Therapeutic Inducers of Natural Killer cell Killing (ThINKK): preclinical assessment of safety and efficacy in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant settings.

Background: Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) remains the standard of care for chemotherapy-refractory leukemia patients, but cure rates are still dismal. To prevent leukemia relapse following HSCT, we aim to improve the early graft-versus-leukemia effect mediated by natural killer (NK) cells. Our approach is based on the adoptive transfer of Therapeutic Inducers of Natural Killer cell Killing (ThINKK).

Monoallelic Deletion Reduces the Requirement for NOTCH1 Hyperactivation in T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

Early T-cell development is precisely controlled by E proteins, that indistinguishably include HEB/TCF12 and E2A/TCF3 transcription factors, together with NOTCH1 and pre-T cell receptor (TCR) signalling. Importantly, perturbations of early T-cell regulatory networks are implicated in leukemogenesis. NOTCH1 gain of function mutations invariably lead to T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL), whereas inhibition of E proteins accelerates leukemogenesis.

Patients' NK cell stimulation with activated plasmacytoid dendritic cells increases dinutuximab-induced neuroblastoma killing.

Targeted immunotherapy has improved the outcome of patients with high-risk neuroblastoma (NB). However, immune escape of tumor cells still occurs and about 40% of NB patients relapse and die from their disease. We previously showed that natural killer (NK) cell stimulation by Toll-like receptor (TLR)-activated plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC) increases the efficacy of dinutuximab-based immunotherapy against NB cell lines via the TRAIL death-receptor pathway.

Activation of innate immunity in primary human cells using a plant virus derived nanoparticle TLR7/8 agonist.

Rod-shaped virus-like nanoparticles (VLNP) made of papaya mosaic virus (PapMV) coat proteins (CP) self-assembled around a single stranded RNA (ssRNA) were showed to be a TLR7 agonist. Their utilization as an immune modulator in cancer immunotherapy was shown to be promising. To establish a clinical relevance in human for PapMV VLNP, we showed that stimulation of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) with VLNP induces the secretion of interferon alpha (IFNα) and other pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines.

Expression of Disialoganglioside (GD2) in Neuroblastic Tumors: A Prognostic Value for Patients Treated With Anti-GD2 Immunotherapy.

Neuroblastoma, a malignant neoplasm of the sympathetic nervous system, is one of the most aggressive pediatric cancers. Patients with stage IV high-risk neuroblastoma receive an intensive multimodal therapy ending with an immunotherapy based on a chimeric monoclonal antibody ch14.18.