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Targeted therapies prime oncogene-driven lung cancers for macrophage-mediated destruction
Kyle Vaccaro, … , Aaron N. Hata, Kipp Weiskopf
Kyle Vaccaro, … , Aaron N. Hata, Kipp Weiskopf
Published March 14, 2024
Citation Information: J Clin Invest. 2024;134(9):e169315. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI169315.
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Research Article Oncology

Targeted therapies prime oncogene-driven lung cancers for macrophage-mediated destruction

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Abstract

Macrophage immune checkpoint inhibitors, such as anti-CD47 antibodies, show promise in clinical trials for solid and hematologic malignancies. However, the best strategies to use these therapies remain unknown, and ongoing studies suggest they may be most effective when used in combination with other anticancer agents. Here, we developed an unbiased, high-throughput screening platform to identify drugs that render lung cancer cells more vulnerable to macrophage attack, and we found that therapeutic synergy exists between genotype-directed therapies and anti-CD47 antibodies. In validation studies, we found that the combination of genotype-directed therapies and CD47 blockade elicited robust phagocytosis and eliminated persister cells in vitro and maximized antitumor responses in vivo. Importantly, these findings broadly applied to lung cancers with various RTK/MAPK pathway alterations — including EGFR mutations, ALK fusions, or KRASG12C mutations. We observed downregulation of β2-microglobulin and CD73 as molecular mechanisms contributing to enhanced sensitivity to macrophage attack. Our findings demonstrate that dual inhibition of the RTK/MAPK pathway and the CD47/SIRPa axis is a promising immunotherapeutic strategy. Our study provides strong rationale for testing this therapeutic combination in patients with lung cancers bearing driver mutations.

Authors

Kyle Vaccaro, Juliet Allen, Troy W. Whitfield, Asaf Maoz, Sarah Reeves, José Velarde, Dian Yang, Anna Meglan, Juliano Ribeiro, Jasmine Blandin, Nicole Phan, George W. Bell, Aaron N. Hata, Kipp Weiskopf

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Figure 1

An unbiased compound library screen identifies cooperation between targeted therapy and macrophage-directed immunotherapy for EGFR mutant lung cancer.

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An unbiased compound library screen identifies cooperation between targe...
(A) Design of an unbiased functional screen to identify drugs that synergize with anti-CD47 therapy using primary human macrophages and GFP+ PC9 cancer cells. (B) Representative whole-well microscopy images showing GFP+ area (purple) from wells treated with drugs that enhanced (erlotinib, gefitinib) or inhibited (dexamethasone) macrophage-dependent cytotoxicity of PC9 cells. Scale bar: 800 μm. (C) Volcano plot summarizing drug screen results. Each point represents the mean from n = 5 experimental trials. The phenotypic effect size (x axis) is depicted as log2 fold change of GFP+ area in the macrophage+anti-CD47 condition relative to PC9 cells alone. Values were normalized to account for variation due to well position. Dashed lines represent 2-fold change in effect size (x axis) and P < 0.05 by t test (y axis). Gefitinib and erlotinib (blue) were identified as the top enhancers of macrophage-dependent cytotoxicity, whereas drugs depicted with red dots inhibited macrophage-dependent cytotoxicity or were drugs that macrophages protected against. (D) Curves from 1 representative plate showing macrophage-dependent cytotoxicity over time, as measured by decreases in GFP+ area of macrophage+anti-CD47 condition relative to the control condition. Gefitinib and erlotinib enhanced macrophage-dependent cytotoxicity within approximately 48 hours. Dashed lines indicate empirical 95% tolerance interval. (E) Box-and-whisker plot of drug classes ranked by normalized log2 fold change of GFP+ area in macrophage versus PC9 control condition. Boxes indicate the median and interquartile range, and whiskers indicate maxima and minima (excluding outliers) for the indicated drug class. Drug classes that significantly increased relative GFP+ area are depicted in red, whereas EGFR TKIs (blue) were identified as the only drug class that significantly decreased relative GFP+ area. Each class of drugs was compared with controls (DMSO and empty wells) using a t test (**FDR < 0.01, ***FDR < 0.001).

Copyright © 2025 American Society for Clinical Investigation
ISSN: 0021-9738 (print), 1558-8238 (online)

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