Mannan-targeting chimeric antigen receptor redirected antifungal activity of NK-92 cells against Candida albicans.

Abstract

Chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) offer promising prospects for innovative cell-based therapies against invasive fungal infections such as invasive candidiasis. Here, we have developed 4 CARs targeting Candida albicans with distinct single-chain variable fragments (scFvs): scFv3-CAR, scFv5-CAR, scFv12-CAR, and scFvκ3-1-CAR. In T cells, scFv5-CAR induced IL-2 expression in response to C. albicans hyphae, while scFv3-CAR and scFv12-CAR did not mediate cell activation against C. albicans. Notably, scFvκ3-1-CAR mediated the strongest cell activation against C. albicans yeast, hyphae, and other clinically relevant Candida species. scFvκ3-1-CAR-NK-92 cells exhibited elevated IFN-γ and CD107a expression, reducing C. albicans viability. NOD scid gamma (NSG) mice treated with scFvκ3-1-CAR-NK-92 cells had reduced C. albicans burden in the kidneys 24 hours postinfection. We showed that scFvκ3-1-CAR targets C. albicans mannan but no other glycans in glycan microarray screening analyses. These findings reveal the scFvκ3-1-CAR potential as a therapeutic strategy for treating Candida spp. by modifying peripheral blood mononuclear cells.