Described herein are genetically modified bispecific immune cells such as bicistronic and bivalent immune cells. The bispecific immune cells include an antigen recognition domain that specifically binds a tumor-specific antigen and an antigen recognition domain that specifically binds a radiation-induced cell surface marker. Also described are methods of treating cancer in a subject including administering to the subject a dose of a targeted radionuclide therapy (TRT) agent, and administering to the subject the genetically modified bispecific immune cell.

Adoptive T-cell therapy has shown tantalizing promise as a cancer treatment strategy, with several clinical trials reporting that T cells expressing chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) can eradicate tumors in patients with relapsed disease. However, CAR-T cells rely on receptor-mediated recognition of surface-bound antigens that are seldom tumor-exclusive, resulting in severe on-target, off-tumor toxicities that have led to patient deaths in clinical trials. There is a growing consensus that the lack of suitable antigens poses a major obstacle to the broad application of engineered tumor-targeting T cells. The ability to overcome T cells' reliance on surface antigen presentation and interrogate intracellular disease signatures would significantly expand the pool of detectable tumor markers and improve tumor-targeting specificity. Here, we present a novel strategy to reprogram T-cell-mediated cytotoxicity to interrogate intracellular disease signatures. We have engineered a switchable form of the cytotoxic protein Granzyme B (GrB) that is produced and delivered by T cells into target cells, but becomes active if and only if a tumor-associated protease is present inside the target cell. As a proof of concept, we have developed a GrB switch that responds to Sentrin-specific protease 1 (SENP1), an oncoprotein known to be overexpressed in prostate, pancreatic, and thyroid oncocytic tumor cells. We demonstrate that this GrB switch, termed cytoplasmic oncoprotein verification evaluator and response trigger (COVERT), is efficiently expressed and packaged by human T cells and properly trafficked to the immunological synapse between T cells and target cells. Furthermore, we show that COVERT is produced as an enzymatically inert protein that is activated by SENP1 in a dose-dependent manner. Finally, we describe designs to adapt COVERT into a modular platform technology that will expand the repertoire of candidate target antigens. We envision that COVERT can be utilized in combination with existing CAR technology to improve the tumor-targeting precision of cell-based immunotherapy.

Copyright American Institute of Chemical Engineers. All rights reserved.

New synthetic expression cassettes comprising a minimal promoter and a cell-specific enhancer for expression of a nucleic acid of interest in one or more specific cell subtypes are disclosed. Vectors and host cells comprising such synthetic expression cassettes are also disclosed. The application also discloses methods for expressing a nucleic acid of interest, such as a nucleic acid encoding a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR), in a cell and for treating diseases or conditions such as cancers and genetic diseases using the synthetic expression cassettes, vectors and cells.

The present invention provides a T cell which expresses a gamma-delta T cell receptor (TCR) and a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR), wherein the CAR comprises: an antigen binding domain; a transmembrane domain; and a co-stimulatory intracellular signalling domain; wherein the intracellular signalling domain provides a co-stimulatory signal to the T cell following binding of antigen to the antigen binding domain.

In certain embodiments, this disclosure provides methods to generate DNA, RNA and/or DNA-peptide nanostructures based chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell (engineered T cell) for cancer immunotherapy, and compositions made by these methods.

Described herein is a genetically modified natural killer (NK) cell including a knock-out of at least a portion of an endogenous gene encoding an NKG2A receptor which inactivates the NKG2A receptor, and a knock-in of a transgene for a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) into the site of the NKG2A knock-out, wherein the CAR includes an extracellular domain linked to an intracellular domain through a first transmembrane domain, wherein the first extracellular domain comprises an antigen recognition domain. Also described are methods of making and methods of using the genetically modified NK cells.

Embodiments of the disclosure include methods and compositions for immunotherapy that comprise allogeneic cells that are able to be universally tolerated in host individuals. In specific embodiments the cells have reduced expression of endogenous beta2-microglobulin (B2M) and/or MHC class II-associated invariant chain (Ii), and in particular cases the cells are NKT cells that lack the ability to damage host tissues, have much reduced recognition by host immune cells, and surprisingly avoid destruction by host NK cells. In some embodiments, B2M- and/or Ii-targeting molecules are engineered to be expressed in combination (including within a single construct) with recombinantly engineered receptors, for example, for a one-hit generation of universally tolerated off-the-shelf immunotherapy.

New synthetic expression cassettes comprising a minimal promoter and a cell-specific enhancer for expression of a nucleic acid of interest in one or more specific cell subtypes are disclosed. Vectors and host cells comprising such synthetic expression cassettes are also disclosed. The application also discloses methods for expressing a nucleic acid of interest, such as a nucleic acid encoding a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR), in a cell and for treating diseases or conditions such as cancers and genetic diseases using the synthetic expression cassettes, vectors and cells.

The present disclosure provides an isolated immune cell which expresses a receptor, interleukin-7, and chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 19.

There is provided method for making a cell composition which comprises step of transducing a population of cells with a mixture of at least two viral vectors, wherein at least one vector comprises a nucleic acid sequence which encodes a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR); and wherein at least one vector comprises a nucleic acid encoding an activity modulator which modulates the activity of the CAR, of a cell expressing the CAR, or of a target cell. There is also provided a cell composition made by such a method and its use in the treatment of diseases such as cancer.