Antisense targeting of FOXP3+ Tregs to boost anti-tumor immunity

Our goal is to improve the outcomes of cancer immunotherapy by targeting FOXP3+ T-regulatory (Treg) cells with a next generation of antisense oligonucleotides (ASO), termed FOXP3 AUMsilence ASO. We performed in vitro experiments with human healthy donor PBMC and clinical samples from patients with lung cancer, mesothelioma and melanoma, and tested our approach in vivo using ASO FOXP3 in syngeneic murine cancer models and in humanized mice. ASO FOXP3 had no effects on cell viability or cell division, did not affect expression of other FOXP members, but decreased expression of FOXP3 mRNA in PBMC by 54.9% and in cancer samples by 64.7%, with corresponding 41.0% (PBMC) and 60.0% (cancer) decreases of Treg numbers (all p<0.0001). Hence, intratumoral Treg were more sensitive to the effects of ASO FOXP3 than peripheral blood Tregs. Isolated human Treg, incubated with ASO FOXP3 for 3.5 hours, had significantly impaired suppressive function (66.4%) versus Scramble control. In murine studies, we observed a significant inhibition of tumor growth, while 13.6% (MC38) to 22% (TC1) of tumors were completely resorbed, in conjunction with ~50% decrease of Foxp3 mRNA by qPCR and decreased numbers of intratumoral Tregs. In addition, there were no changes in FOXP3 mRNA expression or in the numbers of Tregs in draining lymph nodes and in spleens of tumor bearing mice, confirming that intratumoral Treg had enhanced sensitivity to ASO FOXP3 in vivo compared to other Treg populations. ASO FOXP3 Treg targeting in vivo and in vitro was accompanied by significant downregulation of multiple exhaustion markers, and by increased expression of perforin and granzyme-B by intratumoral T cells. To conclude, we report that targeting the key Treg transcription factor FOXP3, with ASO FOXP3, has a powerful anti-tumoral effect and enhances T cell response in vitro and in vivo.