Enhancement of T cell infiltration via tumor-targeted Th9 cell delivery improves the efficacy of antitumor immunotherapy of solid tumors

Abstract

Insufficient infiltration of T cells severely compromises the antitumor efficacy of adoptive cell therapy (ACT) against solid tumors. Here, we present a facile immune cell surface engineering strategy aiming to substantially enhance the anti-tumor efficacy of Th9-mediated ACT by rapidly identifying tumor-specific binding ligands and improving the infiltration of infused cells into solid tumors. Non-genetic decoration of Th9 cells with tumor-targeting peptide screened from phage display not only allowed precise targeted ACT against highly heterogeneous solid tumors but also substantially enhanced infiltration of CD8+ T cells, which led to improved antitumor outcomes. Mechanistically, infusion of Th9 cells modified with tumor-specific binding ligands facilitated the enhanced distribution of tumor-killing cells and remodeled the immunosuppressive microenvironment of solid tumors via IL-9 mediated immunomodulation. Overall, we presented a simple, cost-effective, and cell-friendly strategy to enhance the efficacy of ACT against solid tumors with the potential to complement the current ACT.