Human cancer-targeted immunity via transgenic hematopoietic stem cell progeny

T Theodore S. Nowicki N Nataly Naser Al Deen C Cole W. Peters B Begoña Comin-Anduix E Egmidio Medina C Cristina Puig-Saus I Ignacio Baselga Carretero P Paula Kaplan-Lefko M Mignonette H. Macabali I Ivan Perez Garcilazo D Daniel Chen J Jia Pang B Beata Berent-Maoz S Salem Haile J Jonathan Rodriguez M Moe Kawakami C Conner K. Kidd A Ameya Champhekar G Giuseppe Carlucci A Agustin Vega-Crespo B Bartosz Chmielowski A Arun Singh N Noah Federman G Gary M. Schiller S Sarah J. Larson M Martin Allen-Auerbach A Alexandra M. Klomhaus J Jerome Zack D David Baltimore L Lili Yang (Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Molecular Genetics, University of California) D Donald B. Kohn (Department of Pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles) O Owen N. Witte (Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, University of California) A Antoni Ribas

Abstract

Abstract Adoptive transfer of genetically engineered T cells expressing a tumor-antigen-specific transgenic T cell receptor (TCR) can result in clinical responses in a variety of malignancies. However, these responses are frequently short-lived, and patients typically relapse within several months. This phenomenon is largely due to poor persistence of the transgenic T cells, as well as a progressive loss of their functionality and terminal differentiation in vivo. This underscores the need for cell therapy approaches able to sustain the initial antitumor efficacy and lead to long-term antitumor efficacy. Herein, we report the use of tandem cell therapies involving autologous T cells and hematopoietic stem cells engineered to express the NY-ESO-1 TCR for the treatment of solid tumors in a first-in-human phase I clinical trial (NCT03240861). This therapy is shown to be safe, feasible, and leads to initial tumor regression activity. T cell progeny from the HSC progenitors is shown to provide circulating transgenic NY-ESO-1 TCR-T cells, which display tumor-antigen-specific antitumor functionality, without any evidence of anergy or exhaustion. These results demonstrate the utility of transgenic HSCs to generate a self-renewing source of tumor-specific cellular immunotherapy in human participants. Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT NCT03240861

Article Details

Volume / Issue Vol. 16, Issue 1
Published July 01, 2025
ISSN 2041-1723
Publisher Nature Portfolio

Journal Info

Nature Communications

Nature Portfolio

ISSN: 2041-1723 Open Access Life Sciences

Authors (33)

T

Theodore S. Nowicki

N

Nataly Naser Al Deen

C

Cole W. Peters

B

Begoña Comin-Anduix

E

Egmidio Medina

C

Cristina Puig-Saus

I

Ignacio Baselga Carretero

P

Paula Kaplan-Lefko

M

Mignonette H. Macabali

I

Ivan Perez Garcilazo

D

Daniel Chen

J

Jia Pang

B

Beata Berent-Maoz

S

Salem Haile

J

Jonathan Rodriguez

M

Moe Kawakami

C

Conner K. Kidd

A

Ameya Champhekar

G

Giuseppe Carlucci

A

Agustin Vega-Crespo

B

Bartosz Chmielowski

A

Arun Singh

N

Noah Federman

G

Gary M. Schiller

S

Sarah J. Larson

M

Martin Allen-Auerbach

A

Alexandra M. Klomhaus

J

Jerome Zack

D

David Baltimore

L

Lili Yang

Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Molecular Genetics, University of California

D

Donald B. Kohn

Department of Pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles

O

Owen N. Witte

Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, University of California

A

Antoni Ribas