The rational development of CD5-targeting biepitopic CARs with fully human heavy-chain-only antigen recognition domains
Zhenyu Dai, Wei Mu, Ya Zhao, Xiangyin Jia, Jianwei Liu, Qiaoe Wei, Taochao Tan, Jianfeng Zhou, Zhenyu Dai, Wei Mu, Ya Zhao, Xiangyin Jia, Jianwei Liu, Qiaoe Wei, Taochao Tan, Jianfeng Zhou
Abstract
T cell malignancies are a group of hematologic cancers with high recurrence and mortality rates. CD5 is highly expressed in ∼85% of T cell malignancies, although normal expression of CD5 is restricted to thymocytes, T cells, and B1 cells. However, CD5 expression on chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells leads to CAR-T cell fratricide. Once this limitation is overcome, CD5-targeting CAR-T therapy could be an attractive strategy to treat T cell malignancies. Here, we report the selection of novel CD5-targeting fully human heavy-chain variable (FHVH) domains for the development of a biepitopic CAR, termed FHVH3/VH1, containing FHVH1 and FHVH3, which were validated to bind different epitopes of the CD5 antigen. To prevent fratricide in CD5 CAR-T cells, we optimized the manufacturing procedures of a CRISPR-Cas9-based CD5 knockout (CD5KO) and lentiviral transduction of anti-CD5 CAR. In vitro and in vivo functional comparisons demonstrated that biepitopic CD5KO FHVH3/VH1 CAR-T cells exhibited enhanced and longer lasting efficacy; produced moderate levels of cytokine secretion; showed similar specificity profiles as either FHVH1, FHVH3, or the clinically tested H65; and is therefore suitable for further development.
Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03081910.
Keywords: CD5; T cell malignancies; biepitopic antibody; biepitopic chimeric antigen receptor; fully human antibody; heavy-chain-only antigen recognition domains; phage display antibody library; tumor escape.
Conflict of interest statement
Declaration of interests T.T., Y.Z., X.J., J.L., and Q.W. are employees of Nanjing IASO Biotherapeutics and held interests in the company. J.Z., T.T., Z.D., Y.Z., X.J., J.L., and Q.W. are among inventors of patent applications related to the fully human heavy-chain-only CD5 antibodies and CARs. J.Z. is a nonpaid member of Scientific and Medical Advisory Board of Nanjing IASO Biotherapeutics.
Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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