Activation of CD8⁺ T Cells in the Human Ex Vivo Lung Tumor Microenvironment Using Anti-CD3/CD28 and Nivolumab

Despite advancements in immunotherapies, the diversity of the tumor microenvironment remains a challenge for cancer treatment. To elucidate microenvironment-specific differences in antitumor responses, we established patient-derived ex vivo tumor-lung slices. We analyzed immune activation profiles after treatment with anti-CD3/CD28 and the checkpoint inhibitor Nivolumab. Lung slices from non-tumor, tumor-adjacent, tumor-border, and tumor-central tissue were generated and assessed for viability, cell composition, and immune competence via flow cytometry, soluble factor secretion, and bulk RNA-sequencing. The tumor-border contained the highest number of immune cells (8.3-fold vs. non-tumor), secreted tumor markers (S100 and CA15-3), and exhibited high levels of inflammatory mediators (IFNγ, IL-6, and IL-2). Treatment with anti-CD3/CD28 increased the frequency of CD137⁺/CD8⁺ T cells and induced cytokine responses dominated by IFNγ, IL-2, and Granzyme B. While both non-tumor and tumor-border tissue responded to anti-CD3/CD28, the intensities of immune responses were highly varied. Notably, treatment with Nivolumab induced an inflammatory response primarily in the tumor-border evidenced by IFNγ, IL-2, and Perforin secretion alongside increased expression of CD107a on CD8⁺ T cells, in a donor-dependent manner. Taken together, these data demonstrate how tumor-border tissue slices can be utilized to study T cell responses in the context of the patient-specific tumor microenvironment.