The impact of transportation time on apoptosis in allogeneic stem cell grafts and the clinical outcome in malignant patients with unrelated donors.

BACKGROUND: The quality of cells in peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) grafts is important for allogeneic stem cell transplantation outcome. The viability of PBSC grafts may decrease during transportation time between donor and transplant center. We hypothesize that the graft viability based on apoptosis and necrosis in the graft may better reflect graft quality and clinical outcome. METHODS: PBSC graft viability from unrelated donors was analyzed in 91 patients. Viable cells were defined as 7-aminoactinomycin D- and Annexin V-negative. The clinical outcome, including survival, transplant-related mortality and graft-versus-host disease (GvHD), was correlated to graft viability. RESULTS: Grafts transported for 1 day had a median viability of 86.4% (range 63.8 to 98.9%), and grafts transported for 2 days had median viability of 83.2% (range 52.8% to 96.2%) (P = .003). Grafts were divided into two groups based on the median graft viability of 85.1%. Patients who received low viability grafts had lower 1-year survival of 63.7% compared with 88.9% for those who received high viability grafts (P = .007). In the multivariate analysis, transplant-related mortality (TRM) was higher in the low viability group (P = .03), whereas overall survival was not significantly associated with graft viability. The incidence of acute GvHD grade II to IV, chronic GvHD and relapse risk remained comparable between the groups. CONCLUSION: Low graft viability was an independent predictor of 1-year survival and TRM after adjusting for multiple confounders. Better graft quality markers are important for the detection of clinically important variations in the stem cell graft.

Natural killer cell-mediated immunosurveillance of human cancer.

The contribution of natural killer (NK) cells to immunosurveillance of human cancer remains debatable. Here, we discuss advances in several areas of human NK cell research, many of which support the ability of NK cells to prevent cancer development and avoid relapse following adoptive immunotherapy. We describe the molecular basis for NK cell recognition of human tumor cells and provide evidence for NK cell-mediated killing of human primary tumor cells ex vivo. Subsequently, we highlight studies demonstrating the ability of NK cells to migrate to, and reside in, the human tumor microenvironment where selection of tumor escape variants from NK cells can occur. Indirect evidence for NK cell immunosurveillance against human malignancies is provided by the reduced incidence of cancer in individuals with high levels of NK cell cytotoxicity, and the significant clinical responses observed following infusion of human NK cells into cancer patients. Finally, we describe studies showing enhanced tumor progression, or increased cancer incidence, in patients with inherited and acquired defects in cellular cytotoxicity. All these observations have in common that they, either indirectly or directly, suggest a role for NK cells in mediating immunosurveillance against human cancer. This opens up for exciting possibilities with respect to further exploring NK cells in settings of adoptive immunotherapy in human cancer.

Naive Donor NK Cell Repertoires Associated with Less Leukemia Relapse after Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation.

Acute and latent human CMV cause profound changes in the NK cell repertoire, with expansion and differentiation of educated NK cells expressing self-specific inhibitory killer cell Ig-like receptors. In this study, we addressed whether such CMV-induced imprints on the donor NK cell repertoire influenced the outcome of allogeneic stem cell transplantation. Hierarchical clustering of high-resolution immunophenotyping data covering key NK cell parameters, including frequencies of CD56(bright), NKG2A(+), NKG2C(+), and CD57(+) NK cell subsets, as well as the size of the educated NK cell subset, was linked to clinical outcomes. Clusters defining naive (NKG2A(+)CD57(-)NKG2C(-)) NK cell repertoires in the donor were associated with decreased risk for relapse in recipients with acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome (hazard ratio [HR], 0.09; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.03-0.27; p < 0.001). Furthermore, recipients with naive repertoires at 9-12 mo after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation had increased disease-free survival (HR, 7.2; 95% CI: 1.6-33; p = 0.01) and increased overall survival (HR, 9.3; 95% CI: 1.1-77, p = 0.04). Conversely, patients with a relative increase in differentiated NK cells at 9-12 mo displayed a higher rate of late relapses (HR, 8.41; 95% CI: 6.7-11; p = 0.02), reduced disease-free survival (HR, 0.12; 95% CI: 0.12-0.74; p = 0.02), and reduced overall survival (HR, 0.07; 95% CI: 0.01-0.69; p = 0.02). Thus, our data suggest that naive donor NK cell repertoires are associated with protection against leukemia relapse after allogeneic HSCT.

Activated innate lymphoid cells are associated with a reduced susceptibility to graft-versus-host disease.

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is widely used to treat hematopoietic cell disorders but is often complicated by graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), which causes severe epithelial damage. Here we have investigated longitudinally the effects of induction chemotherapy, conditioning radiochemotherapy, and allogeneic HSCT on composition, phenotype, and recovery of circulating innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) in 51 acute leukemia patients. We found that reconstitution of ILC1, ILC2, and NCR(-)ILC3 was slow compared with that of neutrophils and monocytes. NCR(+) ILC3 cells, which are not present in the circulation of healthy persons, appeared both after induction chemotherapy and after allogeneic HSCT. Circulating patient ILCs before transplantation, as well as donor ILCs after transplantation, expressed activation (CD69), proliferation (Ki-67), and tissue homing markers for gut (α4ß7, CCR6) and skin (CCR10 and CLA). The proportion of ILCs expressing these markers was associated with a decreased susceptibility to therapy-induced mucositis and acute GVHD. Taken together, these data suggest that ILC recovery and treatment-related tissue damage are interrelated and affect the development of GVHD.

NK cell responses to cytomegalovirus infection lead to stable imprints in the human KIR repertoire and involve activating KIRs.

Human natural killer (NK) cells are functionally regulated by killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) and their interactions with HLA class I molecules. As KIR expression in a given NK cell is genetically hard-wired, we hypothesized that KIR repertoire perturbations reflect expansions of unique NK-cell subsets and may be used to trace adaptation of the NK-cell compartment to virus infections. By determining the human "KIR-ome" at a single-cell level in more than 200 donors, we were able to analyze the magnitude of NK cell adaptation to virus infections in healthy individuals. Strikingly, infection with human cytomegalovirus (CMV), but not with other common herpesviruses, induced expansion and differentiation of KIR-expressing NK cells, visible as stable imprints in the repertoire. Education by inhibitory KIRs promoted the clonal-like expansion of NK cells, causing a bias for self-specific inhibitory KIRs. Furthermore, our data revealed a unique contribution of activating KIRs (KIR2DS4, KIR2DS2, or KIR3DS1), in addition to NKG2C, in the expansion of human NK cells. These results provide new insight into the diversity of KIR repertoire and its adaptation to virus infection, suggesting a role for both activating and inhibitory KIRs in immunity to CMV infection.

Patient-Specific Measurable Residual Disease Markers Predict Outcome in Patients With Myelodysplastic Syndrome and Related Diseases After Hematopoietic Stem-Cell Transplantation.

PURPOSE: Clinical relapse is the major threat for patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) undergoing hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT). Early detection of measurable residual disease (MRD) would enable preemptive treatment and potentially reduced relapse risk. METHODS: Patients with MDS planned for HSCT were enrolled in a prospective, observational study evaluating the association between MRD and clinical outcome. We collected bone marrow (BM) and peripheral blood samples until relapse, death, or end of study 24 months after HSCT. Patient-specific mutations were identified with targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) panel and traced using droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR). RESULTS: Of 266 included patients, estimated relapse-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) rates 3 years after HSCT were 59% and 64%, respectively. MRD results were available for 221 patients. Relapse was preceded by positive BM MRD in 42/44 relapses with complete MRD data, by a median of 71 (23-283) days. Of 137 patients in continuous complete remission, 93 were consistently MRD-negative, 39 reverted from MRD+ to MRD-, and five were MRD+ at last sampling. Estimated 1 year-RFS after first positive MRD was 49%, 39%, and 30%, using cutoff levels of 0.1%, 0.3%, and 0.5%, respectively. In a multivariate Cox model, MRD (hazard ratio [HR], 7.99), WHO subgroup AML (HR, 4.87), TP53 multi-hit (HR, 2.38), NRAS (HR, 3.55), and acute GVHD grade III-IV (HR, 4.13) were associated with shorter RFS. MRD+ was also independently associated with shorter OS (HR, 2.65). In a subgroup analysis of 100 MRD+ patients, presence of chronic GVHD was associated with longer RFS (HR, 0.32). CONCLUSION: Assessment of individualized MRD using NGS + ddPCR is feasible and can be used for early detection of relapse. Positive MRD is associated with shorter RFS and OS (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02872662).

Effect of mTOR Inhibition with Sirolimus on Natural Killer Cell Reconstitution in Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation.

Sirolimus is an inhibitor of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and is emerging as a promising component of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis regimens in the context of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Multiple studies have explored the clinical benefits of adding sirolimus to GVHD prophylaxis; however, detailed immunologic studies have not yet been carried out in this context. Mechanistically, mTOR is at the center of metabolic regulation in T cells and natural killer (NK) cells and is critical for their differentiation to mature effector cells. Therefore, close evaluation of the inhibition of mTOR in the context of immune reconstitution post-HSCT is warranted. In this work, we studied the effect of sirolimus on immune reconstitution using a biobank of longitudinal samples from patients receiving either tacrolimus/sirolimus (TAC/SIR) or cyclosporin A/methotrexate (CSA/MTX) as conventional GVHD prophylaxis. Healthy donor controls, donor graft material, and samples from 28 patients (14 with TAC/SIR, 14 with CSA/MTX) at 3 to 4 weeks and 34 to 39 weeks post- HSCT were collected. Multicolor flow cytometry was used to perform broad immune cell mapping, with a focus on NK cells. NK cell proliferation was evaluated over a 6-day in vitro homeostatic proliferation protocol. Furthermore, in vitro NK cell responses to cytokine stimulation or tumor cells were evaluated. Systems-level assessment of the immune repertoire revealed a deep and prolonged suppression (weeks 34 to 39 post-HSCT) of the naïve CD4 T cell compartment with relative sparing of regulatory T cells and enrichment of CD69+Ki-67+HLA-DR+ CD8 T cells, independent of the type of GVHD prophylaxis. Early after transplantation (weeks 3 to 4), while patients were still on TAC/SIR or CSA/MTX, we found a relative increase in less-differentiated CD56bright NK cells and NKG2A+CD57-KIR- CD56dim NK cells and a distinct loss of CD16 and DNAM-1 expression. Both regimens led to suppressed proliferative responses ex vivo and functional impairment with preferential loss of cytokine responsiveness and IFN-γ production. Patients who received TAC/SIR as GVHD prophylaxis showed delayed NK cell reconstitution with lower overall NK cell counts and fewer CD56bright and NKG2A+ CD56dim NK cells. Treatment with sirolimus-containing regimens generated similar immune cell profiles as conventional prophylaxis; however, the NK cell compartment seemed to be composed of slightly more mature NK cells. These effects were also present after the completion of GVHD prophylaxis, suggesting that mTOR inhibition with sirolimus leaves a lasting imprint on homeostatic proliferation and NK cell reconstitution following HSCT.

Expression patterns of NKG2A, KIR, and CD57 define a process of CD56dim NK-cell differentiation uncoupled from NK-cell education.

Natural killer (NK) cells are lymphocytes of the innate immune system that, following differentiation from CD56(bright) to CD56(dim) cells, have been thought to retain fixed functional and phenotypic properties throughout their lifespan. In contrast to this notion, we here show that CD56(dim) NK cells continue to differentiate. During this process, they lose expression of NKG2A, sequentially acquire inhibitory killer cell inhibitory immunoglobulin-like receptors and CD57, change their expression patterns of homing molecules, and display a gradual decline in proliferative capacity. All cellular intermediates of this process are represented in varying proportions at steady state and appear, over time, during the reconstitution of the immune system, as demonstrated in humanized mice and in patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. CD56(dim) NK-cell differentiation, and the associated functional imprint, occurs independently of NK-cell education by interactions with self-human leukocyte antigen class I ligands and is an essential part of the formation of human NK-cell repertoires.

NK cells expressing inhibitory KIR for non-self-ligands remain tolerant in HLA-matched sibling stem cell transplantation.

Natural killer (NK)-cell alloreactivity in recipients of hematopoietic stem cell grafts from HLA-identical siblings is intriguing and has suggested breaking of NK-cell tolerance during the posttransplantation period. To examine this possibility, we analyzed clinical outcomes in a cohort of 105 patients with myeloid malignancies who received T cell-replete grafts from HLA-matched sibling donors. Presence of inhibitory killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) for nonself HLA class I ligands had no effect on disease-free survival, incidence of relapse, or graft-versus-host disease. A longitudinal analysis of the NK-cell repertoire and function revealed a global hyporesponsiveness of NK cells early after transplantation. Functional responses recovered at approximately 6 months after transplantation. Importantly, NKG2A(-) NK cells expressing KIRs for nonself HLA class I ligands remained tolerant at all time points. Furthermore, a direct comparison of NK-cell reconstitution in T cell-replete and T cell-depleted HLA-matched sibling stem cell transplantation (SCT) revealed that NKG2A(+) NK cells dominated the functional repertoire early after transplantation, with intact tolerance of NKG2A(-) NK cells expressing KIRs for nonself ligands in both settings. Our results provide evidence against the emergence of alloreactive NK cells in HLA-identical allogeneic SCT.

Lineage-specific early complete donor chimerism and risk of relapse after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for acute myeloid leukemia.

Recipient-donor chimerism is routinely analyzed after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) to monitor engraftment and graft rejection. For malignancies, chimerism can also be used to screen for disease relapse post-HSCT but methodology and interpretation of results are not standardized and likely depend on underlying diagnosis. We have implemented highly sensitive and accurate methodologies for chimerism analysis for the purpose of improving relapse prediction. Here, we report an exploratory retrospective analysis of clinical routine chimerism results from all 154 HSCTs for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) performed at our center during the years 2015-2020 with the aim of suggesting a clinically useful threshold at which risk of relapse is high. Relapse was not reliably predicted based on single elevated chimerism values obtained before time of overt relapse. However, early complete donor chimerism, here defined as recipient DNA < 0.2% in CD33+ cells in any blood or bone marrow sample taken during the first 60 days after HSCT, correlated inversely with relapse during the observation time (log-rank test P = 0.033). We propose that achievement of complete chimerism determined early after HSCT using sensitive methods can be used for risk-stratification of AML patients.

Early relapse prediction after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) using lineage-specific chimerism analysis.

Relapse is a major cause of treatment failure after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) for acute leukemia. Here, we report a monocentric retrospective study of all HSCTs for B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) performed during the years 2005-2021 (n = 138, including 51 children), aiming to identify the optimal use of lineage-specific recipient-donor chimerism analysis for prediction of relapse. In adults, relapse was associated with increased recipient chimerism in CD3+ bone marrow cells sampled at least 30 days before a relapse. Relapse could be predicted with a sensitivity of 73% and a specificity of 83%. Results were similar for children but with a higher recipient chimerism cutoff. Additionally, adults that had at least one chimerism value <0.12% in CD3+ peripheral blood cells within the first 60 days after HSCT had 89% probability of being relapse-free after 2-years compared to 64%. Results were similar for children but again necessitating a higher chimerism cutoff. These results suggest that high-sensitive lineage-specific chimerism analysis can be used for (1) early ALL relapse prediction by longitudinal chimerism monitoring in CD3+ bone marrow cells and (2) relapse risk stratification by analyzing CD3+ blood cells early post-HSCT.

Adaptive single-KIR+NKG2C+ NK cells expanded from select superdonors show potent missing-self reactivity and efficiently control HLA-mismatched acute myeloid leukemia.

BACKGROUND: Natural killer (NK) cells hold great promise as a source for allogeneic cell therapy against hematological malignancies, including acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Current treatments are hampered by variability in NK cell subset responses, a limitation which could be circumvented by specific expansion of highly potent single killer immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR)+NKG2C+ adaptive NK cells to maximize missing-self reactivity. METHODS: We developed a GMP-compliant protocol to expand adaptive NK cells from cryopreserved cells derived from select third-party superdonors, that is, donors harboring large adaptive NK cell subsets with desired KIR specificities at baseline. We studied the adaptive state of the cell product (ADAPT-NK) by flow cytometry and mass cytometry as well as cellular indexing of transcriptomes and epitopes by sequencing (CITE-Seq). We investigated the functional responses of ADAPT-NK cells against a wide range of tumor target cell lines and primary AML samples using flow cytometry and IncuCyte as well as in a mouse model of AML. RESULTS: ADAPT-NK cells were >90% pure with a homogeneous expression of a single self-HLA specific KIR and expanded a median of 470-fold. The ADAPT-NK cells largely retained their adaptive transcriptional signature with activation of effector programs without signs of exhaustion. ADAPT-NK cells showed high degranulation capacity and efficient killing of HLA-C/KIR mismatched tumor cell lines as well as primary leukemic blasts from AML patients. Finally, the expanded adaptive NK cells had preserved robust antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity potential and combination of ADAPT-NK cells with an anti-CD16/IL-15/anti-CD33 tri-specific engager led to near-complete killing of resistant CD45dim blast subtypes. CONCLUSIONS: These preclinical data demonstrate the feasibility of off-the-shelf therapy with a non-engineered, yet highly specific, NK cell population with full missing-self recognition capability.

Estimation of the size of the alloreactive NK cell repertoire: studies in individuals homozygous for the group A KIR haplotype.

Stem cell transplantation across HLA barriers may trigger NK cell-mediated graft-vs-leukemia effects leading to improved survival for patients with hematological malignancies. However, the genetic algorithm based on killer cell Ig-like receptor (KIR) and HLA genes used to predict NK cell alloreactivity have yielded discrepant results. Accordingly, it has been difficult to define transplantation settings that favor NK cell alloreactivity. In this study, we have used multiparameter flow cytometry to simultaneously analyze the cell surface expression of all four major inhibitory KIR and CD94/NKG2A to determine the size of the alloreactive NK cell repertoires in 31 individuals homozygous for the group A KIR haplotype. We observed a vast variability in the frequencies of cells with an alloreactive potential, ranging from 0 to 62% of the total NK cell population depending on which, and how many, KIR ligands were missing in theoretical recipients. This analysis required a functional examination of KIR3DL2-single positive NK cells, showing that this subset was hyporesponsive in individuals harboring the cognate ligands HLA-A3/A11. The results provide new insights into the variability of the functional alloreactive NK cell repertoire and have implications for donor selection in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and adoptive NK cell-based immunotherapy.

Reduced Risk of Sinusoidal Obstruction Syndrome of the Liver after Busulfan-Cyclophosphamide Conditioning Prior to Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the incidence of sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (SOS) of the liver and the clinical outcome after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) based on several modifications in our protocols. We retrospectively investigated 372 patients undergoing myeloablative conditioning with oral busulfan (Bu) and cyclophosphamide before allogeneic HSCT during 1990-2015. Patients' supportive care was changed in order to reduce the regimen-related toxicities. Norethisterone use was terminated in 1998, therapeutic drug monitoring of Bu was initiated in 2000, and the use of liver supportive drugs, such as ursodeoxycholic acid and N-acetyl-L-cysteine, were started in 2002 and 2009, respectively. In total, 26 patients (7.0%) developed SOS at a median of 19 days after transplantation. Of these 26 patients, 20 died at a median of 119 days after HSCT and 102 days after the diagnosis of SOS. The incidence of SOS decreased over time in accordance with the improvements in supportive care. The highest incidence of SOS was during 1995-1999 (16.2%) compared with 2.3% during 2010-2015. Overall survival for patients with SOS was 62%, 46%, and 27% at 100 days, 1 year, and 5 years after HSCT, respectively, compared with 92%, 77%, and 66% for those who did not develop SOS (P < 0.001). In conclusion, the incidence of SOS and related deaths were significantly decreased over the last years. Our institution pursues massive preventative and personalized measures for SOS. This strategy may also be applicable in other conditioning protocols in order to reduce the incidence of SOS and, hence, improve the clinical outcome.

Complete Remission with Reduction of High-Risk Clones following Haploidentical NK-Cell Therapy against MDS and AML.

Purpose: To evaluate the safety, efficacy, and immunobiological correlates of allogeneic NK-cell-based therapy in primary chemotherapy-refractory or relapsed high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), secondary AML (MDS/AML), and de novo AML patients.Experimental Design: Sixteen patients received fludarabine/cyclophosphamide conditioning combined with total lymphoid irradiation followed by adoptive immunotherapy with IL2-activated haploidentical NK cells.Results: NK-cell infusions were well-tolerated, with only transient adverse events observed in the 16 patients. Six patients achieved objective responses with complete remission (CR), marrow CR, or partial remission (PR). Five patients proceeded to allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Three patients are still free from disease >3 years after treatment. All evaluable patients with objective responses (5/5 evaluable) had detectable donor NK cells at days 7/14 following infusion and displayed reduction of tumor cell clones, some of which carried poor prognosis mutations. Residual lin-CD34+CD123+CD45RA+ blast cells in responders had increased total HLA class I and HLA-E expression. Responding patients displayed less pronounced activation of CD8+ T cells and lower levels of inflammatory cytokines following NK-cell infusion. Intriguingly, despite omission of systemic IL2, all patients displayed increased frequencies of activated Ki-67+CD127-FoxP3+CD25hiCD4+ Treg cells of recipient origin following NK-cell therapy.Conclusions: Overall, this study suggests that high-risk MDS is responsive to NK-cell therapy and supports the use of haploidentical NK-cell infusions as a bridge to HSCT in refractory patients. Objective clinical responses and reduction of high-risk clones were associated with detectable donor-derived NK cells, immunoediting of residual blast cells, and less pronounced host immune activation. Clin Cancer Res; 24(8); 1834-44. ©2018 AACR.

Toxicological effects of fludarabine and treosulfan conditioning before allogeneic stem-cell transplantation.

We studied early potential treosulfan-related toxicity in 118 patients treated with treosulfan-based conditioning before allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation. Most patients (n = 93) had a hematological malignancy. In 80 cases, a HLA-A, -B and -DR matched unrelated donor was used, while 33 patients had a HLA-identical sibling donor, and five received an HLA-A, -B or -DR allele mismatched, unrelated donor. Levels of AST, ALT, and bilirubin were significantly increased 1 week after HSCT compared to before HSCT. However, only a few patients had transaminase levels >2 to 3 × the upper normal level. All patients became neutropenic; 61% were already so at the time of graft infusion. Nearly all patients engrafted, except for three who died very early. Non-relapse mortality was 7.5% at 100 days and 11.9% at 1 year after HSCT. Veno-occlusive disease of the liver occurred in one patient and hemorrhagic cystitis in two patients. This study shows that early regimen-related toxicity after HSCT was low despite similar marrow toxicities compared to myeloablative regimens.

Combining Flow and Mass Cytometry in the Search for Biomarkers in Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease.

Chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) is a debilitating complication arising in around half of all patients treated with an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Even though treatment of severe cGVHD has improved during recent years, it remains one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality in affected patients. Biomarkers in blood that could aid in the diagnosis and classification of cGVHD severity are needed for the development of novel treatment strategies that can alleviate symptoms and reduce the need for painful and sometimes complicated tissue biopsies. Methods that comprehensively profile complex biological systems such as the immune system can reveal unanticipated markers when used with the appropriate methods of data analysis. Here, we used mass cytometry, flow cytometry, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and multiplex assays to systematically profile immune cell populations in 68 patients with varying grades of cGVHD. We identified multiple subpopulations across T, B, and NK-cell lineages that distinguished patients with cGVHD from those without cGVHD and which were associated in varying ways with severity of cGVHD. Specifically, initial flow cytometry demonstrated that patients with more severe cGVHD had lower mucosal-associated T cell frequencies, with a concomitant higher level of CD38 expression on T cells. Mass cytometry could identify unique subpopulations specific for cGVHD severity albeit with some seemingly conflicting results. For instance, patients with severe cGVHD had an increased frequency of activated B cells compared to patients with moderate cGVHD while activated B cells were found at a reduced frequency in patients with mild cGVHD compared to patients without cGVHD. Moreover, results indicate it may be possible to validate mass cytometry results with clinically viable, smaller flow cytometry panels. Finally, no differences in levels of blood soluble markers could be identified, with the exception for the semi-soluble combined marker B-cell activating factor/B cell ratio, which was increased in patients with mild cGVHD compared to patients without cGVHD. These findings suggest that interdependencies between such perturbed subpopulations of cells play a role in cGVHD pathogenesis and can serve as future diagnostic and therapeutic targets.

Therapeutic potential and challenges of natural killer cells in treatment of solid tumors.

Natural killer (NK) cells are innate lymphoid cells that hold tremendous potential for effective immunotherapy for a broad range of cancers. Due to the mode of NK cell killing, requiring one-to-one target engagement and site-directed release of cytolytic granules, the therapeutic potential of NK cells has been most extensively explored in hematological malignancies. However, their ability to precisely kill antibody coated cells, cancer stem cells, and genotoxically altered cells, while maintaining tolerance to healthy cells makes them appealing therapeutic effectors for all cancer forms, including metastases. Due to their release of pro-inflammatory cytokines, NK cells may potently reverse the anti-inflammatory tumor microenvironment (TME) and augment adaptive immune responses by promoting differentiation, activation, and/or recruitment of accessory immune cells to sites of malignancy. Nevertheless, integrated and coordinated mechanisms of subversion of NK cell activity against the tumor and its microenvironment exist. Although our understanding of the receptor ligand interactions that regulate NK cell functionality has evolved remarkably, the diversity of ligands and receptors is complex, as is their mechanistic foundations in regulating NK cell function. In this article, we review the literature and highlight how the TME manipulates the NK cell phenotypes, genotypes, and tropism to evade tumor recognition and elimination. We discuss counter strategies that may be adopted to augment the efficacy of NK cell anti-tumor surveillance, the clinical trials that have been undertaken so far in solid malignancies, critically weighing the challenges and opportunities with this approach.

Harnessing adaptive natural killer cells in cancer immunotherapy.

Natural killer (NK) cells are innate lymphocytes with a refined ability to recognize transformed cells through a broad array of activating receptors in combination with stochastically expressed inhibitory receptors that recognize MHC-class I. Recent advances in NK cell biology have revealed a high degree of functional plasticity that can be attributed to dynamic cell-to-cell interactions in concert with transcriptional and epigenetic reprogramming. Here, we discuss how new insights into the adaptive behavior of NK cells pave the way for next generation cell therapy based on guided differentiation and selective expansion of particularly cytotoxic NK cell subsets.