Intratumoral gene delivery of 4-1BBL boosts IL-12-triggered anti-glioblastoma immunity

The standard of care in high-grade gliomas has remained unchanged in the past 20 years. Efforts to replicate effective immunotherapies in non-cranial tumors have led to only modest therapeutical improvements in glioblastoma (GB).

Here, we demonstrate that intratumoral administration of recombinant interleukin-12 (rIL-12) promotes local cytotoxic CD8 ^POS T cell accumulation and conversion into an effector-like state, resulting in a dose-dependent survival benefit in preclinical GB mouse models. This tumor-reactive CD8 T cell response is further supported by intratumoral rIL-12-sensing dendritic cells (DCs) and is accompanied by the co-stimulatory receptor 4-1BB expression on both cell types. Given that DCs and CD8 ^POS T cells are functionally suppressed in the tumor microenvironments of de novo and recurrent glioma patients, we tested whether anti-tumor response at the rIL-12-inflamed tumor site could be enhanced with 4-1BBL, the ligand of 4-1BB. 4-1BBL was delivered using an adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector targeting GFAP-expressing cells and resulted in prolonged survival of rIL-12 treated GB-bearing mice.

This study establishes that tumor antigen-specific CD8 T cell activity can be directed using an AAV-vector-mediated gene therapy approach, effectively enhancing anti-GB immunity.