CAR T cells expressing a bacterial virulence factor trigger potent bystander antitumour responses in solid cancers

Abstract

Chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR T cells) are effective against haematologic malignancies. However, in solid tumours, their potency is hampered by local immunosuppression and by the heterogeneous expression of the antigen that the CAR targets. Here we show that CAR T cells expressing a pluripotent pro-inflammatory neutrophil-activating protein (NAP) from Helicobacter pylori trigger endogenous bystander T-cell responses against solid cancers. In mice with subcutaneous murine pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas, neuroblastomas or colon carcinomas, CAR(NAP) T cells led to slower tumour growth and higher survival rates than conventional mouse CAR T cells, regardless of target antigen, tumour type and host haplotype. In tumours with heterogeneous antigen expression, NAP secretion induced the formation of an immunologically ‘hot’ microenvironment that supported dendritic cell maturation and bystander responses, as indicated by epitope spreading and infiltration of cytotoxic CD8+ T cells targeting tumour-associated antigens other than the CAR-targeted antigen. CAR T cells armed with NAP neither increased off-tumour toxicity nor hampered the efficacy of CAR T cells, and hence may have advantageous translational potential.