Cornell University
Library
Cornell UniversityLibrary

eCommons

Help
Log In(current)
  1. Home
  2. Weill Cornell Medicine
  3. Weill Cornell Theses and Dissertations
  4. Weill Cornell Theses and Dissertations
  5. Engineered IL-18 Secretion and Multi-Antigen Targeting Enable CAR T Cells to Eliminate Multiple Myeloma with Weak Antigen Expression in an Immunocompetent Mouse Model

Engineered IL-18 Secretion and Multi-Antigen Targeting Enable CAR T Cells to Eliminate Multiple Myeloma with Weak Antigen Expression in an Immunocompetent Mouse Model

File(s)
brn2010.pdf (11.61 MB)
Permanent Link(s)
https://hdl.handle.net/1813/118264
Collections
Weill Cornell Theses and Dissertations
Author
Ng, Brandon
Abstract

Multiple myeloma is a plasma cell malignancy that is currently incurable with conventional therapies. Following the success of CD19-targeted chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells in leukemia and lymphoma, CAR T cells targeting B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) more recently demonstrated impressive activity in relapsed and refractory myeloma patients. However, BCMA-directed therapy can fail due to low expression of BCMA on myeloma cells, suggesting that novel approaches to better address antigen-low disease may improve patient outcomes. I hypothesized that engineered secretion of the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-18 (IL-18) and multi-antigen targeting could improve CAR T cell activity against BCMA-low myeloma. In a syngeneic murine model of myeloma, CAR T cells targeting the myeloma-associated antigens BCMA and B-cell activating factor (BAFF-R) failed to eliminate myeloma when these antigens were weakly expressed. In contrast, IL-18-secreting CAR T cells targeting these antigens promoted myeloma clearance. IL-18-secreting CAR T cells developed an effector-like T cell phenotype, promoted interferon-gamma production, reprogrammed the myeloma bone marrow microenvironment through type I and II interferon signaling, and utilized macrophages to mediate anti-myeloma activity. Simultaneous targeting of weakly expressed BCMA and BAFF-R with dual-CAR T cells enhanced T cell:target cell avidity, increased overall CAR signal strength, and stimulated anti-myeloma activity. Dual-antigen targeting augmented CAR T cell secretion of engineered IL-18 and facilitated elimination of larger myeloma burdens in vivo. These results demonstrate that combination of engineered IL-18 secretion and multi-antigen targeting can eliminate myeloma with weak antigen expression through distinct mechanisms.

Date Issued
2024-05-17
Keywords
WCM Library Coordinated Deposit
•
cancer immunotherapy
•
CAR T cells
•
cell engineering
•
cytokine therapy
•
multiple myeloma
Committee Chair
van den Brink, Marcel
Committee Member
Guzman, Monica
Scheinberg, David
Brentjens, Renier
Sun, Joseph
Degree Discipline
Pharmacology
Degree Name
Ph. D., Pharmacology
Degree Level
Doctor of Philosophy
Type
dissertation or thesis

Site Statistics | Help

About eCommons | Policies | Terms of use | Contact Us

copyright © 2002-2026 Cornell University Library | Privacy | Web Accessibility Assistance