BiTE-secreting T cells for Adoptive T cell Therapy in Ovarian Cancer

Project summary

Cancer immunotherapies use the body’s own immune system to fight cancer. While immunotherapies can be very effective for certain cancers ovarian cancer (OC) patients often do not benefit from these treatments, suggesting a clear need for new therapeutic options. T cells (a type of immune cell) have emerged as key drivers of tumor destruction after immunotherapy and OC patients with higher numbers of T cells in their tumors have improved survival. Our goal is to develop a novel T cell-based OC treatment, where T cells are modified to secrete a protein that programs T cells to recognize and attack tumors. After the modified T cells are injected, the secreted protein (called a BiTE), produced by BiTE-T cells, causes the injected BiTE-T cells to attack the tumor and also instructs T cells already present in the tumor to attack the cancer. This “Tag Team” approach to T cell therapy increases tumor destruction and has the potential to completely eliminate tumors, leading to long-term cures. In this proposal, we will use mouse OC models and OC patient specimens to identify approaches that maximize the benefit of BiTE-T cells in OC. This includes testing universal (off the shelf) BiTE-T cells, which can be prepared in large numbers and be readily available for treatment, thereby increasing the number of OC patients that benefit from this therapy. Findings from these studies will provide important information to help us develop this new immunotherapy to effectively treat OC patients.