Antigen-scaffolds drive preferential expansion of functional genetically engineered CAR and TCR T cells

The engineering of autologous T cells for the expression of chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) can induce profound clinical responses in haematological malignancies, while T cell receptor-engineered T (TCR T) cells have led to durable responses to solid tumours in clinical trials. However, the clinical production of engineered T cells is exhaustive and often leads to highly differentiated and exhausted effector T cells. To circumvent this, we have developed an antigen-scaffold (Ag-scaffold) technology to preferentially expand genetically engineered T cells. Such Ag-scaffolds present cognate antigen together with stimulatory factors such as cytokines. By providing a specific and receptor-engaging stimulation to CAR/TCR-engineered T cells, the expanded product is highly enriched for engineered T cells with a favourable proliferative and efficacious phenotype.

Here, we expand CRISPR/Cas9- and lentiviral-engineered TCR T and CAR T cells. We expanded TCR T-cells with Ag-scaffolds presenting peptide MHC (pMHC), and anti-CD19 CAR T cells with Ag-scaffolds presenting CD19 antigen. By applying cognate pMHC Ag-scaffolds, we achieved more than 90% antigen-specific T cells after 14 days of culture with a distinct cytotoxic, proliferative phenotypical profile. Ag-scaffold expansion enhanced initial TCR and CAR cytotoxicity; sustained control was observed after repeated rechallenges of CAR T cells. In vivo , Ag-scaffold-expanded CRISPR/Cas9-engineered anti-CD19 CAR T also showed complete tumour eradication in a B-cell lymphoma xenograft model with a low dose of CAR T cells, which was not achieved using IL2/7/15 expansion.