A localizing nanocarrier formulation enables multi-target immune responses to multivalent replicating RNA with limited systemic inflammation.

RNA vaccines possess significant clinical promise in counteracting human diseases caused by infectious or cancerous threats. Self-amplifying replicon RNA (repRNA) has been thought to offer the potential for enhanced potency and dose sparing. However, repRNA is a potent trigger of innate immune responses in vivo, which can cause reduced transgene expression and dose-limiting reactogenicity, as highlighted by recent clinical trials. Here, we report that multivalent repRNA vaccination, necessitating higher doses of total RNA, could be safely achieved in mice by delivering multiple repRNAs with a localizing cationic nanocarrier formulation (LION). Intramuscular delivery of multivalent repRNA by LION resulted in localized biodistribution accompanied by significantly upregulated local innate immune responses and the induction of antigen-specific adaptive immune responses in the absence of systemic inflammatory responses. In contrast, repRNA delivered by lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) showed generalized biodistribution, a systemic inflammatory state, an increased body weight loss, and failed to induce neutralizing antibody responses in a multivalent composition. These findings suggest that in vivo delivery of repRNA by LION is a platform technology for safe and effective multivalent vaccination through mechanisms distinct from LNP-formulated repRNA vaccines.

Application of a new wall-less plate technology to complex multistep cell-based investigations using suspension cells.

Despite significant progresses, cell-based assays still have major limitations part to because of their plate format. Here, we present a wall-less plate technology based on unique liquid dynamics named DropArray that takes advantage of hydrophobic and hydrophilic surface properties. Liquid velocities within the DropArray plate were quantified through fluid dynamics simulation and complete retention of suspension cells experimentally demonstrated within the range of simulated shear stresses. Subsequently, we compared the DropArray technology with conventional microtiter plates in a cell-based protein-binding assay. Although the wall-less plate produced similar results with adherent cells, the advantage of the DropArray technology was absolutely clear when semiadherent or suspension cells were used in this multistep experimental procedure. The technology also was evaluated for the cell viability assay and generated similar results to conventional plate format while enabling significant reduction in toxic reagent use. Finally, we developed a DropArray cell-based assay to evaluate a bispecific antibody designed to engage cytotoxic T cells and trigger tumor cell killing. This assay enables for the first time the visualization and quantification of the specific killing events and represents a very powerful tool to further investigate functional aspects of the cancer immunotherapy.

An RNA-Based Vaccine Platform for Use against Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb), a bacterial pathogen that causes tuberculosis disease (TB), exerts an extensive burden on global health. The complex nature of M.tb, coupled with different TB disease stages, has made identifying immune correlates of protection challenging and subsequently slowing vaccine candidate progress. In this work, we leveraged two delivery platforms as prophylactic vaccines to assess immunity and subsequent efficacy against low-dose and ultra-low-dose aerosol challenges with M.tb H37Rv in C57BL/6 mice. Our second-generation TB vaccine candidate ID91 was produced as a fusion protein formulated with a synthetic TLR4 agonist (glucopyranosyl lipid adjuvant in a stable emulsion) or as a novel replicating-RNA (repRNA) formulated in a nanostructured lipid carrier. Protein subunit- and RNA-based vaccines preferentially elicit cellular immune responses to different ID91 epitopes. In a single prophylactic immunization screen, both platforms reduced pulmonary bacterial burden compared to the controls. Excitingly, in prime-boost strategies, the groups that received heterologous RNA-prime, protein-boost or combination immunizations demonstrated the greatest reduction in bacterial burden and a unique humoral and cellular immune response profile. These data are the first to report that repRNA platforms are a viable system for TB vaccines and should be pursued with high-priority M.tb antigens containing CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell epitopes.

Overcoming EMT-associated resistance to anti-cancer drugs via Src/FAK pathway inhibition.

Epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a key process in embryonic development and has been associated with cancer metastasis and drug resistance. For example, in EGFR mutated non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC), EMT has been associated with acquired resistance to the EGFR inhibitor erlotinib. Moreover, "EGFR-addicted" cancer cell lines induced to undergo EMT become erlotinib-resistant in vitro. To identify potential therapeutic vulnerabilities specifically within these mesenchymal, erlotinib-resistant cells, we performed a small molecule screen of ~200 established anti-cancer agents using the EGFR mutant NSCLC HCC827 cell line and a corresponding mesenchymal derivative line. The mesenchymal cells were more resistant to most tested agents; however, a small number of agents showed selective growth inhibitory activity against the mesenchymal cells, with the most potent being the Abl/Src inhibitor, dasatinib. Analysis of the tyrosine phospho-proteome revealed several Src/FAK pathway kinases that were differentially phosphorylated in the mesenchymal cells, and RNAi depletion of the core Src/FAK pathway components in these mesenchymal cells caused apoptosis. These findings reveal a novel role for Src/FAK pathway kinases in drug resistance and identify dasatinib as a potential therapeutic for treatment of erlotinib resistance associated with EMT.

Robo4 maintains vessel integrity and inhibits angiogenesis by interacting with UNC5B.

Robo4 is an endothelial cell-specific member of the Roundabout axon guidance receptor family. To identify Robo4 binding partners, we performed a protein-protein interaction screen with the Robo4 extracellular domain. We find that Robo4 specifically binds to UNC5B, a vascular Netrin receptor, revealing unexpected interactions between two endothelial guidance receptors. We show that Robo4 maintains vessel integrity by activating UNC5B, which inhibits signaling downstream of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Function-blocking monoclonal antibodies against Robo4 and UNC5B increase angiogenesis and disrupt vessel integrity. Soluble Robo4 protein inhibits VEGF-induced vessel permeability and rescues barrier defects in Robo4(-/-) mice, but not in mice treated with anti-UNC5B. Thus, Robo4-UNC5B signaling maintains vascular integrity by counteracting VEGF signaling in endothelial cells, identifying a novel function of guidance receptor interactions in the vasculature.

A mouse model of hepatocellular carcinoma: ectopic expression of fibroblast growth factor 19 in skeletal muscle of transgenic mice.

Most mouse models of hepatocellular carcinoma have expressed growth factors and oncogenes under the control of a liver-specific promoter. In contrast, we describe here the formation of liver tumors in transgenic mice overexpressing human fibroblast growth factor 19 (FGF19) in skeletal muscle. FGF19 transgenic mice had elevated hepatic alpha-fetoprotein mRNA as early as 2 months of age, and hepatocellular carcinomas were evident by 10 months of age. Increased proliferation of pericentral hepatocytes was demonstrated by 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine incorporation in the FGF19 transgenic mice before tumor formation and in nontransgenic mice injected with recombinant FGF19 protein. Areas of small cell dysplasia were initially evident pericentrally, and dysplastic/neoplastic foci throughout the hepatic lobule were glutamine synthetase-positive, suggestive of a pericentral origin. Consistent with chronic activation of the Wingless/Wnt pathway, 44% of the hepatocellular tumors from FGF19 transgenic mice had nuclear staining for beta-catenin. Sequencing of the tumor DNA encoding beta-catenin revealed point mutations that resulted in amino acid substitutions. These findings suggest a previously unknown role for FGF19 in hepatocellular carcinomas.