Selective Dual Co-Stimulatory Blockade of CD28/CD80-86 and PD1-PL2 with a Novel Recombinant Bi-Specific Fusion Protein (Hybri-2) Promotes Successful Humoral Desensitization in a Stringent Sensitized Rat Model
Kidney Transplantation Unit, Bellvitge University Hospital- IDIBELL, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
Meeting: 2020 American Transplant Congress
Abstract number: 317
Keywords: Co-stimulation, Immunosuppression, Sensitization, T helper cells
Session Information
Session Name: Immunosuppression Preclinical Studies
Session Type: Oral Abstract Session
Date: Saturday, May 30, 2020
Session Time: 3:15pm-4:45pm
Presentation Time: 4:03pm-4:15pm
Location: Virtual
*Purpose: Humoral Alloimmune memory is a main barrier for successful kidney transplantation and is orchestrated by a compartmentalized cellular immune response driven by bone-marrow LLPCs and Germinal-center memory B (mBc) and T follicular helper (TFH) cells through key co-stimulatory signals such as CD28-CD80/86 and PD1-PDL2. Therefore, we hypothesized that by using a newly developed recombinant bi-specific fusion protein (Hybri2) that concomitantly blocks the CD80/86 pathway with a human CTLA4Ig extracellular domain and stimulates the PD1 with a human PD-L2 extracellular domain, it would confer a robust and sustained inhibition of the GC immune compartment thus, effectively inhibiting a donor-specific humoral memory immune response.
*Methods: To investigate the efficacy of this novel dual targeting as desensitization therapy, we used a stringent sensitization experimental MHC-mismatch rat model with two sequential skin transplants. Sensitized animals received Belatacept (10mg/kg, n=4), Hybri2 (20mg/kg, n=4) or bortezomib (1.33 mg/m2, n=4) IV, twice weekly for two weeks after sensitization. Desensitization efficacy was monitored with numbers and functionality of donor-specific mBc, short-live plasmablast, and TFH from the spleen and LLPC in the BM using both flow-cytometry and B-cell ELISPOT assays.
*Results: Dual Hybri2 desensitization therapy treated group showed significantly reduced frequencies of IgG-secreting mBC (1,5±2) than belatacept (15,5±6, p=0.054), the control group (22,5±6, p=0.04 vs Hibry2 and p=0.07 vs bela) and bortezomib (20,5±5, p=0.045 vs Hybri and p=0.08 vs bela). Significantly reduced frequencies on IgG-secreting plasmablasts were similarly observed between the Hybri2 (7,25±4) and belatacept (9.5±4; p=0.09), than the control group (51±16, 0.034 vs Hybri2 and p=0.045 vs bela). A significant reduction in the proportion of CXCR5+PD1+ICOS+ TFH cells among CD4+ T cells was detected in Hybri2 (8.01±2) and belatacept (8.55±3) as compared to the control (13,1±3, p=0.053) and bortezomib (14,3±2, p=0.048 vs Hybri2 and p=0.05 vs bela). A numerically lower but not statistically different numbers and frequencies of IgG-secreting LLPC in the BM were observed in the Hybri2 and belatacept groups than the control group, whereas bortezomib showed a significantly less LLPC than the other groups.
*Conclusions: Our data strongly suggest that dual targeting at the CD28-CD80/86 and PD1-PDL2 costimulatory level effectively abrogates GC humoral memory immune responses. This approach combined with central LLPC inhibition may be a new effective therapy strategy for successful desensitization.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
Torija A, Crespo E, Jarque M, Bolaños N, Meneghini M, Favà A, Torras J, Grinyo J, Bestard O. Selective Dual Co-Stimulatory Blockade of CD28/CD80-86 and PD1-PL2 with a Novel Recombinant Bi-Specific Fusion Protein (Hybri-2) Promotes Successful Humoral Desensitization in a Stringent Sensitized Rat Model [abstract]. Am J Transplant. 2020; 20 (suppl 3). https://atcmeetingabstracts.com/abstract/selective-dual-co-stimulatory-blockade-of-cd28-cd80-86-and-pd1-pl2-with-a-novel-recombinant-bi-specific-fusion-protein-hybri-2-promotes-successful-humoral-desensitization-in-a-stringent-sensitized-r/. Accessed October 10, 2024.« Back to 2020 American Transplant Congress