HPV-E6-Specific Anti-PD1 TCR-T Cells in the Treatment of HPV-Positive NHSCC or Cervical Cancer
Status:
Unknown status
Trial end date:
2021-08-30
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Human papillomavirus infections 16 (HPV16) is known to be a high-risk factor to induce
cervical cancers. To date, HPV16-related cervical cancer is still a major concern in
developing countries where vaccination is not prevalent. Concurrent therapies for cervical
cancers have limited response rate and high chance of relapse. However, HPV16-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 HPV
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.