The CD33xCD123xCD70 Multispecific CD3-Engaging DARPin MP0533 Induces Selective T Cell-Mediated Killing of AML Leukemic Stem Cells.

The prognosis of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is limited, especially for elderly or unfit patients not eligible for hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplantation. The disease is driven by leukemic stem cells (LSCs), which are characterized by clonal heterogeneity and resistance to conventional therapy. These cells are therefore believed to be a major cause of progression and relapse. We designed MP0533, a multispecific CD3-engaging DARPin (designed ankyrin repeat protein) that can simultaneously bind to three antigens on AML cells (CD33, CD123, and CD70), aiming to enable avidity-driven T cell-mediated killing of AML cells co-expressing at least two of the antigens. In vitro, MP0533 induced selective T cell-mediated killing of AML cell lines, as well as patient-derived AML blasts and LSCs, expressing two or more target antigens, while sparing healthy HSCs, blood, and endothelial cells. The higher selectivity also resulted in markedly lower levels of cytokine release in normal human blood compared to single antigen-targeting T-cell engagers. In xenograft AML mouse models, MP0533 induced tumor-localized T-cell activation and cytokine release, leading to complete eradication of the tumors while having no systemic adverse effects. These studies show that the multispecific-targeting strategy used with MP0533 holds promise for improved selectivity towards LSCs and efficacy against clonal heterogeneity, potentially bringing a new therapeutic option to this group of patients with high unmet need. MP0533 is currently being evaluated in a dose-escalation phase 1 study in patients with relapsed or refractory AML (NCT05673057).

A Multispecific Anti-CD40 DARPin Construct Induces Tumor-Selective CD40 Activation and Tumor Regression.

The CD40 receptor is an attractive target for cancer immunotherapy. Although a modest pharmacodynamic effect is seen in patients following administration of CD40-targeting monoclonal antibodies (mAb), the doses that could be safely administered do not result in a meaningful clinical response, most likely due to the limited therapeutic window associated with systemic CD40 activation. To overcome this issue, we developed a multispecific DARPin construct, α-FAPxCD40, which has conditional activity at the site of disease. α-FAPxCD40 activation of CD40 depends on binding to fibroblast activation protein (FAP), a cell-surface protease overexpressed in the stroma of solid tumors. In vitro studies demonstrated that α-FAPxCD40 potently activates human antigen-presenting cells in the presence, but not in the absence, of FAP-positive cells. After intravenous injection, a murine surrogate construct (α-mFAPxCD40) accumulated in FAP-positive tumors, elicited rejection of 88% of these tumors, and induced memory antitumor immunity. Importantly, in contrast to the mouse anti-CD40 tested in parallel, the in vivo antitumor activity of α-mFAPxCD40 was associated neither with elevated blood cytokines nor with hepatotoxicity, both of which contribute to the clinical dose-limiting toxicities of several CD40 mAb. This study demonstrates that α-(m)FAPxCD40 engages CD40 in an FAP-restricted manner, leading to tumor eradication without signs of peripheral toxicity. This distinct preclinical profile suggests that a favorable therapeutic index may be achieved in humans. It further supports the development of α-FAPxCD40, currently tested in a first-in-human clinical study in patients with solid tumors (NCT05098405).

Comparison of Volumetric and Bead-Based Counting of CD34 Cells by Single-Platform Flow Cytometry.

BACKGROUND: Over 2,000 people a year in the United Kingdom need a bone marrow or blood stem cell transplant. It is important to accurately quantify the hematopoietic stem cells to predict whether the transplant will be successful in replenishing the immune system. However, they are present at low frequency, which complicates accurate quantification. The current gold standard method is single-platform flow cytometry using internal reference counting beads to determine the concentration of CD34 cells. However, volumetric flow cytometers have the ability to measure the acquisition volume, which removes the need for reference beads for calculation of cell concentrations. METHOD: In this study, we compared both methods for calculating CD34 cell concentrations in volumetric cytometers, using either the volume reading or the number of reference beads for calculation. In addition, the uncertainty of measurement for each method was estimated. RESULTS: The results show that both methods have similar uncertainties of measurement. Regression analysis showed low to no statistical difference in CD34 cell concentrations obtained with each method. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, this study suggests that the volumetric method is a valid approach but that the adoption of this technology may be hindered without some form of external calibration of volume readings to increase confidence in the measurement. © 2019 The Authors. Cytometry Part B: Clinical Cytometry published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Clinical Cytometry Society.

Rapid comparative immunophenotyping of human mesenchymal stromal cells by a modified fluorescent cell barcoding flow cytometric assay.

Flow cytometry immunophenotyping is a sensitive technique allowing rapid characterization of single cells within heterogeneous populations, but it includes several subjective steps during sample analysis that impact the development of standardized methodology. Proposed strategies to overcome these limitations include fluorescent cell barcoding (FCB), which facilitates multiplexed sample evaluation with increased data reproducibility whilst reducing labeling variation, materials, and time. To date, the FCB assay has found utility for analyzing the phosphorylation status of intracellular targets but has not been intensively employed for cellular immunophenotypic analyses using cell surface markers. In this study we developed a modified FCB assay for multiplexed analysis of human mesenchymal stromal cells (hMSCs) to evaluate the quality of these cells during bioprocessing. A panel of fluorochrome-conjugated antibodies was used to target 15 ubiquitously expressed or stage-specific markers together with a fixable viability dye eFluor 506 acting as the cell barcoding agent. Critical technical considerations and validation steps were presented in the context of monitoring hMSC status, defined by generic, and specific surface markers for cell identity and quality. It was found that at discrete passages, inter-analyst expression patterns between hMSCs cultures were similar, but in contrast, diverse marker expression was evident between passages. A side-by-side analysis of barcoded and non-barcoded cells demonstrated the potential of this technique for the rapid phenotypic characterization of cells exposed to different bioprocessing conditions. Additionally, the method incorporates fewer subjective factors; including sample preparation and instrument day-to-day variations and is customizable across a diversity of cell types. © 2017 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry.

Rapid phenotypic fingerprinting of cell products by robust measurement of ubiquitous surface markers.

Flow cytometry is one of the most versatile and powerful approach for the quantitative analysis of cell suspensions. With widespread applications in basic and clinical research, its commonest use is in the detection of cell populations labelled against markers specific for a particular phenotype. In this study, we aimed to expand the potential of flow cytometry by describing a method based on robust automated quantification of ubiquitous cell surface markers. We demonstrate that automatic fluorescence standardization combined with whole cell population analysis yields highly reproducible results and can alleviate many of the difficulties associated with conventional analyses. This new generic approach is very flexible for quantifying the uniqueness of entire cell populations regardless of their composition. It provides quantitative phenotypic fingerprints rapidly, does not incorporate subjective factors, is more amenable to standardization, and is easily transferable across a wide diversity of applications, such as quality control for cell manufacture and authentication of cell products.

Quantification of cells with specific phenotypes I: determination of CD4+ cell count per microliter in reconstituted lyophilized human PBMC prelabeled with anti-CD4 FITC antibody.

A surface-labeled lyophilized lymphocyte (sLL) preparation has been developed using human peripheral blood mononuclear cells prelabeled with a fluorescein isothiocyanate conjugated anti-CD4 monoclonal antibody. The sLL preparation is intended to be used as a reference material for CD4+ cell counting including the development of higher order reference measurement procedures and has been evaluated in the pilot study CCQM-P102. This study was conducted across 16 laboratories from eight countries to assess the ability of participants to quantify the CD4+ cell count of this reference material and to document cross-laboratory variability plus associated measurement uncertainties. Twelve different flow cytometer platforms were evaluated using a standard protocol that included calibration beads used to obtain quantitative measurements of CD4+ T cell counts. There was good overall cross-platform and counting method agreement with a grand mean of the laboratory calculated means of (301.7 ± 4.9) µL(-1) CD4+ cells. Excluding outliers, greater than 90% of participant data agreed within ±15%. A major contribution to variation of sLL CD4+ cell counts was tube to tube variation of the calibration beads, amounting to an uncertainty of 3.6%. Variation due to preparative steps equated to an uncertainty of 2.6%. There was no reduction in variability when data files were centrally reanalyzed. Remaining variation was attributed to instrument specific differences. CD4+ cell counts obtained in CCQM-P102 are in excellent agreement and show the robustness of both the measurements and the data analysis and hence the suitability of sLL as a reference material for interlaboratory comparisons and external quality assessment.

Dynamic monitoring of metal oxide nanoparticle toxicity by label free impedance sensing.

The increased use of nanoparticles in industrial and medical products is driving the need for accurate, high throughput in vitro testing procedures to screen new particles for potential toxicity. While approaches using standard viability assays have been widely used, there have been increased reports of the interactions of nanoparticles with their soluble labels or optical readouts which raise concerns over the potential generation of false positive results. Here, we describe the use of an impedance spectroscopy approach to provide real-time reagent free detection of toxicity for a panel of metal oxide nanoparticles (ZnO, CuO, and TiO(2)). Using this approach, we show how impedance measurements can be used to track nanoparticle toxicity over time with comparable IC(50) values to those of standard assays (ZnO-55 µg/mL, CuO-28 µg/mL) as well as being used to identify a critical 6 h period following exposure during which the nanoparticles trigger rapid cellular responses. Through targeted analysis during this response period and the use of a novel image analysis approach, we show how the ZnO and CuO nanoparticles trigger the active export of intracellular glutathione via an increase in the activity of the ATP dependent MRP/1 efflux pumps. The loss of glutathione leads to increased production of reactive oxygen species which after 2.5 h triggers the cells to enter apoptosis resulting in a dose dependent cytotoxic response. This targeted testing strategy provides comprehensive information beyond that achieved with standard toxicity assays and indicates the potential for cell-nanoparticle interactions that could occur following in vivo exposure.

The tumour-associated antigen L6 (L6-Ag) is recruited to the tetraspanin-enriched microdomains: implication for tumour cell motility.

Tumour-associated antigen L6 (L6-Ag, also known as TM4SF1) regulates tumour cell motility and invasiveness. We found that L6-Ag is abundant on the plasma membrane and on intracellular vesicles, on which it is co-localised with the markers for late endosomal/lysosomal compartments, including Lamp1/Lamp2 proteins and LBPA. Antibody internalisation and live-imaging experiments suggested that L6-Ag is targeted to late endocytic organelles (LEO) predominantly via a biosynthetic pathway. Mapping experiments showed that the presence of transmembrane regions is sufficient for directing L6-Ag to LEO. On the plasma membrane, L6-Ag is associated with tetraspanin-enriched microdomains (TERM). All three predicted cytoplasmic regions of L6-Ag are crucial for the effective recruitment of the protein to TERM. Recruitment to TERM correlated with the pro-migratory activity of L6-Ag. Depletion of L6-Ag with siRNA has a selective effect on the surface expression of tetraspanins CD63 and CD82. By contrast, the expression levels of other tetraspanins and beta1 integrins was not affected. We found that L6-Ag is ubiquitylated and that ubiquitylation is essential for its function in cell migration. These data suggest that L6-Ag influences cell motility via TERM by regulating the surface presentation and endocytosis of some of their components.