Modified Manufacturing Process Modulates CD19CAR T-cell Engraftment Fitness and Leukemia-Free Survival in Pediatric and Young Adult Subjects.

T cells modified to express a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) targeting CD19 can induce potent and sustained responses in children with relapsed/refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The durability of remission is related to the length of time the CAR T cells persist. Efforts to understand differences in persistence have focused on the CAR construct, in particular the costimulatory signaling module of the chimeric receptor. We previously reported a robust intent-to-treat product manufacturing success rate and remission induction rate in children and young adults with recurrent/refractory B-ALL using the SCRI-CAR19v1 product, a second-generation CD19-specific CAR with 4-1BB costimulation coexpressed with the EGFRt cell-surface tag (NCT02028455). Following completion of the phase I study, two changes to CAR T-cell manufacturing were introduced: switching the T-cell activation reagent and omitting midculture EGFRt immunomagnetic selection. We tested the modified manufacturing process and resulting product, designated SCRI-CAR19v2, in a cohort of 21 subjects on the phase II arm of the trial. Here, we describe the unanticipated enhancement in product performance resulting in prolonged persistence and B-cell aplasia and improved leukemia-free survival with SCRI-CAR19v2 as compared with SCRI-CAR19v1.

Manufacture of Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cells from Mobilized Cyropreserved Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Units Depends on Monocyte Depletion.

Cytotoxic chemotherapy and radiation can render lymphocyte repertoires qualitatively and quantitatively defective. Thus, heavily treated patients are often poor candidates for the manufacture of autologous chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell products. In the United States and Europe, children with high-risk neuroblastoma undergo apheresis early in the course of treatment to collect peripheral blood stem cells (PBSCs) for cryopreservation in preparation for high-dose chemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell rescue. Here, we investigate whether these cryopreserved chemotherapy and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF)-mobilized PBSCs can serve as starting material for CAR-T cell manufacturing. We evaluated T cell precursor subsets in cryopreserved PBSC units from 8 patients with neuroblastoma using fluorescent activated cell sorting-based analysis. Every cryopreserved unit collected early in treatment contained both CD4 and CD8 precursors with significant numbers of naïve and central memory precursors. Significant numbers of Ki67+/PD1+ T cells were detected, presumably the result of chemotherapy-induced lymphopenia and subsequent homeostatic proliferation. Cryopreserved PBSC units containing 56 to 112 × 106 T cells were amenable to immunomagnetic selection, CD3 × 28 bead activation, lentiviral transduction, and cytokine-driven expansion, provided that CD14 monocytes were depleted before the initiation of cultures. Second- and third-generation CD171 CAR+ CD4 and CD8 effector cells derived from cryopreserved units displayed antineuroblastoma lytic potency and cytokine secretion comparable to those derived from a healthy donor and mediated in vivo antitumor regression in NSG mice. We conclude that cryopreserved PBSCs procured via standard methods during early treatment can serve as an alternative starting source for CAR-T cell manufacturing, extending the options for heavily treated patients.

Lymphocyte apheresis for chimeric antigen receptor T-cell manufacturing in children and young adults with leukemia and neuroblastoma.

BACKGROUND: The first step in the production of chimeric antigen receptor T cells is the collection of autologous T cells using apheresis technology. The procedure is technically challenging, because patients often have low leukocyte counts and are heavily pretreated with multiple lines of chemotherapy, marrow transplantation, and/or radiotherapy. Here, we report our experience of collecting T lymphocytes for chimeric antigen receptor T-cell manufacturing in pediatric and young adult patients with leukemia, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, or neuroblastoma. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Apheresis procedures were performed on a COBE Spectra machine using the mononuclear cell program, with a collection target of 1 × 109 total mononuclear cells per kilogram. Data were collected regarding preapheresis and postapheresis blood counts, apheresis parameters, products, and adverse events. RESULTS: Ninety-nine patients (ages 1.3-25.7 years) and 102 apheresis events were available for analysis. Patients underwent apheresis at a variety of absolute lymphocyte cell counts, with a median absolute lymphocyte count of 944 cells/µL (range, 142-6944 cells/µL). Twenty-two patients (21.6%) had absolute lymphocyte counts less than 500 cells/µL. The mononuclear cell target was obtained in 100% of all apheresis harvests, and chimeric antigen receptor T-cell production was possible from the majority of collections (94%). Mononuclear cell collection efficiency was 65.4%, and T-lymphocyte collection efficiency was 83.4%. Ten patients (9.8%) presented with minor adverse events during the 102 apheresis procedures, with one exception of a severe allergy. CONCLUSIONS: Mononuclear cell apheresis for chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy is well tolerated and safe, and it is possible to obtain an adequate quantity of CD3+ lymphocytes for chimeric antigen receptor T-cell manufacturing in heavily pretreated patients who have low lymphocyte counts.

Intent-to-treat leukemia remission by CD19 CAR T cells of defined formulation and dose in children and young adults.

Transitioning CD19-directed chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells from early-phase trials in relapsed patients to a viable therapeutic approach with predictable efficacy and low toxicity for broad application among patients with high unmet need is currently complicated by product heterogeneity resulting from transduction of undefined T-cell mixtures, variability of transgene expression, and terminal differentiation of cells at the end of culture. A phase 1 trial of 45 children and young adults with relapsed or refractory B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia was conducted using a CD19 CAR product of defined CD4/CD8 composition, uniform CAR expression, and limited effector differentiation. Products meeting all defined specifications occurred in 93% of enrolled patients. The maximum tolerated dose was 106 CAR T cells per kg, and there were no deaths or instances of cerebral edema attributable to product toxicity. The overall intent-to-treat minimal residual disease-negative (MRD-) remission rate for this phase 1 study was 89%. The MRD- remission rate was 93% in patients who received a CAR T-cell product and 100% in the subset of patients who received fludarabine and cyclophosphamide lymphodepletion. Twenty-three percent of patients developed reversible severe cytokine release syndrome and/or reversible severe neurotoxicity. These data demonstrate that manufacturing a defined-composition CD19 CAR T cell identifies an optimal cell dose with highly potent antitumor activity and a tolerable adverse effect profile in a cohort of patients with an otherwise poor prognosis. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT02028455.

Preclinical Assessment of CD171-Directed CAR T-cell Adoptive Therapy for Childhood Neuroblastoma: CE7 Epitope Target Safety and Product Manufacturing Feasibility.

PURPOSE: The identification and vetting of cell surface tumor-restricted epitopes for chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-redirected T-cell immunotherapy is the subject of intensive investigation. We have focused on CD171 (L1-CAM), an abundant cell surface molecule on neuroblastomas and, specifically, on the glycosylation-dependent tumor-specific epitope recognized by the CE7 monoclonal antibody. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: CD171 expression was assessed by IHC using CE7 mAb in tumor microarrays of primary, metastatic, and recurrent neuroblastoma, as well as human and rhesus macaque tissue arrays. The safety of targeting the CE7 epitope of CD171 with CE7-CAR T cells was evaluated in a preclinical rhesus macaque trial on the basis of CD171 homology and CE7 cross reactivity. The feasibility of generating bioactive CAR T cells from heavily pretreated pediatric patients with recurrent/refractory disease was assessed. RESULTS: CD171 is uniformly and abundantly expressed by neuroblastoma tumor specimens obtained at diagnoses and relapse independent of patient clinical risk group. CD171 expression in normal tissues is similar in humans and rhesus macaques. Infusion of up to 1 × 108/kg CE7-CAR+ CTLs in rhesus macaques revealed no signs of specific on-target off-tumor toxicity. Manufacturing of lentivirally transduced CD4+ and CD8+ CE7-CAR T-cell products under GMP was successful in 4 out of 5 consecutively enrolled neuroblastoma patients in a phase I study. All four CE7-CAR T-cell products demonstrated in vitro and in vivo antitumor activity. CONCLUSIONS: Our preclinical assessment of the CE7 epitope on CD171 supports its utility and safety as a CAR T-cell target for neuroblastoma immunotherapy. Clin Cancer Res; 23(2); 466-77. ©2016 AACR.

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells promote cross-tolerance in B-cell lymphoma by expanding regulatory T cells.

Tumor-induced T-cell tolerance is a major mechanism that facilitates tumor progression and limits the efficacy of immune therapeutic interventions. Regulatory T cells (Treg) play a central role in the induction of tolerance to tumor antigens, yet the precise mechanisms regulating its induction in vivo remain to be elucidated. Using the A20 B-cell lymphoma model, here we identify myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) as the tolerogenic antigen presenting cells capable of antigen uptake and presentation to tumor-specific Tregs. MDSC-mediated Treg induction requires arginase but is transforming growth factor-beta independent. In vitro and in vivo inhibition of MDSC function, respectively, with NOHA or sildenafil abrogates Treg proliferation and tumor-induced tolerance in antigen-specific T cells. These findings establish a role for MDSCs in antigen-specific tolerance induction through preferential antigen uptake mediating the recruitment and expansion of Tregs. Furthermore, therapeutic interventions, such as in vivo phosphodiesterase 5-inhibition, which effectively abrogate the immunosuppressive role of MDSCs and reduce Treg numbers, may play a critical role in delaying and/or reversing tolerance induction.