Epstein Barr virus–specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes expressing the anti-CD30ζ artificial chimeric T-cell receptor for immunotherapy of Hodgkin disease

B Savoldo, CM Rooney, A Di Stasi… - Blood, The Journal …, 2007 - ashpublications.org
B Savoldo, CM Rooney, A Di Stasi, H Abken, A Hombach, AE Foster, L Zhang, HE Heslop
Blood, The Journal of the American Society of Hematology, 2007ashpublications.org
Adoptive transfer of Epstein Barr virus (EBV)–specific cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (EBV-CTLs)
has shown that these cells persist in patients with EBV+ Hodgkin lymphoma (HD) to produce
complete tumor responses. Treatment failure, however, occurs if a subpopulation of
malignant cells in the tumor lacks or loses expression of EBV antigens. We have therefore
determined whether we could prepare EBV-CTLs that retained the antitumor activity
conferred by their native receptor while expressing a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) …
Adoptive transfer of Epstein Barr virus (EBV)–specific cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (EBV-CTLs) has shown that these cells persist in patients with EBV+ Hodgkin lymphoma (HD) to produce complete tumor responses. Treatment failure, however, occurs if a subpopulation of malignant cells in the tumor lacks or loses expression of EBV antigens. We have therefore determined whether we could prepare EBV-CTLs that retained the antitumor activity conferred by their native receptor while expressing a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) specific for CD30, a molecule highly and consistently expressed on malignant Hodgkin Reed-Sternberg cells. We made a CD30CAR and were able to express it on 26% (± 11%) and 22% (± 5%) of EBV-CTLs generated from healthy donors and HD patients, respectively. These CD30CAR+ CTLs killed both autologous EBV+ cells through their native receptor and EBV/CD30+ targets through their major histocompatibility complex (MHC)–unrestricted CAR. A subpopulation of activated T cells also express CD30, but the CD30CAR+ CTLs did not impair cellular immune responses, probably because normal T cells express lower levels of the target antigen. In a xenograft model, CD30CAR+ EBV-CTLs could be costimulated by EBV-infected cells and produce antitumor effects even against EBV/CD30+ tumors. EBV-CTLs expressing both a native and a chimeric antigen receptor may therefore have added value for treatment of HD.
ashpublications.org