ORCID Profile
0000-0002-1443-8746
Current Organisation
Garvan Institute of Medical Research
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Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 03-07-2022
DOI: 10.1101/2022.06.30.22277092
Abstract: Immune checkpoint blockade impedes the negative regulatory signals for T-cell response and permits more effective immune detection and eradication of cancer cells. This single-arm phase II clinical trial (ACTRN12616001019493) within the Molecular Screening and Therapeutics (MoST) program evaluates the clinical activity and safety of combination immunotherapy with durvalumab and tremelimumab in patients with advanced cancers, prioritsing rare cancers ( per 100,000 annual incidence) and patients having failed standard treatments for their cancer type. Eligible patients were determined by the molecular tumour board based on the absence of actionable genomic findings (n=64) and biomarker enriched (n=48) at screening. Patients received durvalumab 1500 mg and tremelimumab 75 mg every four weeks for 4 cycles, followed by durvalumab alone for another 9 cycles. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival at 6 months (PFS6) and secondary endpoints included objective response, time to progression (TTP) on trial to TTP on prior therapy (TTP2/TTP1 .3), overall survival and treatment tolerability. Between December 2016 and 2019, 112 patients were enrolled on the study. There was a female predominance (55%), most had an ECOG performance status of 0 (66%), aged years (75%), with rare cancers (84%). The PFS6 rate was 32% (95% CI 23 to 40%) 16 of 112(14%) achieved an objective response TTP2/TTP1 .3 for 22 of 63 (35%) patients with an evaluable ratio median overall survival 11.9 months (95% CI 11.0 to 14.8), and there were no new safety concerns. High tumour cell PD-L1 correlated with improved PFS and OS and TMB with PFS alone. More PD-1 + CD4 + T-cells and circulating follicular T-helper (cTfh) cells at baseline were strongly associated with better PFS and OS. Durvalumab plus tremelimumab demonstrated a signal of clinical activity in treatment-refractory patients with rare cancers. A PFS6 of 32% and 35% of patients achieving a TTP2/TTP1 .3 suggests an improved disease trajectory on trial. Translational correlates provided insights into biological associations with clinical outcomes across tumour types.
Publisher: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Date: 13-06-2019
Abstract: The use of specific IL-2/anti–IL-2 complexes (IL-2 cplxs) has shown great potency in the prevention of allograft rejection in mice. While long-term tolerance could be achieved toward islet allografts, clinically relevant skin graft models have remained elusive so far. Using a new protocol, this study documents that IL-2 cplxs can greatly prolong the survival of skin allografts and prevent sensitization of the recipient. The data provide support for the importance of regulatory mechanisms and organ-specific approaches when targeting allograft rejection.
Publisher: Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)
Date: 11-2010
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 31-05-2016
DOI: 10.1038/ICB.2016.48
Abstract: Compared with lymphoid tissues, the immune cell compartment at mucosal sites is enriched with T cells bearing the γδ T-cell receptor (TCR). The female reproductive tract, along with the placenta and uterine decidua during pregnancy, are populated by γδ T cells predominantly expressing the invariant Vγ6(+)Vδ1(+) receptor. Surprisingly little is understood about the function of these cells. We found that the majority of γδ T cells in the non-pregnant uterus, pregnant uterus, decidua and placenta of mice express the transcription factor RORγt and produce interleukin-17 (IL-17). In contrast, IFNγ-producing γδ T cells were markedly reduced in gestational tissues compared with uterine-draining lymph nodes and spleen. Both uterine-resident invariant Vγ6(+) and Vγ4(+) γδ T cells which are more typically found in lymphoid tissues and circulating blood, were found to express IL-17. Vγ4(+) γδ T cells were particularly enriched in the placenta, suggesting a pregnancy-specific recruitment or expansion of these cells. A small increase in IL-17-producing γδ T cells was observed in allogeneic compared with syngeneic pregnancy, suggesting a contribution to regulating the maternal response to paternally-derived alloantigens. However, their high proportions also in non-pregnant uteri and gestational tissues of syngeneic pregnancy imply a role in the prevention of intrauterine infection or quality control of fetal development. These data suggest the need for a more rigorous evaluation of the role of IL-17 in sustaining normal pregnancy, particularly as emerging data points to a pathogenic role for IL-17 in pre-ecl sia, pre-term birth, miscarriage and maternal immune activation-induced behavioral abnormalities in offspring.
Publisher: The American Association of Immunologists
Date: 10-2017
Abstract: IL-17–producing γδ T (γδT-17) cells have proved to be an important early source of IL-17 in many inflammatory settings and are emerging as an important participant in protumor immune responses. Considering that their peripheral activation depends largely on innate signals rather than TCR ligation, it is important to understand what mechanisms exist to curb unwanted activation. Expression of the high-affinity IL-2R on γδT-17 cells prompted us to investigate a role for this cytokine. We found γδT-17 cells to be enriched, not depleted, in IL-2–deficient mice. The absence of IL-2 also resulted in higher IL-17 production and the emergence of IL-17+IFN-γ+ double producers. Furthermore, the addition of IL-2 to in vitro cultures of sorted γδT-17 cells was able to moderate IL-17 and affect differentiation into polyfunctional cytokine-producing cells. Interestingly, the Vγ6+ subset was more susceptible to the effects of IL-2 than Vγ4+ γδT-17 cells. We also found that unlike other γδ T cells, γδT-17 cells do not produce IL-2, but express Blimp-1, a known transcriptional repressor of IL-2. Although IL-2 was able to induce robust proliferation of γδT-17 cells, it did not sustain viability, negatively impacting their survival via downregulation of the IL-7R. Taken together, these data indicate that IL-2 can augment the γδT-17 response in favor of short-lived effectors with limited plasticity, particularly in the presence of IL-1β and IL-23. In this way, IL-2 may act to curtail the innate-like response of γδT-17 cells upon arrival of IL-2–producing adaptive immune cells at the site of inflammation.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 09-2014
DOI: 10.1038/MI.2013.122
Abstract: Natural killer T (NKT) cells are innate-like T cells that rapidly recognize pathogens and produce cytokines that shape the ensuing immune response. IL-17-producing NKT cells are enriched in barrier tissues, such as the lung, skin, and peripheral lymph nodes, and the factors that maintain this population in the periphery have not been elucidated. Here we show that NKT17 cells deviate from other NKT cells in their survival requirements. In contrast to conventional NKT cells that are maintained by IL-15, RORγt(+) NKT cells are IL-15 independent and instead rely completely on IL-7. IL-7 initiates a T-cell receptor-independent (TCR-independent) expansion of NKT17 cells, thus supporting their homeostasis. Without IL-7, survival is dramatically impaired, yet residual cells remain lineage committed with no downregulation of RORγt evident. Their preferential response to IL-7 does not reflect enhanced signaling through STAT proteins, but instead is modulated via the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway. The ability to compete for IL-7 is dependent on high-density IL-7 receptor expression, which would promote uptake of low levels of IL-7 produced in the non-lymphoid sites of lung and skin. This dependence on IL-7 is also reported for RORγt(+) innate lymphoid cells and CD4(+) Th17 cells, and suggests common survival requirements for functionally similar cells.
Publisher: The American Association of Immunologists
Date: 15-01-2016
Abstract: γδ T cells respond to molecules upregulated following infection or cellular stress using both TCR and non-TCR molecules. The importance of innate signals versus TCR ligation varies greatly. Both innate-like IL-17–producing γδ T (γδT-17) and IFN-γ–producing γδ T (γδT-IFNγ) subsets tune the sensitivity of their TCR following thymic development, allowing robust responses to inflammatory cytokines in the periphery. The remaining conventional γδ T cells retain high TCR responsiveness. We determined homeostatic mechanisms that govern these various subsets in the peripheral lymphoid tissues. We found that, although innate-like γδT-17 and γδT-IFNγ cells share elements of thymic development, they erge when it comes to homeostasis. Both exhibit acute sensitivity to cytokines compared with conventional γδ T cells, but they do not monopolize the same cytokine. γδT-17 cells rely exclusively on IL-7 for turnover and survival, aligning them with NKT17 cells IL-7 ligation triggers proliferation, as well as promotes survival, upregulating Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL. γδT-IFNγ cells instead depend heavily on IL-15. They display traits analogous to memory CD8+ T cells and upregulate Bcl-xL and Mcl-1 upon cytokine stimulation. The conventional γδ T cells display low sensitivity to cytokine-alone stimulation and favor IL-7 for their turnover, characteristics reminiscent of naive αβ T cells, suggesting that they may also require tonic TCR signaling for population maintenance. These survival constraints suggest that γδ T cell subsets do not directly compete with each other for cytokines, but instead fall into resource niches with other functionally similar lymphocytes.
No related grants have been discovered for Theresa Corpuz.