Comparative Evaluation of Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes in Companion Animals: Immuno-Oncology as a Relevant Translational Model for Cancer Therapy

Christopher J Pinard; International Immuno-Oncology Biomarker Working Group; Andrew Lagree; Fang-I Lu; Jonathan Klein; Michelle L Oblak; Roberto Salgado; Juan Carlos Pinto Cardenas; Barbara Brunetti; Luisa Vera Muscatello; Giuseppe Sarli; Maria Pia Foschini; Alexandros Hardas; Simon P Castillo; Khalid AbdulJabbar; Yinyin Yuan; David A Moore; William T Tran

doi:10.3390/cancers14205008

Comparative Evaluation of Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes in Companion Animals: Immuno-Oncology as a Relevant Translational Model for Cancer Therapy

Cancers (Basel). 2022 Oct 13;14(20):5008. doi: 10.3390/cancers14205008.

Authors

Christopher J Pinard^{1

2

3}; International Immuno-Oncology Biomarker Working Group; Andrew Lagree^{2

3}, Fang-I Lu⁴, Jonathan Klein⁵, Michelle L Oblak¹, Roberto Salgado^{6

7}, Juan Carlos Pinto Cardenas⁸, Barbara Brunetti⁹, Luisa Vera Muscatello⁹, Giuseppe Sarli⁹, Maria Pia Foschini¹⁰, Alexandros Hardas¹¹, Simon P Castillo^{12

13}, Khalid AbdulJabbar^{12

13}, Yinyin Yuan^{12

13}, David A Moore^{14

15}, William T Tran^{2

3

16

17

18}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Clinical Studies, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada.
² Odette Cancer Program, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON M4N 3M5, Canada.
³ Radiogenomics Laboratory, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON M4N 3M5, Canada.
⁴ Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada.
⁵ Department of Radiation Oncology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY 10461, USA.
⁶ Division of Research, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne 3000, Australia.
⁷ Department of Pathology, GZA-ZNA Hospitals, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium.
⁸ Department of Pathology, DIAGSA, Mexico City 53910, Mexico.
⁹ Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, University of Bologna, 40064 Ozzano dell'Emilia, Italy.
¹⁰ Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, 40127 Bologna, Italy.
¹¹ Department of Pathobiology & Population Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, Hertfordshire AL9 7TA, UK.
¹² Centre for Evolution and Cancer, The Institute of Cancer Research, London SM2 5NG, UK.
¹³ Division of Molecular Pathology, The Institute of Cancer Research, London SM2 5NG, UK.
¹⁴ Department of Pathology, UCL Cancer Institute, London WC1E 6DD, UK.
¹⁵ University College Hospitals NHS Trust, London NW1 2PG, UK.
¹⁶ Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5T 1P5, Canada.
¹⁷ Department of Radiation Oncology, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON M4N 3M5, Canada.
¹⁸ Temerty Centre for AI Research and Education in Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada.

Abstract

Despite the important role of preclinical experiments to characterize tumor biology and molecular pathways, there are ongoing challenges to model the tumor microenvironment, specifically the dynamic interactions between tumor cells and immune infiltrates. Comprehensive models of host-tumor immune interactions will enhance the development of emerging treatment strategies, such as immunotherapies. Although in vitro and murine models are important for the early modelling of cancer and treatment-response mechanisms, comparative research studies involving veterinary oncology may bridge the translational pathway to human studies. The natural progression of several malignancies in animals exhibits similar pathogenesis to human cancers, and previous studies have shown a relevant and evaluable immune system. Veterinary oncologists working alongside oncologists and cancer researchers have the potential to advance discovery. Understanding the host-tumor-immune interactions can accelerate drug and biomarker discovery in a clinically relevant setting. This review presents discoveries in comparative immuno-oncology and implications to cancer therapy.

Keywords: TILs; canine; comparative oncology; neoplasia.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

W.T.T. and F.-I.L. received grant funding from the Tri-Council (CIHR) Government of Canada’s New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF, Grant # NFRFE-2019-00193). W.T.T. also received funding from the Terry Fox Research Institute (TFRI, Grant #1083). W.T.T. also received funding from the Women’s Health Golf Classic Foundation Fund, and the CAMRT Research Grant (Grant #2021-01). S.P.C. and Y.Y. acknowledge grant funding from Arizona Cancer Evolution Center, University of Arizona, USA and National Institutes of Health grant U54 CA217376.