Disialoganglioside-specific human natural killer cells are effective against drug-resistant neuroblastoma

Cancer Immunol Immunother. 2015 May;64(5):621-34. doi: 10.1007/s00262-015-1669-5. Epub 2015 Feb 25.

Abstract

The disialoganglioside GD2 is a well-established target antigen for passive immunotherapy in neuroblastoma (NB). Despite the recent success of passive immunotherapy with the anti-GD2 antibody ch14.18 and cytokines, treatment of high-risk NB remains challenging. We expanded the approach of GD2-specific, antibody-based immunotherapy to an application of a GD2-specific natural killer (NK) cell line, NK-92-scFv(ch14.18)-zeta. NK-92-scFv(ch14.18)-zeta is genetically engineered to express a GD2-specific chimeric antigen receptor generated from ch14.18. Here, we show that chimeric receptor expression enables NK-92-scFv(ch14.18)-zeta to effectively lyse GD2(+) NB cells also including partially or multidrug-resistant lines. Our data suggest that recognition of GD2 by the chimeric receptor is the primary mechanism involved in NK-92-scFv(ch14.18)-zeta-mediated lysis and is independent of activating NK cell receptor/ligand interactions. Furthermore, we demonstrate that NK-92-scFv(ch14.18)-zeta is able to mediate a significant anti-tumor response in vivo in a drug-resistant GD2(+) NB xenograft mouse model. NK-92-scFv(ch14.18)-zeta is an NB-specific NK cell line that has potential for future clinical development due to its high stability and activity toward GD2(+) NB cell lines.

Publication types

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

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic / immunology
  • Cell Line
  • Cytotoxicity, Immunologic / immunology
  • Drug Resistance, Neoplasm*
  • Female
  • Gangliosides / genetics
  • Gangliosides / immunology*
  • Genetic Engineering
  • Humans
  • Immunotherapy, Adoptive / methods*
  • Killer Cells, Natural / immunology*
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred NOD
  • Neoplasm Transplantation
  • Neuroblastoma / immunology
  • Neuroblastoma / therapy*
  • Receptors, Antigen / biosynthesis
  • Receptors, Antigen / immunology
  • Single-Chain Antibodies / immunology

Substances

  • Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic
  • Gangliosides
  • Receptors, Antigen
  • Single-Chain Antibodies
  • sialogangliosides
  • ganglioside, GD2