Recombinant Newcastle Disease Virus Immunotherapy Drives Oncolytic Effects and Durable Systemic Antitumor Immunity

Mol Cancer Ther. 2021 Sep;20(9):1723-1734. doi: 10.1158/1535-7163.MCT-20-0902. Epub 2021 Jun 17.

Abstract

A recombinant Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV), encoding either a human (NDVhuGM-CSF, MEDI5395) or murine (NDVmuGM-CSF) GM-CSF transgene, combined broad oncolytic activity with the ability to significantly modulate genes related to immune functionality in human tumor cells. Replication in murine tumor lines was significantly diminished relative to human tumor cells. Nonetheless, intratumoral injection of NDVmuGM-CSF conferred antitumor effects in three syngeneic models in vivo; with efficacy further augmented by concomitant treatment with anti-PD-1/PD-L1 or T-cell agonists. Ex vivo immune profiling, including T-cell receptor sequencing, revealed profound immune-contexture changes consistent with priming and potentiation of adaptive immunity and tumor microenvironment (TME) reprogramming toward an immune-permissive state. CRISPR modifications rendered CT26 tumors significantly more permissive to NDV replication, and in this setting, NDVmuGM-CSF confers immune-mediated effects in the noninjected tumor in vivo Taken together, the data support the thesis that MEDI5395 primes and augments cell-mediated antitumor immunity and has significant utility as a combination partner with other immunomodulatory cancer treatments.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Apoptosis
  • Cell Proliferation
  • Colonic Neoplasms / immunology
  • Colonic Neoplasms / metabolism
  • Colonic Neoplasms / pathology
  • Colonic Neoplasms / therapy
  • Female
  • Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor / administration & dosage*
  • Humans
  • Immunomodulation*
  • Immunotherapy / methods*
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Newcastle disease virus / genetics*
  • Oncolytic Virotherapy / instrumentation*
  • Tumor Cells, Cultured
  • Tumor Microenvironment*
  • Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays

Substances

  • Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor