV than after cIPV administration was observed. Most participants had preexisting neutralizing antibodies against poliovirus types (titer ≥8), which were strongly boosted by sIPV. Post-vaccination geometric mean titers were high (≥12,000) and similar across the two vaccination groups. Only participants with very high preexisting antibody levels did not show a vaccine-induced response, defined in seropositive participants as a 4-fold titer increase. The 10 initially seronegative (titer <8) participants (n = 5 in each study group) seroconverted and all participants had seroprotective antibody levels post-vaccination. The antibodies elicited by sIPV neutralized both Sabin and Salk poliovirus strains.In conclusion, the PER.C6®-based sIPV was well tolerated and highly immunogenic in adults with preexisting antibodies to poliovirus.

Adenovirus retargeting to surface expressed antigens on oral mucosa.

BACKGROUND: Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas develop in preneoplastic mucosal fields that can extend over several centimeters in diameter. Most of these fields are microscopically recognized as dysplasias. These fields are often not adequately treated and might cause local relapse. Previous investigations demonstrated that mouthwash therapy with oncolytic adenoviruses appears to be a good option for the treatment of these fields, although, at present, with limited efficacy. METHODS: Immunohistochemistry on normal and preneoplastic mucosa was applied to determine the expression levels of the coxsackie adenoviral receptor (CAR) and a few surface antigens that might allow retargeting: Ly-6D, CD44v6 and K928. Monoclonal antibodies directed against these surface antigens were used for retargeting of adenoviruses in model experiments with organotypic cultures of mucosal epithelium. A bispecific single chain antibody was constructed against both the adenoviral knob and Ly-6D. RESULTS: Immunohistochemical staining revealed that CAR is present only at a low level in the basal layers of the oral mucosa of both normal and dysplastic lesions. By contrast, Ly-6D, CD44v6 and K928 were abundantly expressed and Ly-6D even on the most superficial layers. Monoclonal antibodies against Ly-6D and CD44v6 were shown to enhance infection in an organotypic cell culture by one log. Based on these observations, we constructed a bispecific single chain antibody against Ly-6D and adenovirus fiber knob, and showed that this engineered molecule allows efficient CAR-independent infection. CONCLUSIONS: Retargeting of oncolytic adenovirus to other surface molecules might improve the efficacy of virotherapy of preneoplastic fields in the oral mucosa.

NC2alpha interacts with BTAF1 and stimulates its ATP-dependent association with TATA-binding protein.

Transcriptional activity of the TATA-binding protein (TBP) is controlled by a variety of proteins. The BTAF1 protein (formerly known as TAF(II)170/TAF-172 and the human ortholog of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Mot1p) and the NC2 complex composed of NC2alpha (DRAP1) and NC2beta (Dr1) are able to bind to TBP directly and regulate RNA polymerase II transcription both positively and negatively. Here, we present evidence that the NC2alpha subunit interacts with BTAF1. In contrast, the NC2beta subunit is not able to associate with BTAF1 and seems to interfere with the BTAF1-TBP interaction. Addition of NC2alpha or the NC2 complex can stimulate the ability of BTAF1 to interact with TBP. This function is dependent on the presence of ATP in cell extracts but does not involve the ATPase activity of BTAF1 nor phosphorylation of NC2alpha. Together, our results constitute the first evidence of the physical cooperation between BTAF1 and NC2alpha in TBP regulation and provide a framework to understand transcription functions of NC2alpha and NC2beta in vivo.

Generation and molecular characterization of head and neck squamous cell lines of fanconi anemia patients.

Patients with Fanconi anemia (FA) are prone to develop malignancies at an early age. Besides hematologic malignancies, squamous cell carcinomas in the anogenital region and head and neck are also frequently found in these patients. The aim of this study was to generate a panel of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cell lines and xenografts of FA HNSCC, and to characterize these cell lines in comparison with a panel of seven cell lines from patients with sporadic HNSCC. Analyses have been done on sensitivity to DNA cross-linking agents, loss of heterozygosity profile, TP53 mutations, TP53 polymorphisms and the presence of human papillomavirus. Four FA HNSCC cell lines were established. Sensitivity to DNA cross-linking agents (cisplatin) in the FA HNSCC cell lines was on average 10 times higher as compared with the sporadic HNSCC cell lines. Human papillomavirus was not detected in any of the FA or sporadic cell lines. No differences were found in loss of heterozygosity pattern, TP53 mutation frequency and TP53 polymorphism between FA and sporadic HNSCC cell lines. This is the first report on the generation of squamous cell lines of FA patients. The FA HNSCC cell lines we have generated may be utilized for future studies and might aid in the development of new preventive therapies for FA patients. The genetic characteristics of these cell lines suggest that FA HNSCC are not very different from sporadic HNSCC, except for the sensitivity to cisplatin which is consistent with the known cellular FA phenotype.

The adaptive immune system promotes initiation of prostate carcinogenesis in a human c-Myc transgenic mouse model.

Increasing evidence from epidemiological and pathological studies suggests a role of the immune system in the initiation and progression of multiple cancers, including prostate cancer. Reports on the contribution of the adaptive immune system are contradictive, since both suppression and acceleration of disease development have been reported. This study addresses the functional role of lymphocytes in prostate cancer development using a genetically engineered mouse model (GEMM) of human c-Myc driven prostate cancer (Hi-Myc mice) combined with B and T cell deficiency (RAG1-/- mice). From a pre-cancerous stage on, Hi-Myc mice showed higher accumulation of immune cells in their prostates then wild-type mice, of which macrophages were the most abundant. The onset of invasive adenocarcinoma was delayed in Hi-MycRAG1-/- compared to Hi-Myc mice and associated with decreased infiltration of leukocytes into the prostate. In addition, lower levels of the cytokines CXCL2, CCL5 and TGF-ß1 were detected in Hi-MycRAG1-/- compared to Hi-Myc mouse prostates. These results from a GEMM of prostate cancer provide new insights into the promoting role of the adaptive immune system in prostate cancer development. Our findings indicate that the endogenous adaptive immune system does not protect against de novo prostate carcinogenesis in Hi-Myc transgenic mice, but rather accelerates the formation of invasive adenocarcinomas. This may have implications for the development of novel treatment strategies.

Generation of precursor cell lines from preneoplastic fields surrounding head and neck cancers.

BACKGROUND: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) develops in the mucosal linings of the upper aerodigestive tract. HNSCC may develop in large preneoplastic fields, which are in most cases invisible, but can be detected microscopically and by genetic analysis. METHODS: Cells of mucosal tissue biopsies were cultured and genetically analyzed. Genetic changes in established preneoplastic cultures were compared to the corresponding tumor and surgical margins. RESULTS: Of 45 mucosal tissue biopsies taken from primary tumor resection specimen, 26 were successfully cultured and could be genetically analyzed. In 1 culture, genetic changes were found and an immortalized preneoplastic cell line was obtained with genetic changes that were also found in a surgical margin of the corresponding specimen. CONCLUSION: Our data show that noninvasive fields surrounding HNSCC may consist of immortalized preneoplastic cell clones. Our preneoplastic cell line is a valuable tool to develop and test treatment strategies for precursor fields in patients with HNSCC.

Clinical and molecular characteristics of squamous cell carcinomas from Fanconi anemia patients.

Fanconi anemia is a recessively inherited disease that is characterized by congenital abnormalities, bone marrow failure, and a predisposition to develop cancer, particularly squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) in the head and neck and anogenital regions. Previous studies of Fanconi anemia SCCs, mainly from US patients, revealed the presence of high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA in 21 (84%) of 25 tumors analyzed. We examined a panel of 21 SCCs mainly from European Fanconi anemia patients (n = 19 FA patients; 16 head and neck squamous cell carcinomas [HNSCCs], 2 esophageal SCCs, and 3 anogenital SCCs) for their clinical and molecular characteristics, including patterns of allelic loss, TP53 mutations, and the presence of HPV DNA by GP5+/6+ polymerase chain reaction. HPV DNA was detected in only two (10%) of 21 tumors (both anogenital SCCs) but in none of the 16 HNSCCs. Of the 18 tumors analyzed, 10 contained a TP53 mutation. The patterns of allelic loss were comparable to those generally found in sporadic SCCs. Our data show that HPV does not play a major role in squamous cell carcinogenesis in this cohort of Fanconi anemia patients and that the Fanconi anemia SCCs are genetically similar to sporadic SCCs despite having a different etiology.