Inhibition of Akt signaling promotes the generation of superior tumor-reactive T cells for adoptive immunotherapy

Blood. 2014 Nov 27;124(23):3490-500. doi: 10.1182/blood-2014-05-578583. Epub 2014 Oct 21.

Abstract

Effective T-cell therapy against cancer is dependent on the formation of long-lived, stem cell-like T cells with the ability to self-renew and differentiate into potent effector cells. Here, we investigated the in vivo existence of stem cell-like antigen-specific T cells in allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT) patients and their ex vivo generation for additive treatment posttransplant. Early after allo-SCT, CD8+ stem cell memory T cells targeting minor histocompatibility antigens (MiHAs) expressed by recipient tumor cells were not detectable, emphasizing the need for improved additive MiHA-specific T-cell therapy. Importantly, MiHA-specific CD8+ T cells with an early CCR7+CD62L+CD45RO+CD27+CD28+CD95+ memory-like phenotype and gene signature could be expanded from naive precursors by inhibiting Akt signaling during ex vivo priming and expansion. This resulted in a MiHA-specific CD8+ T-cell population containing a high proportion of stem cell-like T cells compared with terminal differentiated effector T cells in control cultures. Importantly, these Akt-inhibited MiHA-specific CD8+ T cells showed a superior expansion capacity in vitro and in immunodeficient mice and induced a superior antitumor effect in intrafemural multiple myeloma-bearing mice. These findings provide a rationale for clinical exploitation of ex vivo-generated Akt-inhibited MiHA-specific CD8+ T cells in additive immunotherapy to prevent or treat relapse in allo-SCT patients.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Benzimidazoles / therapeutic use*
  • CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / drug effects*
  • CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / immunology
  • CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / transplantation*
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Combined Modality Therapy / methods
  • Cytotoxicity, Immunologic / drug effects*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Immunotherapy, Adoptive / methods*
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred NOD
  • Mice, SCID
  • Mice, Transgenic
  • Minor Histocompatibility Antigens / immunology
  • Protein Kinase Inhibitors / therapeutic use
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Quinoxalines / therapeutic use*
  • Signal Transduction / drug effects
  • Signal Transduction / immunology
  • Transplantation Conditioning / methods
  • Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays

Substances

  • 1,3-dihydro-1-(1-((4-(6-phenyl-1H-imidazo(4,5-g)quinoxalin-7-yl)phenyl)methyl)-4-piperidinyl)-2H-benzimidazol-2-one
  • Benzimidazoles
  • Minor Histocompatibility Antigens
  • Protein Kinase Inhibitors
  • Quinoxalines
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt