Search bioRxiv⌕ Search
Home/Archive/bioRxiv

bioRxiv · 10.1101/2023.07.11.548344

Preclinical assessment of CAR-NK cell-mediated killing efficacy and pharmacokinetics in a rapid zebrafish xenograft model of metastatic breast cancer

Murali Shankar, N.·Ortiz Montero, P.·Kurzyukova, A.·Rackwitz, W.·Künzel, S.·Wels, W. S.·Tonn, T.·Knopf, F.·Eitler, J.
View original source ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

Natural killer (NK) cells are attractive effectors for adoptive immunotherapy of cancer. Results from first-in-human studies using chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-engineered primary NK cells and NK-92 cells are encouraging in terms of efficacy and safety. In order to further improve treatment strategies and to test the efficacy of CAR-NK cells in a personalized manner, preclinical screening assays using patient-derived tumor samples are needed. Zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos and larvae represent an attractive xenograft model to study growth and dissemination of patient-derived tumor cells because of their superb live cell imaging properties. Injection into the organisms circulation allows investigation of metastasis, cancer cell-to-immune cell-interactions and studies of the tumor cell response to anti-cancer drugs. Here, we established a zebrafish larval xenograft model to test the efficacy of CAR-NK cells against metastatic breast cancer in vivo by injecting metastatic breast cancer cells followed by CAR-NK cell injection into the Duct of Cuvier (DoC). We validated the functionality of the system with two different CAR-NK cell lines specific for PD-L1 and ErbB2 (PD-L1.CAR NK-92 and ErbB2.CAR NK- 92 cells) against the PD-L1-expressing MDA-MB-231 and ErbB2-expressing MDA-MB-453 breast cancer cell lines. Injected cancer cells were viable and populated peripheral regions of the larvae, including the caudal hematopoietic tissue (CHT), simulating homing of cancer cells to blood forming sites. CAR-NK cells injected 2.5 hours later migrated to the CHT and rapidly eliminated individual cancer cells throughout the organism. Confocal live-cell imaging demonstrated intravascular migration and real-time interaction of CAR-NK cells with MDA-MB-231 cells, explaining the rapid and effective in vivo cytotoxicity. Thus, our data suggest that zebrafish larvae can be used for rapid and cost-effective in vivo assessment of CAR-NK cell potency and to predict patient response to therapy.

Explore related subjects

cancer biologyPreprint

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Murali Shankar, N., Ortiz Montero, P., Kurzyukova, A., Rackwitz, W., Künzel, S., Wels, W. S., Tonn, T., Knopf, F., Eitler, J.. 2023-07-11. Preclinical assessment of CAR-NK cell-mediated killing efficacy and pharmacokinetics in a rapid zebrafish xenograft model of metastatic breast cancer. https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.07.11.548344

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related preprints

bioRxiv2026

Ex vivo human tumor slices more accurately predict patient responses to an oncolytic virus than in vivo mouse models

Immunotherapies, including oncolytic viruses (OV), are promising therapies that can enhance anti-tumor immune responses. However, preclinical success of immunotherapies in mouse models has not always translated to clinical benefit in cancer patients. This study compared preclinical efficacy and mechanism of action for ASP9801, a vaccinia virus expressing IL-7 and IL-12, using mouse models of colorectal cancer (CRC) in vivo and in human organotypic tumor slice models ex vivo. The murine surrogate for ASP9801 significantly reduced tumor volumes in treated and abscopal tumors in two different CRC models in vivo (MC38 and RO100). Treatment efficacy was accentuated when combined with anti-PD1 treatment, and single-cell RNA sequencing analysis revealed depletion of tumor cells and increased T cell infiltration and activation in both treated and abscopal tumors. However, human tissue analysis ex vivo (E-slices) using PDX models and patient samples showed that ASP9801 is not effective in CRC, consistent with clinical trial results. On the other hand, ASP9801 was highly effective in GBM, indicating indication-specific efficacy of ASP9801, and how E-slice assays can be used to identify treatment-sensitive indications. This study demonstrates the superiority of E-slices over mouse models for predicting clinical response and its utility in planning clinical trials.

cancer biology↗
bioRxiv2026

Immune-cell depleted diffuse large B-cell lymphomas have reduced expression of MHC class I

Immunotherapy has transformed treatment for many cancers. In the aggressive and genetically heterogeneous diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), CD19 CAR T-cell therapy is highly effective, whereas immune checkpoint blockade has shown limited benefit. Loss of MHC expression is a common mechanism to escape T-cell cytotoxicity, and loss of MHC class I (MHC-I) and II are frequent in DLBCL. We applied imaging mass cytometry to diagnostic biopsies from younger, high-risk DLBCL patients to map the tumor microenvironment (TME) spatial architecture in relation to tumor cell MHC expression, mutational status, transcriptomic and proteomic profiles. Neighborhood analyses identified four TME subtypes: immune-cell depleted and three immune-infiltrated types (mixed, CD4 T cell-rich, CD8 T-cell/macrophage-rich). Depleted cases had shorter overall survival (p = 0.033) and increased expression of proteins involved in DNA replication and proliferation markers compared to infiltrated cases. Tumor cell MHC-I expression was heterogeneous. Cases with low frequency of MHC-I-pos tumor cells were enriched for the depleted TME type. MHC-I-pos tumor cells were surrounded by CD4 and CD8 T cells and M1 macrophages, whereas MHC-I-neg tumor cells were closer to other MHC-I-neg tumor cells. These findings suggest that TME-based classification incorporating tumor cell MHC-I status may improve individualized immunotherapy selection.

cancer biology↗
bioRxiv2026

Cross-species analysis links cell-cell communication rewiring to NOTCH2 during serous endometrial carcinogenesis

Cell-cell interactions shape the fate of mutant cells during cancer initiation but how these interactions evolve during progression to pathologically recognizable lesions remain poorly understood. Here, we investigated cell-cell communication during serous endometrial carcinoma (SEC; also known as uterine serous carcinoma) development using a lineage-traceable mouse model and cross-species analyses of the mouse and human neoplastic endometrium. In mice, the early, pre-dysplastic stage was marked by a global decrease in inferred cell-cell interactions, followed by extensive communication network rewiring during neoplastic progression. Pathway-specific analysis revealed a similar pattern for NOTCH signaling, with NOTCH2 emerging as the dominant NOTCH receptor in Trp53/Rb1-mutant immature epithelial cells. Functionally, NOTCH2 promoted the outgrowth of more proliferative mutant organoids. Cross-species transcriptomic analysis identified conserved immature epithelial states in mouse and human neoplastic endometrial epithelium. In human tissues, NOTCH2 was overexpressed in serous endometrial intraepithelial carcinoma, a precursor of SEC, and in overt SEC. Furthermore, elevated NOTCH2 expression was associated with poor patient survival. These findings link cell-cell communication rewiring during experimental SEC development to conserved neoplastic epithelial states and identify NOTCH2 as an early marker and a potential target of disease interception.

cancer biology↗