Imprime PGG-Mediated Anti-Cancer Immune Activation Requires Immune Complex Formation

PLoS One. 2016 Nov 3;11(11):e0165909. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0165909. eCollection 2016.

Abstract

Imprime PGG (Imprime), an intravenously-administered, soluble β-glucan, has shown compelling efficacy in multiple phase 2 clinical trials with tumor targeting or anti-angiogenic antibodies. Mechanistically, Imprime acts as pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP) directly activating innate immune effector cells, triggering a coordinated anti-cancer immune response. Herein, using whole blood from healthy human subjects, we show that Imprime-induced anti-cancer functionality is dependent on immune complex formation with naturally-occurring, anti-β glucan antibodies (ABA). The formation of Imprime-ABA complexes activates complement, primarily via the classical complement pathway, and is opsonized by iC3b. Immune complex binding depends upon Complement Receptor 3 and Fcg Receptor IIa, eliciting phenotypic activation of, and enhanced chemokine production by, neutrophils and monocytes, enabling these effector cells to kill antibody-opsonized tumor cells via the generation of reactive oxygen species and antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis. Importantly, these innate immune cell changes were not evident in subjects with low ABA levels but could be rescued with exogenous ABA supplementation. Together, these data indicate that pre-existing ABA are essential for Imprime-mediated anti-cancer immune activation and suggest that pre-treatment ABA levels may provide a plausible patient selection biomarker to delineate patients most likely to benefit from Imprime-based therapy.

MeSH terms

  • Antigen-Antibody Complex / immunology
  • Antigen-Antibody Complex / metabolism*
  • Antineoplastic Agents / chemistry
  • Antineoplastic Agents / pharmacology*
  • HEK293 Cells
  • Humans
  • Immunity, Innate / drug effects
  • Macrophage-1 Antigen / metabolism
  • Receptors, IgG / metabolism
  • beta-Glucans / chemistry
  • beta-Glucans / immunology
  • beta-Glucans / pharmacology*

Substances

  • Antigen-Antibody Complex
  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Macrophage-1 Antigen
  • Receptors, IgG
  • beta-Glucans

Grants and funding

Biothera Pharmaceuticals Inc. provided support in the form of salaries for authors (Anissa S.H. Chan, Adria Bykowski Jonas, Xiaohong Qiu, Nadine R. Ottoson, Richard M. Walsh, Keith B. Gorden, Ben Harrison, Peter J. Maimonis, Steven Leonardo, Kathleen E. Ertelt, Michael E. Danielson, Kyle S. Michel, Mariana Nelson, Jeremy R. Graff, Myra L. Patchen and Nandita Bose), but did not have any additional role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The specific roles of these authors are articulated in the ‘author contributions’ section.