CAR-T Therapy Targets Extra Domain B of Fibronectin Positive Solid Tumor Cells

Abstract

Background: CAR-T cell immunotherapy has achieved remarkable success in malignant B-cell malignancies, but progress in solid tumors is slow, and one of the key reasons is the lack of ideal targets. Cancer-specific extra domain B of fibronectin (EDB-FN) is widely upregulated in solid tumors and expressed at low levels in normal tissues. Many imaging and targeted cancer therapies based on EDB-FN targets have been developed and tested in clinical trials, making EDB-FN an ideal target for immunotherapy.

Methods: We constructed two EDB-FN-targeted CAR-Ts based on the peptide APT0 and the single-chain antibody CGS2 in a lentiviral infection manner for the first time. Luciferase cytotoxicity assay to assess CAR-T killing of tumor cells. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect the release of the cytokine IFN-γ. Fluorescence imaging to evaluate the dynamics of CAR-T cell and tumor cell coculture. Knockdown assays were used to validate the target specificity of CAR-T cells.

Results: In this research, two CAR-Ts targeting EDB-FN, APT0 CAR-T, and CGS2 CAR-T, were constructed. In vitro, both CAR-T cells produced broad-spectrum killing of multiple EDB-FN-positive solid tumor cell lines and were accompanied by cytokine IFN-γ release. Regarding safety, the two CAR-T cells did not affect T cells' normal growth and proliferation and were not toxic to HEK-293T human embryonic kidney epithelial cells.

Conclusion: APT0 CAR-T and CGS2 CAR-T cells are two new CAR-Ts targeting EDB-FN. Both CAR-T cells can successfully identify and specifically kill various EDB-FN-positive solid tumor cells with potential clinical applications.

Keywords: CAR-T cell; EDB-FN; solid tumor cells.