Engineered CD4 TCR T cells with conserved high-affinity TCRs targeting NY-ESO-1 for advanced cellular therapies in cancer.

Abstract

While cancer immunotherapy has primarily focused on CD8 T cells, CD4 T cells are increasingly recognized for their role in antitumor immunity. The <i>HLA-DRB3*02:02</i> allele is found in 50% of Caucasians. In this study, we screened <i>HLA-DRB3*02:02</i> patients with melanoma for tumor-specific CD4 T cells and identified robust New York esophageal squamous cell carcinoma 1 (NY-ESO-1)_123-137/<i>HLA-DRB3*02:02</i> CD4 T cell activity in both peripheral blood and tumor tissue. By analyzing NY-ESO-1_123-137/<i>HLA-DRB3*02:02</i>-restricted CD4 T cell clones, we uncovered an unexpectedly high cytotoxicity, strong T helper 1 polarization, and recurrent αβ T cell receptor (TCRαβ) usage across patients and anatomical sites. These responses were also present in other NY-ESO-1-expressing cancers. TCRs from these clones, when transduced into primary CD4 T cells, showed direct antitumor efficacy both in vitro and in vivo. Our findings suggest that these TCRs are promising for adoptive T cell transfer therapy, enabling broader targeting of NY-ESO-1-expressing adult and pediatric cancers in clinical settings.