Cellectis

This document relates to engineered immune cells comprising a tumor-CAR and a FAPscFv-cytokine fusion protein with differential expressions, their use in the treatment of tumors expressing FAP, as well as methods and materials for the preparation thereof.

The invention relates to the fields of immunotherapy, molecular biology and recombinant nucleic acid technology. In particular, the invention relates to a TALEN-modified human primary cell comprising in its genome, a modified human T cell receptor alpha gene with an insertion comprising at least, from 5′ to 3′, a polynucleotide encoding a self-cleaving peptide, a chimeric antigen receptor, wherein the cell has undetectable cell-surface expression of the endogenous alpha beta T cell receptor as compared to a TCR positive control cell and expresses a receptor to target a pathological cell, use of said cell for treating a disease, including cancer. The invention further relates to methods for producing such a TALEN-modified cell, and to means for detecting such an engineered human primary cell or other genetically modified human primary cell obtained using alternative and/or additional rare cutting endonucleases.

The present invention concerns new engineered immune cells expressing two CARs directed against two different targets, polynucleotides for preparing said immune cells, pharmaceutical compositions comprising said immune cells, and the use of said immune cells in the treatment of cancers.

The invention pertains to the field of adaptive cell immunotherapy. It provides with the genetic insertion of exogenous coding sequence(s) that help the immune cells to direct their immune response against infected or malignant cells. These exogenous coding sequences are more particularly inserted under the transcriptional control of endogenous gene promoters that are sensitive to immune cells activation. Such method allows the production of safer immune primary cells of higher therapeutic potential.

A method of expanding TCRalpha deficient T-cells by expressing pTalpha or functional variants thereof into said cells, thereby restoring a functional CD3 complex. This method is particularly useful to enhance the efficiency of immunotherapy using primary T-cells from donors. This method involves the use of pTalpha or functional variants thereof and polynucleotides encoding such polypeptides to expand TCRalpha deficient T-cells. Such engineered cells can be obtained by using specific rare-cutting endonuclease, preferably TALE-nucleases. The use of Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR), especially multi-chain CAR, in such engineered cells to target malignant or infected cells. The invention opens the way to standard and affordable adoptive immunotherapy strategies for treating cancer and viral infections.

The present invention provides methods for preparing expanded tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) having reduced expression of PD-1 and TIGIT using sequential electroporation of two TALEN systems targeting PD-1 and TIGIT. Such TILs find use in therapeutic treatment regimens for cancer patients.

The present invention relates to methods using base editors for efficiently genetically engineer cells, especially primary hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and primary immune cells. In particular, the invention is directed to rules for designing highly active and specific TALE-base editors displaying improved on-target/off-target activity ratios useful to manufacture complex gene edited cells of therapeutic grade or to perform in-vivo gene therapy. The resulting TALE-base editors can be used alone or in combination with rare-cutting endonucleases in various gene therapy approaches.

The present disclosure provides methods to genetically modify cells by insertion of an artificial exon (ArtEx) for delivery of therapeutic proteins in specific cell types and more particularly engineered cells for expression of a transgene into the brain of a patient.

A method for engineering less alloreactive immune cells, including T-cells that express chimeric antigen receptors (CARs), using a nucleotide sequence in form of an RNA encoding a anti-TCR CAR to achieve the transient expression of anti-TCR CAR at the cell surface. The transient expression of the anti-TCR CAR recognized by the alpha beta TCR on the cell surface unexpectedly enabled the a purification of the TCR-negative CAR expressing cells. The TCR-negative CAR expressing immune cells can be used in adoptive therapy to treat diseases associated with cell surface antigens, such as cancer with less side effects, in particular less GVHD.

The present invention provides improved and/or shortened processes and methods for preparing TILs in order to prepare therapeutic populations of genetically modified TILs with reduced expression of CISH and optionally PD-1 as described herein.