Evaluation of anti-tumor effect of a novel manganese adjuvant collaborated with tumor antigens / 中国生物制品学杂志

@#ObjectiveTo investigate the anti-tumor effect of agonist MnCl_2of a novel cyclic guanosine monophosphate-adenosine monophosphate synthase(c GAS)/stimulator of interferon genes(STING)pathway collaborated with tumor cell lysate(Lysate)and the neo-antigen 10K-Adpgk of mouse colon cancer MC38 cell line.MethodsBone marrow-derived dendritic cells(BMDCs)were extracted from mouse bone marrow and divided into three groups:PBS,1 μmol/L MnCl_2and 10 μmol/L MnCl_2,which were analyzed for the maturation by flow cytometry,determined for the concentration of IL-6 in supernatant by ELISA,and detected for the transcription levels of IL-6,IFN-α,IFN β and CXCL9 genes by q PCR.Mouse tumor model was established by using MC38 cell line.When the tumor volume reached 100 mm3,the mice were randomly divided into two groups for administration,PBS,Lysate,MnCl_2,10K-Adpgk,Lysate + MnCl_2group and Lysate +10K-Adpgk + MnCl_2combined treatment group,which were administered subcutaneously through the tail for 3 times,with each interval of 1 week,and measured for the tumor volume every 2 days.One week after the last dose,serum samples were collected and determined for the concentrations of IFNγ and TNFα by ELISA.The tumor and spleen were isolated.The proportions of tumor infiltrating T cells and T cells in peripheral blood mononuclear cells(PBMCs)and the ratio of T cells to memory T cells in spleen were detected by flow cytometry,and the proportion of antigen specific T cells in spleen was detected by ELISPOT.Results10 μmol/L MnCl_2stimulated the maturation of BMDCs and activated the subsequent immune process.The tumor volumes of mice in the combined treatment group were considerably smaller than those in PBS group,the contents of IFNγ and TNF-α in serum were higher than those in other groups,and the proportions of tumor infiltrating T cells,T cells in PBMCs and ratio of T cells to memory T cells in spleen were also significantly higher than those in PBS group.Combined therapy caused strong antigen-specific T cell immune response.ConclusionThe addition of the novel adjuvant MnCl_2significantly enhanced the treatment effect of tumor cell lysate and neo-antigen,which provided an experimental basis for the development of the combination tumor treatment method based on MnCl_2and tumor antigens.

Progress of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma adoptive cell therapy based on tumor neoantigens / 中华肝胆外科杂志

Advanced hepatocellular carcinoma has a high degree of malignancy and poor prognosis. Studies showed that there is a close relationship between the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma and the immune status in tumor microenvironment. Adoptive cell therapy showed anti-tumor effects and improve immunosuppression by infusing patients with activated specific immune cells, which become a central issue in tumor therapy and shown promising effects in the treatment of various malignant tumors, indicating great application potential. Adoptive cell therapy based on neoantigen may become a new hot spot in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma, and their application, safety and effectiveness evaluation, efficacy prediction and assessment have become urgent issues to be solved. The purpose of this article is to introduce the progress related to adoptive cell therapy for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma and elaborate the problems that need to be solved in the future.

Current status and challenges of TCR-T therapy in solid tumor / 中国肿瘤生物治疗杂志

@#[Abstract] T cell receptors (TCR) are specifically expressed on T cell surface, which can recognize different tumor antigens to kill and scavenge cancerous cells. TCR-engineered T cells (TCR-T) therapy is to harbor TCR specific to tumor cells and modify the T cells with genetic engineering techniques to achieve the purpose of treating tumors after transfusion. Despite some achievements in TCR-T therapy, there are still some problems, such as treatment toxicity, limited T cell infiltration and antigen-specific deficiency and so on. So, the safety and effectiveness of TCR-T therapy need to be constantly optimized. Therefore，this paper summarizes the research status of TCR-T therapy for solid tumors in domestic and overseas, as well as the existing problems and countermeasures.

Bioinformatics analysis of HLA-A2 restricted neoantigen epitopes in breast cancer / 中国肿瘤生物治疗杂志

@#[Abstract] Objective: To screen candidate epitopes of breast cancer HLA-A2 restrictive neoantigen and to identify high frequency mutation sites in breast cancer neoantigen by using bioinformatics method. Methods: NCBI and GDC databases were used to search missense mutation sites formed by single nucleotide mutation in breast cancer among reported literatures and sequencing data. The new antigen epitopes were predicted by HLA-A2 antigen epitope prediction website BIMAS, SYFPEITHI and artificial neural networkbased NetMHC4.0, and the epitopes with TAP binding power less than Intermediate were eliminated. The candidate epitopes were prioritized by mutation frequency and prediction results. Results: A total of 17 high-frequency mutation genes, including BTLA, ERBB2 and NBPF12 etc, were screened by the above-mentioned methods, and a total of 26 neoantigen epitopes were identified. The binding power of epitopes predicted using BIMAS and SYFPEITHI showed great difference (P<0.05), epitopes in high priority as GSTP1 (A114V , mutation frequency of 5.94%) and BRCA2 (N991H, mutation frequency of 5.40%) etc, were expected to be candidate neo-antigen epitopes; however, their mutation frequency was relatively too low to achieve“universal use” . The possibility of these epitopes used as general breast cancer neo-antigen epitopes is less likely. Conclusion: The common mutation frequency of breast cancer is lower than that of other tumors; it ’s difficult to find“universal”new antigen epitopes of breast cancer; the individualized neoantigen vaccine may be of more promise, which needs further research.

Identification of neoantigens derived from alternative splicing and RNA modification

The acquisition of somatic mutations is the most common event in cancer. Neoantigens expressed from genes with mutations acquired during carcinogenesis can be tumor-specific. Since the immune system recognizes tumor-specific peptides, they are potential targets for personalized neoantigen-based immunotherapy. However, the discovery of druggable neoantigens remains challenging, suggesting that a deeper understanding of the mechanism of neoantigen generation and better strategies to identify them will be required to realize the promise of neoantigen-based immunotherapy. Alternative splicing and RNA editing events are emerging mechanisms leading to neoantigen production. In this review, we outline recent work involving the large-scale screening of neoantigens produced by alternative splicing and RNA editing. We also describe strategies to predict and validate neoantigens from RNA sequencing data.

A new bioinformatics approach for prediction of potential tumor neoantigens based on the cancer genome atlas dataset / 生物工程学报

Tumor-specific gene mutations might generate suitable neoepitopes for cancer immunotherapy that are highly immunogenic and absent in normal tissues. The high heterogeneity of the tumor genome poses a big challenge for precision cancer immunotherapy. Mutations characteristic of each tumor can help to distinguish it from other tumors. Based on these mutations' characteristic, it is possible to develop immunotherapeutic strategies for specific tumors. In this study, a tumor neoantigen prediction scheme was proposed, in which both the intracellular antigen presentation process and the ability to bind with extracellular MHC molecule were taken into consideration. The overall design is meritorious and may help reduce the cost for validation experiments compared with conventional methods. This strategy was tested with several cancer genome datasets in the TCGA database, and a number of potential tumor neoantigens were predicted for each dataset. These predicted neoantigens showed tumor type specificity and were found in 20% to 70% of cancer patients. This scheme might prove useful clinically in future.

Induction of specific CD8+ T cells against hepatocellular carcinoma-associated neoantigens / 中华肿瘤杂志

Objective@#To predict the tumor neoantigen peptides in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and examine their specific immune effects against the tumor cells without injury to normal cells.@*Methods@#The data of whole-genome sequencing and exome sequencing of HCC tumor and matched non-tumor liver tissues were analyzed to confirm the HCC-associated somatic mutations. Based on the HLA phenotype of the patients, we used NetMHC software to predict the neoantigen epitopes with high binding affinity to their MHC-I molecules. The predicted peptides with mutation sites included were synthesized. GPL10687 platform was applied to examine the gene expression difference between tumor and normal tissues of the selected genes in GSE25097, one of the GEO databases. The quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-qPCR) and immunohistochemistry were used to confirm the expressions in tumors and normal tissues of the selected genes. By using the predicted peptides, we induced the generation of antigen-specific CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) and examined their specific effects against tumor cells.@*Results@#The mutation frequency of TP53 (tumor protein p53) was 40%, and LAMA3 (Laminin Subunit Alpha 3) was 8% in the analyzed HCC tissues. In GSE25097 database, TP53 and LAMA3 mRNA levels in tumors were 1.57±0.02 and 1.37±0.10, which were significantly increased than those in matched no-tumor tissue (0.54±0.01 and 0.36±0.01, P<0.05). The differences of expression levels of TP53 and LAMA3 in tumor and no-tumor tissues were validated by using qRT-qPCR and immunohistochemistry in 10 HCC tissues. The mRNA levels of TP53 and LAMA3 in tumors were 0.24±0.03 and 0.13±0.06, which were significantly elevated than those in matched no-tumor tissue (0.11±0.01 and 0.01±0.01, P<0.05). Among the Chinese population, HLA-A2 and HLA-A11 and HLA-A24 accounted for 70%, representing the major MHC-I molecules. The CTLs induced by predicted peptides showed cytotoxicity to the targets pulsed with mutated peptide, with no effect on the target pulsed with normal peptide and on normal cells.@*Conclusions@#TP53 and LAMA3 existed relative higher mutation frequency in HCC, and expressed higher in tumor tissues. The induced CTLs by predicted peptides derived from mutation-associated protein could specific kill the target cells without injury to normal cells.

Advances in immunotherapy: The personalized cancer vaccine targeting novel antigens / 肿瘤

The new cancer antigen epitopes which express in gene-mutated tumor cells are not tolerant to the central thymus, but have high immunogenicity. T cells targeting new cancer antigens can effectively enhance human antitumor immunity. Two recent studies have focused on the design and manufacture of personalized cancer vaccines for advanced melanoma patients based on RNA and polypeptides, respectively. The clinical trials show that the development of tumor is effectively controlled, demonstrating the feasibility, safety and immunogenicity of personalized cancer vaccines. Moreover, the vaccine in combination with programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) checkpoint immunotherapy can show stronger effects. Therefore, the personalized cancer vaccine will open up a new way of individualized immunotherapy for cancer patients, and the clinical efficacy potential is unlimited. In this article, the advantages and screening of new cancer antigens, as well as the clinical research, advantages and limitations of personalized cancer vaccines are reviewed.

Screening and predication on tumor neoantigen for primary plasma cell leukemia / 中国肿瘤生物治疗杂志

@#Objective:To investigate the tumor-specific neoantigen for primary plasma cell leukemia (PCL) using gene sequencing technology combined with bioinformatic analysis. Methods: Peripheral blood samples of one patient with primary PCL during relapse and remission periods were collected. HLA molecular typing was performed using polymerase chain reaction with sequencing-based typing; whole-exome and transcriptome were sequenced by next-generation sequencing method; and bioinformatics software NetMHCpan was used to predict neoantigens. Results: Six tumor-specific missense mutations were found in the patient's peripheral blood during relapse period, located in genes FRG1, MLL3, SVIL, MYOM1, ZDHHC11 and RFPL4A.Considering patient's HLA sub-types, 43 neoantigens were predicted via bioinformatics. Considering that FRG1 and MLL3 had relatively high gene expression levels, 20 neoantigens derived from mutations of the two genes were preferentially selected, among which four neoantigens had high affinity with the patient's HLA molecules and thus had potential clinical application value. Conclusion: The study has completed a tumor neoantigen screen and prediction for primary PCL. This practice demonstrates that predicting neoantigen based on tumor-specific somatic mutation is feasible for primary PCL.

Clinical transformation of personalized neoantigen vaccine: opportunities and challenges / 中国肿瘤生物治疗杂志

@#As one of the pivotal immunotherapies, tumor vaccine has increasingly shown its benefits in the treatment of malignant tumors. However, traditional vaccines targeting tumor associated antigen (TAA) are difficult to be promoted on a large scale in clinic, due to immune tolerance and the risk of inducing autoimmune disease. Neoantigen, which doesn’t present in normal cells and originates from tumor somatic mutations, is considered as ideal target for vaccines recently. Personalized neoantigen vaccine developed on the basis of sequencing, which specifically targets neoantigens, is expected to become an important breakthrough in precision medicine of cancer. This paper will elaborate on the concept, characteristics, preparation process and clinical trials of personalized neoantigen vaccine, and we will also discuss the opportunities and challenges that might be encountered during its clinical transformation.

Application prospect of immunotherapy based on neoantigens in hematological malignancies / 白血病·淋巴瘤

Neoantigens, as the products of gene mutations in tumor cells, are specific antigen expressed on the surface of tumor cells. They can be the targets of immuno-cell therapies with high specificity and safety. Immunotherapies based on tumor neoantigens became the new research hotspot as results of the applications of genomic sequencing technologies and the development of neoantigens prediction techniques. In this paper, the applied prospect of neoantigens in hematological malignancies is discussed based on the research progress in the last few years and the relevant reports from the 59th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting.

Applications of tumor neoantigens to precision immunotherapy / 中华微生物学和免疫学杂志

Tumor neoantigens generated from somatic mutations can be presented by major histo-compability complex (MHC) molecules and elicit specific immune response against cancer. Therapeutic vac-cines and specific T cells targeting tumor neoantigens will realize the potential of precision immunotherapy in cancer treatment. Along with the development of methods for predicting neoantigens, individualized cancer immunotherapy strategies will be widely adopted. In the present review, we discuss the current state of the prediction approaches and clinical applications of neoantigens, as well as the challenges that remain to be ad-dressed in order to improve immunotherapy targeting neoantigens.

T-cell receptor-engineered T cells for cancer treatment: current status and future directions

T-cell receptor (TCR)-engineered T cells are a novel option for adoptive cell therapy used for the treatment of several advanced forms of cancer. Work using TCR-engineered T cells began more than two decades ago, with numerous preclinical studies showing that such cells could mediate tumor lysis and eradication. The success of these trials provided the foundation for clinical trials, including recent clinical successes using TCR-engineered T cells to target New York esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (NY-ESO-1). These successes demonstrate the potential of this approach to treat cancer. In this review, we provide a perspective on the current and future applications of TCR-engineered T cells for the treatment of cancer. Our summary focuses on TCR activation and both pre-clinical and clinical applications of TCR-engineered T cells. We also discuss how to enhance the function of TCR-engineered T cells and prolong their longevity in the tumor microenvironment.

TSNAdb: A Database for Tumor-specific Neoantigens from Immunogenomics Data Analysis / 基因组蛋白质组与生物信息学报·英文版

Tumor-specific neoantigens have attracted much attention since they can be used as biomarkers to predict therapeutic effects of immune checkpoint blockade therapy and as potential targets for cancer immunotherapy. In this study, we developed a comprehensive tumor-specific neoantigen database (TSNAdb v1.0), based on pan-cancer immunogenomic analyses of somatic mutation data and human leukocyte antigen (HLA) allele information for 16 tumor types with 7748 tumor samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and The Cancer Immunome Atlas (TCIA). We predicted binding affinities between mutant/wild-type peptides and HLA class I molecules by NetMHCpan v2.8/v4.0, and presented detailed information of 3,707,562/1,146,961 potential neoantigens generated by somatic mutations of all tumor samples. Moreover, we employed recurrent mutations in combination with highly frequent HLA alleles to predict potential shared neoantigens across tumor patients, which would facilitate the discovery of putative targets for neoantigen-based cancer immunotherapy. TSNAdb is freely available at http://biopharm.zju.edu.cn/tsnadb.

Immunotherapy for Non-small-cell Lung Cancer: Current Status and Future Obstacles

Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. There are 2 major subtypes of lung cancer, non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). Studies show that NSCLC is the more prevalent type of lung cancer that accounts for approximately 80%–85% of cases. Although, various treatment methods, such as chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation therapy have been used to treat lung cancer patients, there is an emergent need to develop more effective approaches to deal with advanced stages of tumors. Recently, immunotherapy has emerged as a new approach to combat with such tumors. The development and success of programmed cell death 1 (PD-1)/program death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitors and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA-4) blockades in treating metastatic cancers opens a new pavement for the future research. The current mini review discusses the significance of immune checkpoint inhibitors in promoting the death of tumor cells. Additionally, this review also addresses the importance of tumor-specific antigens (neoantigens) in the development of cancer vaccines and major challenges associated with this therapy. Immunotherapy can be a promising approach to treat NSCLC because it stimulates host's own immune system to recognize cancer cells. Therefore, future research should focus on the development of new methodologies to identify novel checkpoint inhibitors and potential neoantigens.

Recent advances of neoantigen in tumor therapy / 中国生化药物杂志

As the research work went further and more detailed, a variety of new treatments compete to come out.However, it remains unclear that how the antigen works to distinguish cancer cells and normal cells.Neoantigen, which is located in the tumor cell surface of a specific antigen, its presence makes human immunotherapy into new areas which may make personalized treatment possible in the near future.Emerging data suggest that the identification of such newantigens is a major factor in clinical immunotherapy.They can form a biomarker in cancer immunotherapy to provide targets for a variety of therapeutic approaches to attack, which allows T cells to selectively enhance the immune response against this class of antigens.