Final outcomes analysis of the cell product SQZ-PBMC-HPV Phase 1 trial in incurable HPV16+ solid tumors shows improved overall survival in patients with increased CD8+ T cell tumor infiltration.

Cancer vaccines strive to induce robust, antigen-targeted, T-cell-mediated immune responses but have struggled to produce meaningful regression in solid tumors. An autologous cell vaccine, SQZ-PBMC-HPV, was developed by SQZ Biotechnologies using microfluidic squeezing technology to load PBMCs with HPV16 E6 and E7 antigens in HLA-A*02+ patients. The SQZ-PBMC-HPV-101 Phase 1 trial (NCT04084951) enrolled patients with incurable HPV16+ cancers. Here, we present a post hoc analysis of the relationship between Posttreatment CD8+ T cell infiltration and patient outcomes. SQZ-PBMC-HPV was administered as monotherapy every 3 weeks. Tumor samples were collected pre-dose and post-dose 4 weeks after treatment start. Biomarkers including CD8, MHC-I, E6, E7, GZMB, and Ki67 were evaluated by immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, and RNA in situ hybridization, and were correlated with clinical response, survival, and drug product composition. Eighteen patients had paired pre- and post-dose biopsies. Six (33%) had an increase in CD8+ T cell density in tumor parenchyma between screening and C2D8. Patients with increased CD8+ T cell density had improved disease control rate (66.7% vs 16.7%) and median overall survival (606.5 days vs 170.0 days, p = 0.0078). Drug product was significantly enriched for higher T cells and lower monocytes in the increased CD8+ T cell density group. In patients with incurable HPV16+ solid tumors treated with SQZ-PBMC-HPV, an increase in CD8+ T cell density within the tumor parenchyma was associated with superior disease control rate and overall survival. The product composition for patients with increased CD8+ T cell density was enriched for T cells.

Phase 1 study to determine the safety and dosing of autologous PBMCs modified to present HPV16 antigens (SQZ-PBMC-HPV) in HLA-A*02+ patients with HPV16+ solid tumors.

We conducted a dose escalation Phase 1 study of autologous PBMCs loaded by microfluidic squeezing (Cell Squeeze® technology) with HPV16 E6 and E7 antigens (SQZ-PBMC-HPV), in HLA-A*02+ patients with advanced/metastatic HPV16+ cancers. Preclinical studies in murine models had shown such cells resulted in stimulation and proliferation of antigen specific CD8+ cells, and demonstrated antitumor activity. Administration of SQZ-PBMC-HPV was every 3 weeks. Enrollment followed a modified 3+3 design with primary objectives to define safety, tolerability, and the recommended Phase 2 dose. Secondary and exploratory objectives were antitumor activity, manufacturing feasibility, and pharmacodynamic evaluation of immune responses. Eighteen patients were enrolled at doses ranging from 0.5 × 106 to 5.0 × 106 live cells/kg. Manufacture proved feasible and required < 24 h within the overall vein-to-vein time of 1 - 2 weeks; at the highest dose, a median of 4 doses were administered. No DLTs were observed. Most related TEAEs were Grade 1 - 2, and one Grade 2 cytokine release syndrome SAE was reported. Tumor biopsies in three patients showed 2 to 8-fold increases in CD8+ tissue infiltrating lymphocytes, including a case that exhibited increased MHC-I+ and PD-L1+ cell densities and reduced numbers of HPV+ cells. Clinical benefit was documented for the latter case. SQZ-PBMC-HPV was well tolerated; 5.0 × 106 live cells/kg with double priming was chosen as the recommended Phase 2 dose. Multiple participants exhibited pharmacodynamic changes consistent with immune responses supporting the proposed mechanism of action for SQZ-PBMC-HPV, including patients previously refractory to checkpoint inhibitors.

Engineered red blood cells (activating antigen carriers) drive potent T cell responses and tumor regression in mice.

Activation of T cell responses is essential for effective tumor clearance; however, inducing targeted, potent antigen presentation to stimulate T cell responses remains challenging. We generated Activating Antigen Carriers (AACs) by engineering red blood cells (RBCs) to encapsulate relevant tumor antigens and the adjuvant polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (poly I:C), for use as a tumor-specific cancer vaccine. The processing method and conditions used to create the AACs promote phosphatidylserine exposure on RBCs and thus harness the natural process of aged RBC clearance to enable targeting of the AACs to endogenous professional antigen presenting cells (APCs) without the use of chemicals or viral vectors. AAC uptake, antigen processing, and presentation by APCs drive antigen-specific activation of T cells, both in mouse in vivo and human in vitro systems, promoting polyfunctionality of CD8+ T cells and, in a tumor model, driving high levels of antigen-specific CD8+ T cell infiltration and tumor killing. The efficacy of AAC therapy was further enhanced by combination with the chemotherapeutic agent Cisplatin. In summary, these findings support AACs as a potential vector-free immunotherapy strategy to enable potent antigen presentation and T cell stimulation by endogenous APCs with broad therapeutic potential.

Engineered RBCs Encapsulating Antigen Induce Multi-Modal Antigen-Specific Tolerance and Protect Against Type 1 Diabetes.

Antigen-specific therapies that suppress autoreactive T cells without inducing systemic immunosuppression are a much-needed treatment for autoimmune diseases, yet effective strategies remain elusive. We describe a microfluidic Cell Squeeze® technology to engineer red blood cells (RBCs) encapsulating antigens to generate tolerizing antigen carriers (TACs). TACs exploit the natural route of RBC clearance enabling tolerogenic presentation of antigens. TAC treatment led to antigen-specific T cell tolerance towards exogenous and autoantigens in immunization and adoptive transfer mouse models of type 1 diabetes (T1D), respectively. Notably, in several accelerated models of T1D, TACs prevented hyperglycemia by blunting effector functions of pathogenic T cells, particularly in the pancreas. Mechanistically, TACs led to impaired trafficking of diabetogenic T cells to the pancreas, induced deletion of autoreactive CD8 T cells and expanded antigen specific Tregs that exerted bystander suppression. Our results highlight TACs as a novel approach for reinstating immune tolerance in CD4 and CD8 mediated autoimmune diseases.

Microfluidic Squeezing Enables MHC Class I Antigen Presentation by Diverse Immune Cells to Elicit CD8+ T Cell Responses with Antitumor Activity.

CD8+ T cell responses are the foundation of the recent clinical success of immunotherapy in oncologic indications. Although checkpoint inhibitors have enhanced the activity of existing CD8+ T cell responses, therapeutic approaches to generate Ag-specific CD8+ T cell responses have had limited success. Here, we demonstrate that cytosolic delivery of Ag through microfluidic squeezing enables MHC class I presentation to CD8+ T cells by diverse cell types. In murine dendritic cells (DCs), squeezed DCs were ∼1000-fold more potent at eliciting CD8+ T cell responses than DCs cross-presenting the same amount of protein Ag. The approach also enabled engineering of less conventional APCs, such as T cells, for effective priming of CD8+ T cells in vitro and in vivo. Mixtures of immune cells, such as murine splenocytes, also elicited CD8+ T cell responses in vivo when squeezed with Ag. We demonstrate that squeezing enables effective MHC class I presentation by human DCs, T cells, B cells, and PBMCs and that, in clinical scale formats, the system can squeeze up to 2 billion cells per minute. Using the human papillomavirus 16 (HPV16) murine model, TC-1, we demonstrate that squeezed B cells, T cells, and unfractionated splenocytes elicit antitumor immunity and correlate with an influx of HPV-specific CD8+ T cells such that >80% of CD8s in the tumor were HPV specific. Together, these findings demonstrate the potential of cytosolic Ag delivery to drive robust CD8+ T cell responses and illustrate the potential for an autologous cell-based vaccine with minimal turnaround time for patients.

Cell engineering with microfluidic squeezing preserves functionality of primary immune cells in vivo.

The translational potential of cell-based therapies is often limited by complications related to effectively engineering and manufacturing functional cells. While the use of electroporation is widespread, the impact of electroporation on cell state and function has yet to be fully characterized. Here, we use a genome-wide approach to study optimized electroporation treatment and identify striking disruptions in the expression profiles of key functional transcripts of human T cells. These genetic disruptions result in concomitant perturbation of cytokine secretion including a 648-fold increase in IL-2 secretion (P < 0.01) and a 30-fold increase in IFN-γ secretion (P < 0.05). Ultimately, the effects at the transcript and protein level resulted in functional deficiencies in vivo, with electroporated T cells failing to demonstrate sustained antigen-specific effector responses when subjected to immunological challenge. In contrast, cells subjected to a mechanical membrane disruption-based delivery mechanism, cell squeezing, had minimal aberrant transcriptional responses [0% of filtered genes misregulated, false discovery rate (FDR) q < 0.1] relative to electroporation (17% of genes misregulated, FDR q < 0.1) and showed undiminished effector responses, homing capabilities, and therapeutic potential in vivo. In a direct comparison of functionality, T cells edited for PD-1 via electroporation failed to distinguish from untreated controls in a therapeutic tumor model, while T cells edited with similar efficiency via cell squeezing demonstrated the expected tumor-killing advantage. This work demonstrates that the delivery mechanism used to insert biomolecules affects functionality and warrants further study.

Microneedle-based device for the one-step painless collection of capillary blood samples.

The advancement of point-of-care diagnostics and the decentralization of healthcare have created a need for the simple, safe, standardized and painless collection of blood specimens. Here, we describe the design and implementation of a capillary blood-collection device that is more convenient and less painful than a fingerstick and venepuncture, and collects 100 µl of blood. The technology integrates into a compact, self-contained device an array of solid microneedles, a high-velocity insertion mechanism, stored vacuum, and a microfluidic system containing lithium heparin anticoagulant. The use of the device requires minimal training, as blood collection is initiated by the single push of a button. In a clinical study involving 144 participants, haemoglobin A1c measurements from device-collected samples and from venous blood samples were equivalent, and the pain associated with the device was significantly less than that associated with venepuncture. The device, which has received premarket clearance by the US Food and Drug Administration, should help improve access to healthcare, and support healthcare decentralization.

Effect of powder processing on performance of fenofibrate formulations.

In this study, the effect of the order in which powder blending and jet-milling were performed for the production of the bulk powders on the performance of 200-mg dose orally disintegrating tablets (ODTs) of fenofibrate was evaluated. Bulk powders composed of fenofibrate, mannitol, copovidone S630, and docusate sodium in a 10:10:2:1.2 ratio were prepared by the following three processes: process A: fenofibrate+excipients-->blending; process B: fenofibrate-->jet-milling-->blending with excipients; process C: fenofibrate+excipients-->blending-->jet-milling. The bulk powders were granulated followed by blending and tableting. The materials were tested for Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), drug particle sizing post-reconstitution, dissolution, optical micrography, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) and disintegration of the ODTs. It was found that the crystallinity of fenofibrate was not impacted by the blending and jet-milling processes. Process A produced materials having poorer fenofibrate reconstitution as compared to processes involving jet-milling. It was discovered that milling a blend of fenofibrate/excipient (process C) was advantageous over milling the raw drug alone (process B). Process C yielded bulk powder that showed rapid dissolution and ODTs which exhibited rapid disintegration.

Local anesthetics and mode of delivery: bupivacaine versus ropivacaine versus levobupivacaine.

BACKGROUND: The influence of the labor epidural local anesthetic (LA) on mode of delivery has not been adequately studied. In this study, we sought to determine if there is a difference in mode of delivery among parturients who receive epidural bupivacaine, ropivacaine, or levobupivacaine. METHODS: Nulliparous women at term requesting labor analgesia with a cervical dilation <5 cm were randomized to receive epidural bupivacaine, ropivacaine, or levobupivacaine. Analgesia was initiated with a bolus of 15 mL of 0.0625% of the assigned LA with fentanyl 2 microg/mL. Analgesia was maintained with an infusion of the same solution at 10 mL/h. The primary endpoint was the operative delivery rate (instrumental assisted vaginal delivery plus cesarean delivery). RESULTS: Ninety-eight women received bupivacaine, 90 ropivacaine, and 34 levobupivacaine (before it was removed from the US market). There was no significant difference in the operative delivery rate (bupivacaine = 46%, ropivacaine = 39%, and levobupivacaine = 32%, P = 0.35) among groups. There was less motor block in the levobupivacaine group when compared with the ropivacaine and bupivacaine groups, P < 0.05. There was no significant difference in the duration of the first or second stage of labor, the total dose of LA received per hour of labor, or neonatal outcome among groups. CONCLUSIONS: Bupivacaine, ropivacaine, and levobupivacaine all confer adequate labor epidural analgesia, with no significant influence on mode of delivery, duration of labor, or neonatal outcome.

AI-700 pharmacokinetics, tissue distribution and exhaled elimination kinetics in rats.

The purpose of these studies was to determine the pharmacokinetics, tissue distribution, and exhaled elimination kinetics in rats for intravenously administered AI-700, which consists of porous microspheres containing decafluorobutane (DFB), for use as an ultrasound contrast agent. [Pd]-AI-700 was administered intravenously to rats (10 mg microspheres/kg). Blood and tissue samples collected at specified times were analyzed for palladium by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). AI-700 was also administered intravenously to rats (40 mg microspheres/kg) and expired air was collected over time. Expired air samples were analyzed for DFB by validated adsorbent trapping-thermal desorption-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry methodology. Pd from [Pd]-AI-700 was cleared from blood with a ca. 50-85% decline from peak concentration within 5 min. At 1440 min post-dose, 52-72% of the Pd dose was recovered from organs of the reticuloendothelial system. Approximately 77% of the intravenously injected DFB was found in expired air within 3h after dosing, with most of the DFB dose (61+/-6%) expired within the first 10 min after dosing. As expected, the microspheres were cleared through the reticuloendothelial system, and the DFB was eliminated in expired air, with more than half of the DFB eliminated within the first 10 min after dosing.

Porous PLGA microparticles: AI-700, an intravenously administered ultrasound contrast agent for use in echocardiography.

The production and characterization of AI-700, an intravenously administered ultrasound contrast agent under investigation for myocardial perfusion echocardiography, are described. The product consists of small, porous microparticles filled with decafluorobutane gas, and formulated as a dry powder. Small scale spray drying studies demonstrated that porous PLGA microparticles could be produced with varying porosity using ammonium bicarbonate as a volatile pore-forming agent. The porous microparticles of AI-700 were created aseptically by spray drying a water-in-oil emulsion containing poly-d,l-lactide-co-glycolide, 1,2-diarachidoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine, and ammonium bicarbonate using a two-chamber spray dryer. The porous microparticles were further formulated into a dry powder drug product (AI-700) containing decafluorobutane gas and excipients. The dry powder was reconstituted with sterile water prior to evaluation. Microscopy demonstrated that the microparticles were sphere-shaped and internally porous. The microparticles were appropriately sized for intravenous administration, having an average diameter of 2.3 mum. Zeta-potential analysis demonstrated that the microparticles would be expected to be stable post-reconstitution. The microparticles retained encapsulated gas post-reconstitution, had high acoustic potency that was stable over time and were physically stable upon exposure to high-power ultrasound, as used clinically. AI-700 has the characteristics desirable for an intravenously administered ultrasound contrast agent for myocardial perfusion echocardiography.

Intravenous hydrophobic drug delivery: a porous particle formulation of paclitaxel (AI-850).

PURPOSE: To develop a rapidly dissolving porous particle formulation of paclitaxel without Cremophor EL that is appropriate for quick intravenous administration. METHODS: A rapidly dissolving porous particle formulation of paclitaxel (AI-850) was created using spray drying. AI-850 was compared to Taxol following intravenous administration in a rat pharmacokinetic study, a rat tissue distribution study, and a human xenograft mammary tumor (MDA-MB-435) model in nude mice. RESULTS: The volume of distribution and clearance for paclitaxel following intravenous bolus administration of AI-850 were 7-fold and 4-fold greater, respectively, than following intravenous bolus administration of Taxol. There were no significant differences between AI-850 and Taxol in tissue concentrations and tissue area under the curve (AUC) for the tissues examined. Nude mice implanted with mammary tumors showed improved tolerance of AI-850, enabling higher administrable does of paclitaxel, which resulted in improved efficacy as compared to Taxol administered at its maximum tolerated dose (MTD). CONCLUSIONS: The pharmacokinetic data indicate that paclitaxel in AI-850 has more rapid partitioning from the bloodstream into the tissue compartments than paclitaxel in Taxol. AI-850, administered as an intravenous injection, has been shown to have improved tolerance in rats and mice and improved efficacy in a tumor model in mice when compared to Taxol.

Subarachnoid small-dose bupivacaine versus lidocaine for cervical cerclage.

UNLABELLED: Cervical cerclage is often performed as an outpatient procedure under subarachnoid anesthesia. Lidocaine was historically the drug of choice for short procedures but has fallen out of favor because of concerns of transient neurologic symptoms (TNS). We performed this study to determine whether small-dose bupivacaine is an acceptable alternative to lidocaine for cervical cerclage. We randomized 59 women to receive either subarachnoid isobaric lidocaine 30 mg or hyperbaric bupivacaine 5.25 mg. Fentanyl 20 micro g was added to both local anesthetics, and the total volume was diluted to 3 mL with 0.9% saline. Onset and highest dermatomal level of sensory block; quality of anesthesia; hypotension; and times until T12 regression, return of lower extremity motor function, ambulation, and micturition were recorded. Symptoms of TNS were evaluated by telephone interview 24 h after surgery. We did not find any significant difference in onset or recovery times between the groups, with the exception of a longer duration until return of lower extremity motor strength in the lidocaine group. Symptoms consistent with TNS that resolved spontaneously within 48 h were reported by two women in the lidocaine group but by none in the bupivacaine group. We conclude that subarachnoid bupivacaine offers a satisfactory alternative to subarachnoid lidocaine for cervical cerclage. IMPLICATIONS: We found that small-dose subarachnoid bupivacaine (5.25 mg) with fentanyl 20 micro g provides reliable anesthesia for cervical cerclage and exhibits a pharmacodynamic profile similar to that of small-dose lidocaine.

A comparison of epidural infusions in the combined spinal/epidural technique for labor analgesia.

UNLABELLED: We compared the clinical effects of three epidural infusions initiated after subarachnoid medication was administered as part of the combined spinal/epidural technique for labor analgesia. Fifteen minutes after administering subarachnoid fentanyl 25 microg and 1 mL of bupivacaine 0.25%, and 5 min after an epidural test dose of 3 mL of bupivacaine 0.25%, women were randomized to receive an epidural infusion of saline, bupivacaine 0.125%, bupivacaine 0.0625%, or bupivacaine 0.04% with epinephrine 1:600,000. All epidural infusions were started at 10 mL/h, and all except the Saline Group also received fentanyl 2 microg/mL. The end point of the study was delivery or request for additional medication for analgesia. We found that time until request for additional analgesia was longest in women who received bupivacaine 0.125% (median duration, 300 min) versus saline (median duration, 118 min) (P = 0.0001) and was intermediate for bupivacaine 0.0625% and bupivacaine 0.04% (median duration, 162 and 180 min, respectively) (P = 0.0001 versus saline). Women who received bupivacaine 0.125% had the most motor block. We conclude that all the bupivacaine-based infusions we tested maintained the analgesia from subarachnoid medication longer than saline, with the longest duration, but the most motor block, from bupivacaine 0.125%. IMPLICATIONS: In this prospective, randomized, and double-blinded study we found that initiating an epidural infusion of bupivacaine 0.125% with fentanyl 2 microg/mL at 10 mL/h 15 min after subarachnoid fentanyl 25 microg with 1 mL of bupivacaine 0.25%, followed by an epidural test dose of 3 mL of bupivacaine 0.25%, maintained the analgesia for longer but with more motor block than with either bupivacaine 0.04% or bupivacaine 0.0625%.