EBV-Specific Anti-PD1 TCR-T Cells in the Treatment of EBV-Positive NHSCC
Status:
Recruiting
Trial end date:
2022-02-28
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infections is known to be a high-risk factor to induce
nasopharyngeal cancers. To date, EBV-related head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is
still a major concern in east Asia, especially in China. Concurrent therapies for HNSCC have
limited response rate and high chance of relapse. However, EBV-induced cancers provided an
ideal target for T cell-based immunotherapy due to the non-self origins. Engineered T cells
bearing a TCR (TCR-T) that can specifically recognize the presented EBV antigen become a
viable approach to treat this type of cancer. Though engineered T therapies have been
well-recognized in hematological cancers, solid cancer treatment has been a major hurdle due
to the immune-suppressive tumor microenvironment. One key mechanism of tumor-elicited
suppression is the PDL1-PD1 interaction which induces T cell exhaustion. Therefore, TCR-T
cells armed with a PD1 antagonist could further enhance the efficacy of TCR-T in solid
cancers.