Imaging Kv1.3 Expressing Memory T Cells as a Marker of Immunotherapy Response

Imaging Kv1.3 Expressing Memory T Cells as a Marker of Immunotherapy Response

Cancers

10.3390/cancers14051217

http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/cancers14051217

Julian L. Goggi, Shivashankar Khanapur, Boominathan Ramasamy, Siddesh V. Hartimath, Tang Jun Rong, Peter Cheng, Yun Xuan Tan, Xin Yi Yeo, Sangyong Jung, Stephanie Shee Min Goay, Seow Theng Ong, You Yi Hwang, K. George Chandy, Edward G. Robins

immune checkpoints; positron emission tomography (PET); potassium channels

26 February 2022

Goggi, J. L., Khanapur, S., Ramasamy, B., Hartimath, S. V., Rong, T. J., Cheng, P., Tan, Y. X., Yeo, X. Y., Jung, S., Goay, S. S. M., Ong, S. T., Hwang, Y. Y., Chandy, K. G., & Robins, E. G. (2022). Imaging Kv1.3 Expressing Memory T Cells as a Marker of Immunotherapy Response. Cancers, 14(5), 1217. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers14051217

Immune checkpoint inhibitors have shown great promise, emerging as a new pillar of treatment for cancer; however, only a relatively small proportion of recipients show a durable response to treatment. Strategies that reliably differentiate durably-responding tumours from non-responsive tumours are a critical unmet need. Persistent and durable immunological responses are associated with the generation of memory T cells. Effector memory T cells associated with tumour response to immune therapies are characterized by substantial upregulation of the potassium channel Kv1.3 after repeated antigen stimulation. We have developed a new Kv1.3 targeting radiopharmaceutical, [18F]AlF-NOTA-KCNA3P, and evaluated whether it can reliably differentiate tumours successfully responding to immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy targeting PD-1 alone or combined with CLTA4. In a syngeneic colon cancer model, we compared tumour retention of [18F]AlF-NOTA-KCNA3P with changes in the tumour immune microenvironment determined by flow cytometry. Imaging with [18F]AlF-NOTA-KCNA3P reliably differentiated tumours responding to ICI therapy from non-responding tumours and was associated with substantial tumour infiltration of T cells, especially Kv1.3-expressing CD8+ effector memory T cells.

Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

This research / project is supported by the A*STAR - Industry Alignment Fund Prepositioning (IAF-PP) - HBMS
Grant Reference no. : H18/01/a0/018

https://oar.a-star.edu.sg/communities-collections/articles/18216

2072-6694

Institute of Bioengineering and Bioimaging