Abstract B44: Enabling in vivo visualization of cellular therapies in the clinic: Maturation of αDC1 data sets.

Abstract

Abstract Cellular therapies are increasingly being used in the clinic to modify a patient's immune function. Human dendritic cells (DC) have great clinical promise as an immunotherapeutic intervention against cancer, but questions concerning the dispersion and persistence of these cells, as well as correlations to therapeutic potency remain. Here we utilize a perfluoropolyether (PFPE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) tracer agent that aims to address these questions in the assessment of α-type-1-polarized dendritic cells (αDC1). αDC1 cells, producing high levels of interleukin-12p70 with putative strong lymph node homing capabilities, have been evaluated in support of an IND incorporating post-transfer MR imaging of the therapeutic cells. Important therapeutic functions, such as cytokine production, cellular phenotype, and antigen processing are maintained. Transitioning the protocol from the laboratory into clinical production, taking into account GMP procedural changes, resulted in both maintained cellular properties and detectable signal by 3T MRI. In vivo results demonstrate the capability of MRI to detect and quantify labeled cells with a high degree of specificity. With nominal exogenous fluorine naturally present in tissue, labeled cells appear with little background. Pairing this signal with conventional proton MRI from the same imaging session, cells are able to be traced to their precise anatomical location. The MRI tracking capabilities, safety profiles, and use of 19F labeling in preclinical data sets demonstrate the ability of 19F to be used in clinical applications to strengthen the understanding of cellular therapeutics. Citation Format: Brooke M. Helfer, Anthony Balducci, Julie Urban, Lisa Butterfield, Eric Ahrens, Pawel Kalinski, Amy Wesa. Enabling in vivo visualization of cellular therapies in the clinic: Maturation of αDC1 data sets. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Tumor Immunology: Multidisciplinary Science Driving Basic and Clinical Advances; Dec 2-5, 2012; Miami, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(1 Suppl):Abstract nr B44.