Abstract
Background:
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has a poor prognosis, and a 5-year survival rate of less than 10%. Its dense, immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) limits the effectiveness of conventional therapies, including immunotherapy. Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy targeting the tight junction protein claudin18.2 (CLDN18.2) has shown promise in preclinical PDAC studies, but its efficacy is severely constrained by immunosuppressive components in the TME, such as tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). In addition to directly killing tumor cells, radiotherapy (RT) can modulate the TME, promote immune cell infiltration, and potentially enhance the efficacy of CAR-T in solid tumors. This study aimed to investigate the effects of combining RT with CLDN18.2-targeted CAR-T therapy for PDAC, focusing on elucidating whether RT can overcome the major barriers to immunotherapy in PDAC by reshaping the immunosuppressive TME and enhancing CAR-T infiltration and function.
Methods:
Second-generation anti-CLDN18.2 CAR-Ts with high transduction efficiency were generated. In vitro, we assessed the cytotoxicity of CAR-Ts against PDAC cells expressing CLDN18.2 both with and without prior irradiation. In vivo, the combination of RT and CAR-T therapy was tested in PDAC-bearing mice, and survival and tumor growth were monitored. The immune response and TME were analyzed for CAR-T infiltration, effector function production [tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interferon gamma (IFN-γ), and granzyme B], and immune cell composition (Tregs, MDSCs, and M1 macrophages).
Results:
In vitro, the CAR-Ts exhibited potent cytotoxicity against the CLDN18.2-positive PDAC cells, and the efficacy was enhanced in the irradiated PDAC cells compared to the non-irradiated control PDAC cells. In vivo, local RT combined with CAR-T therapy significantly prolonged survival and delayed tumor growth in the PDAC-bearing mice. Additionally, the combination therapy increased the CAR-T infiltration and effector functions. Local RT also reshaped the TME by increasing M1 macrophages and reducing M2 macrophages.
Conclusions:
Local RT significantly enhanced the anti-tumor efficacy of CLDN18.2-targeted CAR-T therapy against PDAC. In vitro, RT increased CAR-T cytotoxicity against CLDN18.2-positive PDAC cells. In vivo, combining RT with CAR-T therapy prolonged survival and delayed tumor growth in tumor-bearing mice. This synergy resulted from RT promoting CAR-T infiltration and effector function, while reshaping the tumor microenvironment (TME) by increasing pro-inflammatory M1 macrophages and reducing immunosuppressive M2 macrophages. These findings show the potential of this combination approach as a promising therapeutic strategy for improving outcomes in PDAC patients.