VEGFR2 as a target for CAR T cell therapy of Ewing sarcoma

T cells engineered to express chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) are a novel modality to treat refractory cancers. The development of CAR T cells against Ewing sarcoma (EwS) is limited by a lack of targetable surface antigens. We investigated vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) expressed on tumor-associated blood vessels as potential CAR target in this cancer.

Expression of VEGFR2 was studied by immunohistochemistry in human EwS biopsies and in murine xenografts and by flow cytometry in EwS cell lines. CARs with short, medium, and long hinge domains against either human or murine VEGFR2 were generated and expressed in human T cells by retroviral gene transfer. The capacity of the individual CARs to activate T cells in response to VEGFR2-expressing cells was compared in vitro.

Tumor-associated endothelial cells in human EwS biopsies and in xenografts expressed VEGFR2. Tumor cells in the majority of EwS biopsies were also VEGFR2-positive. Following modification with anti-mouse or anti-human VEGFR2-specific CAR genes, T cells specifically lysed VEGFR2-expressing target cells of the respective species. CAR T cells with short-length or medium-length hinge domains were functionally superior over those with the long hinge region by in vitro parameters, including antigen-specific degranulation responses, lysis of tumor spheroids, tumor necrosis factor α secretion, sequential killing, and proliferation.

VEGFR2 is consistently expressed on endothelial cells of the tumor stroma in EwS and thus is a candidate target for CAR T cells in this cancer. Among various VEGFR2-specific CARs, a construct with a short hinge domain was chosen to be further developed toward clinical translation.