Escors, D. (David)

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Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Short-term local expression of a PD-L1 blocking antibody from a self-replicating RNA vector induces potent antitumor responses
    (2019) Kochan, G. (Grazyna); Mancheño, U. (Uxua); Sanchez-Paulete, A.R. (Alfonso R.); Smerdou, C. (Cristian); Galindo, J. (Javier); Ballesteros-Briones, M.C. (María Cristina); Hervas-Stubbs, S. (Sandra); Melero, I. (Ignacio); Casales, E. (Erkuden); Prieto, J. (Jesús); Martisova, E. (Eva); Gorraiz, M. (Marta); Escors, D. (David); Hernandez-Alcoceba, R. (Rubén); Buñuales, M. (María); Silva-Pilipich, N.R. (Noelia Romina); Lasarte, J.J. (Juan José)
    Immune checkpoint blockade has shown anti-cancer efficacy, but requires systemic administration of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), often leading to adverse effects. To avoid toxicity, mAbs could be expressed locally in tumors. We developed adeno-associated virus (AAV) and Semliki Forest virus (SFV) vectors expressing anti-programmed death ligand 1 (aPDL1) mAb. When injected intratumorally in MC38 tumors, both viral vectors led to similar local mAb expression at 24 h, diminishing quickly in SFV-aPDL1-treated tumors. However, SFV-aPDL1 induced >40% complete regressions and was superior to AAV-aPDL1, as well as to aPDL1 mAb given systemically or locally. SFV-aPDL1 induced abscopal effects and was also efficacious against B16-ovalbumin (OVA). The higher SFV-aPDL1 antitumor activity could be related to local upregulation of interferon-stimulated genes because of SFV RNA replication. This was confirmed by combining local SFV-LacZ administration and systemic aPDL1 mAb, which provided higher antitumor effects than each separated agent. SFVaPDL1 promoted tumor-specific CD8 T cells infiltration in both tumor models. In MC38, SFV-aPDL1 upregulated co-stimulatory markers (CD137/OX40) in tumor CD8 T cells, and its combination with anti-CD137 mAb showed more pronounced antitumor effects than each single agent. These results indicate that local transient expression of immunomodulatory mAbs using non-propagative RNA vectors inducing type I interferon (IFN-I) responses represents a potent and s
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    Early Detection of Hyperprogressive Disease in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer by Monitoring of Systemic T Cell Dynamics
    (2020) Kochan, G. (Grazyna); Chocarro, L. (Luisa); Gato-Cañas, M. (María); Bocanegra, A. (Ana); López, P. (Paúl); Hernández, C. (Carlos); Zuazo, M. (Miren); Morilla, I. (Idoia); Fernández-Hinojal, G. (Gonzalo); Arasanz, H. (Hugo); Hernández, B. (Berta); Alberdi, N. (Nerea); Teijeira, L. (Lucía); Escors, D. (David); Martinez-Aguillo, M. (M.); Vera, R. (Ruth)
    Hyperprogressive disease (HPD) is an adverse outcome of immunotherapy consisting of an acceleration of tumor growth associated with prompt clinical deterioration. The definitions based on radiological evaluation present important technical limitations. No biomarkers have been identified yet. In this study, 70 metastatic NSCLC patients treated with anti-PD-1/PD-L1 immunotherapy after progression to platinum-based therapy were prospectively studied. Samples from peripheral blood were obtained before the first (baseline) and second cycles of treatment. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated and differentiation stages of CD4 lymphocytes quantified by flow cytometry and correlated with HPD as identified with radiological criteria. A strong expansion of highly differentiated CD28− CD4 T lymphocytes (CD4 THD) between the first and second cycle of therapy was observed in HPD patients. After normalizing, the proportion of posttreatment/pretreatment CD4 THD was significantly higher in HPD when compared with the rest of patients (median 1.525 vs. 0.990; p = 0.0007), and also when stratifying by HPD, non-HPD progressors, and responders (1.525, 1.000 and 0.9700 respectively; p = 0.0025). A cut-off value of 1.3 identified HPD with 82% specificity and 70% sensitivity. An increase of CD28− CD4 T lymphocytes ≥ 1.3 (CD4 THD burst) was significantly associated with HPD (p = 0.008). The tumor growth ratio (TGR) was significantly higher in patients with expansion of CD4 THD burst compared to the rest of patients (median 2.67 vs. 0.86, p = 0.0049), and also when considering only progressors (median 2.67 vs. 1.03, p = 0.0126). A strong expansion of CD28− CD4 lymphocytes in peripheral blood within the first cycle of therapy is an early differential feature of HPD in NSCLC treated with immune-checkpoint inhibitors. The monitoring of T cell dynamics allows the early detection of this adverse outcome in clinical practice and complements radiological evaluation.
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    Plasma fractalkine contributes to systemic myeloid diversity and PD-L1/PD-1 blockade in lung cancer
    (2023) Tavira, B. (Beatriz); Fernández, L. (Leticia); Kochan, G. (Grazyna); Pio, R. (Rubén); Chocarro, L. (Luisa); Ventura, A. (Alfonso); Alfaro-Arnedo, E. (Elvira); Remirez, A. (Ana); Gotera-Rivera, C. (Carolina); Bocanegra, A. (Ana); Ajona-Martínez-Polo, D. (Daniel); Recalde, N. (Nerea); Piñeiro-Hermida, S. (Sergio); Pichel, J.G. (José G.); Zuazo, M. (Miren); Morilla, I. (Idoia); Fernández-Hinojal, G. (Gonzalo); Blanco, E. (Ester); Echaide, M. (Miriam); Montuenga-Badia, L.M. (Luis M.); Morente, P. (Pilar); Escors, D. (David); Garnica, M. (Maider); Martinez-Aguillo, M. (M.); Roncero, A. (Alejandra); Vera, R. (Ruth); Lasarte, J.J. (Juan José)
    Recent studies highlight the importance of baseline functional immunity for immune checkpoint blockade therapies. High-dimensional systemic immune profiling is performed in a cohort of non-small-cell lung cancer patients undergoing PD-L1/PD-1 blockade immunotherapy. Responders show high baseline myeloid phenotypic diversity in peripheral blood. To quantify it, we define a diversity index as a potential biomarker of response. This parameter correlates with elevated activated monocytic cells and decreased granulocytic phenotypes. High-throughput profiling of soluble factors in plasma identifies fractalkine (FKN), a chemokine involved in immune chemotaxis and adhesion, as a biomarker of response to immunotherapy that also correlates with myeloid cell diversity in human patients and murine models. Secreted FKN inhibits lung adenocarcinoma growth in vivo through a prominent contribution of systemic effector NK cells and increased tumor immune infiltration. FKN sensitizes murine lung cancer models refractory to anti-PD-1 treatment to immune checkpoint blockade immunotherapy. Importantly, recombinant FKN and tumor-expressed FKN are efficacious in delaying tumor growth in vivo locally and systemically, indicating a potential therapeutic use of FKN in combination with immunotherapy.
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    Profound reprogramming towards stemness in pancreatic cancer cells as adaptation to AKT inhibition
    (MDPI AG, 2020) Kochan, G. (Grazyna); Chocarro, L. (Luisa); Gato-Cañas, M. (María); Blanco-Luquin, I. (Idoia); Bocanegra, A. (Ana); Hernández, C. (Carlos); Fernandez-Irigoyen, J. (Joaquín); Zuazo, M. (Miren); Arasanz, H. (Hugo); Santamaría, E. (Eva); Fernandez, G. (Gonzalo); Escors, D. (David); Rodríguez, C. (Carlos); Santamaria, E. (Enrique); Ausin, K. (Karina); Vera, R. (Ruth)
    Cancer cells acquire resistance to cytotoxic therapies targeting major survival pathways by adapting their metabolism. The AKT pathway is a major regulator of human pancreatic adenocarcinoma progression and a key pharmacological target. The mechanisms of adaptation to long-term silencing of AKT isoforms of human and mouse pancreatic adenocarcinoma cancer cells were studied. Following silencing, cancer cells remained quiescent for long periods of time, after which they recovered proliferative capacities. Adaptation caused profound proteomic changes largely affecting mitochondrial biogenesis, energy metabolism and acquisition of a number of distinct cancer stem cell (CSC) characteristics depending on the AKT isoform that was silenced. The adaptation to AKT1 silencing drove most de-differentiation and acquisition of stemness through C-MYC down-modulation and NANOG upregulation, which were required for survival of adapted CSCs. The changes associated to adaptation sensitized cancer cells to inhibitors targeting regulators of oxidative respiration and mitochondrial biogenesis. In vivo pharmacological co-inhibition of AKT and mitochondrial metabolism effectively controlled pancreatic adenocarcinoma growth in pre-clinical models.