Detecting Tumor Antigen-Specific T Cells via Interaction-Dependent Fucosyl-Biotinylation.

Re-activation and clonal expansion of tumor-specific antigen (TSA)-reactive T cells are critical to the success of checkpoint blockade and adoptive transfer of tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL)-based therapies. There are no reliable markers to specifically identify the repertoire of TSA-reactive T cells due to their heterogeneous composition. We introduce FucoID as a general platform to detect endogenous antigen-specific T cells for studying their biology. Through this interaction-dependent labeling approach, intratumoral TSA-reactive CD4+, CD8+ T cells, and TSA-suppressive CD4+ T cells can be detected and separated from bystander T cells based on their cell-surface enzymatic fucosyl-biotinylation. Compared to bystander TILs, TSA-reactive TILs possess a distinct T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire and unique gene features. Although exhibiting a dysfunctional phenotype, TSA-reactive CD8+ TILs possess substantial capabilities of proliferation and tumor-specific killing. Featuring genetic manipulation-free procedures and a quick turnover cycle, FucoID should have the potential of accelerating the pace of personalized cancer treatment.

Spheromers reveal robust T cell responses to the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and attenuated peripheral CD8+ T cell responses post SARS-CoV-2 infection.

T cells are a critical component of the response to SARS-CoV-2, but their kinetics after infection and vaccination are insufficiently understood. Using "spheromer" peptide-MHC multimer reagents, we analyzed healthy subjects receiving two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech BNT162b2 vaccine. Vaccination resulted in robust spike-specific T cell responses for the dominant CD4+ (HLA-DRB1∗15:01/S191) and CD8+ (HLA-A∗02/S691) T cell epitopes. Antigen-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses were asynchronous, with the peak CD4+ T cell responses occurring 1 week post the second vaccination (boost), whereas CD8+ T cells peaked 2 weeks later. These peripheral T cell responses were elevated compared with COVID-19 patients. We also found that previous SARS-CoV-2 infection resulted in decreased CD8+ T cell activation and expansion, suggesting that previous infection can influence the T cell response to vaccination.

Regulatory T Cell Specificity Directs Tolerance versus Allergy against Aeroantigens in Humans.

FOXP3+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) maintain tolerance against self-antigens and innocuous environmental antigens. However, it is still unknown whether Treg-mediated tolerance is antigen specific and how Treg specificity contributes to the selective loss of tolerance, as observed in human immunopathologies such as allergies. Here, we used antigen-reactive T cell enrichment to identify antigen-specific human Tregs. We demonstrate dominant Treg-mediated tolerance against particulate aeroallergens, such as pollen, house dust mites, and fungal spores. Surprisingly, we found no evidence of functional impairment of Treg responses in allergic donors. Rather, major allergenic proteins, known to rapidly dissociate from inhaled allergenic particles, have a generally reduced capability to generate Treg responses. Most strikingly, in individual allergic donors, Th2 cells and Tregs always target disparate proteins. Thus, our data highlight the importance of Treg antigen-specificity for tolerance in humans and identify antigen-specific escape from Treg control as an important mechanism enabling antigen-specific loss of tolerance in human allergy.

Routine evaluation of HBV-specific T cell reactivity in chronic hepatitis B using a broad-spectrum T-cell epitope peptide library and ELISpot assay.

BACKGROUND: The clinical routine test of HBV-specific T cell reactivity is still limited due to the high polymorphisms of human leukocyte antigens (HLA) in patient cohort and the lack of universal detection kit, thus the clinical implication remains disputed. METHODS: A broad-spectrum peptide library, which consists of 103 functionally validated CD8+ T-cell epitopes spanning overall HBsAg, HBeAg, HBx and HBpol proteins and fits to the HLA polymorphisms of Chinese and Northeast Asian populations, was grouped into eight peptide pools and was used to establish an ELISpot assay for enumerating the reactive HBV-specific T cells in PBMCs. Totally 294 HBV-infected patients including 203 ones with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), 13 ones in acute resolved stage (R), 52 ones with liver cirrhosis (LC) and 26 ones with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) were detected, and 33 CHB patients were longitudinally monitored for 3 times with an interval of 3-5 months. RESULTS: The numbers of reactive HBV-specific T cells were significantly correlated with ALT level, HBsAg level, and disease stage (R, CHB, LC and HCC), and R patients displayed the strongest HBV-specific T cell reactivity while CHB patients showed the weakest one. For 203 CHB patients, the numbers of reactive HBV-specific T cells presented a significantly declined trend when the serum viral DNA load, HBsAg, HBeAg or ALT level gradually increased, but only a very low negative correlation coefficient was defined (r = - 0.21, - 0.21, - 0.27, - 0.079, respectively). Different Nucleotide Analogs (NUCs) did not bring difference on HBV-specific T cell reactivity in the same duration of treatment. NUCs/pegIFN-α combination led to much more reactive HBV-specific T cells than NUCs monotherapy. The dynamic numbers of reactive HBV-specific T cells were obviously increasing in most CHB patients undergoing routine treatment, and the longitudinal trend possess a high predictive power for the hepatitis progression 6 or 12 months later. CONCLUSION: The presented method could be developed into an efficient reference method for the clinical evaluation of cellular immunity. The CHB patients presenting low reactivity of HBV-specific T cells have a worse prognosis for hepatitis progression and should be treated using pegIFN-α to improve host T-cell immunity.

Arginine-linked HPV-associated E7 displaying bacteria-derived outer membrane vesicles as a potent antigen-specific cancer vaccine.

BACKGROUND: Bacteria-based cancer therapy have demonstrated innovative strategies to combat tumors. Recent studies have focused on gram-negative bacterial outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) as a novel cancer immunotherapy strategy due to its intrinsic properties as a versatile carrier. METHOD: Here, we developed an Human Papillomavirus (HPV)-associated E7 antigen displaying Salmonella-derived OMV vaccine, utilizing a Poly(L-arginine) cell penetrating peptide (CPP) to enhance HPV16 E7 (aa49-67) H-2 Db and OMV affinity, termed SOMV-9RE7. RESULTS: Due to OMV's intrinsic immunogenic properties, SOMV-9RE7 effectively activates adaptive immunity through antigen-presenting cell uptake and antigen cross-presentation. Vaccination of engineered OMVs shows immediate tumor suppression and recruitment of infiltrating tumor-reactive immune cells. CONCLUSION: The simplicity of the arginine coating strategy boasts the versatility of immuno-stimulating OMVs that can be broadly implemented to personalized bacterial immunotherapeutic applications.

Generation of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) from NY-ESO-I-specific cytotoxic T cells isolated from the melanoma patient with minor HLAs: The practical pilot study for the adoptive immunotherapy for melanoma using iPSC technology.

Melanoma is one of the most severe skin cancers, derived from melanocytes. Among various therapies for melanoma, adoptive immunotherapy using tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes/chimeric antigen receptor-T cells (TCs) is advanced in recent years; however, the efficacy is still limited, and major challenges remain in terms of safety and cell supply. To solve the issues of adoptive immunotherapy, we utilized induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), which have an unlimited proliferative ability and various differentiation capability. First, we monoclonally isolated CD8+ TCs specifically reactive with NY-ESO-1, one of tumor antigens, from the melanoma patient's monocytes after stimulated with NY-ESO-1 peptide by manual procedure, and cultured NY-ESO-1-specific TCs until proliferated and formed colonies. iPSCs were consequently generated from colony-forming TCs by exogenous expression of reprogramming factors using Sendai virus vector. After the RAG2 gene in TC-derived iPSCs (T-iPSCs) was knocked out for preventing T-cell receptor (TCR) rearrangement, T-iPSCs were re-differentiated into rejuvenated cytotoxic TCs. We confirmed that TCR of T-iPSC-derived TC was maintained as the same of original TCs. In conclusion, T-iPSCs have a potential to be an unlimited cell source for providing cytotoxic TCs. Our study could be a "touchstone" to develop iPSC-based adoptive immunotherapy for the treatment of melanoma for the future clinical use.

Allergen recognition by specific effector Th2 cells enables IL-2-dependent activation of regulatory T-cell responses in humans.

Type 2 allergen-specific T cells are essential for the induction and maintenance of allergies to foods, and Tregs specific for these allergens are assumed to be involved in their resolution. However, it has not been convincingly demonstrated whether allergen-specific Treg responses are responsible for the generation of oral tolerance in humans. We observed that sustained food allergen exposure in the form of oral immunotherapy resulted in increased frequency of Tregs only in individuals with lasting clinical tolerance. We sought to identify regulatory components of the CD4+ T-cell response to food allergens by studying their functional activation over time in vitro and in vivo. Two subsets of Tregs expressing CD137 or CD25/OX40 were identified with a delayed kinetics of activation compared with clonally enriched pathogenic effector Th2 cells. Treg activation was dependent on IL-2 derived from effector T cells. In vivo exposure to peanut in the form of an oral food challenge of allergic subjects induced a delayed and persistent activation of Tregs after initiation of the allergen-specific Th2 response. The novel finding of our work is that a sustained wave of Treg activation is induced by the release of IL-2 from Th2 effector cells, with the implication that therapeutic administration of IL-2 could improve current OIT approaches.

Complete rejection of large established breast cancer by local immunochemotherapy with T cell activation against neoantigens.

Cancer immunotherapies, including immune checkpoint blockage and adoptive transfer of CAR-T cells, have achieved historical successes for many kinds of malignancy. However, a minority of patients survive long term over 5 years without relapse, perhaps owing to tumor heterogeneity and potent immunosuppression in the tumor microenvironment. Here, using an established mouse tumor model of triple-negative 4T1 breast cancer, we show that local immunochemotherapy triggers powerful local and systemic antitumor immunity. Paraneoplastic injection of CpG, α-OX40, and anthracycline completely eliminated both local and distant large established 4T1 breast cancer without obvious relapse. Analysis of the immune cells at tumor tissues, draining lymph nodes, and spleens revealed that the local treatment increased the infiltration of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in all three tissues and inhibited the accumulation of myeloid-derived suppressor cells in the spleen in a delayed response. Most importantly, this treatment triggered systemic T cell response against 4T1 tumors and some of their neoantigen epitopes as detected by IFN-γ ELISpot and intracellular cytokine assays in splenocytes. Furthermore, T cells showed specific cytotoxic activity against 4T1 tumor cells in vitro. In general, this local immunochemotherapy provides a new approach to target highly diverse neoantigens in various types of cancers without complicated and expensive antigen identification via next-generation sequencing.

Modified Vaccinia Ankara-Vectored Vaccine Expressing Nucleoprotein and Matrix Protein 1 (M1) Activates Mucosal M1-Specific T-Cell Immunity and Tissue-Resident Memory T Cells in Human Nasopharynx-Associated Lymphoid Tissue.

BACKGROUND: Increasing evidence supports a critical role of CD8+ T-cell immunity against influenza. Activation of mucosal CD8+ T cells, particularly tissue-resident memory T (TRM) cells recognizing conserved epitopes would mediate rapid and broad protection. Matrix protein 1 (M1) is a well-conserved internal protein. METHODS: We studied the capacity of modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA)-vectored vaccine expressing nucleoprotein (NP) and M1 (MVA-NP+M1) to activate M1-specific CD8+ T-cell response, including TRM cells, in nasopharynx-associated lymphoid tissue from children and adults. RESULTS: After MVA-NP+M1 stimulation, M1 was abundantly expressed in adenotonsillar epithelial cells and B cells. MVA-NP+M1 activated a marked interferon γ-secreting T-cell response to M1 peptides. Using tetramer staining, we showed the vaccine activated a marked increase in M158-66 peptide-specific CD8+ T cells in tonsillar mononuclear cells of HLA-matched individuals. We also demonstrated MVA-NP+M1 activated a substantial increase in TRM cells exhibiting effector memory T-cell phenotype. On recall antigen recognition, M1-specific T cells rapidly undergo cytotoxic degranulation, release granzyme B and proinflammatory cytokines, leading to target cell killing. CONCLUSIONS: MVA-NP+M1 elicits a substantial M1-specific T-cell response, including TRM cells, in nasopharynx-associated lymphoid tissue, demonstrating its strong capacity to expand memory T-cell pool exhibiting effector memory T-cell phenotype, therefore offering great potential for rapid and broad protection against influenza reinfection.

Approaches to inducing antigen-specific immune tolerance in allergy and autoimmunity: Focus on antigen-presenting cells and extracellular vesicles.

Increasing prevalence of allergic and autoimmune diseases urges clinicians and researchers to search for new and efficient treatments. Strategies that activate antigen-specific immune tolerance and simultaneously maintain immune reactivity to all other antigens deserve special attention. Accordingly, antigen-presenting cells (APCs) seem to be the best suited for orchestrating these mechanisms by directing T cell immune responses towards a tolerant subtype. Recent advances in understanding cell-to-cell communication via extracellular vesicles (EVs) make the latter promising candidates for reprogramming APCs towards a tolerant phenotype, and for mediating tolerogenic APC function. Thus, comprehensive studies have been undertaken to describe the interactions of APCs and EVs naturally occurring during immune tolerance induction, as well as to develop EV-based manoeuvres enabling the induction of immune tolerance in an antigen-specific manner. In this review, we summarize the findings of relevant studies, with a special emphasis on future perspectives on their translation to clinical practice.

Detection, phenotyping, and quantification of antigen-specific T cells using a peptide-MHC dodecamer.

Here we report a peptide-MHC (pMHC) dodecamer as a "next generation" technology that is a significantly more sensitive and versatile alternative to pMHC tetramers for the detection, isolation, and phenotypic analysis of antigen-specific T cells. In particular, dodecamers are able to detect two- to fivefold more antigen-specific T cells in both human and murine CD4(+)and CD8(+)αß T-cell compartments compared with the equivalent tetramers. The low-affinity, tetramer-negative, dodecamer-positive T cells showed comparable effector cytokine responses as those of high-affinity, tetramer-positive T cells. Dodecamers are able to detect early stage CD4(+)CD8(+)double-positive thymocytes on which T-cell receptors are 10- to 30-fold less dense than mature T cells. Dodecamers also show utility in the analysis of γδ T cells and in cytometry by time-of-flight applications. This construct has a simple structure with a central scaffold protein linked to four streptavidin molecules, each having three pMHC ligands or other molecules. The dodecamer is straightforward and inexpensive to produce and is compatible with current tetramer technology and commercially available streptavidin conjugates.

Rv2204c, Rv0753c and Rv0009 antigens specific T cell responses in latent and active TB - a flow cytometry-based analysis.

High global prevalence of latent TB infection (LTBI) is a key challenge in distinguishing patients with active pulmonary TB (PTB) from those with LTBI. The functional profile of CD4+ and CD8+ T cell cytokines produced as a response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigens vary during the course of tuberculosis (TB) infection. We evaluated antigen-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cell cytokine response after overnight in vitro stimulation of peripheral blood with mycobacterial antigens ESAT-6, CFP-10, Rv2204c, Rv0753c and Rv0009 by flow cytometry. A significantly higher frequency of antigen-specific CD4+ or CD8+ IFN-γ+ T cells were found in LTBI than in PTB. Among all the antigens used, Rv2204c-specific CD8+ IFN-γ+ displayed the positivity of 72% and 24% in LTBI and PTB respectively. In contrast to IFN-γ, the frequencies of CD4+ or CD8+ secreting TNF-α+ cells were significantly high in PTB compared to LTBI. CD8+TNF-α+ analysis showed 60% positivity in PTB and 13.6% positivity in LTBI against Rv0753c antigen stimulation. We also predicted Rv2204c specific CD8+ T cells secreting IL-10 or IL-4 showed maximum differentiation between LTBI and PTB. In conclusion, altered expression of Rv2204c-specific CD4+IFN-γ+ and CD8+IL-4+ T cells in LTBI and PTB might be a useful biomarker to differentially diagnose LTBI and active TB.

Immune response induced by Epstein-Barr virus and Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis peptides in current and past infectious mononucleosis: a risk for multiple sclerosis?

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Infectious mononucleosis (IM) caused by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has been associated with increased risk of multiple sclerosis (MS). However, the mechanism linking these pathologies is unclear. Different reports indicate the association of EBV, and recently Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP), with MS. For a better understanding of the role of these pathogens, the host response induced by selected antigenic peptides in subjects with a history of IM that significantly increases the risk of MS was investigated. METHODS: Both humoral and cell-mediated response against peptides able to induce a specific immune activation in MS patients deriving from lytic and latent EBV antigens BOLF1(305-320), EBNA1(400-413), from MAP MAP_4027(18-32), MAP_0106c(121-132) and from human proteins IRF5(424-434) and MBP(85-98) in subjects with current and past IM were examined. RESULTS: EBNA1 and MAP_0106c peptides were able to induce a humoral immune response in subjects with a history of clinical IM in an independent manner. Moreover, these peptides were capable of inducing pro-inflammatory cytokine interferon γ by CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes and interleukin 6 and tumour necrosis factor α by CD14+ monocyte cells. CONCLUSION: Our results highlight that EBV and MAP may be involved independently in the same causal process leading to MS in subjects with a history of IM.

Human interferon regulatory factor 5 homologous epitopes of Epstein-Barr virus and Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis induce a specific humoral and cellular immune response in multiple sclerosis patients.

BACKGROUND: A large number of reports indicate the association of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), and Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) with multiple sclerosis (MS). OBJECTIVE: To gain a better understanding of the role of these two pathogens, we investigated the host response induced by selected antigenic peptides. METHODS: We examined both humoral and cell-mediated responses against peptides deriving from EBV tegument protein BOLF1, the MAP_4027 and the human interferon regulatory factor 5 (IRF5424-434) homolog in several MS patients and healthy controls (HCs). RESULTS: Antibodies against these peptides were highly prevalent in MS patients compared to HCs. Concerning MS patients, BOLF1305-320, MAP_402718-32 and IRF5424-434 peptides were able to induce mainly Th1-related cytokines secretion, whereas Th2-related cytokines were down-regulated. Flow cytometry analyses performed on a subset of MS patients highlighted that these peptides were capable of inducing the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines: IFN-γ and TNF-α by CD4(+) and CD8(+) T lymphocytes, and IL-6 and TNF-α by CD14(+) monocyte cells. CONCLUSION: Our data demonstrated that both EBV and MAP epitopes elicit a consistent humoral response in MS patients compared to HCs, and that the aforementioned peptides are able to induce a T-cell-mediated response that is MS correlated.

Differences in Aspergillus-specific immune recovery between T-cell-replete and T-cell-depleted hematopoietic transplants.

BACKGROUND: After hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, invasive aspergillosis remains one of the most lethal infections. Susceptibility may be due to prophylaxis and treatment of graft-vs.-host disease in T-cell-replete transplants, and delayed immune rebuilding due to T-cell depletion in haploidentical transplantation. METHODS: We monitored CD4(+) T-cell recovery and anti-Aspergillus immune competence in pediatric recipients of T-cell-replete matched transplants and of prevalently adult recipients of T-cell-depleted matched or haploidentical transplants for hematological malignancies. RESULTS: Although CD4(+) T-cell counts were higher in T-cell-replete transplant recipients at all post-transplant time points, Aspergillus-specific T cells were first detected 15-18 months after T-cell-replete matched, 7-9 months after T-cell-depleted matched, and 9-12 months after haploidentical transplantation, respectively. Incidence of invasive aspergillosis was 22% with 10% mortality after T-cell-replete transplants, 0% after T-cell-depleted matched, and 7% with 4% mortality after haploidentical transplants. CONCLUSIONS: Although T-cell counts were significantly higher after T-cell-replete transplants, post-transplant immune suppression/GvHD appeared to impair their function. Specific Aspergillus immune competence recovered faster after T-cell-depleted transplants, whether matched or haploidentical. T-cell-replete transplants were associated with a higher incidence of invasive aspergillosis and Aspergillus-related deaths. These results showed that T-cell depletion without post-transplant immunosuppression is associated to a faster immune recovery than T-cell-replete transplantation.

Next-generation nanovaccine induces durable immunity and protects against SARS-CoV-2.

While first generation SARS-CoV-2 vaccines were effective in slowing the spread and severity of disease during the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a need for vaccines capable of inducing durable and broad immunity against emerging variants of concern. Nanoparticle-based vaccines (i.e., "nanovaccines") composed of polyanhydride nanoparticles and pentablock copolymer micelles have previously been shown to protect against respiratory pathogens, including influenza A virus, respiratory syncytial virus, and Yersinia pestis. In this work, a nanovaccine containing SARS-CoV-2 spike and nucleocapsid antigens was designed and optimized. The optimized nanovaccine induced long-lived systemic IgG antibody responses against wild-type SARS-CoV-2 virus. In addition, the nanovaccine induced antibody responses capable of neutralization and cross-reactivity to multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants (including B.1.1.529) and antigen-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses. Finally, the nanovaccine protected mice against a lethal SARS-CoV-2 challenge, setting the stage for advancing particle-based SARS-CoV-2 nanovaccines. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: First-generation SARS-CoV-2 vaccines were effective in slowing the spread and limiting the severity of COVID-19. However, current vaccines target only one antigen of the virus (i.e., spike protein) and focus on the generation of neutralizing antibodies, which may be less effective against new, circulating strains. In this work, we demonstrated the ability of a novel nanovaccine platform, based on polyanhydride nanoparticles and pentablock copolymer micelles, to generate durable and broad immunity against SARS-CoV-2. These nanovaccines induced long-lasting (> 62 weeks) serum antibody responses which neutralized binding to ACE2 receptors and were cross-reactive to multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants. Additionally, mice immunized with the SARS-CoV-2 nanovaccine showed a significant increase of antigen-specific T cell responses in the draining lymph nodes and spleens. Together, these nanovaccine-induced immune responses contributed to the protection of mice against a lethal challenge of live SARS-CoV-2 virus, indicating that this nanovaccine platform is a promising next-generation SARS-CoV-2 vaccine.

Micro-to-Nano Oncolytic Microbial System Shifts from Tumor Killing to Tumor Draining Lymph Nodes Remolding for Enhanced Immunotherapy.

Because the tumor-draining lymph nodes (TDLNs) microenvironment is commonly immunosuppressive, oncolytic microbe-induced tumor antigens aren't sufficiently cross-primed tumor specific T cells through antigen-presenting cells (e.g., dendritic cells (DCs)) in TDLNs. Herein, this work develops the micro-to-nano oncolytic microbial therapeutics based on pyranose oxidase (P2 O) overexpressed Escherichia coli (EcP) which are simultaneously encapsulated by PEGylated mannose and low-concentrated photosensitizer nanoparticles (NPs). Following administration, P2 O from this system generates toxic hydrogen peroxide for tumor regression and leads to the release of tumor antigens. The "microscale" EcP is triggered, following exposure to the laser irradiation, to secrete the "nanoscale" bacterial outer membrane vesicles (OMVs). The enhanced TDLNs delivery via OMVs significantly regulates the TDLNs immunomicroenvironment, promoting the maturation of DCs to potentiate tumor antigen-specific T cells immune response. The micro-to-nano oncolytic microbe is leveraged to exert tumor killing and remold TDLNs for initiating potent activation of DCs, providing promising strategies to facilitate microbial cancer vaccination.

PIKfyve controls dendritic cell function and tumor immunity.

The modern armamentarium for cancer treatment includes immunotherapy and targeted therapy, such as protein kinase inhibitors. However, the mechanisms that allow cancer-targeting drugs to effectively mobilize dendritic cells (DCs) and affect immunotherapy are poorly understood. Here, we report that among shared gene targets of clinically relevant protein kinase inhibitors, high PIKFYVE expression was least predictive of complete response in patients who received immune checkpoint blockade (ICB). In immune cells, high PIKFYVE expression in DCs was associated with worse response to ICB. Genetic and pharmacological studies demonstrated that PIKfyve ablation enhanced DC function via selectively altering the alternate/non-canonical NF-κB pathway. Both loss of Pikfyve in DCs and treatment with apilimod, a potent and specific PIKfyve inhibitor, restrained tumor growth, enhanced DC-dependent T cell immunity, and potentiated ICB efficacy in tumor-bearing mouse models. Furthermore, the combination of a vaccine adjuvant and apilimod reduced tumor progression in vivo. Thus, PIKfyve negatively controls DCs, and PIKfyve inhibition has promise for cancer immunotherapy and vaccine treatment strategies.

Surface-Functionalized Microgels as Artificial Antigen-Presenting Cells to Regulate Expansion of T Cells.

Artificial antigen-presenting cells (aAPCs) are currently used to manufacture T cells for adoptive therapy in cancer treatment, but a readily tunable and modular system can enable both rapid T cell expansion and control over T cell phenotype. Here, it is shown that microgels with tailored surface biochemical properties can serve as aAPCs to mediate T cell activation and expansion. Surface functionalization of microgels is achieved via layer-by-layer coating using oppositely charged polymers, forming a thin but dense polymer layer on the surface. This facile and versatile approach is compatible with a variety of coating polymers and allows efficient and flexible surface-specific conjugation of defined peptides or proteins. The authors demonstrate that tethering appropriate stimulatory ligands on the microgel surface efficiently activates T cells for polyclonal and antigen-specific expansion. The expansion, phenotype, and functional outcome of primary mouse and human T cells can be regulated by modulating the concentration, ratio, and distribution of stimulatory ligands presented on microgel surfaces as well as the stiffness and viscoelasticity of the microgels.

Relative deficiency in interferon-γ-secreting CD4+ T cells is strongly associated with poorer COVID-19 vaccination responses in older adults.

Although the two-dose mRNA vaccination regime provides protection against SARS-CoV-2, older adults have been shown to exhibit poorer vaccination responses. In addition, the role of vaccine-induced T-cell responses is not well characterised. We aim to assess the impact of age on immune responses after two doses of the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine, focussing on antigen-specific T-cells. A prospective 3-month study was conducted on 15 young (median age 31 years, interquartile range (IQR) 25-35 years) and 14 older adults (median age 72 years, IQR 70-73 years). We assessed functional, neutralising antibody responses against SARS-CoV-2 variants using ACE-2 inhibition assays, and changes in B and T-cell subsets by high-dimensional flow cytometry. Antigen-specific T-cell responses were also quantified by intracellular cytokine staining and flow cytometry. Older adults had attenuated T-helper (Th) response to vaccination, which was associated with weaker antibody responses and decreased SARS-CoV-2 neutralisation. Antigen-specific interferon-γ (IFNγ)-secreting CD4+ T-cells to wild-type and Omicron antigens increased in young adults, which was strongly positively correlated with their neutralising antibody responses. Conversely, this relationship was negative in older adults. Hence, older adults' relative IFNγ-secreting CD4+ T cell deficiency might explain their poorer COVID-19 vaccination responses. Further exploration into the aetiology is needed and would be integral in developing novel vaccination strategies and improving infection outcomes in older adults.