Publicaciones científicas

Human T cells engineered with an HLA-A2-restricted murine T-cell receptor targeting glypican 3 effectively control human hepatocellular carcinoma in mice

26-nov-2024 | Revista: Hepatology

Enric Vercher 1 2 3, Ángela Covo-Vergara 1 2 3, Enrique Conde 1 2 3, Mercedes Hernández-Rueda 1 2 3, Edurne Elizalde 1 2 3, Uxua Mancheño 1 2 3, Javier Glez-Vaz 1 2 3, Ibon Tamayo-Uria 1 2 3, Maritza R García-García 1 2 3 4, Marta Ferrer-Roig 1 2 3, Javier Marañón-Lopez 1 2 3, David Repáraz 1 2 3, Marta Ruiz 1 2 3, Ascensión López-Díaz de Cerio 2 3 5, Susana Inogés 2 3 5, Mercedes Iñarrairaegui 2 3 6 7, Juan J Lasarte 1 2 3, Bruno Sangro 2 3 6 7, Pablo Sarobe 1 2 3 7, Sandra Hervas-Stubbs 1 2 3 7


Abstract

Background and aims: Glypican-3 (GPC3) is a promising target for T-cell therapy in HCC. While chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells targeting GPC3 have demonstrated therapeutic efficacy, their effectiveness is limited by challenges such as low persistence and shedding of surface GPC3. Natural T-cell receptors (TCRs) may serve as an alternative, though identifying GPC3-specific TCRs within the endogenous repertoire is difficult.

Approach and results: We immunized human leucocyte antigen-A2 (HLA-A2) transgenic mice with an adenovirus expressing human GPC3, identifying a panel of TCRs that recognize the GPC3(522-530) epitope. We cloned 3 murine GPC3-TCRs (TCR-A, TCR-B, and TCR-C) and engineered primary human T cells (TCR-T). TCR-T cells effectively recognized GPC3 + HLA-A2 + human HCC cells, with recognition diminished by GPC3 silencing and HLA-A2 blockade. TCR-B-T and TCR-C-T cells showed the highest reactivity, with TCR-B-T cells exhibiting superior effector functions, proliferative capacity, and therapeutic efficacy in xenograft HCC models. Notable, TCR-B-T cells outperformed second-generation 41BB GPC3-specific CAR-T cells, attributed to lower exhaustion, enhanced proliferation, greater effector function, and improved resilience. Furthermore, mixed dosing of CAR-T and TCR-B-T cells was significantly more effective than staggered dosing of the same cell type, suggesting potential synergistic effects.

Conclusions: Transgenic TCRs join forces with CARs, expanding the arsenal of GPC3-targeting receptors for HCC T-cell therapy.

CITA DEL ARtÏCULO Hepatology. 2024 Nov 26. doi: 10.1097/HEP.0000000000001175. Online ahead of print.

Nuestros autores

Mercedes Hernández Rueda
Edurne Elizalde Agurruza
Uxua Mancheño Ujué
Ibon Tamayo Uría
Colaborador de Investigación Plataforma Bioinformática
Maritza Roxana García García
Dra. Marta Ruiz Egozcue
Técnico de Investigación Grupo de Investigación en Péptidos