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4322 Structure-guided design of the TIL1383I T cell receptor
- Jesus Alonso, Nishant Singh, Jason Devlin, Lauren Davancaze, Brian Baker
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- Journal:
- Journal of Clinical and Translational Science / Volume 4 / Issue s1 / June 2020
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 29 July 2020, pp. 16-17
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OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Our goal is to employ a structure-guided design approach to engineering a safer and more effective variant of the TIL1383I T cell receptor (TCR) currently under study in clinical trials for malignant melanoma METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Using our unpublished structure of TIL1383I we are in process of designing a panel of TCR variants with the goal of identifying candidates that improve “focus” towards the tyrosinase antigen presented on the MHC class I molecule HLA-A2. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Structural analysis of TIL1383I revealed key residues, particularly beta-chain residues E97, G101, L102, responsible for engaging the tyrosinase peptide bound to HLA-A2. The crystal structure of TIL1383I in complex with tyrosinase-HLA-A2 also highlighted its uncharacteristic binding geometry and we therefore hypothesize that this binding orientation is associated with the observed CD8 co-receptor independence of TIL1383I. Indeed, functional analysis with TIL1383I-transduced CD8-positive and CD8-negative T cells, transduced T cells expressing a truncated CD8 lacking the intracellular LCK signaling domain, and tyrosinase peptide variants presented by HLA-A2 mutants outline this co-receptor independence. Combined with our interrogation of tyrosinase peptide cross-reactivity via a peptide positional scanning library approach, structure-guided design resulted in the identification of TIL1383I variants with improved binding affinities to the tyrosinase peptide as well as an understanding of structural characteristics that may contribute to TIL1383I’s co-receptor independence.
4094 Structural Determinants of Immunogenicity for Peptide-Based Immunotherapy
- Jason Devlin, Jesus Alonso, Grant Keller, Sara Bobisse, Alexandre Harari, Brian Baker
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- Journal:
- Journal of Clinical and Translational Science / Volume 4 / Issue s1 / June 2020
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 29 July 2020, p. 16
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OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Neoantigen vaccine immunotherapies have shown promise in clinical trials, but identifying which peptides to include in a vaccine remains a challenge. We aim to establish that molecular structural features can help predict which neoantigens to target to achieve tumor regression. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Proteins were prepared by recombinant expression in E. coli followed by in vitro refolding. Correctly folded proteins were purified by chromatography. Affinities of protein-protein interactions were measured by surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and thermal stabilities of proteins were determined by differential scanning fluorimetry. All experiments were performed at least in triplicate. Protein crystals were obtained by hanging drop vapor diffusion. The protein crystal structures were solved by molecular replacement and underwent several rounds of automated refinement. Molecular dynamics simulations were performed using the AMBER molecular dynamics package. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: A T cell receptor (TCR) expressed by tumor-infiltrating T cells exhibited a 20-fold stronger binding affinity to the neoantigen peptide compared to the self-peptide. X-ray crystal structures of the peptides with the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) protein demonstrated that a non-mutated residue in the peptide samples different positions with the mutation. The difference in conformations of the non-mutated residue was supported by molecular dynamics simulations. Crystal structures of the TCR engaging both peptide/MHCs suggested that the conformation favored by the mutant peptide was crucial for TCR binding. The TCR bound the neoantigen/MHC with faster binding kinetics. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: Our results suggest that the mutation impacts the conformation of another residue in the peptide, and this alteration allows for more favorable T cell receptor binding to the neoantigen. This highlights the potential of non-mutated residues in contributing to neoantigen recognition.
A New Natural Defense Against Airborne Pathogens
- David Edwards, Anthony Hickey, Richard Batycky, Lester Griel, Michael Lipp, Wes Dehaan, Robert Clarke, David Hava, Jason Perry, Brendan Laurenzi, Aidan K. Curran, Brandon J. Beddingfield, Chad J. Roy, Tom Devlin, Robert Langer
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- Journal:
- QRB Discovery / Volume 1 / 2020
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 07 July 2020, e5
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- 2020
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We propose the nasal administration of calcium-enriched physiological salts as a new hygienic intervention with possible therapeutic application as a response to the rapid and tenacious spread of COVID-19. We test the effectiveness of these salts against viral and bacterial pathogens in animals and humans. We find that aerosol administration of these salts to the airways diminishes the exhalation of the small particles that face masks fail to filter and, in the case of an influenza swine model, completely block airborne transmission of disease. In a study of 10 human volunteers (5 less than 65 years and 5 older than 65 years), we show that delivery of a nasal saline comprising calcium and sodium salts quickly (within 15 min) and durably (up to at least 6 h) diminishes exhaled particles from the human airways. Being predominantly smaller than 1 μm, these particles are below the size effectively filtered by conventional masks. The suppression of exhaled droplets by the nasal delivery of calcium-rich saline with aerosol droplet size of around 10 μm suggests the upper airways as a primary source of bioaerosol generation. The suppression effect is especially pronounced (99%) among those who exhale large numbers of particles. In our study, we found this high-particle exhalation group to correlate with advanced age. We argue for a new hygienic practice of nasal cleansing by a calcium-rich saline aerosol, to complement the washing of hands with ordinary soap, use of a face mask, and social distancing.
3348 Structural Determinants of Neoantigen Immunogenicity for Cancer Therapy
- Jason Devlin, Sara Bobisse, Alexandre Harari, Brian Baker
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- Journal:
- Journal of Clinical and Translational Science / Volume 3 / Issue s1 / March 2019
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 26 March 2019, p. 22
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OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: We are exploring the structure of the interaction between an immunogenic neoantigen and a T cell receptor (TCR) that recognizes the neoantigen while tolerating the counterpart self antigen. No structural example exists to date of how a TCR can discriminate between a neoantigen and the self antigen. We aim to determine the structural and biophysical features that underlie the immunogenicity for this neoantigen, and the features we determine are likely to be present in other immunogenic neoantigens. Algorithms to predict the immunogenicity of neoantigens are available, but do not incorporate structural or biophysical factors. We aim to improve these methods for immunogenic neoantigen prediction by determining structural and biophysical factors that result in recognition by the immune system. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Recombinant protein expression, production, and purification. Protein x-ray crystallography. Biophysical protein-protein binding experiments RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: The T cell receptor (TCR) bound to the neoantigen with an affinity 15-fold higher than the self antigen. The leucine to phenylalanine mutation occurs at position 8 of a 9-amino acid long peptide antigen. This position is typically in the interface bound by the T cell receptor. The structures of the unbound neoantigen and self antigen showed that the mutated residue was in the TCR interface. Additionally we noted a change in the side chain position of a proximal tryptophan, potentially due to clashes with the larger phenylalanine residue. The structure of the TCR bound to the neoantigen showed that the TCR interacted with the tryptophan in the mutation-induced conformation and with the phenylalanine residue. Thus the mutation may be altering TCR binding affinity by interactions of the residue itself with the TCR, and by locking the proximal tryptophan residue in an optimal position to interact with the TCR. We are testing the contributions of each of these factors to the overall affinity change. Hydrophobicity has been linked to immunogenicity, so mutations that increase hydrophobicity compared to the self antigen are likely to be immunogenic. However, leucine and phenylalanine are similar on hydrophobicity scales. On the other hand, a side chain rotation is unlikely to represent a large energy barrier. Therefore, we hypothesize that another property of the phenylalanine, such as size or aromaticity, is driving the affinity difference. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: Traditional forms of cancer therapy do not specifically target cancer cells, and their toxicity to healthy cells limits their effectiveness. Immunotherapy, which involves orchestrating a specific anti-cancer immune response, is now an established cancer therapy. Several forms of immunotherapy target “neoantigens,” which are derived from mutated proteins in cancer, and are therefore are cancer-specific. Neoantigens represent a foothold that can allow the immune system to distinguish between cancer cells and healthy cells, and thus specifically target cancer cells for destruction while imparting no activity toward healthy cells that lack the neoantigen. Most cancer mutations that result in neoantigens arise from random passenger mutations in cancer and will be different among patients. Neoantigen-based cancer therapies are thus a precision medicine technique. The quality of neoantigens to induce an immune response (immunogenicity), which relates to how likely they are to be presented to the immune system and recognized as foreign, has been shown to be a critical factor in predicting the outcome of immunotherapy treatment. We are investigating, on a structural and biophysical level, features that may increase the likelihood of a neoantigen being recognized as foreign by the immune system. The structural insight we gain can be incorporated into algorithms that predict neoantigens from cancer exome sequencing for patient-specific identification of immunogenic neoantigens for immunotherapeutic intervention.
Field Expedient Vasopressors During Aeromedical Evacuation: A Case Series from the Puerto Rico Disaster Response
- Jason M. Hardwick, Sean D. Murnan, Daphne P. Morrison-Ponce, John J. Devlin
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- Journal:
- Prehospital and Disaster Medicine / Volume 33 / Issue 6 / December 2018
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 09 November 2018, pp. 668-672
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- December 2018
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Introduction
Emergency physicians are using bolus-dose vasopressors to temporize hypotensive patients until more definitive blood pressure support can be established. Despite a paucity of clinical outcome data, emergency department applications are expanding into the prehospital setting. This series presents two cases of field expedient vasopressor use by emergency medicine providers for preflight stabilization during aeromedical evacuation to a hospital ship as part of the United States Navy disaster response in Puerto Rico. A critical approach and review of the literature are discussed.
Case ReportTwo critically ill patients were managed in an austere environment as a result of the devastation from Hurricane Maria (Yabucoa, Puerto Rico; 2017). They both exhibited signs of respiratory distress, hemodynamic instability, and distributive shock requiring definitive airway management and hemodynamic support prior to aeromedical evacuation.
DiscussionThe novel use of field expedient vasopressors prior to induction for rapid sequence intubation was successfully and safely employed in both cases. Both patients had multiple risk factors for peri-induction cardiac arrest given their presenting hemodynamics. Despite their illness severity, both patients were induced, transported, and ultimately admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) in stable condition following administration of the field expedient vasopressors.
Conclusion:Field expedient vasopressors were safely and effectively employed in an austere field environment during a disaster response. This case series contributes to the growing body of literature of safe bolus-dose vasopressor use by emergency physicians to temporize hypotensive patients in resource-constrained situations.
,Hardwick JM ,Murnan SD ,Morrison-Ponce DP .Devlin JJ Field Expedient Vasopressors During Aeromedical Evacuation: A Case Series from the Puerto Rico Disaster Response . Prehosp Disaster Med.2018 ;33 (6 ):668 –672 .