机构:[1]Chinese Acad Sci, Inst Zool, State Key Lab Organ Regenerat & Reconstruct, Beijing 100101, Peoples R China[2]Beijing Inst Stem Cell & Regenerat Med, Beijing 100101, Peoples R China[3]Univ Chinese Acad Sci, Beijing 100049, Peoples R China[4]Capital Med Univ, China Int Neurosci Inst, Xuanwu Hosp, Dept Neurosurg, Beijing 100053, Peoples R China首都医科大学宣武医院[5]Beijing Cord Blood Bank, Beijing 100176, Peoples R China
Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) and schwannomatosis (SWN) are rare genetic disorders with distinct genetic etiologies. Both syndromes are predominantly characterized by the development of multiple benign nerve sheath tumors, which typically arise from cranial/peripheral nerves. The management of NF1/SWN-associated benign nerve sheath tumors pose a substantial clinical challenge. In recent years, immunotherapy has demonstrated significant efficacy in treating various tumors, but its application to NF1/SWN has not been explored. In this study, we first evaluated the feasibility of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy for the treatment of benign NF1/SWN-related nerve sheath tumor by analyzing the expression of multiple antigens in 85 tumor samples. Our findings revealed that epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR/HER1) was highly expressed in most samples, indicating its potential as an ideal target for CAR-T cell therapy. Additionally, TGF beta 1 and PDL1, key inhibitory regulators of T cell function within solid tumor microenvironment (TME), were universally overexpressed in these samples, highlighting the immunosuppressive nature of NF1/SWN tumors. To target HER1, we constructed CARs using three distinct scFvs (806, E2 and NEC). All three types of CAR-T cells demonstrated significant tumor-eliminating capability against NF1/SWN tumor cell lines, with 806 CAR-T cells showing the highest efficacy. Considering the immunosuppressive TME, we knocked out TGFBR2 and/or PDCD1 in 806 CAR-T cells using CRISPR/Cas9. Their anti-tumor efficacy was further evaluated using a 3D tumor spheroid model, and the gene-edited 806 CAR-T cells exhibited superior anti-tumor efficacy. In conclusion, we identified HER1 as a target for CAR-T cell therapy in NF1/SWN-related nerve sheath tumors, and developed anti-HER1 CAR-T cells that effectively eliminated NF1/SWN tumor cells, providing a promising therapeutic strategy for patients with these conditions.
基金:
National Natural Science Foundation of China
(32425035 to W.H.Y.); National Key R&D Program of China (2024YFA0917300
to T.N.); Beijing Municipal Science & Technology Commission, Administrative Commission of Zhongguancun Science Park (No. Z221100007922017 to
W.H.Y.); Neurofbromatosis Shenzhen Care Center; Beijing Institute for Stem
Cell and Regenerative Medicine (2023FH107 to T.N.; 2022FH122, 2023FH105 to W.H.Y.); Chinese Academy of Sciences (ZDBS-LY-SM005 to W.H.Y.).