[PDF][PDF] Genetically engineered myeloid cells rebalance the core immune suppression program in metastasis

S Kaczanowska, DW Beury, V Gopalan, AK Tycko… - Cell, 2021 - cell.com
S Kaczanowska, DW Beury, V Gopalan, AK Tycko, H Qin, ME Clements, J Drake, C Nwanze…
Cell, 2021cell.com
Metastasis is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths, and greater knowledge of the
metastatic microenvironment is necessary to effectively target this process.
Microenvironmental changes occur at distant sites prior to clinically detectable metastatic
disease; however, the key niche regulatory signals during metastatic progression remain
poorly characterized. Here, we identify a core immune suppression gene signature in pre-
metastatic niche formation that is expressed predominantly by myeloid cells. We target this …
Summary
Metastasis is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths, and greater knowledge of the metastatic microenvironment is necessary to effectively target this process. Microenvironmental changes occur at distant sites prior to clinically detectable metastatic disease; however, the key niche regulatory signals during metastatic progression remain poorly characterized. Here, we identify a core immune suppression gene signature in pre-metastatic niche formation that is expressed predominantly by myeloid cells. We target this immune suppression program by utilizing genetically engineered myeloid cells (GEMys) to deliver IL-12 to modulate the metastatic microenvironment. Our data demonstrate that IL12-GEMy treatment reverses immune suppression in the pre-metastatic niche by activating antigen presentation and T cell activation, resulting in reduced metastatic and primary tumor burden and improved survival of tumor-bearing mice. We demonstrate that IL12-GEMys can functionally modulate the core program of immune suppression in the pre-metastatic niche to successfully rebalance the dysregulated metastatic microenvironment in cancer.
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