An innovative single-cell approach for phenotyping and functional genotyping of CAR NK cells.

BACKGROUND: To accelerate the translation of novel immunotherapeutic treatment approaches, the development of analytic methods to assess their efficacy at early in vitro stages is necessary. Using a droplet-based microfluidic platform, we have established a method for multiparameter quantifiable phenotypic and genomic observations of immunotherapies. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) natural killer (NK) cells are of increased interest in the current immunotherapy landscape and thus provide an optimal model for evaluating our novel methodology. METHODS: For this approach, NK cells transduced with a CD19 CAR were compared with non-transduced NK cells in their ability to kill a lymphoma cell line. Using our microfluidic platform, we were able to quantify the increase in cytotoxicity and synaptic contact formation of CAR NK cells over non-transduced NK cells. We then optimized our droplet sorter and successfully used it to separate NK cells based on target cell killing to perform transcriptomic analyses. RESULTS: Our data revealed expected improvement in cytotoxicity with the CD19 CAR but more importantly, provided unique insights into the factors involved in the cytotoxic mechanisms of CAR NK cells. This demonstrates a novel, improved system for accelerating the pre-clinical screening of future immunotherapy treatments. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides a new potential approach for enhanced early screening of immunotherapies to improve their development, with a highly relevant cell model to demonstrate. Additionally, our validation studies provided some potential insights into transcriptomic determinants influencing CAR NK cytotoxicity.

Droplet microfluidics for functional temporal analysis and cell recovery on demand using microvalves: application in immunotherapies for cancer.

Most common methods of cellular analysis employ the top-down approach (investigating proteomics or genomics directly), thereby destroying the cell, which does not allow the possibility of using the same cell to correlate genomics with functional assays. Herein we describe an approach for single-cell tools that serve as a bottom-up approach. Our technology allows functional phenotyping to be conducted by observing the cytotoxicity of cells and then probe the underlying biology. We have developed a droplet microfluidic device capable of trapping droplets in the array and releasing the droplet of interest selectively using microvalves. Each droplet in the array encapsulates natural killer cells (NK cells) and tumour cells for real-time monitoring of burst kinetics and spatial coordination during killing by single NK cells. Finally, we use the microvalve actuation to selectively release droplets with the desired functional phenotype such as for fast and serial killing of target tumour cells by NK cells. From this perspective, our device allows for investigating first interactions and real-time monitoring of kinetics and later cell recovery on demand for single-cell omic analysis such as single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA), which to date, is primarily based on in-depth analyses of the entire transcriptome of a relatively low number of cells.

Quantifying the efficacy of checkpoint inhibitors on CD8+ cytotoxic T cells for immunotherapeutic applications via single-cell interaction.

The inhibition of the PD1/PDL1 pathway has led to remarkable clinical success for cancer treatment in some patients. Many, however, exhibit little to no response to this treatment. To increase the efficacy of PD1 inhibition, additional checkpoint inhibitors are being explored as combination therapy options. TSR-042 and TSR-033 are novel antibodies for the inhibition of the PD1 and LAG3 pathways, respectively, and are intended for combination therapy. Here, we explore the effect on cellular interactions of TSR-042 and TSR-033 alone and in combination at the single-cell level. Utilizing our droplet microfluidic platform, we use time-lapse microscopy to observe the effects of these antibodies on calcium flux in CD8+ T cells upon antigen presentation, as well as their effect on the cytotoxic potential of CD8+ T cells on human breast cancer cells. This platform allowed us to investigate the interactions between these treatments and their impacts on T-cell activity in greater detail than previously applied in vitro tests. The novel parameters we were able to observe included effects on the exact time to target cell killing, contact times, and potential for serial-killing by CD8+ T cells. We found that inhibition of LAG3 with TSR-033 resulted in a significant increase in calcium fluctuations of CD8+ T cells in contact with dendritic cells. We also found that the combination of TSR-042 and TSR-033 appears to synergistically increase tumor cell killing and the single-cell level. This study provides a novel single-cell-based assessment of the impact these checkpoint inhibitors have on cellular interactions with CD8+ T cells.