OncoimmunologyPub Date : 2025-12-01Epub Date: 2025-04-08DOI: 10.1080/2162402X.2025.2489815
Maria Antsiferova, Marco Berrera, Anne-Claire Zagdoun, Maha Raauf, Thuy Trinh Nguyen, Claudio Murgia, Birte Appelt, Christine Trumpfheller, Stephan Gasser, Sylvain Pilet, Valeria Nicolini, Ines Grazina de Matos
{"title":"Novel immunodominant neoepitope in a KPC mouse model of pancreatic cancer allowing identification of tumor-specific T cells.","authors":"Maria Antsiferova, Marco Berrera, Anne-Claire Zagdoun, Maha Raauf, Thuy Trinh Nguyen, Claudio Murgia, Birte Appelt, Christine Trumpfheller, Stephan Gasser, Sylvain Pilet, Valeria Nicolini, Ines Grazina de Matos","doi":"10.1080/2162402X.2025.2489815","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/2162402X.2025.2489815","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The 4662 KPC model is one of the most widely used mouse models of pancreatic cancer. It represents an excluded immune phenotype and closely recapitulates the pathophysiology of pancreatic cancer in humans. We set out to identify the endogenous neoepitopes present in 4662 cells. By combining whole-exome and RNA-sequencing and a bioinformatic neoantigen prediction pipeline, we have identified 15 potential candidate neoantigen epitopes. Ten more highly expressed were selected for validation in an in vivo vaccination study with 4662-tumor bearing mice. The <i>Mrps35-</i>derived neoantigen was found to be immunogenic as we have identified endogenous T-cells responding to this neoepitope, and the response was significantly increased upon vaccination with a synthetic peptide and upon PD1-IL2v therapy. Dextramers based on this peptide were validated and can be used to monitor endogenous tumor-specific CD8+ T-cells in response to immunotherapy. This will support the development of novel therapies for this highly unmet medical need indication.</p>","PeriodicalId":48714,"journal":{"name":"Oncoimmunology","volume":"14 1","pages":"2489815"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143812686","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Hyperdifferentiated murine melanoma cells promote adaptive anti-tumor immunity but activate the immune checkpoint system.","authors":"Yukie Ando, Yutaka Horiuchi, Sara Hatazawa, Momo Mataki, Akihiro Nakamura, Takashi Murakami","doi":"10.1080/2162402X.2024.2437211","DOIUrl":"10.1080/2162402X.2024.2437211","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Accumulating evidence suggests that phenotype switching of cancer cells is essential for therapeutic resistance. However, the immunological characteristics of drug-induced phenotype-switching melanoma cells (PSMCs) are unknown. We investigated PSMC elimination by host immunity using hyperdifferentiated melanoma model cells derived from murine B16F10 melanoma cells. Exposure of B16F10 cells to staurosporine induced a hyperdifferentiated phenotype associated with transient drug tolerance. Staurosporine-induced hyperdifferentiated B16F10 (sB16F10) cells expressed calreticulin on their surface and were phagocytosed efficiently. Furthermore, the inoculation of mice with sB16F10 cells induced immune responses against tumor-derived antigens. Despite the immunogenicity of sB16F10 cells, they activated the PD-1/PD-L1 immune checkpoint system and strongly resisted T cell-mediated tumor destruction. However, <i>in vivo</i> treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors successfully eliminated the tumor. Thus, hyperdifferentiated melanoma cells have conflicting immunological properties - enhanced immunogenicity and immune evasion. Inhibiting the ability of PSMCs to evade T cell-mediated elimination might lead to complete melanoma eradication.</p>","PeriodicalId":48714,"journal":{"name":"Oncoimmunology","volume":"14 1","pages":"2437211"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11633153/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142796568","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
OncoimmunologyPub Date : 2025-12-01Epub Date: 2024-12-09DOI: 10.1080/2162402X.2024.2437917
Sofia Liborio-Ramos, Isaac Quiros-Fernandez, Neta Ilan, Soaad Soboh, Malik Farhoud, Ruken Süleymanoglu, Michele Bennek, Sara Calleja-Vara, Martin Müller, Israel Vlodavsky, Angel Cid-Arregui
{"title":"An integral membrane constitutively active heparanase enhances the tumor infiltration capability of NK cells.","authors":"Sofia Liborio-Ramos, Isaac Quiros-Fernandez, Neta Ilan, Soaad Soboh, Malik Farhoud, Ruken Süleymanoglu, Michele Bennek, Sara Calleja-Vara, Martin Müller, Israel Vlodavsky, Angel Cid-Arregui","doi":"10.1080/2162402X.2024.2437917","DOIUrl":"10.1080/2162402X.2024.2437917","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Eradication of cancer cells by the immune system requires extravasation, infiltration and progression of immune cells through the tumor extracellular matrix (ECM). These are also critical determinants for successful adoptive cell immunotherapy of solid tumors. Together with structural proteins, such as collagens and fibronectin, heparan sulfate (HS) proteoglycans are major components of the ECM. Heparanase 1 (HPSE) is the only enzyme known to have endoglycosidase activity that degrades HS. HPSE is expressed at high levels in almost all hematopoietic cells, which suggests that it plays a relevant role in immune cell migration through solid tissues. Besides, tumor cells express also HPSE as a way to facilitate tumor cell resettlement and metastasis. Therefore, an increase in HPSE in the tumor ECM would be detrimental. Here, we analyzed the effects of constitutive expression of an active, membrane-bound HPSE on the ability of human natural killer (NK) cells to infiltrate tumors and eliminate tumor cells. We demonstrate that NK cells expressing a chimeric active form of HPSE on the cell surface as an integral membrane protein, display significantly enhanced infiltration capability into spheroids of various cancer cell lines, as well as into xenograft tumors in immunodeficient mice. As a result, tumor growth was significantly suppressed without causing noticeable side effects. Altogether, our results suggest that a constitutively expressed active HSPE on the surface of immune effector cells enhances their capability to access and eliminate tumor cells. This strategy opens new possibilities for improving adoptive immune treatments using NK cells.</p>","PeriodicalId":48714,"journal":{"name":"Oncoimmunology","volume":"14 1","pages":"2437917"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11633225/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142802842","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
OncoimmunologyPub Date : 2025-12-01Epub Date: 2025-01-28DOI: 10.1080/2162402X.2025.2458886
Lorenzo Galluzzi, Aitziber Buqué
{"title":"Paradoxical control of multifocal mammary oncogenesis by radiation therapy.","authors":"Lorenzo Galluzzi, Aitziber Buqué","doi":"10.1080/2162402X.2025.2458886","DOIUrl":"10.1080/2162402X.2025.2458886","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In an immunocompetent mouse model of multifocal, metachronous HR<sup>+</sup> mammary carcinogenesis, we have recently demonstrated that a superior control of primary neoplastic lesions by focal radiotherapy does not necessarily translate into improved oncosuppression at non-irradiated (pre)malignant tissues. These data point to a link between local tumor control by radiotherapy and systemic oncogenesis that remains to be fully understood.</p>","PeriodicalId":48714,"journal":{"name":"Oncoimmunology","volume":"14 1","pages":"2458886"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11776481/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143053977","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
OncoimmunologyPub Date : 2025-12-01Epub Date: 2025-02-17DOI: 10.1080/2162402X.2025.2465010
M Vidal-Manrique, T Nieuwenstein, L Hooijmaijers, P K J D de Jonge, M Djojoatmo, J Jansen, A B van der Waart, R Brock, H Dolstra
{"title":"IL-15 transpresentation by ovarian cancer cells improves CD34<sup>+</sup> progenitor-derived NK cell's anti-tumor functionality.","authors":"M Vidal-Manrique, T Nieuwenstein, L Hooijmaijers, P K J D de Jonge, M Djojoatmo, J Jansen, A B van der Waart, R Brock, H Dolstra","doi":"10.1080/2162402X.2025.2465010","DOIUrl":"10.1080/2162402X.2025.2465010","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Ovarian cancer (OC) is the most lethal gynecological malignancy. As high numbers of Natural Killer (NK) cells in ascites associate with improved survival, the adoptive transfer of allogeneic NK cells is an attractive therapeutic strategy. An approach to further improve NK cell expansion and anti-tumor functionality post-infusion includes IL-15 transpresentation (transIL-15), which involves surface expression of the IL-15 cytokine bound to IL-15Rα. However, others have substantiated that systemic administration of ALT/N-803, a soluble molecule mimicking transIL-15, leads to T cell-mediated rejection of the infused allogeneic NK cell product. In addition, whether transIL-15 induce superior expansion and functionality of our hematopoietic progenitor cell-derived NK cells (HPC-NK) remains understudied. Here, we propose to transfect OC cells with IL-15 and IL-15Rα mRNA and evaluate HPC-NK cell stimulation <i>in vitro</i>. Co-transfection of both mRNAs resulted in surface co-expression of both components, thus mimicking the transIL-15. Importantly, co-culture of HPC-NK cells with transIL-15 OC cells resulted in superior proliferation, IFNγ production, cytotoxicity and granzyme B secretion. Furthermore, we observed uptake of IL-15Rα by HPC-NK cells when co-cultured with transIL-15 OC cells, which associates with NK cell long-term proliferation and survival. Superior killing and granzyme B secretion were also observed in transIL-15 OC spheroids. Our results demonstrate that local delivery of IL-15 and IL-15Rα mRNA to OC tumors may be a safer strategy to boost HPC-NK cell therapy of OC through IL-15 transpresentation.</p>","PeriodicalId":48714,"journal":{"name":"Oncoimmunology","volume":"14 1","pages":"2465010"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11834524/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143442423","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
OncoimmunologyPub Date : 2025-12-01Epub Date: 2025-02-13DOI: 10.1080/2162402X.2025.2466301
Elena Lo Presti, Francesca Cupaioli, Daniela Scimeca, Elettra Unti, Vincenzo Di Martino, Rossella Daidone, Michele Amata, Nunzia Scibetta, Erinn Soucie, Serena Meraviglia, Juan Iovanna, Nelson Dusetti, Andrea De Gaetano, Ivan Merelli, Roberto Di Mitri
{"title":"The pancreatic tumor microenvironment of treatment-naïve patients causes a functional shift in γδ T cells, impairing their anti-tumoral defense.","authors":"Elena Lo Presti, Francesca Cupaioli, Daniela Scimeca, Elettra Unti, Vincenzo Di Martino, Rossella Daidone, Michele Amata, Nunzia Scibetta, Erinn Soucie, Serena Meraviglia, Juan Iovanna, Nelson Dusetti, Andrea De Gaetano, Ivan Merelli, Roberto Di Mitri","doi":"10.1080/2162402X.2025.2466301","DOIUrl":"10.1080/2162402X.2025.2466301","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) presents a unique challenge for researchers due to its late diagnosis caused by vague symptoms and lack of early detection markers. Additionally, PDAC is characterized by an immunosuppressive microenvironment (TME), making it a difficult tumor to treat. While γδ T cells have shown potential for anti-tumor activity, conflicting studies exist regarding their effectiveness in pancreatic cancer. This study aims to explore the hypothesis that the PDAC TME hinders the anti-tumor capabilities of γδ T cells through blockade of cytotoxic functions. For this reason, we chose to enroll PDAC treatment-naive patients to avoid the possibility of therapy modifying the TME. By flow cytometry, our research findings indicate that the presence of γδ T cells among CD45+ cells in tumor tissue is lower compared to CD66+ cells, but higher than in blood. Circulating Vδ1 T cells exhibit a terminal effector memory phenotype (TEMRA) more than Vδ2 T cells. Interestingly, Vδ1 and Vδ2 T cells appear to be more prevalent at different stages of tumor development. In our <i>in vitro</i> culture using conditioned medium derived from Patient-derived organoids ;(PDOs), we observed a shift in expression markers in γδ T cells of healthy individuals toward an activation and exhaustion phenotype, as confirmed by scRNA-seq analysis extracted from a public database. A deeper understanding of γδ T cells in PDAC could be valuable for developing novel therapies aimed at mitigating the impact of the pancreatic tumor microenvironment on this cell population.</p>","PeriodicalId":48714,"journal":{"name":"Oncoimmunology","volume":"14 1","pages":"2466301"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11834455/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143411294","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
OncoimmunologyPub Date : 2025-12-01Epub Date: 2024-12-20DOI: 10.1080/2162402X.2024.2444704
Chang Sook Hong, Elizabeth V Menchikova, Yana Najjar, Theresa L Whiteside, Edwin K Jackson
{"title":"Assessment of adenosinergic activity of small extracellular vesicles in plasma of cancer patients and healthy donors.","authors":"Chang Sook Hong, Elizabeth V Menchikova, Yana Najjar, Theresa L Whiteside, Edwin K Jackson","doi":"10.1080/2162402X.2024.2444704","DOIUrl":"10.1080/2162402X.2024.2444704","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The adenosinergic pathway converting endogenous ATP to adenosine (ADO) is a major immunosuppressive pathway in cancer. Emerging data indicate that plasma small extracellular vesicles (sEV) express CD39 and CD73 and produce ADO. Using a noninvasive, highly sensitive newly developed assay, metabolism of N<sup>6</sup>-etheno-labeled eATP, eADP or eAMP by ecto-nucleotidases on the external surface of sEV was measured using high pressure liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. Ecto-nucleotidase activity in sEV isolated from plasma of randomly selected cancer patients and healthy donors (HDs) was compared. Relative to sEV of HDs, sEV from the plasma of melanoma patients metabolized eATP to eADP and eAMP to eADO with significantly greater efficiency. Activities of both CD39 and CD73 were elevated, as determined by the use of pharmacologic inhibitors selective for these enzymes. In contrast, metabolic activity of CD39 and CD73 on sEV isolated from plasma of patients with head and neck cancer was comparable to that of HDs, suggesting that the activity of ecto-nucleotidases on sEV may differ depending on the cancer type or cancer stage. The N<sup>6</sup>-etheno-purine assay measuring contributions of ecto-nucleotidases residing on the surface of sEV to the extracellular ATP to ADO pathway can discriminate cancer patients from HDs, differentiate among different cancer types, and potentially identify patients most likely to benefit from anti-adenosinergic therapy designed to inhibit the adenosine-mediated immune suppression.</p>","PeriodicalId":48714,"journal":{"name":"Oncoimmunology","volume":"14 1","pages":"2444704"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142865895","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
OncoimmunologyPub Date : 2025-12-01Epub Date: 2025-01-15DOI: 10.1080/2162402X.2025.2452654
Kengo Tanigawa, William L Redmond
{"title":"Current landscape and future prospects of interleukin-2 receptor (IL-2R) agonists in cancer immunotherapy.","authors":"Kengo Tanigawa, William L Redmond","doi":"10.1080/2162402X.2025.2452654","DOIUrl":"10.1080/2162402X.2025.2452654","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) has significantly improved the survival for many patients with advanced malignancy. However, fewer than 50% of patients benefit from ICB, highlighting the need for more effective immunotherapy options. High-dose interleukin-2 (HD IL-2) immunotherapy, which is approved for patients with metastatic melanoma and renal cell carcinoma, stimulates CD8<sup>+</sup> T cells and NK cells and can generate durable responses in a subset of patients. Moreover, HD IL-2 may have potential efficacy in patients whose disease has progressed following ICB and plays a vital role in expanding tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) in TIL therapy. Despite its potential, the use of HD IL-2 is limited by severe toxicities such as hypotension and vascular leak syndrome. Additionally, only a few patients achieve a good outcome after HD IL-2 therapy. To address these challenges, numerous next-generation IL-2 receptor (IL-2 R) agonists have been developed to exhibit treatment effects while minimizing adverse events. This review will explore IL-2 biology, the clinical application of HD IL-2 therapy, and the development of novel IL-2 R agonists for cancer immunotherapy.</p>","PeriodicalId":48714,"journal":{"name":"Oncoimmunology","volume":"14 1","pages":"2452654"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11740684/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142984678","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Clinical impact of cancer cachexia on the outcome of patients with non-small cell lung cancer with PD-L1 tumor proportion scores of ≥50% receiving pembrolizumab monotherapy versus immune checkpoint inhibitor with chemotherapy.","authors":"Hayato Kawachi, Tadaaki Yamada, Motohiro Tamiya, Yoshiki Negi, Takashi Kijima, Yasuhiro Goto, Akira Nakao, Shinsuke Shiotsu, Keiko Tanimura, Takayuki Takeda, Asuka Okada, Taishi Harada, Koji Date, Yusuke Chihara, Isao Hasegawa, Nobuyo Tamiya, Yuki Katayama, Naoya Nishioka, Kenji Morimoto, Masahiro Iwasaku, Shinsaku Tokuda, Takayuki Shimose, Koichi Takayama","doi":"10.1080/2162402X.2024.2442116","DOIUrl":"10.1080/2162402X.2024.2442116","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This retrospective, multicenter cohort study aimed to determine whether cancer cachexia serves as a biomarker for determining the most effective treatment for patients having non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with high programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) alone or combined with chemotherapy (ICI/chemotherapy). We included 411 patients with advanced NSCLC with a PD-L1 tumor proportion score of ≥50%. The patients were treated with pembrolizumab monotherapy or ICI/chemotherapy. Cancer cachexia was defined as a weight loss of >5% of the total body weight or a body mass index of <20 kg/m<sup>2</sup> coupled with an additional weight loss of >2% within 6 months before starting treatment. Eighty-five (21%) patients met the cancer cachexia criteria. Overall survival (OS) was significantly shorter in patients with cachexia than in those without cachexia in both the pembrolizumab monotherapy group (17.2 vs. 35.8 months, <i>p</i> < 0.001) and the ICI/chemotherapy group (27.0 months vs. not reached, <i>p</i> = 0.044). However, after stratifying by cancer cachexia status, no significant difference in OS was observed between the pembrolizumab monotherapy and chemoimmunotherapy groups, regardless of cachexia. In conclusion, ICI/chemotherapy offers limited benefits for NSCLC patients with high PD-L1 expression and concurrent cancer cachexia. Considering the frailty associated with cachexia, ICI monotherapy may be preferred to ICI/chemotherapy for these patients. New interventions that can better address the negative prognostic impact of cachexia in patients treated using ICIs with or without chemotherapy remain warranted.</p>","PeriodicalId":48714,"journal":{"name":"Oncoimmunology","volume":"14 1","pages":"2442116"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11651275/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142839944","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}