Combination Therapy with iRGD-antiCD3 and PD-1 Blockade Enhances Antitumor Potency of Cord Blood-Derived T Cells

Background T cell-redirecting bispecific antibodies (BsAbs) are emerging as a potent cancer therapy that crosslinks tumor cells and T cells by simultaneously binding to tumor-associated antigen and CD3e. However, immune inhibitory molecules can be remarkably upregulated after BsAbs treatment, leading to a suppressive tumor microenvironment and treatment resistance. This can be partially reversed by combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors. In our previous work, we successfully constructed the recombinant protein iRGD-antiCD3 and demonstrated that it promoted antitumor efficacy of transferred T cells by promoting T cell activation and infiltration. Methods We detected the levels of both PD-1 and PD-L1 as resistance to iRGD-antiCD3 treatment. Using cord blood-derived T cells, we assessed the activation and effects of iRGD-antiCD3 combined with PD-1 as evidenced by activation markers, Th1/Th2-cytokines, and killing capability against tumor cells in vitro. Moreover, to better mimic the physiological characteristics of in vivo solid tumors, we generated 3D spheroids from target cell lines. Spheroids were stained with a Viability/Cytotoxicity Assay Kit and examined by confocal microscopy to study the in vitro antitumor effect of T cells co-administered with combination iRGD-antiCD3 and PD-1 blockade. The mouse peritoneal metastatic gastric tumor model was employed. The synergistic antitumor effect and safety profiles in vivo were evaluated by tumor and body weight of tumor-bearing mice. Results We found that expression of both PD-1 and PD-L1 were increased as resistance to iRGD-antiCD3 treatment. We found that PD-1 blockade partially restored T cell activation as evidenced by elevated activation markers, Th1-cytokines, and killing capability against tumor cells in vitro. The combination of PD-1 blockade consistently and significantly increased cord blood-derived T cell cytotoxicity against 3D tumor spheroids. In vivo, we observed synergistic antitumor activity without obvious side effects. Conclusion These results demonstrated that combining iRGD-antiCD3 with PD-1 blockade could further improve antitumor efficacy of T cells, and this strategy holds great potential for the treatment of solid malignancies.