Combining adoptive cellular and immunocytokine therapies to improve treatment of B-lineage malignancy

Cancer Res. 2007 Mar 15;67(6):2872-80. doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-06-2283.

Abstract

Currently, the lineage-specific cell-surface molecules CD19 and CD20 present on many B-cell malignancies are targets for both antibody- and cell-based therapies. Coupling these two treatment modalities is predicted to improve the antitumor effect, particularly for tumors resistant to single-agent biotherapies. This can be shown using an immunocytokine, composed of a CD20-specific monoclonal antibody fused to biologically active interleukin 2 (IL-2), combined with ex vivo expanded human umbilical cord blood-derived CD8(+) T cells, that have been genetically modified to be CD19 specific, for adoptive transfer after allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation. We show that a benefit of targeted delivery of recombinant IL-2 by the immunocytokine to the CD19(+)CD20(+) tumor microenvironment is improved in vivo persistence of the CD19-specific T cells, and this results in an augmented cell-mediated antitumor effect. Phase I trials are under way using anti-CD20-IL-2 immunocytokine and CD19-specific T cells as monotherapies, and our results warrant clinical trials using combination of these two immunotherapies.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal / immunology
  • Antigens, CD19 / immunology*
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Immunoconjugates / immunology
  • Immunoconjugates / pharmacology*
  • Immunotherapy, Adoptive / methods*
  • Interleukin-2 / immunology
  • Interleukin-2 / pharmacology*
  • K562 Cells
  • Leukemia, B-Cell / immunology
  • Leukemia, B-Cell / therapy*
  • Lymphoma, B-Cell / immunology
  • Lymphoma, B-Cell / therapy*
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred NOD
  • Mice, SCID
  • T-Lymphocytes / immunology*

Substances

  • Antibodies, Monoclonal
  • Antigens, CD19
  • Immunoconjugates
  • Interleukin-2