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1.
Nat Commun ; 14(1): 3035, 2023 05 26.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37236967

RESUMO

The large coding potential of vaccinia virus (VV) vectors is a defining feature. However, limited regulatory switches are available to control viral replication as well as timing and dosing of transgene expression in order to facilitate safe and efficacious payload delivery. Herein, we adapt drug-controlled gene switches to enable control of virally encoded transgene expression, including systems controlled by the FDA-approved rapamycin and doxycycline. Using ribosome profiling to characterize viral promoter strength, we rationally design fusions of the operator element of different drug-inducible systems with VV promoters to produce synthetic promoters yielding robust inducible expression with undetectable baseline levels. We also generate chimeric synthetic promoters facilitating additional regulatory layers for VV-encoded synthetic transgene networks. The switches are applied to enable inducible expression of fusogenic proteins, dose-controlled delivery of toxic cytokines, and chemical regulation of VV replication. This toolbox enables the precise modulation of transgene circuitry in VV-vectored oncolytic virus design.


Assuntos
Terapia Viral Oncolítica , Vírus Oncolíticos , Vetores Genéticos/genética , Vaccinia virus/genética , Vírus Oncolíticos/genética , Regiões Promotoras Genéticas/genética
2.
Pharmaceuticals (Basel) ; 16(5)2023 May 07.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37242495

RESUMO

The approval of different cytokines as anti-neoplastic agents has been challenged by dose-limiting toxicities. Although reducing dose levels affords improved tolerability, efficacy is precluded at these suboptimal doses. Strategies combining cytokines with oncolytic viruses have proven to elicit potent survival benefits in vivo, despite promoting rapid clearance of the oncolytic virus itself. Herein, we developed an inducible expression system based on a Split-T7 RNA polymerase for oncolytic poxviruses to regulate the spatial and temporal expression of a beneficial transgene. This expression system utilizes approved anti-neoplastic rapamycin analogues for transgene induction. This treatment regimen thus offers a triple anti-tumour effect through the oncolytic virus, the induced transgene, and the pharmacologic inducer itself. More specifically, we designed our therapeutic transgene by fusing a tumour-targeting chlorotoxin (CLTX) peptide to interleukin-12 (IL-12), and demonstrated that the constructs were functional and cancer-selective. We next encoded this construct into the oncolytic vaccinia virus strain Copenhagen (VV-iIL-12mCLTX), and were able to demonstrate significantly improved survival in multiple syngeneic murine tumour models through both localized and systemic virus administration, in combination with rapalogs. In summary, our findings demonstrate that rapalog-inducible genetic switches based on Split-T7 polymerase allow for regulation of the oncolytic virus-driven production of tumour-localized IL-12 for improved anti-cancer immunotherapy.

3.
J Biol Chem ; 299(6): 104749, 2023 06.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37100284

RESUMO

The recent SARS-CoV-2 and mpox outbreaks have highlighted the need to expand our arsenal of broad-spectrum antiviral agents for future pandemic preparedness. Host-directed antivirals are an important tool to accomplish this as they typically offer protection against a broader range of viruses than direct-acting antivirals and have a lower susceptibility to viral mutations that cause drug resistance. In this study, we investigate the exchange protein activated by cAMP (EPAC) as a target for broad-spectrum antiviral therapy. We find that the EPAC-selective inhibitor, ESI-09, provides robust protection against a variety of viruses, including SARS-CoV-2 and Vaccinia (VACV)-an orthopox virus from the same family as mpox. We show, using a series of immunofluorescence experiments, that ESI-09 remodels the actin cytoskeleton through Rac1/Cdc42 GTPases and the Arp2/3 complex, impairing internalization of viruses that use clathrin-mediated endocytosis (e.g. VSV) or micropinocytosis (e.g. VACV). Additionally, we find that ESI-09 disrupts syncytia formation and inhibits cell-to-cell transmission of viruses such as measles and VACV. When administered to immune-deficient mice in an intranasal challenge model, ESI-09 protects mice from lethal doses of VACV and prevents formation of pox lesions. Altogether, our finding shows that EPAC antagonists such as ESI-09 are promising candidates for broad-spectrum antiviral therapy that can aid in the fight against ongoing and future viral outbreaks.


Assuntos
Antivirais , COVID-19 , Mpox , Vacínia , Animais , Camundongos , Antivirais/farmacologia , Mpox/tratamento farmacológico , SARS-CoV-2/efeitos dos fármacos , Vacínia/tratamento farmacológico , Vaccinia virus/efeitos dos fármacos
4.
Front Immunol ; 14: 1099459, 2023.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36969187

RESUMO

Introduction: Adipocytes in the tumour microenvironment are highly dynamic cells that have an established role in tumour progression, but their impact on anti-cancer therapy resistance is becoming increasingly difficult to overlook. Methods: We investigated the role of adipose tissue and adipocytes in response to oncolytic virus (OV) therapy in adipose-rich tumours such as breast and ovarian neoplasms. Results: We show that secreted products in adipocyte-conditioned medium significantly impairs productive virus infection and OV-driven cell death. This effect was not due to the direct neutralization of virions or inhibition of OV entry into host cells. Instead, further investigation of adipocyte secreted factors demonstrated that adipocyte-mediated OV resistance is primarily a lipid-driven phenomenon. When lipid moieties are depleted from the adipocyte-conditioned medium, cancer cells are re-sensitized to OV-mediated destruction. We further demonstrated that blocking fatty acid uptake by cancer cells, in a combinatorial strategy with virotherapy, has clinical translational potential to overcome adipocyte-mediated OV resistance. Discussion: Our findings indicate that while adipocyte secreted factors can impede OV infection, the impairment of OV treatment efficacy can be overcome by modulating lipid flux in the tumour milieu.


Assuntos
Terapia Viral Oncolítica , Vírus Oncolíticos , Neoplasias Ovarianas , Humanos , Feminino , Microambiente Tumoral , Meios de Cultivo Condicionados , Vírus Oncolíticos/fisiologia , Neoplasias Ovarianas/terapia , Lipídeos
5.
Front Immunol ; 13: 1029269, 2022.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36405739

RESUMO

Colorectal cancer is the third most diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide, highlighting an urgent need for new therapeutic options and combination strategies for patients. The orchestration of potent T cell responses against human cancers is necessary for effective antitumour immunity. However, regression of a limited number of cancers has been induced by immune checkpoint inhibitors, T cell engagers (TCEs) and/or oncolytic viruses. Although one TCE has been FDA-approved for the treatment of hematological malignancies, many challenges exist for the treatment of solid cancers. Here, we show that TCEs targeting CEACAM5 and CD3 stimulate robust activation of CD4 and CD8-positive T cells in in vitro co-culture models with colorectal cancer cells, but in vivo efficacy is hindered by a lack of TCE retention in the tumour microenvironment and short TCE half-life, as demonstrated by HiBiT bioluminescent TCE-tagging technology. To overcome these limitations, we engineered Bispecific Engager Viruses, or BEVirs, a novel tumour-targeted vaccinia virus platform for intra-tumour delivery of these immunomodulatory molecules. We characterized virus-mediated TCE-secretion, TCE specificity and functionality from infected colorectal cancer cells and patient tumour samples, as well as TCE cytotoxicity in spheroid models, in the presence and absence of T cells. Importantly, we show regression of colorectal tumours in both syngeneic and xenograft mouse models. Our data suggest that a different profile of cytokines may contribute to the pro-inflammatory and immune effects driven by T cells in the tumour microenvironment to provide long-lasting immunity and abscopal effects. We establish combination regimens with immune checkpoint inhibitors for aggressive colorectal peritoneal metastases. We also observe a significant reduction in lung metastases of colorectal tumours through intravenous delivery of our oncolytic virus driven T-cell based combination immunotherapy to target colorectal tumours and FAP-positive stromal cells or CTLA4-positive Treg cells in the tumour microenvironment. In summary, we devised a novel combination strategy for the treatment of colorectal cancers using oncolytic vaccinia virus to enhance immune-payload delivery and boost T cell responses within tumours.


Assuntos
Neoplasias Colorretais , Terapia Viral Oncolítica , Vírus Oncolíticos , Humanos , Camundongos , Animais , Inibidores de Checkpoint Imunológico/farmacologia , Inibidores de Checkpoint Imunológico/uso terapêutico , Imunoterapia , Vaccinia virus , Modelos Animais de Doenças , Neoplasias Colorretais/terapia , Microambiente Tumoral
6.
Nat Commun ; 13(1): 1898, 2022 04 07.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35393414

RESUMO

Recent advances in cancer therapeutics clearly demonstrate the need for innovative multiplex therapies that attack the tumour on multiple fronts. Oncolytic or "cancer-killing" viruses (OVs) represent up-and-coming multi-mechanistic immunotherapeutic drugs for the treatment of cancer. In this study, we perform an in-vitro screen based on virus-encoded artificial microRNAs (amiRNAs) and find that a unique amiRNA, herein termed amiR-4, confers a replicative advantage to the VSVΔ51 OV platform. Target validation of amiR-4 reveals ARID1A, a protein involved in chromatin remodelling, as an important player in resistance to OV replication. Virus-directed targeting of ARID1A coupled with small-molecule inhibition of the methyltransferase EZH2 leads to the synthetic lethal killing of both infected and uninfected tumour cells. The bystander killing of uninfected cells is mediated by intercellular transfer of extracellular vesicles carrying amiR-4 cargo. Altogether, our findings establish that OVs can serve as replicating vehicles for amiRNA therapeutics with the potential for combination with small molecule and immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy.


Assuntos
Vesículas Extracelulares , MicroRNAs , Neoplasias , Terapia Viral Oncolítica , Vírus Oncolíticos , Humanos , MicroRNAs/genética , Neoplasias/terapia , Vírus Oncolíticos/genética
7.
Front Immunol ; 13: 1050250, 2022.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36713447

RESUMO

Poxvirus vectors represent versatile modalities for engineering novel vaccines and cancer immunotherapies. In addition to their oncolytic capacity and immunogenic influence, they can be readily engineered to express multiple large transgenes. However, the integration of multiple payloads into poxvirus genomes by traditional recombination-based approaches can be highly inefficient, time-consuming and cumbersome. Herein, we describe a simple, cost-effective approach to rapidly generate and purify a poxvirus vector with multiple transgenes. By utilizing a simple, modular CRISPR/Cas9 assisted-recombinant vaccinia virus engineering (CARVE) system, we demonstrate generation of a recombinant vaccinia virus expressing three distinct transgenes at three different loci in less than 1 week. We apply CARVE to rapidly generate a novel immunogenic vaccinia virus vector, which expresses a bacterial diadenylate cyclase. This novel vector, STINGPOX, produces cyclic di-AMP, a STING agonist, which drives IFN signaling critical to the anti-tumor immune response. We demonstrate that STINGPOX can drive IFN signaling in primary human cancer tissue explants. Using an immunocompetent murine colon cancer model, we demonstrate that intratumoral administration of STINGPOX in combination with checkpoint inhibitor, anti-PD1, promotes survival post-tumour challenge. These data demonstrate the utility of CRISPR/Cas9 in the rapid arming of poxvirus vectors with therapeutic payloads to create novel immunotherapies.


Assuntos
Neoplasias , Poxviridae , Humanos , Animais , Camundongos , Vetores Genéticos/genética , Vaccinia virus , Poxviridae/genética , Imunoterapia
8.
J Cancer Res Clin Oncol ; 147(5): 1365-1378, 2021 May.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33555379

RESUMO

PURPOSE: Mutations in BRAF are the most prominent activating mutations in melanoma and are increasingly recognized in other cancers. There is currently no accepted treatment regimen for patients with mutant BRAFK601N melanoma, and the study of melanoma driven by BRAF mutations at the 601 locus is lacking due to a paucity of cellular model systems. Therefore, we sought to better understand the treatment and clinical approach to patients with mutant BRAFK601N melanoma and subsequently develop a novel personalized oncology platform for rare or treatment-refractory cancers. METHODS: We developed and characterized the first patient-derived, naturally occurring BRAFK601N melanoma model, described herein as OHRI-MEL-13, and assessed efficacy using the Prestwick Chemical Library and select targeted therapeutics. RESULTS: OHRI-MEL-13 exhibits loss of heterozygosity of BRAF, closely mimics the original tumor's gene expression profile, is tumorigenic in immune-deficient murine models, and is available for public accession through American Type Culture Collection. We present in silico modeling data, which illustrates the therapeutic failure of BRAFV600E-targeted therapies in BRAFK601N mutants. Our platform elucidated a unique role for MEK inhibition with cobimetinib, which resulted in short-term clinical success by reducing the metastatic burden. CONCLUSION: Our model of BRAFK601N-activated melanoma was developed, thoroughly characterized, and made available for public accession. This model served to demonstrate the feasibility of a novel personalized oncology platform that could be optimized at an institutional level for rare variant or treatment-refractory cancers. We also demonstrate the clinical utility of monotherapy MEK inhibition in a case of BRAFK601N melanoma.


Assuntos
Antineoplásicos/farmacologia , Melanoma/tratamento farmacológico , Melanoma/genética , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas B-raf/genética , Neoplasias Cutâneas/tratamento farmacológico , Neoplasias Cutâneas/genética , Animais , Carcinogênese/efeitos dos fármacos , Carcinogênese/genética , Linhagem Celular Tumoral , Desenvolvimento de Medicamentos/métodos , Humanos , Camundongos , Camundongos Endogâmicos NOD , Camundongos Nus , Camundongos SCID , Mutação/genética , Medicina de Precisão , Transcriptoma/efeitos dos fármacos , Transcriptoma/genética
9.
Mol Ther Oncolytics ; 14: 246-252, 2019 Sep 27.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-31428674

RESUMO

Vaccinia virus (VACV) possesses a great safety record as a smallpox vaccine and has been intensively used as an oncolytic virus against various types of cancer over the past decade. Different strategies were developed to make VACV safe and selective to cancer cells. Leading clinical candidates, such as Pexa-Vec, are attenuated through deletion of the viral thymidine kinase (TK) gene, which limits virus growth to replicate in cancer tissue. However, tumors are not the only tissues whose metabolic activity can overcome the lack of viral TK. In this study, we sought to further increase the tumor-specific replication and oncolytic potential of Copenhagen strain VACV ΔTK. We show that deletion of the anti-apoptosis viral gene F1L not only increases the safety of the Copenhagen ΔTK virus but also improves its oncolytic activity in an aggressive glioblastoma model. The additional loss of F1L does not affect VACV replication capacity, yet its ability to induce cancer cell death is significantly increased. Our results also indicate that cell death induced by the Copenhagen ΔTK/F1L mutant releases more immunogenic signals, as indicated by increased levels of IL-1ß production. A cytotoxicity screen in an NCI-60 panel shows that the ΔTK/F1L virus induces faster tumor cell death in different cancer types. Most importantly, we show that, compared to the TK-deleted virus, the ΔTK/F1L virus is attenuated in human normal cells and causes fewer pox lesions in murine models. Collectively, our findings describe a new oncolytic vaccinia deletion strain that improves safety and increases tumor cell killing.

10.
Mol Ther Oncolytics ; 14: 107-120, 2019 Sep 27.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-31193718

RESUMO

Intratumoral injection of oncolytic viruses provides a direct means of tumor cell destruction for inoperable tumors. Unfortunately, oncolytic vectors based on human adenovirus (HAdV) typically do not spread efficiently throughout the tumor mass, reducing the efficacy of treatment. In this study, we explore the efficacy of a conditionally replicating HAdV vector expressing the p14 Fusion-Associated Small Transmembrane (FAST) protein (CRAdFAST) in both immunocompetent and immunodeficient mouse models of cancer. The p14 FAST protein mediates cell-cell fusion, which may enhance spread of the virus-mediated, tumor cell-killing effect. In the murine 4T1 model of cancer, treatment with CRAdFAST resulted in enhanced cell death compared to vector lacking the p14 FAST gene, but it did not reduce the tumor growth rate in vivo. In the human A549 lung adenocarcinoma model of cancer, CRAdFAST showed significantly improved oncolytic efficacy in vitro and in vivo. In an A549 xenograft tumor model in vivo, CRAdFAST induced tumor cell fusion, which led to the formation of large acellular regions within the tumor and significantly reduced the tumor growth rate compared to control vector. Our results indicate that expression of p14 FAST from an oncolytic HAdV can improve vector efficacy for the treatment of cancer.

11.
J Nucl Cardiol ; 26(4): 1169-1178, 2019 08.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-29417414

RESUMO

BACKGROUND: Chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5) plays an important role in atherosclerosis. Our objective was to develop a SPECT tracer targeting CCR5 for imaging plaque inflammation by radiolabeling D-Ala-peptide T-amide (DAPTA), a CCR5 antagonist, with 111In. METHODS: 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid (DOTA) conjugated DAPTA (DOTA-DAPTA) was labeled with 111In. Cell uptake studies were conducted in U87-CD4-CCR5 and U87-MG cells. Biodistribution was determined in C57BL/6 mice. Autoradiography, en face and Oil Red O (ORO) imaging studies were performed in ApoE-/- mice. RESULTS: DOTA-DAPTA was radiolabeled with 111In with high radiochemical purity (> 98%) and specific activity (70 MBq·nmol). 111In-DOTA-DAPTA exhibited fast blood and renal clearance and high spleen uptake. The U87-CD4-CCR5 cells had significantly higher uptake in comparison to the U87-MG cells. The cell uptake was reduced by three times with DAPTA, indicating the receptor specificity of the uptake. Autoradiographic images showed significantly higher lesion uptake of 111In-DOTA-DAPTA in ApoE-/- mice than that in C57BL/6 mice. The tracer uptake in 4 month old ApoE-/- high fat diet (HFD) mice with blocking agent was twofold lower than the same mice without the blocking agent, demonstrating the specificity of the tracer for the CCR5 receptor. CONCLUSION: 111In-DOTA-DAPTA, specifically targeting chemokine receptor CCR5, is a potential SPECT agent for imaging inflammation in atherosclerosis.


Assuntos
Alanina/química , Compostos Heterocíclicos com 1 Anel/química , Radioisótopos de Índio/química , Receptores CCR5/química , Animais , Aterosclerose/diagnóstico por imagem , Linfócitos T CD4-Positivos/citologia , Linhagem Celular Tumoral , Feminino , Humanos , Inflamação , Camundongos , Camundongos Endogâmicos C57BL , Camundongos Knockout para ApoE , Tomografia Computadorizada de Emissão de Fóton Único
12.
J Nucl Med ; 58(2): 221-227, 2017 02.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-27635026

RESUMO

Oncolytic virus (OV) therapy has emerged as a novel tool in our therapeutic arsenals for fighting cancer. As a live biologic agent, OV has the ability to target and selectively amplify at the tumor sites. We have reported that a vaccinia-based OV (Pexa-Vec) has shown good efficacy in preclinical models and in clinical trials. To give an additional tool to clinicians to allow both treatment of the tumor and improved visualization of tumor margins, we developed new viral-based platforms with 2 specific gene reporters. METHODS: We incorporated the human sodium iodide symporter (hNIS) and the human somatostatin receptor 2 (hSSR2) in the vaccinia-based OV and tested viral constructs for their abilities to track and treat tumor development in vivo. RESULTS: Early and high-level expression of hNIS is detrimental to the recombinant virus, leading to the aggregation of hNIS protein and early cell death. Putting hNIS under a late synthetic promoter allowed a higher functional expression of the protein and much stronger 123I or 99Tc uptake. In vivo, the hNIS-containing virus infected and amplified in the tumor site, showing a better efficacy than the parental virus. The hNIS expression at the tumor site allowed for the imaging of viral infection and tumor regression. Similarly, hSSR2-containing OV vaccinia infected and lysed cancer cells. CONCLUSION: When tumor-bearing mice were given hNIS- and hSSR2-containing OV, 99Tc and 111In signals coalesced at the tumor, highlighting the power of using these viruses for tumor diagnosis and treatment.


Assuntos
Neoplasias Experimentais/diagnóstico por imagem , Neoplasias Experimentais/terapia , Terapia Viral Oncolítica/métodos , Receptores de Somatostatina/genética , Simportadores/genética , Vaccinia virus/fisiologia , Animais , Linhagem Celular Tumoral , Feminino , Genes Reporter/genética , Humanos , Camundongos , Camundongos Nus , Neoplasias Experimentais/virologia , Vírus Oncolíticos/fisiologia , Tomografia por Emissão de Pósitrons/métodos , Recombinação Genética/genética , Reprodutibilidade dos Testes , Sensibilidade e Especificidade , Nanomedicina Teranóstica/métodos , Resultado do Tratamento , Regulação para Cima/genética
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