Dual Inhibitors-Loaded Nanotherapeutics that Target Kinase Signaling Pathways Synergize with Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor.

Introduction: Immune checkpoint inhibitors that boost cytotoxic T cell-based immune responses have emerged as one of the most promising approaches in cancer treatment. However, it is increasingly being realized that T cell activation needs to be rationally combined with molecularly targeted therapeutics for a maximal anti-tumor outcome. Currently, two oncogenic drivers, MAPK and PI3K-mTOR have emerged as the two main molecular targets for combining with immunotherapy. However, there are major challenges in enabling such combinations: first, such combinations can result in high rates of toxicity. Second, while, these molecular targets could be driving tumor progression, they are essential for activation of the immune cells. So, the kinase inhibitors and immunotherapy can antagonize each other.

Objectives: We rationalized that the synergistic combination of kinase inhibitors and immunotherapy could be enabled by dual inhibitors-loaded supramolecular nanotherapeutics (DiLN) that can co-deliver PI3K- and MAPK-inhibitors to the cancer cells and activate immune response by T cell-modulating immunotherapy, resulting in greater anti-tumor efficacy while minimizing toxicity.

Methods: We engineered DiLNs by designing the amphiphilic building blocks (both drugs and co-lipids) that enables supramolecular nanoassembly. DiLNs were tested for their physiochemical properties including size, morphology, stability and drug release kinetics profiles. The efficacy of DiLNs was tested in drug-resistant cells such as BRAF melanoma (D4M), Clear cell ovarian carcinoma (TOV21G) cells. The tumor inhibition efficiency of DiLNs in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitor antibody was studied in syngeneic D4M animal model.

Results: DiLNs were stable for over a month and released the drugs in a sustained manner. cytotoxicity studies in D4M and TOV21G cells showed that DiLNs were significantly more effective than free drugs. studies showed that the combination of DiLNs with anti PD-L1 antibody resulted in superior antitumor effect and survival.

Conclusion: This study shows that the rational combination of DiLNs that target multiple oncogenic signaling pathways with immune checkpoint inhibitors could emerge as an effective strategy to improve immunotherapeutic response against drug resistant tumors.