The clinical efficacy of first-generation carcinoembryonic antigen (CEACAM5)-specific CAR T cells is limited by poor persistence and transient pre-conditioning-dependent respiratory toxicity

作者：Fiona Thistlethwaite, David E. Gilham, Ryan D. Guest, Dominic G. Rothwell, Manon Pillai, Deborah J. Burt, Andrea J. Byatte, Н. А. Кириллова, Juan W. Valle, Surinder K. Sharma, Kerry Chester, Nigel Westwood, Sarah Halford, Stephen Nabarro, Susan Wan, Eric Austin, Robert E. Hawkins · 发表于：Cancer Immunology Immunotherapy · 年份：2017 · DOI：10.1007/s00262-017-2034-7 · 被引用次数：413 · 研究领域：CAR-T cell therapy research、Nanowire Synthesis and Applications、Viral Infectious Diseases and Gene Expression in Insects

The primary aim of this clinical trial was to determine the feasibility of delivering first-generation CAR T cell therapy to patients with advanced, CEACAM5 + malignancy. Secondary aims were to assess clinical efficacy, immune effector function and optimal dose of CAR T cells. Three cohorts of patients received increasing doses of CEACAM5 + -specific CAR T cells after fludarabine pre-conditioning plus systemic IL2 support post T cell infusion. Patients in cohort 4 received increased intensity pre-conditioning (cyclophosphamide and fludarabine), systemic IL2 support and CAR T cells. No objective clinical responses were observed. CAR T cell engraftment in patients within cohort 4 was significantly higher. However, engraftment was short-lived with a rapid decline of systemic CAR T cells within 14 days. Patients in cohort 4 had transient, acute respiratory toxicity which, in combination with lack of prolonged CAR T cell persistence, resulted in the premature closure of the trial. Elevated levels of systemic IFNγ and IL-6 implied that the CEACAM5-specific T cells had undergone immune activation in vivo but only in patients receiving high-intensity pre-conditioning. Expression of CEACAM5 on lung epithelium may have resulted in this transient toxicity. Raised levels of serum cytokines including IL-6 in these patients implicate cytokine release as one of several potential factors exacerbating the observed respiratory toxicity. Whilst improved CAR designs and T cell production methods...