Establishment of a platform for generating NK-CAR cells with greater therapeutic effectiveness in vitro and in vivo

• Grant number: 20/08279-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: November 01, 2020
• End date: March 10, 2022
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine - Medical Clinics
• Principal Investigator: Dimas Tadeu Covas
• Grantee: Júlia Teixeira Cottas de Azevedo
• Host Institution: Hemocentro de Ribeirão Preto. Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto da USP (HCMRP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 13/08135-2 - CTC - Center for Cell-Based Therapy, AP.CEPID

Abstract

In recent decades, immunotherapy has been increasingly used to treat cancer and T cells genetically modified with a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) has shown great clinical results for leukemias and lymphomas. However, some adverse effects associated to CAR-T cells have been described, such as neurotoxicity, cytokine release syndrome, graft versus host disease and the destruction of normal cells expressing the target CAR antigen, showing the importance of alternative strategies for cancer treatment. Studies with natural killer cells (NK) expressing CAR have shown promising results, but limitations still exist, such as reduced cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo and reduced expression of CAR vector. The hypothesis of this project is that the development of CAR specific for NK cells will generate CAR-NK cells with greater capacity for proliferation, activation, cytokine secretion and cytolytic activity, resulting in greater therapeutic efficacy. Thus, in order to define the best condition for transduction, culture and expansion, primary and lineage NK cells will be transduced with lentiviral vectors containing different receptors, co-receptors and cytokines involved to activation of NK cells. Then, the NK-CAR cells will be characterized, and their function and therapeutic effectiveness will be evaluated in vitro and in vivo.

Scientific publications

(6)

(The scientific publications listed on this page originate from the Web of Science or SciELO databases. Their authors have cited FAPESP grant or fellowship project numbers awarded to Principal Investigators or Fellowship Recipients, whether or not they are among the authors. This information is collected automatically and retrieved directly from those bibliometric databases.)

SILVESTRE, R. N.; EITLER, J.; DE AZEVEDO, J. T. TEIXEIRA COTTAS; TONN, T.; PICANCO-CASTRO, V.. CD19-CAR NK CELLS CO-EXPRESSING IL15/IL15R alpha SHOW ENHANCED CYTOTOXICITY AGAINST B-CELL LEUKEMIA. CYTOTHERAPY, v. 24, n. 5, p. 2-pg., 2022-05-01. (19/25309-0, 20/08279-8, 13/08135-2, 20/07055-9)

SCHMIDT, DAYANE; EBRAHIMABADI, SIMA; DE SENA GOMES, KAUAN RIBEIRO; AGUIAR, GRAZIELA DE MOURA; TIRAPELLE, MARIANE CARIATI; SILVESTRE, RENATA NACASAKI; COTTAS DE AZEVEDO, JULIA TEIXEIRA; COVAS, DIMAS TADEU; PICANCO-CASTRO, VIRGINIA. Engineering CAR-NK cells: how to tune innate killer cells for cancer immunotherapy. IMMUNOTHERAPY ADVANCES, v. 2, n. 1, p. 14-pg., 2022-04-06. (13/08135-2, 19/25309-0, 20/08279-8, 20/09206-4)

BIGGI, ALISON FELIPE BORDINI; SILVESTRE, RENATA NACASAKI; TIRAPELLE, MARIANE CARIATI; DE AZEVEDO, JULIA TEIXEIRA COTTAS; GARCIA, HENRY DAVID MOGOLLO; DOS SANTOS, MATHEUS HENRIQUE; DE LIMA, SARAH CAROLINE GOMES; DE SOUZA, LUCAS EDUARDO BOTELHO; COVAS, DIMAS TADEU; MALMEGRIM, KELEN CRISTINA RIBEIRO; et al. IL-27-engineered CAR.19-NK-92 cells exhibit enhanced therapeutic efficacy. CYTOTHERAPY, v. 26, n. 11, p. 11-pg., 2024-10-11. (13/08135-2, 19/25309-0, 20/08279-8, 20/07055-9)

DOS SANTOS, MATHEUS HENRIQUE; DE AZEVEDO, JULIA TEIXEIRA COTTAS; JANUARIO, MARA ELISAMA DA SILVA; SCHMIDT, DAYANE DE FATIMA; TIRAPELLE, MARIANE CARIATI; BIGGI, ALISON FELIPE BORDINI; EBRAHIMABADI, SIMA; SILVESTRE, RENATA NACASAKI; COVAS, DIMAS TADEU; CALADO, RODRIGO T.; et al. 2B4 co-stimulation and dasatinib modulation enhance anti-CD19 CAR-NK-92 cell cytotoxicity. FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY, v. 16, p. 17-pg., 2025-12-12. (20/08279-8, 19/25309-0, 08/57877-3, 20/07055-9, 22/13495-7, 13/08135-2)

SILVESTRE, RENATA NACASAKI; EITLER, JIRI; DE AZEVEDO, JULIA TEIXEIRA COTTAS; TIRAPELLE, MARIANE CARIATI; FANTACINI, DAIANNE MACIELY CARVALHO; DE SOUZA, LUCAS EDUARDO BOTELHO; SWIECH, KAMILLA; COVAS, DIMAS TADEU; CALADO, RODRIGO T.; MONTERO, PAOLA ORTIZ; et al. Engineering NK-CAR.19 cells with the IL-15/IL-15Rα complex improved proliferation and anti-tumor effect in vivo. FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY, v. 14, p. 15-pg., 2023-09-25. (13/08135-2, 19/25309-0, 20/08279-8, 20/07055-9)

TEIXEIRA COTTAS DE AZEVEDO, J. T.; SILVESTRE, R. N.; COVAS, D.; PICANCO-CASTRO, V.. CD3Z-2B4 INTRACELLULAR DOMAIN IMPROVES CYTOTOXICITY FUNCTION OF CAR-NK CELLS AGAINST CD19+CELL LINES. CYTOTHERAPY, v. 24, n. 5, p. 1-pg., 2022-05-01. (19/25309-0, 20/08279-8, 13/08135-2, 20/07055-9)