iPSC-derived trimodal T cells engineered with CAR, TCR, and hnCD16 modalities can overcome antigen escape in heterogeneous tumors

Abstract

Although chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells have demonstrated therapeutic activity in hematopoietic malignancies, tumor heterogeneity has impeded the efficacy of CAR T cells and their extension into successful solid tumor treatment. To address these challenges, induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived T (iT) cells are engineered to uniformly express CAR and T cell receptor (TCR), enabling targeting of both surface and intracellular antigens, respectively, along with a high-affinity, non-cleavable variant of CD16a (hnCD16) to support antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) when combined with therapeutic antibodies. Co-expression of each antitumor strategy on engineered iT cells enables independent and antigen-specific targeting across a diverse set of liquid and solid tumors. In heterogeneous tumor models, coactivation of these modalities is required for measurable antitumor efficacy, with activation of all three modalities displaying maximal efficacy. These data highlight the therapeutic potential of an off-the-shelf engineered iPSC-derived trimodal T cell expressing CAR, TCR, and hnCD16 to combat difficult-to-treat heterogeneous tumors.

Keywords: ADCC; CAR; TCR; cancer immunotherapy; cell therapy; hnCD16; iPSC-derived T cell; multi-antigen targeting; trimodal iT cells; tumor heterogeneity.