Dicerna Pharmaceuticals, Inc, a Novo Nordisk Company, Lexington, MA 02421, USA.
Dicerna Pharmaceuticals, Inc, a Novo Nordisk Company, Lexington, MA 02421, USA.
Mol Ther. 2024 Jun 5;32(6):1895-1916. doi: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2024.03.035. Epub 2024 Mar 27.
Malignant tumors are often associated with an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME), rendering most of them resistant to standard-of-care immune checkpoint inhibitors (CPIs). Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), a ubiquitously expressed transcription factor, has well-defined immunosuppressive functions in several leukocyte populations within the TME. Since the STAT3 protein has been challenging to target using conventional pharmaceutical modalities, we investigated the feasibility of applying systemically delivered RNA interference (RNAi) agents to silence its mRNA directly in tumor-associated immune cells. In preclinical rodent tumor models, chemically stabilized acylated small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) selectively silenced Stat3 mRNA in multiple relevant cell types, reduced STAT3 protein levels, and increased cytotoxic T cell infiltration. In a murine model of CPI-resistant pancreatic cancer, RNAi-mediated Stat3 silencing resulted in tumor growth inhibition, which was further enhanced in combination with CPIs. To further exemplify the utility of RNAi for cancer immunotherapy, this technology was used to silence Cd274, the gene encoding the immune checkpoint protein programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1). Interestingly, silencing of Cd274 was effective in tumor models that are resistant to PD-L1 antibody therapy. These data represent the first demonstration of systemic delivery of RNAi agents to the TME and suggest applying this technology for immuno-oncology applications.
恶性肿瘤通常与免疫抑制性肿瘤微环境(TME)相关,使它们大多对标准的免疫检查点抑制剂(CPIs)产生抵抗。信号转导子和转录激活子 3(STAT3)是一种广泛表达的转录因子,在 TME 中的几种白细胞群中具有明确的免疫抑制功能。由于 STAT3 蛋白难以通过传统的药物模式进行靶向,我们研究了应用系统递送 RNA 干扰(RNAi)剂直接在肿瘤相关免疫细胞中沉默其 mRNA 的可行性。在临床前啮齿动物肿瘤模型中,化学稳定的酰化小干扰 RNA(siRNA)选择性地沉默多种相关细胞类型中的 Stat3 mRNA,降低 STAT3 蛋白水平,并增加细胞毒性 T 细胞浸润。在 CPI 耐药胰腺癌的小鼠模型中,RNAi 介导的 Stat3 沉默导致肿瘤生长抑制,与 CPIs 联合使用时进一步增强。为了进一步例证 RNAi 在癌症免疫治疗中的效用,该技术被用于沉默编码免疫检查点蛋白程序性死亡配体 1(PD-L1)的基因 Cd274。有趣的是,沉默 Cd274 在对 PD-L1 抗体治疗耐药的肿瘤模型中有效。这些数据代表了系统递送至 TME 的 RNAi 剂的首次展示,并表明将该技术应用于免疫肿瘤学应用。