Anti-viral cytotoxic T cells inhibit the growth of cancer cells with antibody targeted hla class I/peptide complexes in scid mice

A number of experimental antibody mediated cancer therapies aim to redirect cytotoxic T cells (CTLs) of non-tumour specificity to cancer cells. It has been previously demonstrated that cancer cells targeted with recombinant HLA-class I/viral peptide complexes via antibody delivery systems can be killed by virus specific CTLs. This novel therapeutic system has been developed with a simple pre-clinical model using the recombinant anti-CD20 B9E9 scFvSA fusion protein to target HLA–A2/peptide complexes to CD20 +ve Daudi lymphoma cells. In vitro data confirmed that, although binding of the B9E9 scFvSA fusion protein alone to Daudi cells had no effect on their growth, effective CTL mediated killing of Daudi cells could be achieved by targeting with B9E9 sfvScSA and recombinant HLA-A2/MI complexes at dilutions as low as 100 pg/ml. In contrast the free HLA-A2/MI complexes only significantly inhibited CTL activity at concentrations in excess of 100 ng/ml. The in vivo tumour protection assays in SCID mice demonstrated that only 1 of the 4 mice that received anti-HLA-A2/M1 CTLs and Daudi cells targeted with the B9E9 scFvSA fusion protein and HLA-A2/M1 complexes developed a tumour. In contrast in the control mice that received CTL and native Daudi cells all 4 developed tumours, as did all 4 that received targeted Daudi cells but no CTLs. Similar results were obtained in a parallel experiment using Daudi cells targeted with B9E9 scFvSA and HLA-A2/BMLF1 complexes and a CTL line to HLA-A2/BMLF1. The demonstration of in vivo activity for targeted HLA class I/peptide complexes combined with anti-viral T cells, supports the further clinical development of the system where it may be combined with autologous CTLs produced by vaccination or ex vivo expansio