Chimeric antigen receptors targeting tumor microenvironment

Abstract

To provide methods and compositions for use in treating cancer, which may be achieved by targeting of a tumor microenvironment.SOLUTION: The invention provides an immune cell engineered to express: (a) a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) polypeptide including an extracellular domain including a first antigen-binding domain that binds to a first antigen and a second antigen-binding domain that binds to a second antigen; and (b) a bispecific T cell engager (BiTE), wherein the BiTE binds to a target antigen and a T cell antigen.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] [CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 629,593, filed February 12, 2018; U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 658,307, filed April 16, 2018; International Patent Application No. PCT / US2018 / 027783, filed April 16, 2018; and U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 746,895, filed October 17, 2018, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

[0002] [Technical field] The technology described herein relates to immunotherapy.

[0003] [Sequence table] This application contains a Sequence Listing that has been submitted electronically in ASCII format and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The ASCII copy created on February 12, 2019 is entitled 51295-013WO2_Sequence_Listing_2.12.19_ST25 and is 190,819 bytes in size. [Background technology]

[0004] Chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) provide a pathway to induce cytotoxic T cell responses against target cells expressing a selected target antigen, most often a tumor antigen or tumor-associated antigen. CARs are adaptations of T cell receptors in which the antigen-binding domain is replaced with that of an antibody that specifically binds to the target antigen from which it is derived. Engagement of a target antigen on the surface of a target cell by a CAR expressed, for example, on a T cell ("CAR T cell" or "CAR-T") promotes the killing of the target cell. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present invention provides chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) that target the tumor microenvironment.

[0006] In one aspect, the invention generally features: (a) a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) polypeptide that includes an extracellular domain that includes a first antigen binding domain that binds a first antigen and a second antigen binding domain that binds a second antigen; and (b) a bispecific T cell engager (BiTE), where the immune cell is engineered to express the BiTE that binds a target antigen and a T cell antigen.

[0007] In some embodiments, the CAR polypeptide comprises a transmembrane domain and an intracellular signaling domain. In some embodiments, the CAR polypeptide further comprises one or more costimulatory domains. In some embodiments, the CAR comprises a transmembrane domain, an intracellular signaling domain, and one or more costimulatory domains.

[0008] In some embodiments, the first and second antigens are glioblastoma antigens. In further embodiments, the first and second antigens are independently selected from epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), epidermal growth factor receptor variant III (EGFRvIII), CD19, CD79b, CD37, prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA), prostate stem cell antigen (PSCA), interleukin 13 receptor alpha 2 (IL-13Rα2), ephrin type A receptor 1 (EphA1), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), mesothelin, mucin 1, cell surface associated (MUC1), or mucin 16, cell surface associated (MUC16).

[0009] In some embodiments, the first antigen-binding domain and / or the second antigen-binding domain comprises an antigen-binding fragment of an antibody, such as a single domain antibody or a single chain variable fragment (scFv). In other embodiments, the first antigen-binding domain and / or the second antigen-binding domain comprises a ligand for the first and / or second antigen.

[0010] In further embodiments, the extracellular domain does not comprise a linker between the first and second antigen binding domains. In other embodiments, the first antigen binding domain is linked to the second antigen binding domain by a linker, e.g., the linker comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 102, 107, 108, 109, or 110, or comprises amino acids having at least 90% sequence identity (e.g., 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity) to the linker of SEQ ID NO: 102, 107, 108, 109, or 110.

[0011] In some embodiments, the transmembrane domain comprises a hinge / transmembrane domain. In some embodiments, the hinge / transmembrane domain comprises a hinge / transmembrane domain of an immunoglobulin-like protein (e.g., IgA, IgD, IgE, IgG, or IgM), CD28, CD8, or 4-1BB. In certain embodiments, the transmembrane domain comprises the hinge / transmembrane domain of CD8, which may comprise the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:4, 10, 16, 22, 28, 37, 46, 58, 66, 72, 78, or 104, or an amino acid sequence having at least 90% sequence identity (e.g., 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity) to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:4, 10, 16, 22, 28, 37, 46, 58, 66, 72, 78, or 104.

[0012] In some embodiments, the intracellular signaling domain comprises an intracellular signaling domain of TCR zeta, FcR gamma, FcR beta, CD3 gamma, CD3 theta, CD3 epsilon, CD3 eta, CD3 zeta, CD22, CD79a, CD79b, or CD66d. In some embodiments, the intracellular signaling domain comprises an intracellular signaling domain of CD3 zeta, which may comprise the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 39, 48, 60, 68, 74, 80, or 106, or an amino acid sequence having at least 90% sequence identity (e.g., 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity) to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 39, 48, 60, 68, 74, 80, or 106.

[0013] In further embodiments, the costimulatory domain comprises a costimulatory domain of 4-1BB, CD27, CD28, or OX-40. In some embodiments, the costimulatory domain comprises a costimulatory domain of 4-1BB, which may comprise an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:5, 11, 17, 23, 29, 38, 47, 59, 67, 73, 79, or 105, or an amino acid sequence having at least 90% sequence identity (e.g., 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity) to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:5, 11, 17, 23, 29, 38, 47, 59, 67, 73, 79, or 105.

[0014] In some embodiments, the first antigen binding domain comprises an IL-13Rα2 binding domain. In some embodiments, the second antigen binding domain comprises an EGFRvIII binding domain.

[0015] In some embodiments, the IL-13Rα2 binding domain comprises an anti-IL-13Rα2 scFv or a ligand of IL-13Rα2. In some embodiments, the ligand of IL-13Rα2 comprises IL-13 or IL-13 zetakine, or an antigen-binding fragment thereof. In further embodiments, the IL-13Rα2 binding domain comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:101, or an amino acid sequence having at least 90% sequence identity (e.g., 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity) to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:101.

[0016] In a further embodiment, the EGFRvIII binding domain comprises an antigen-binding fragment of an antibody, for example, the EGFRvIII binding domain comprises an anti-EGFRvIII scFv. In some embodiments, the anti-EGFRvIII scFv comprises a heavy chain variable domain (VH) comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 111 or 113, or a VH comprising an amino acid sequence having at least 90% sequence identity (e.g., 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity) to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 111 or 113, and / or a light chain variable domain (VL) comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 112 or 114, or a VL comprising an amino acid sequence having at least 90% sequence identity (e.g., 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity) to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 112 or 114. In certain embodiments, the EGFRvIII binding domain comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:103, or an amino acid sequence having at least 90% sequence identity (e.g., 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity) to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:103.

[0017] In some embodiments, the CAR polypeptide comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:100 or an amino acid sequence having at least 90% sequence identity (e.g., 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity) to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:103.

[0018] In another aspect, the invention features: (i) a CAR polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence having at least 90% sequence identity (e.g., 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity) to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:100; and (ii) a BiTE, wherein the BiTE binds to a target antigen and a T cell antigen.

[0019] In another aspect, the invention features an immune cell engineered to express: (i) a CAR polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:100; and (ii) a BiTE, the BiTE binding to a target antigen and a T cell antigen.

[0020] In some embodiments of any of the preceding aspects, the target antigen is a glioblastoma associated antigen selected from one of EGFR, EGFRvIII, CD19, CD79b, CD37, PSMA, PSCA, IL-13Rα2, EphA1, HER2, mesothelin, MUC1, or MUC16. In some embodiments, the T cell antigen is CD3. In certain embodiments, the target antigen is EGFR and the T cell antigen is CD3.

[0021] In some embodiments of any of the preceding aspects, the BiTE comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:98 or 99, or an amino acid sequence having at least 90% sequence identity (e.g., 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity) to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:98 or 99.

[0022] In some embodiments of any of the preceding aspects, the immune cell is a T or natural killer (NK) cell. In some embodiments, the immune cell is a human cell.

[0023] In another aspect, the invention generally features a polynucleotide encoding a CAR polypeptide and a BiTE of any one of the previous aspects.

[0024] In some embodiments, the polynucleotide comprises a CAR polypeptide coding sequence and a BiTE coding sequence, the CAR polypeptide coding sequence and the BiTE coding sequence being separated by a ribosomal skipping moiety. In some embodiments, the CAR polypeptide and / or the BiTE are expressed under a constitutive promoter, such as an elongation factor 1 alpha (EF1α) promoter. In other embodiments, the CAR polypeptide and / or the BiTE are expressed under an inducible promoter, for example, the inducible promoter is inducible by T cell receptor (TCR) or CAR signaling, such as a nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) response element. In certain embodiments, the CAR polypeptide and the BiTE are each expressed under a constitutive promoter. In other embodiments, the CAR polypeptide is expressed under a constitutive promoter and the BiTE is expressed under an inducible promoter. In further embodiments, the polynucleotide further comprises a suicide gene. In still further embodiments, the polynucleotide comprises a sequence encoding one or more signal sequences.

[0025] In another aspect, the invention generally features a vector that includes a polynucleotide of the previous aspect. In some embodiments, the vector is a lentiviral vector.

[0026] In another aspect, the invention generally features a pharmaceutical composition that includes an immune cell, polynucleotide, or vector of any one of the previous aspects.

[0027] In another aspect, the invention generally features a method of treating cancer in a subject in need of such treatment, comprising administering to the subject an immune cell, polynucleotide, vector, or pharmaceutical composition of any one of the preceding aspects. In some embodiments, the cancer is glioblastoma, lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, lymphoma, or myeloma, and in some cases, the cancer includes those that express one or more of the group consisting of EGFR, EGFRvIII, CD19, CD79b, CD37, PSMA, PSCA, IL-13Rα2, EphA1, HER2, mesothelin, MUC1, and MUC16. In some embodiments, the glioblastoma includes cells that express one or more of the group consisting of IL-13Rα2, EGFRvIII, EGFR, HER2, mesothelin, and EphA1. In further embodiments, the glioblastoma includes cells with reduced EGFRvIII expression.

[0028] In another aspect, the invention features an immune cell engineered to express: (i) a CAR polypeptide comprising an EGFR-binding domain, the CAR polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:117, or an amino acid sequence having at least 90% sequence identity (e.g., 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity) to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:117; and (ii) an anti-GARP camellia comprising an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:25, or an amino acid sequence having at least 90% sequence identity (e.g., 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity) to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:25.

[0029] In another aspect, the invention features an immune cell engineered to express (i) a CAR polypeptide that comprises an EGFRvIII binding domain, the CAR polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 115 or 116, or an amino acid sequence having at least 90% sequence identity (e.g., 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity) to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 115 or 116; and (ii) a BiTE that binds EGFR and CD3, the BiTE comprising an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 98 or 99, or an amino acid sequence having at least 90% sequence identity (e.g., 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity) to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 98 or 99.

[0030] In another aspect, the invention features a polynucleotide encoding a CAR polypeptide and an anti-GARP camellia of the previous aspect. In another aspect, the invention features a CAR polypeptide and a BiTE of the previous aspect. In some embodiments of the above polynucleotides, the polynucleotide further comprises a suicide gene. In some embodiments, the polynucleotide further comprises a sequence encoding one or more signal sequences.

[0031] In another aspect, the invention generally features a vector including a polynucleotide of any one of the preceding aspects. In some embodiments, the vector is a lentiviral vector. In another aspect, the invention generally features a pharmaceutical composition including an immune cell, a polynucleotide, or a vector of any one of the preceding aspects.

[0032] In another aspect, the invention features a method of treating glioblastoma with reduced EGFRvIII expression in a subject, comprising administering to the subject: (i) a CAR polypeptide comprising an extracellular EGFRvIII binding domain; and (ii) an immune cell engineered to express a BiTE, where the immune cell is optionally selected from the immune cell of any one of the previous aspects. In some embodiments, the CAR comprises a transmembrane domain, an intracellular signaling domain, and one or more costimulatory domains.

[0033] In another aspect, the invention features a method of preventing or reducing immune suppression in a tumor microenvironment of a subject, the method comprising administering to the subject an immune cell comprising: (i) a CAR that includes an extracellular target binding domain; and (ii) a BiTE, where the immune cell is optionally selected from the immune cell of any one of the previous aspects. In some embodiments, the CAR includes a transmembrane domain, an intracellular signaling domain, and one or more costimulatory domains.

[0034] In another aspect, the invention features a method of preventing or reducing T cell exhaustion in a tumor microenvironment of a subject, the method comprising administering to the subject an immune cell comprising: (i) a CAR that includes an extracellular target binding domain; and (ii) a BiTE, where the immune cell is optionally selected from the immune cell of any one of the previous aspects. In some embodiments, the CAR includes a transmembrane domain, an intracellular signaling domain, and one or more costimulatory domains.

[0035] In another aspect, the invention features a method of treating cancer in a subject, comprising administering to the subject an immune cell comprising: (i) a CAR comprising an extracellular target binding domain; and (ii) a BiTE, where the immune cell is optionally selected from the immune cell of any one of the previous aspects. In some embodiments, the CAR comprises a transmembrane domain, an intracellular signaling domain, and one or more costimulatory domains. In some embodiments, the cancer is glioblastoma, prostate cancer, lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, lymphoma, or myeloma. In some embodiments, the cancer comprises cells expressing one or more of the group consisting of EGFR, EGFRvIII, CD19, PSMA, PSCA, IL-13Rα2, EphA1, Her2, mesothelin, MUC1, and MUC16. In some embodiments, the cancer expresses a heterologous antigen. An example of such a cancer is glioblastoma (e.g., expressing EGFR, EGFRvIII, IL-13Rα2, HER2, and / or EphA1).

[0036] In another aspect, the invention generally features a CAR T cell that comprises a heterologous nucleic acid molecule, the heterologous nucleic acid molecule comprising: (a) a first polynucleotide encoding a CAR that comprises an extracellular antigen-binding domain, a transmembrane domain, and an intracellular signaling domain; and (b) a second polynucleotide encoding a therapeutic agent.

[0037] In some embodiments, the therapeutic agent comprises an antibody reagent, e.g., a single chain antibody or a single domain antibody (e.g., a camelid antibody). In further embodiments, the antibody reagent comprises a bispecific antibody reagent, e.g., a BiTE. In yet other embodiments, the therapeutic agent comprises a cytokine.

[0038] In some embodiments, the CAR and therapeutic agent are generated as separate CAR and therapeutic agent molecules. In some embodiments, the CAR T cell comprises a ribosome skipping moiety between a first polynucleotide encoding the CAR and a second polynucleotide encoding the therapeutic agent. In some embodiments, the ribosome skipping moiety comprises a 2A peptide, such as P2A or T2A.

[0039] In further embodiments, the CAR and therapeutic agent are each constitutively expressed. In some embodiments, expression of the CAR and therapeutic agent is driven by the EF1α promoter. In other embodiments, the therapeutic agent is expressed under the control of an inducible promoter, optionally inducible by T cell receptor or CAR signaling, e.g., the inducible promoter comprises the NFAT promoter. In yet further embodiments, the CAR is expressed under the control of a constitutive promoter and the therapeutic agent is expressed under the control of an inducible promoter, optionally inducible by T cell receptor or CAR signaling.

[0040] In some embodiments, the CAR further comprises one or more costimulatory domains. In some embodiments, the antigen binding domain of the CAR comprises an antibody, a single chain antibody, a single domain antibody, or a ligand.

[0041] In some embodiments, the transmembrane domain comprises a hinge / transmembrane domain, for example, the hinge / transmembrane domain of an immunoglobulin-like protein (e.g., IgA, IgD, IgE, IgG, or IgM), CD28, CD8, or 4-1BB. In some embodiments, the transmembrane domain of the CAR comprises a CD8 hinge / transmembrane domain, which optionally comprises a sequence of any one of SEQ ID NOs: 4, 10, 16, 22, 28, 37, 46, 58, 66, 72, 78, and 104, or a variant thereof, or a sequence having at least 90% sequence identity (e.g., 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity) to any one of SEQ ID NOs: 4, 10, 16, 22, 28, 37, 46, 58, 66, 72, 78, and 104.

[0042] In further embodiments, the intracellular signaling domain comprises an intracellular signaling domain of TCR zeta, FcR gamma, FcR beta, CD3 gamma, CD3 theta, CD3 epsilon, CD3 eta, CD3 zeta, CD22, CD79a, CD79b, or CD66d. In some embodiments, the intracellular signaling domain comprises a CD3 zeta intracellular signaling domain, which may comprise a sequence of any one of SEQ ID NOs: 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 39, 48, 60, 68, 74, 80, 106, or a variant thereof, or a sequence having at least 90% sequence identity (e.g., 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity) to any one of SEQ ID NOs: 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 39, 48, 60, 68, 74, 80, and 106.

[0043] In yet further embodiments, the costimulatory domain comprises a 4-1BB, CD27, CD28, or OX-40 costimulatory domain. In certain embodiments, the costimulatory domain comprises a 4-1BB costimulatory domain, which may comprise a sequence of any one of SEQ ID NOs:5, 11, 17, 23, 29, 38, 47, 59, 67, 73, 79, and 105, or a variant thereof, or a sequence having at least 90% sequence identity (e.g., 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98% or 99% sequence identity) to any one of SEQ ID NOs:5, 11, 17, 23, 29, 38, 47, 59, 67, 73, 79, and 105.

[0044] In some embodiments, the CAR antigen binding domain binds to a tumor-associated antigen or a Treg-associated antigen. In some embodiments, the camelid antibody binds to a tumor-associated antigen or a Treg-associated antigen. In some embodiments, the BiTE binds to (i) a tumor-associated antigen or a Treg-associated antigen and (ii) a T cell antigen.

[0045] In certain embodiments, the tumor associated antigen is a solid tumor associated antigen, such as EGFRvIII, EGFR, CD19, PSMA, PSCA, IL-13Rα2, EphA1, Her2, mesothelin, MUC1, or MUC16. In some cases, the CAR antigen binding domain or therapeutic agent comprises a sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 21, 27, 33, 36, 42, 45, 51, 55, 57, 63, 65, 103, and variants thereof, or a sequence having at least 90% sequence identity (e.g., 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity) to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NOs: 21, 27, 33, 36, 42, 45, 51, 55, 57, 63, 65, or 103.

[0046] In further embodiments, the Treg-associated antigen is selected from the group consisting of repeat-dominant glycoprotein A (GARP), latency-associated peptide (LAP), CD25, and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4). In some cases, the CAR antigen binding domain or therapeutic comprises a sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 3, 9, 15, 25, 71, 77, and variants thereof, or a sequence having at least 90% sequence identity (e.g., 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity) to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NOs: 3, 9, 15, 25, 71, or 77.

[0047] In another aspect, the invention features a CAR polypeptide that includes an extracellular antigen-binding domain, a transmembrane domain, and an intracellular signaling domain; wherein the antigen-binding domain binds to a Treg-associated antigen. In some embodiments, the Treg-associated antigen is selected from the group consisting of GARP, LAP, CD25, and CTLA-4. In some embodiments, the CAR further comprises one or more costimulatory domains. In certain embodiments, the Treg-associated antigen is GARP or LAP.

[0048] In some embodiments, the antigen binding domain of the CAR comprises (a) a heavy chain variable domain (VH) comprising three complementarity determining regions CDR-H1, CDR-H2, and CDR-H3, wherein CDR-H1 comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 81, or an amino acid sequence with not more than one, two, or three amino acid substitutions of SEQ ID NO: 81; CDR-H2 comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 82, or an amino acid sequence with not more than one, two, or three amino acid substitutions of SEQ ID NO: 82; and CDR-H3 comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 83, or an amino acid sequence with not more than one, two, or three amino acid substitutions of SEQ ID NO: 83. and / or (b) a light chain variable domain (VL) comprising three complementarity determining regions CDR-L1, CDR-L2, and CDR-L3, wherein CDR-L1 comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:84, or an amino acid sequence with not more than one, two or three amino acid substitutions of SEQ ID NO:84; CDR-L2 comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:85, or an amino acid sequence with not more than one, two or three amino acid substitutions of SEQ ID NO:85; and CDR-L3 comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:86, or an amino acid sequence with not more than one, two or three amino acid substitutions of SEQ ID NO:86. In some embodiments, the VH comprises an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:87, or an amino acid sequence having at least 90% sequence identity (e.g., 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity) to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:87, and / or the VL comprises an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:88, or an amino acid sequence having at least 90% sequence identity (e.g., 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity) to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:88.

[0049] In other embodiments, the antigen binding domain of the CAR comprises (a) a heavy chain variable domain (VH) comprising three complementarity determining regions CDR-H1, CDR-H2, and CDR-H3, wherein CDR-H1 comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:89, or an amino acid sequence with not more than one, two, or three amino acid substitutions of SEQ ID NO:89; CDR-H2 comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:90, or an amino acid sequence with not more than one, two, or three amino acid substitutions of SEQ ID NO:90; and CDR-H3 comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:91, or an amino acid sequence with not more than one, two, or three amino acid substitutions of SEQ ID NO:91. and / or (b) a light chain variable domain (VL) comprising three complementarity determining regions CDR-L1, CDR-L2, and CDR-L3, wherein CDR-L1 comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:92, or an amino acid sequence with not more than one, two or three amino acid substitutions of SEQ ID NO:92; CDR-L2 comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:93, or an amino acid sequence with not more than one, two or three amino acid substitutions of SEQ ID NO:93; and CDR-L3 comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:94, or an amino acid sequence with not more than one, two or three amino acid substitutions of SEQ ID NO:94. In some embodiments, the VH comprises an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:95, or an amino acid sequence having at least 90% sequence identity (e.g., 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity) to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:95, and / or the VL comprises an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:96, or an amino acid sequence having at least 90% sequence identity (e.g., 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity) to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:96.

[0050] In some embodiments, the VH is N-terminal to the VL. In other embodiments, the VL is N-terminal to the VH.

[0051] In a further embodiment, the antigen binding domain of the CAR comprises an scFv or a single domain antibody that can comprise a sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 3, 9, 15, 25, 71, 77, and variants thereof, or a sequence having at least 90% sequence identity (e.g., 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity) to the amino acid sequence of any one of SEQ ID NOs: 3, 9, 15, 25, 71, and 77.

[0052] In some embodiments, the transmembrane domain comprises a hinge / transmembrane domain, for example, the hinge / transmembrane domain of an immunoglobulin-like protein (e.g., IgA, IgD, IgE, IgG, or IgM), CD28, CD8, or 4-1BB. In some embodiments, the transmembrane domain of the CAR comprises a CD8 hinge / transmembrane domain, which may comprise the sequence of any one of SEQ ID NOs: 4, 10, 16, 22, 28, 37, 46, 58, 66, 72, 78, 104, or a variant thereof, or a sequence having at least 90% sequence identity (e.g., 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity) to the amino acid sequence of any one of SEQ ID NOs: 4, 10, 16, 22, 28, 37, 46, 58, 66, 72, 78, and 104.

[0053] In still further embodiments, the intracellular signaling domain comprises an intracellular signaling domain of TCR zeta, FcR gamma, FcR beta, CD3 gamma, CD3 theta, CD3 epsilon, CD3 eta, CD3 zeta, CD22, CD79a, CD79b, or CD66d. In certain embodiments, the intracellular signaling domain comprises a CD3 zeta intracellular signaling domain, which may comprise the sequence of any one of SEQ ID NOs: 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 39, 48, 60, 68, 74, 80, and 106, or a variant thereof, or a sequence having at least 90% sequence identity (e.g., 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity) to the amino acid sequence of any one of SEQ ID NOs: 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 39, 48, 60, 68, 74, 80, and 106.

[0054] In some embodiments, the costimulatory domain comprises a 4-1BB, CD27, CD28, or OX-40 costimulatory domain. In certain embodiments, the costimulatory domain comprises a 4-1BB costimulatory domain, which may comprise a sequence of any one of SEQ ID NOs:5, 11, 17, 23, 29, 38, 47, 59, 67, 73, 79, and 105, or a variant thereof, or a sequence having at least 90% sequence identity (e.g., 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity) to the amino acid sequence of any one of SEQ ID NOs:5, 11, 17, 23, 29, 38, 47, 59, 67, 73, 79, and 105.

[0055] In another aspect, the invention features a CAR polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence of any one of SEQ ID NO:26, SEQ ID NO:35, SEQ ID NO:44, SEQ ID NO:53, SEQ ID NO:61, SEQ ID NO:19, SEQ ID NO:1, SEQ ID NO:7, SEQ ID NO:13, SEQ ID NO:69, SEQ ID NO:75, and SEQ ID NO:100, or an amino acid sequence having at least 90% sequence identity (e.g., 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% sequence identity) to an amino acid sequence of any one of SEQ ID NO:26, SEQ ID NO:35, SEQ ID NO:44, SEQ ID NO:53, SEQ ID NO:61, SEQ ID NO:19, SEQ ID NO:1, SEQ ID NO:7, SEQ ID NO:13, SEQ ID NO:69, SEQ ID NO:75, and SEQ ID NO:100.

[0056] In another aspect, the invention generally features a nucleic acid molecule encoding (i) a CAR polypeptide, or (ii) a polyprotein comprising a CAR polypeptide and a therapeutic agent, of any one of the preceding aspects. In some embodiments, the nucleic acid molecule further comprises a suicide gene. In some embodiments, the nucleic acid molecule further comprises a sequence encoding a signal sequence.

[0057] In another aspect, the invention generally features a vector that includes the nucleic acid molecule of any one of the preceding aspects. In some embodiments, the vector is a lentiviral vector. In yet another aspect, the invention generally features a polypeptide that includes a CAR polypeptide, or a polyprotein that includes a CAR polypeptide and a therapeutic agent, of any one of the previous aspects.

[0058] In yet another aspect, the invention generally features an immune cell that includes a CAR polypeptide, a nucleic acid molecule, a vector, and / or a polypeptide of any one of the previous aspects. In some embodiments, the immune cell is a T or NK cell. In some embodiments, the immune cell is a human cell.

[0059] In another aspect, the invention generally features a pharmaceutical composition that includes one or more CAR T cells, nucleic acid molecules, CAR polypeptides, polyproteins, or immune cells of any one of the previous aspects. In yet another aspect, the invention generally features a method of treating a patient having cancer, the method including administering to the patient a pharmaceutical composition of any one of the previous aspects.

[0060] In some embodiments, systemic toxicity is reduced by targeting the tumor microenvironment. In some embodiments, the cancer is characterized by the presence of one or more solid tumors. In further embodiments, the cancer is characterized by tumor-infiltrating Tregs. In certain embodiments, the cancer is glioblastoma.

[0061] In another aspect, the invention features a method of treating a patient having cancer, comprising administering to the patient a CAR T cell product genetically engineered to secrete tumor toxic antibodies or cytokines, thereby targeting cancer toxicity locally to the tumor microenvironment, thereby reducing systemic toxicity.

[0062] In some embodiments, the CAR T cells are genetically engineered to deliver antibodies or bispecific antibodies against CTLA4, CD25, GARP, LAP, IL-15, CSF1R, or EGFR, EGFRvIII, CD19, CD79b, CD37, PSMA, PSCA, IL-13Rα2, EphA1, Her2, mesothelin, MUC1, or MUC16 to the tumor microenvironment. In certain embodiments, the bispecific antibody is a BiTE against EGFR and CD3.

[0063] In another aspect, the invention features a method of delivering a therapeutic agent to a tissue or organ of a patient to treat a disease or condition, comprising administering to the patient a CAR T cell that has been genetically modified to secrete a therapeutic antibody, toxin, or drug, where the therapeutic antibody, toxin, or drug is not itself able to enter or penetrate the tissue or organ.

[0064] In some embodiments, the tissue or organ is in the nervous system, e.g., the central nervous system, e.g., the brain. In some embodiments, the disease or condition is cancer, e.g., glioblastoma, prostate cancer, lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, lymphoma, or myeloma. In some embodiments, the therapeutic antibody is anti-EGFR or anti-EGFRvIII.

[0065] In another aspect, the invention features a method of treating glioblastoma with reduced EGFRvIII expression in a subject, the method comprising administering to the subject a CAR T cell engineered to express: (i) a CAR polypeptide comprising an extracellular EGFRvIII binding domain; and (ii) a BiTE, where the CAR T cell is optionally selected from the CAR T cell of any one of the preceding aspects. In some embodiments, the CAR comprises a transmembrane domain, an intracellular signaling domain, and one or more costimulatory domains.

[0066] In another aspect, the invention features a method of preventing or reducing immune suppression in a tumor microenvironment of a subject, the method comprising administering to the subject a CAR T cell engineered to express: (i) a CAR polypeptide comprising an extracellular target binding domain; and (ii) a BiTE, where the CAR T cell is optionally selected from the CAR T cell of any one of the preceding aspects. In some embodiments, the CAR comprises a transmembrane domain, an intracellular signaling domain, and one or more costimulatory domains.

[0067] In a further aspect, the invention features a method of preventing or reducing T cell exhaustion in a tumor microenvironment of a subject, the method comprising administering to a subject a CAR T cell engineered to express: (i) a CAR polypeptide binding domain that includes an extracellular target; and (ii) a BiTE, where the CAR T cell is optionally selected from the CAR T cell of any one of the preceding aspects. In some embodiments, the CAR comprises a transmembrane domain, an intracellular signaling domain, and one or more costimulatory domains.

[0068] In yet another aspect, the invention features a method of treating cancer in a subject, comprising administering to the subject a CAR T cell engineered to express (i) a CAR polypeptide comprising an extracellular target binding domain; and (ii) a BiTE, where the CAR T cell is optionally selected from the CAR T cell of any one of the preceding aspects. In some embodiments, the CAR comprises a transmembrane domain, an intracellular signaling domain, and one or more costimulatory domains. In some embodiments, the cancer is glioblastoma, prostate cancer, lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, lymphoma, or myeloma. In some embodiments, the cancer comprises cells expressing one or more of EGFR, EGFRvIII, CD19, PSMA, PSCA, IL-13Rα2, EphA1, Her2, mesothelin, MUC1, and MUC16. In some embodiments, the cancer expresses a heterologous antigen. An example of such a cancer is glioblastoma (eg, expressing EGFR, EGFRvIII, IL-13Rα2, HER2, and / or EphA1).

[0069] [Definition] For convenience, the meanings of some terms and phrases used in the specification, examples, and appended claims are provided below. Unless otherwise specified or implied from the context, the following terms and phrases have the meanings set forth below. The definitions are provided to help describe certain embodiments and are not intended to limit the claimed technology, since the scope is limited only by the claims. Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which this technology belongs. In the event of an apparent discrepancy between the usage of a term in the art and its definition provided herein, the definition provided in the specification shall prevail.

[0070] Definitions of common terms in immunology and molecular biology can be found in The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy, 19th Edition, Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., 2011 (ISBN 978-0-911910-19-3); Robert S. Porter et al. (eds.), The Encyclopedia of Molecular Cell Biology and Molecular Medicine, Blackwell Science Ltd., 1999-2012 (ISBN 9783527600908); and Robert A. Meyers (ed.), Molecular Biology and Biotechnology: a Comprehensive Desk Reference, VCH Publishers, Inc., 1995 (ISBN 1-56081-569-8); Immunology by Werner Luttmann, Elsevier, 2006; Janeway's Immunobiology, Kenneth Murphy, Allan Mowat, Casey Weaver (eds.), Taylor & Francis Limited, 2014 (ISBN 0815345305, 9780815345305);Lewin's Genes XI, Jones & Bartlett Publishers, 2014 (ISBN-1449659055);Michael Richard Green and Joseph Sambrook, Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual, 4th edition, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, USA (2012) (ISBN 1936113414); Davis et al., Basic Methods in Molecular Biology, Elsevier Science Publishing, Inc., New York, USA (2012) (ISBN 044460149X);Laboratory Methods in Enzymology: DNA, Jon Lorsch (Post) Elsevier, 2013 (ISBN 0124199542); 2014 (ISBN 047150338X, 9780471503385), Current Protocols in Protein Science (CPPS), John E. Coligan (Power), John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 2005; Kruisbeek, David H Margulies, Ethan M Shevach, Warren Strobe, (print) John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 2003 (ISBN 0471142735, 9780471142737).

[0071] The terms "reduce", "reduced", "reduction" or "inhibit" are all used herein to mean a statistically significant amount of reduction. In some embodiments, "reduce", "reduction", "reduce", or "inhibit" typically means a reduction of at least 10% compared to a reference level (e.g., in the absence of a given treatment or agent), and can include, for example, a reduction of at least about 10%, at least about 20%, at least about 25%, at least about 30%, at least about 35%, at least about 40%, at least about 45%, at least about 50%, at least about 55%, at least about 60%, at least about 65%, at least about 70%, at least about 75%, at least about 80%, at least about 85%, at least about 90%, at least about 95%, at least about 98%, at least about 99%, or more. As used herein, "reduce" or "inhibit" does not encompass complete inhibition or reduction compared to a reference level. "Complete inhibition" is 100% inhibition compared to a reference level. Where applicable, the decrease will preferably be down to a level accepted as within the normal range for a given disease-free individual.

[0072] The terms "increased," "increase," "enhance," or "activate" are all used herein to mean an increase by a statistically significant amount. In some embodiments, the terms "increased," "increase," "enhance," or "activate" can mean an increase of at least 10% compared to a reference level, e.g., at least about 20%, or at least about 30%, or at least about 40%, or at least about 50%, or at least about 60%, or at least about 70%, or at least about 80%, or at least about 90%, or more, including a 100% increase, or any increase between 10-100% compared to a reference level, or at least about 2-fold, or at least about 3-fold, or at least about 4-fold, or at least about 5-fold, or at least about 10-fold, or any increase between 2-fold and 10-fold or more compared to a reference level. In the context of a marker or condition, an "increase" is a statistically significant increase in such level.

[0073] As used herein, "subject" refers to a human or animal. Typically, an animal is a vertebrate, such as a primate, rodent, domestic animal, or game animal. Primates include, for example, chimpanzees, cynomolgus monkeys, spider monkeys, and macaques, such as rhesus monkeys. Rodents include, for example, mice, rats, woodchucks, ferrets, rabbits, and hamsters. Domestic and game animals include, for example, cows, horses, pigs, deer, bison, buffalo, feline species, such as house cats, canine species, such as dogs, foxes, wolves, bird species, such as chickens, emus, ostriches, and fish, such as trout, catfish, and salmon. In some embodiments, the subject is a mammal, such as a primate, such as a human. The terms "individual," "patient," and "subject" are used interchangeably herein.

[0074] Preferably, the subject is a mammal. The mammal may be, but is not limited to, a human, a non-human primate, a mouse, a rat, a dog, a cat, a horse, or a cow. Non-human mammals may be advantageously used as subjects that represent animal models of diseases such as cancer. The subject may be male or female.

[0075] The subject may have previously been diagnosed with or been determined to be suffering from or having a condition requiring treatment (e.g., glioblastoma, glioma, leukemia, or other types of cancer, among others) or one or more complications associated with such a condition, and in some cases may have already been treated for the disease or one or more complications associated with the disease. Alternatively, the subject may also not have previously been diagnosed with such a disease or associated complication. For example, the subject may be one who exhibits one or more risk factors for the disease or one or more complications associated with the disease, or one who does not exhibit risk factors.

[0076] A "subject in need" of treatment for a particular condition can be a subject who has the condition, has been diagnosed as having the condition, or is at risk for developing the condition.

[0077] A "disease" is a health condition of an animal, e.g., a human, in which the animal is unable to maintain homeostasis and the animal's health continues to deteriorate if the disease is not ameliorated. In contrast, an animal's "disorder" is a health condition in which the animal is able to maintain homeostasis, but the animal's health is less favorable than it would be in the absence of the disorder. If left untreated, the disorder does not necessarily cause the animal's health to further deteriorate.

[0078] As used herein, the terms "tumor antigen" and "cancer antigen" are used interchangeably to mean antigens that are differentially expressed by cancer cells and therefore available for targeting cancer cells. Cancer antigens are antigens that can potentially stimulate apparently tumor-specific immune responses. Some of these antigens are encoded by normal cells, although not necessarily expressed. These antigens can be characterized as those that are normally silent (i.e., not expressed) in normal cells, those that are expressed only at certain stages of differentiation, and those that are transiently expressed, such as embryonic and fetal antigens. Other cancer antigens are encoded by mutated cellular genes, such as oncogenes (e.g., activated ras oncogene), suppressor genes (e.g., mutant p53), and fusion proteins resulting from internal deletions or chromosomal translocations. Still other cancer antigens can be encoded by viral genes, such as those carried by RNA and DNA tumor viruses. Many tumor antigens have been defined in terms of multiple solid tumors: immune-defined MAGE1, 2, 3; MART-1 / Melan-A, gp100, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER2), mucins (i.e., MUC-1), prostate-specific antigen (PSA), and prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP). In addition, viral proteins such as some encoded by Hepatitis B (HBV), Epstein-Barr (EBV), and human papilloma (HPV) have been shown to be important in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma, lymphoma, and cervical cancer, respectively. Examples of tumor antigens are provided below and include, for example, EGFR, EGFRvIII, CD19, PSMA, B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA), interleukin-13 receptor subunit alpha-2 (IL13Ra2), and the like.

[0079] As used herein, "Treg antigen" or "Treg-associated antigen" are used interchangeably to mean antigens expressed by regulatory T (Treg) cells. These antigens may optionally be targeted by the cells and methods of the invention. Examples of Treg antigens are provided below and include, for example, GARP, LAP, CD25, and CTLA-4.

[0080] As used herein, the term "chimera" refers to a fusion product of portions of at least two or more different polynucleotide molecules. In one embodiment, the term "chimera" refers to a gene expression element produced through the manipulation of known elements or other polynucleotide molecules.

[0081] "Bispecific T cell engager," "BiTE antibody construct," or "BiTE" refers to a polypeptide comprising single chain variable fragments (scFvs) linked in tandem. Optionally, the scFvs are linked by a linker (e.g., a glycine-rich linker). One scFv of the BiTE binds to the T cell receptor (TCR) (e.g., CD3ε subunit) and the other binds to a target antigen (e.g., a tumor-associated antigen).

[0082] In some embodiments, "activated" can refer to the state of a T cell that has been sufficiently stimulated to induce detectable cell proliferation. In some embodiments, activation can refer to induced cytokine production. In other embodiments, activation can refer to detectable effector function. As used herein, an "activated T cell" is at least a proliferating T cell.

[0083] As used herein, the terms "specific binding" and "specifically bind" refer to a physical interaction between two molecules, compounds, cells and / or particles in which a first entity binds to a second target entity with greater specificity and affinity than it binds to a third, non-target entity. In some embodiments, specific binding can refer to an affinity of a first entity for a second target entity that is at least 10 times, at least 50 times, at least 100 times, at least 500 times, at least 1000 times, or more, greater than its affinity for a third, non-target entity under the same conditions. A reagent specific for a given target is one that exhibits specific binding to that target under the conditions of the assay being utilized. Non-limiting examples include antibodies or ligands that recognize and bind to their cognate binding partner (e.g., stimulatory and / or costimulatory molecule) proteins present on T cells.

[0084] As used herein, a "stimulatory ligand" refers to a ligand that, when present on an antigen-presenting cell (APC) (e.g., macrophage, dendritic cell, B cell, artificial APC, etc.), can specifically bind to a cognate binding partner (referred to herein as a "stimulatory molecule" or "costimulatory molecule") on a T cell, thereby mediating a primary response by the T cell, including, but not limited to, proliferation, activation, initiation of an immune response, etc. Stimulatory ligands are well known in the art and include, among others, peptide-containing MHC class I molecules, anti-CD3 antibodies, superagonist anti-CD28 antibodies, and superagonist anti-CD2 antibodies.

[0085] The term "stimulatory molecule" as used herein means a molecule on a T cell that specifically binds to a cognate stimulatory ligand present on an antigen presenting cell.

[0086] The term "costimulatory ligand" as used herein includes a molecule on an APC that specifically binds to a cognate co-stimulatory molecule on a T cell, thereby providing a signal that mediates a T cell response, including, but not limited to, proliferation, activation, differentiation, etc., in addition to the primary signal provided by engagement of the TCR / CD3 complex with an MHC molecule, e.g., peptide. Costimulatory ligands can include, but are not limited to, 4-1BBL, OX40L, CD7, B7-1 (CD80), B7-2 (CD86), PD-L1, PD-L2, inducible COStimulatory ligand (ICOS-L), intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM), CD30L, CD40, CD70, CD83, HLA-G, MICA, MICB, HVEM, lymphotoxin beta receptor, 3 / TR6, ILT3, ILT4, HVEM, agonists or antibodies that bind to Toll-like receptors, and ligands that specifically bind B7-H3. Costimulatory ligands can also include, but are not limited to, antibodies that specifically bind to costimulatory molecules present on T cells, such as CD27, CD28, 4-1BB, OX40, CD30, CD40, PD-1, ICOS, lymphocyte function-associated antigen 1 (LFA-1), CD2, CD7, LIGHT, NKG2C, B7-H3, and ligands that specifically bind to CD83.

[0087] "Costimulatory molecule" refers to a cognate binding partner on a T cell that specifically binds to a costimulatory ligand, thereby mediating a costimulatory response by the T cell, such as, but not limited to, proliferation. Costimulatory molecules include, but are not limited to, MHC class I molecules, BTLA, Toll-like receptors, CD27, CD28, 4-1BB, OX40, CD30, CD40, PD-1, ICOS, lymphocyte function-associated antigen 1 (LFA-1), CD2, CD7, LIGHT, NKG2C, B7-H3, and CD83.

[0088] In one embodiment, the term "engineered" and its grammatical equivalents as used herein can refer to one or more human-designed changes in a nucleic acid, e.g., a nucleic acid in the genome of an organism. In another embodiment, engineered can refer to a genetic change, addition, and / or deletion. An "engineered cell" can refer to a cell in which a gene has been added, deleted, and / or changed. As used herein, the terms "cell" or "engineered cell" and their grammatical equivalents can refer to a cell derived from a human or non-human animal.

[0089] As used herein, the term "operably linked" refers to a first polynucleotide molecule, such as a promoter, linked to a second transcribable polynucleotide molecule, such as a gene of interest, where the polynucleotide molecules are arranged such that the first polynucleotide molecule affects the function of the second polynucleotide molecule. The two polynucleotide molecules may or may not be part of a single contiguous polynucleotide molecule, and may or may not be adjacent. For example, a promoter is operably linked to a gene of interest if the promoter regulates or mediates the transcription of the gene of interest in a cell.

[0090] It is further contemplated that the various embodiments described herein encompass any variant (naturally occurring or otherwise), allele, homolog, conservatively modified variant, and / or conservatively substituted variant of the specific polypeptide described. With respect to amino acid sequences, those skilled in the art will recognize that individual substitutions, deletions, or additions in a nucleic acid, peptide, polypeptide, or protein sequence that alter a single amino acid or a small percentage of amino acids in the encoded sequence are "conservatively modified variants" where the changes result in the replacement of an amino acid with a chemically similar amino acid and retain the desired activity of the polypeptide. Such conservatively modified variants are in addition to and do not exclude polymorphic variants, interspecies homologs, and alleles consistent with the disclosure.

[0091] A given amino acid can be replaced with a residue having similar physiochemical properties, for example, one aliphatic residue can be substituted for another aliphatic residue (e.g., Ile, Val, Leu, Ala for each other), or one polar residue can be substituted for another polar residue (e.g., Lys for Arg, Glu for Asp, or Gln for Asn). Other such conservative substitutions, such as the substitution of entire regions with similar hydrophobic properties, are well known. Polypeptides containing conservative amino acid substitutions can be tested in any one of the assays described herein to confirm that the desired activity, e.g., ligand-mediated receptor activity and specificity of the native or reference polypeptide, is retained.

[0092] Amino acids can be grouped according to similarities in the properties of their side chains (AL Lehninger, in Biochemistry, 2nd ed., pp. 73-75, Worth Publishers, New York (1975)):(1) nonpolar: Ala (A), Val (V), Leu (L), Ile (I), Pro (P), Phe (F), Trp (W), Met (M); (2) uncharged polar: Gly (G), Ser (S), Thr (T), Cys (C), Tyr (Y), Asn (N), Gln (Q); (3) acidic: Asp (D), Glu (E); (4) basic: Lys (K), Arg (R), His (H). Alternatively, naturally occurring residues can be divided into groups based on common side chain properties: (1) hydrophobic: norleucine, Met, Ala, Val, Leu, Ile; (2) neutral hydrophilic: Cys, Ser, Thr, Asn, Gln; (3) acidic: Asp, Glu; (4) basic: His, Lys, Arg; (5) residues that influence chain orientation: Gly, Pro; (6) aromatic: Trp, Tyr, Phe. Nonconservative substitutions involve exchanging a member of one of these classes for another class. Particular conservative substitutions include, for example, Ala to Gly or Ser; Arg to Lys; Asn to Gln or His; Asp to Glu; Cys to Ser; Gln to Asn; Glu to Asp; Gly to Ala or Pro; His to Asn or Gln; Ile to Leu or Val; Leu to Ile or Val; Lys to Arg, Gln, or Glu; Met to Leu, Tyr or Ile; Phe to Met, Leu or Tyr; Ser to Thr; Tyr to Ser; Trp to Tyr; Tyr to Trp; and / or Phe to Val, Ile, or Leu.

[0093] In some embodiments, a polypeptide described herein (or a nucleic acid encoding such a polypeptide) can be a functional fragment of one of the amino acid sequences described herein. As used herein, a "functional fragment" is a fragment or segment of a peptide that retains at least 50% of the activity of a wild-type reference polypeptide according to assays known in the art or described herein below. Functional fragments can include conservative substitutions of the sequences disclosed herein.

[0094] In some embodiments, the polypeptides described herein may be variants of the polypeptides or molecules described herein. In some embodiments, the variants are conservatively modified variants. Conservative substitution variants can be obtained, for example, by mutation of the native nucleotide sequence. A "variant" as referred to herein is a polypeptide that is substantially homologous to a native or reference polypeptide, but has an amino acid sequence that differs from that of the native or reference polypeptide due to one or more deletions, insertions, or substitutions. A DNA sequence encoding a variant polypeptide includes sequences encoding variant proteins or fragments thereof that contain one or more additions, deletions, or substitutions of nucleotides when compared to the native or reference DNA sequence, but that retain the activity of the non-variant polypeptide. A wide variety of PCR-based site-directed mutagenesis approaches are known in the art and can be applied by the skilled artisan.

[0095] A variant amino acid or DNA sequence may be at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or more identical to a native or reference sequence. The degree of homology (percent identity) between a native and a variant sequence can be determined, for example, by comparing the two sequences using freely available computer programs commonly used for this purpose on the World Wide Web (e.g., BLASTp or BLASTn with default settings).

[0096] Alterations of the native amino acid sequence can be accomplished by any of a number of techniques known to those of skill in the art. Mutations can be introduced at specific loci, for example, by synthesizing oligonucleotides containing the mutated sequence flanked by restriction sites that allow ligation to a fragment of the native sequence. After ligation, the resulting reconstructed sequence encodes an analog with the desired amino acid insertion, substitution, or deletion. Alternatively, oligonucleotide-directed site-specific mutagenesis procedures can be used to provide altered nucleotide sequences with specific codons altered according to the required substitution, deletion, or insertion. Techniques for making such modifications are well established and include, for example, those disclosed in Walder et al. (Gene 42:133, 1986); Bauer et al. (Gene 37:73, 1985); Craik (BioTechniques, January 1985, 12-19); Smith et al. (Genetic Engineering: Principles and Methods, Plenum Press, 1981); and U.S. Patent Nos. 4,518,584 and 4,737,462, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. Cysteine ​​residues not involved in maintaining the proper conformation of the polypeptide also can be substituted, generally with serine, to improve the oxidative stability of the molecule and prevent aberrant crosslinking. Conversely, cysteine ​​bond(s) can be added to a polypeptide to improve its stability or promote oligomerization.

[0097] As used herein, the term "DNA" is defined as deoxyribonucleic acid. The term "polynucleotide" is used interchangeably herein with "nucleic acid" to refer to a polymer of nucleosides. Typically, polynucleotides are composed of nucleosides naturally found in DNA or RNA (e.g., adenosine, thymidine, guanosine, cytidine, uridine, deoxyadenosine, deoxythymidine, deoxyguanosine, and deoxycytidine) linked by phosphodiester bonds. However, the term encompasses molecules containing nucleosides or nucleoside analogs, including chemically or biologically modified bases, modified backbones, and the like, whether or not found in naturally occurring nucleic acids, and such molecules may be preferred for certain applications. When this application refers to polynucleotides, it is understood that both DNA, RNA, and in each case single-stranded and double-stranded forms (and the complement of each single-stranded molecule) are provided. As used herein, "polynucleotide sequence" can refer to the polynucleotide material itself and / or the sequence information (i.e., the series of letters used as abbreviations for bases) that biochemically characterize a particular nucleic acid. Polynucleotide sequences presented herein are presented in the 5' to 3' orientation unless otherwise indicated.

[0098] The term "polypeptide" as used herein means a polymer of amino acids. The terms "protein" and "polypeptide" are used interchangeably herein. A peptide is a relatively short polypeptide, typically about 2-60 amino acids in length. A polypeptide as used herein typically contains amino acids, such as the 20 L-amino acids most commonly found in proteins. However, other amino acids and / or amino acid analogs known in the art can be used. One or more of the amino acids in a polypeptide can be modified, for example, by adding chemicals such as carbohydrate groups, phosphate groups, fatty acid groups, linkers for conjugation, functional groups, etc. A polypeptide to which a non-polypeptide moiety is covalently or non-covalently attached is still considered a "polypeptide". Exemplary modifications include glycosylation and palmitoylation. A polypeptide can be purified from a natural source, produced using recombinant DNA technology, or synthesized by chemical means such as conventional solid-phase peptide synthesis, etc. As used herein, the term "polypeptide sequence" or "amino acid sequence" can refer to the polypeptide material itself and / or to sequence information that biochemically characterizes the polypeptide (i.e., a series of letters or three-letter codes used as abbreviations for the names of amino acids). Polypeptide sequences presented herein are presented in an N-terminal to C-terminal orientation, unless otherwise indicated.

[0099] In some embodiments, the nucleic acid encoding a polypeptide described herein (e.g., a CAR polypeptide) is contained by a vector. In some of the aspects described herein, a nucleic acid sequence encoding a given polypeptide described herein or any module thereof is operably linked to a vector. As used herein, the term "vector" refers to a nucleic acid construct designed for delivery to a host cell or for transfer between different host cells. As used herein, a vector can be viral or non-viral. The term "vector" encompasses any genetic element that can replicate when associated with the appropriate regulatory elements and transfer a genetic sequence to a cell. Vectors can include, but are not limited to, cloning vectors, expression vectors, plasmids, phages, transposons, cosmids, artificial chromosomes, viruses, virions, and the like.

[0100] As used herein, the term "expression vector" refers to a vector that directs the expression of an RNA or polypeptide from a sequence linked to a transcriptional regulatory sequence on the vector. The sequence to be expressed is often, but not necessarily, heterologous to the cell. An expression vector may contain additional elements, for example, an expression vector may have two replication systems, thereby allowing it to be maintained in two organisms, for example, for expression in human cells and for cloning and amplification in a prokaryotic host. The term "expression" refers to the intracellular processes involved in the production of RNA and proteins, and suitably the secretion of proteins, including, but not limited to, transcription, transcript processing, translation, and protein folding, modification, and processing, as applicable. An "expression product" includes RNA transcribed from a gene and a polypeptide obtained by translation of mRNA transcribed from a gene. The term "gene" refers to a nucleic acid sequence that is transcribed into RNA (DNA) in vitro or in vivo when operably linked to appropriate regulatory sequences. A gene may or may not include regions preceding and following the coding region, such as 5' untranslated (5'UTR) or "leader" sequences and 3'UTR or "trailer" sequences, as well as intervening sequences (introns) between individual coding segments (exons).

[0101] As used herein, the term "viral vector" refers to a nucleic acid vector construct that contains at least one element of viral origin and is capable of being packaged into a viral vector particle. The viral vector may contain a nucleic acid encoding a polypeptide as described herein in place of non-essential viral genes. The vector and / or particle may be utilized for the purpose of transferring the nucleic acid into cells either in vitro or in vivo. Many forms of viral vectors are known in the art.

[0102] By "recombinant vector" is meant a vector that contains a heterologous nucleic acid sequence or "transgene" that can be expressed in vivo. It is understood that the vectors described herein can, in some embodiments, be combined with other suitable compositions and therapeutics. In some embodiments, the vector is episomal. The use of a suitable episomal vector provides a means to maintain a nucleotide of interest in a high copy number of extrachromosomal DNA in a subject, thereby eliminating the potential effects of chromosomal integration.

[0103] As used herein, "signal peptide" or "signal sequence" refers to a peptide at the N-terminus of a newly synthesized protein that serves to direct the nascent protein to the endoplasmic reticulum. In some embodiments, the signal peptide is a CD8 or Igκ signal peptide.

[0104] As used herein, the terms "treat", "treatment", "treating" or "amelioration" refer to therapeutic treatments whose purpose is to reverse, alleviate, ameliorate, inhibit, slow or stop the progression or severity of a disease or disorder, such as associated with glioblastoma, glioma, acute lymphoblastic leukemia or other cancer, disease or disorder. The term "treating" includes reducing or alleviating at least one side effect or symptom of a disease, disorder or disorder. Treatment is generally "effective" if one or more symptoms or clinical markers are reduced. Alternatively, treatment is "effective" if the progression of a disease is reduced or stopped. That is, "treatment" includes not only improvement of symptoms or markers, but also a halt or at least slowing of the progression or worsening of symptoms compared to symptoms that would be expected in the absence of treatment. Beneficial or desired clinical results include, but are not limited to, alleviation of one or more symptoms, reduction in the extent of the disease, stabilization of the disease state (i.e., not getting worse), delay or slowing of disease progression, amelioration or palliation of the disease state, reduction in disease condition, remission (partial or complete), and / or mortality, whether detectable or undetectable. The term "treatment" of a disease also includes providing relief from the symptoms or side effects of the disease (including palliative treatment).

[0105] As used herein, the term "pharmaceutical composition" refers to an active agent in combination with a pharma- ceutically acceptable carrier, e.g., a carrier commonly used in the pharmaceutical industry. The phrase "pharmaceutically acceptable" is used herein to refer to compounds, substances, compositions, and / or dosage forms that are, within the scope of sound medical judgment, suitable for use in contact with the tissues of humans or animals without undue toxicity, irritation, allergic response, or other problem or complication, commensurate with a reasonable benefit / risk ratio. In some embodiments of any of the aspects, the pharma- ceutically acceptable carrier can be a carrier other than water. In some embodiments of any of the aspects, the pharma- ceutically acceptable carrier can be a cream, emulsion, gel, liposome, nanoparticle, and / or ointment. In some embodiments of any of the aspects, the pharma- ceutically acceptable carrier can be an artificial or engineered carrier, e.g., a carrier in which the active ingredient is not found naturally occurring.

[0106] As used herein, the term "administering" refers to the placement of a therapeutic or pharmaceutical composition disclosed herein into a subject by a method or route that results in at least partial delivery of the agent to a desired site. Pharmaceutical compositions containing the agents disclosed herein can be administered by any suitable route that results in an effective treatment in the subject.

[0107] The terms "statistically significant" or "significantly" refer to statistical significance, generally meaning a difference of 2 standard deviations (2 SD) or greater.

[0108] Other than in the examples, or unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing quantities of ingredients or reaction conditions used herein are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term "about." The term "about" when used in connection with percentages can mean ±1%.

[0109] As used herein, the term "comprising" means that other elements may also be present in addition to the specified elements set forth. The use of "comprising" indicates inclusion rather than limitation.

[0110] The term "consisting of" refers to compositions, methods, and their respective components described herein, excluding any component not recited in that description of the embodiment.

[0111] As used herein, the term "consisting essentially of" refers to those components required for a given embodiment. The term permits the presence of additional elements that do not materially affect the basic and novel or functional characteristics of that embodiment of the technology.

[0112] The singular terms "a," "an," and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Similarly, the word "or" is intended to include "and" unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Although methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of this disclosure, suitable methods and materials are described below. The abbreviation "eg" is derived from the Latin exempli gratia, and is used herein to denote non-limiting examples. Thus, the abbreviation "eg" is synonymous with the term "for example."

[0113] In some embodiments of any of the aspects, the disclosure herein does not pertain to methods of human cloning, methods of altering the genetic identity of the germ line of a human being that are likely to cause suffering to humans or animals without providing any substantial medical benefit to them, the use of human embryos for industrial or commercial purposes, or methods of altering the genetic identity of animals, and animals resulting from such methods.

[0114] Other terms are defined in the descriptions of various aspects and embodiments of the technology, as set forth below.

[0115] The present invention provides several advantages. For example, the CAR T cells of the present invention can be used to deliver therapeutic agents for cancer treatment. In one example, the CAR T cells of the present invention can be used to deliver other toxic antibodies (e.g., anti-CTLA4 or anti-CD25 (e.g., daclizumab)) or other molecules (e.g., cytokines) to the tumor microenvironment, which advantageously allow activation of surrounding tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, resulting in checkpoint blockade and depleting regulatory T cells (Tregs). The CAR T cells of the present invention can be further directed against Treg antigens to facilitate targeting of Treg cells. Furthermore, certain CAR T cells of the present invention can be used to deliver genetically encoded molecules (e.g., antibodies or cytokines) to areas of the body that these molecules cannot reach (e.g., the central nervous system, including the brain). In one example, CAR T cells targeting EGFRvIII can be used to target brain tumors and deliver antibodies (e.g., antibodies against EGFR, such as cetuximab; see also below) to the tumor. Thus, the present invention provides for targeting of genetically encoded Tregs in the tumor microenvironment. In addition, the present invention provides genetically encoded delivery of antibodies that cannot reach certain tissues, which can enhance the efficacy of T cell therapy by broadening the specificity of anti-tumor targets. Thus, the present invention provides genetically modified T cell therapy of cancer.

[0116] Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, the drawings, and the claims. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0117] [Figure 1] 1 is a graph showing killing of the human glioma target cell line U87vIII by CART-EGFRvIII cells as a function of the CART-EGFRvIII:U87vIII target cell ratio. Non-transduced cells were incubated with the target cells as a negative control. [Diagram 2]Figures 2A and 2B are a series of bioluminescence images showing the location of EGFRvIII-expressing tumors (U87vIII) in a subcutaneous model of human glioma. Figure 2A shows a mouse treated with non-transduced cells as a negative control. Figure 2B shows a mouse treated with CART-EGFRvIII on day 4 post-engraftment (top row) and a mouse that was successfully treated by day 21 (bottom row). [Diagram 3-4] Figures 3A and 3B are a series of x-ray overlays showing the location of EGFRvIII-expressing tumors (U87vIII) in an intracranial model of human glioma. Figure 3A shows mice treated with untransduced (UTD) cells as a negative control on day 5 (D5; top) and D11 (bottom). Figure 3B shows mice treated with CART-EGFRvIII on D5 (top) and D11 (bottom), two days after engraftment. Figures 4A and 4B are photomicrographs showing immunohistochemistry of tumor tissue in one patient 5 days after injection of CART-EGFRvIII. Figure 4A shows T cells stained for CD3. Figure 4B shows CD25+ cells. CD25 is the IL-2 receptor alpha chain, a marker of activated or regulatory T cells. [Diagram 5] Figures 5A-5C are fluorescent micrographs qualitatively demonstrating Treg suppression of CAR T cell antitumor activity after 18 hours of co-incubation with human glioma cells in vitro. Figure 5A shows the relative concentration of CART non-specific cells relative to glioma cells. Figure 5B shows the relative concentration of CART-EGFRvIII cells relative to glioma cells without Tregs in culture. Figure 5C shows the relative concentration of CART-EGFRvIII cells relative to glioma cells with Tregs in culture. Figure 5D is a graph showing a quantitative readout of the confluence of the green object as a measure of glioma cell viability as a function of time (up to 48 hours). The top line represents the results shown in Figure 5A (glioma cell proliferation), the bottom line represents the results shown in Figure 5B (glioma cell killing), and the middle line represents the results shown in Figure 5C (glioma cell resistance to CART killing). [Figure 6]6A-6C are flow cytometry plots showing expression of LAP (x-axis) and GARP (y-axis) in control T cells (FIG. 6A), non-activated Tregs (FIG. 6B), and activated Tregs (FIG. 6C). Tregs were sorted from CD4+CD25+CD127- leukopacks and expanded with CD3 / CD28 beads for 7 days in the presence of IL-2. On day 1, they were transduced to express GFP. After removing the beads on day 7, expanded Tregs were rested for 4 days and then frozen. After thawing, Tregs were stained for LAP and GARP expression after overnight rest (non-activation) or after overnight activation with anti-CD3 and anti-CD28. Non-transduced T cells (CD4+ and CD8+) from the same donor were used as expression controls (FIG. 6A). [Figure 7] 7A and 7B are flow cytometry histograms corresponding to the results shown in FIGS. 6A-6C showing expression of LAP (FIG. 7A) and GARP (FIG. 7B). [Figure 8] 8A-8D are schematic diagrams of CAR constructs for targeting Treg-associated antigens. FIG. 8A shows a LAP-targeted CAR construct (CART-LAP-LH) with anti-LAP scFvs arranged in the 5' to 3' direction for its light (L) and heavy (H) chains, respectively. FIG. 8B shows a LAP-targeted CAR construct (CART-LAP-HL) with anti-LAP scFvs arranged in the 5' to 3' direction for its heavy (H) and light (L) chains, respectively. FIG. 8C shows a GARP-targeted CAR construct (CART-GARP) with an anti-GARP camelized antibody binding domain. FIG. 8D shows an EGFR-targeted CAR construct with an anti-GARP camelized antibody. [Figure 9] Figures 9A and 9B are graphs showing target Treg killing as a function of CAR T cell to target Treg cell ratio. Tregs were transduced with GFP and cytotoxicity was quantified by monitoring GFP expression. Figure 9A shows the killing of activated Tregs and Figure 9B shows the killing of non-activated Tregs. CART-LAP-HL was more effective at killing non-activated Tregs compared to CART-LAP-LH. [Figure 10] Figures 10A and 10B are graphs showing target Treg killing over 4 days by various anti-Treg CAR T cells (i.e., CART-GARP, CART-LAP-HL, CART-LAP-LH, or non-transduced control cells) at a 1:1 CAR T cell to Treg ratio. Figures 10A and 10B show results from the same experiment performed in two different donors. [Figure 11] Graphs showing target Treg killing by LAP-targeted CAR T cells as a function of CAR T cell to target Treg cell ratio after 3 days of co-culture. Figures 11A and 11B show the number of target cells remaining in the co-culture as measured by flow cytometry. The dashed line shows the number of target cells in a control sample that does not contain CAR cells. Figure 11A shows non-activated Tregs as target cells, and Figure 11B shows activated Tregs as target cells. Figures 11C and 11D show the percent cytotoxicity as measured by luciferase expression by target cells. Figure 11C shows non-activated Tregs as target cells, and Figure 11D shows activated Tregs as target cells. In each of Figures 11A-11D, circles represent CART-LAP-HL, rectangles represent CART-LAP-LH, and triangles represent non-transduced CAR cells. [Figure 12] 12A and 12B are flow cytometry histograms showing the expression of GARP (FIG. 12A) and LAP (FIG. 12B) by HUT78 cells. [Figure 13] Figures 13A and 13B are graphs showing the killing of target HUT78 cells by LAP-targeted CAR T cells as a function of CAR T cell to target cell ratio after 3 days of co-culture. Figure 13A shows the number of target cells remaining in culture after 3 days, as measured by flow cytometry. The dashed line shows the number of target cells in a control sample that does not contain CAR cells. Figure 13B shows the percentage of cytotoxicity, as measured by luciferase expression by target cells. Circles represent CART-LAP-HL, rectangles represent CART-LAP-LH, and triangles represent non-transduced CAR cells. [Figure 14]14A and 14B are flow cytometry histograms showing the expression of GARP (FIG. 14A) and LAP (FIG. 14B) by SeAx cells. [Figure 15] Figures 15A and 15B are graphs showing killing of targeted SeAx cells as a function of CAR T cell to target cell ratio by GARP and LAP targeted CAR T cells after 24 hours (Figure 15A) and 48 hours (Figure 15B) of co-culture, as measured by luciferase expression by the target cells. Rectangles represent CART-GARP, triangles pointing up represent CART-LAP-HL, triangles pointing down represent CART-LAP-HL cells, and diamonds represent non-transduced CAR cells. [Figure 16] Figures 16A-16C are photographs of Western blots showing the presence of protein components of supernatants obtained from cultures of CART-EGFR-GARP T cells. Figures 16A and 16B show the complete gel including a molecular weight reference ladder. Figure 16C is a longer exposure of the lower region of the gel shown in Figure 16B, with the 10-15 kD bands, indicating the presence of camelid antibodies, identified by arrows. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary nucleic acid molecule encoding a CAR and a BiTE, CAR-EGFR-BiTE-(EGFR-CD3). [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram of a BiTE with an anti-EGFR domain derived from cetuximab and an anti-CD3 domain derived from blinatumomab. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is a series of photographs showing a Western blot experiment confirming the presence of BiTE in lane 2. [Figure 20-21]Figures 20A and 20B are a series of flow cytometry graphs showing the binding of BiTEs expressed by HEK293 cells transduced with CAR-EGFR-BiTE-(EGFR-CD3) to EGFR expressed by K562 cells (Figure 20A) and CD3 expressed by Jurkat cells (Figure 20B). Figures 21A and 21B are a series of flow cytometry graphs showing the binding of BiTEs expressed by SupT1 cells transduced with CAR-EGFR-BiTE-(EGFR-CD3) to EGFR expressed by K562 cells (Figure 21A) and CD3 expressed by CAR-EGFR-BiTE-(EGFR-CD3)-expressing SupT1 cells (Figure 21B). [Figure 22-23] Figures 22A and 22B are a series of flow cytometry graphs showing binding of BiTEs expressed by ND4 cells transduced with CAR-EGFR-BiTE-(EGFR-CD3) to EGFR expressed by K562 cells (Figure 22A) and CD3 expressed by CAR-EGFR-BiTE-(EGFR-CD3)-expressing ND4 cells (Figure 22B). Figure 23 is a graph showing killing of U87vIII cells by ND4 cells incubated with BiTEs secreted by HEK293T cells transduced with CAR-EGFR-BiTE-(EGFR-CD3) as a function of effector (non-transduced ND4) to target (U87vIII) cell ratios. The rectangles represent experimental groups in which the supernatant contained BiTEs, and the circles represent negative controls that did not contain BiTEs. [Figure 24-25] Figure 24 is a diagram of an exemplary nucleic acid molecule encoding CAR under the control of the EF1α promoter and GFP under the control of the NFAT promoter. Figures 25A and 25B are a series of flow cytometry graphs showing GFP expression by cells transduced with the constructs of Figure 24. The red histogram shows GFP expression in unstimulated cells; the blue histogram shows GFP expression in cells stimulated with PMA and ionomycin; the orange histogram shows GFP expression in cells coated with PEPvIII. [Figure 26]Figure 26A is a schematic diagram of an exemplary nucleic acid molecule encoding a CAR and a constitutively expressed BiTE, GFP-CAR-EGFR-BiTE-(EGFR-CD3). Figure 26B is a schematic diagram of an exemplary nucleic acid molecule encoding a CAR and a constitutively expressed BiTE, GFP-CAR-EGFR-BiTE-(CD19-CD3). [Figure 27] Figure 27A is a schematic diagram of an exemplary nucleic acid molecule encoding a CAR and an inducibly expressed BiTE, BiTE-(CD19-CD3)-CAR-EGFR. Figure 27B is a schematic diagram of an exemplary nucleic acid molecule encoding a CAR and an inducibly expressed BiTE, BiTE-(CD19-CD3)-CAR-EGFR. [Figure 28] Figure 28 shows confocal micrographs of binding of CAR-BiTE cells to EGFR (biotin-streptavidin-FITC). Transduced cells are red (due to the mCherry reporter gene). [Figure 29A] Figures 29A and 29B are a series of graphs depicting the anti-tumor activity of CAR-BiTEs. Figure 29A shows the production of IFN-γ and TNF-α from CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-EGFR in the presence of target U87 glioma cells. [Figure 29B] FIG. 29B shows CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-EGFR-mediated specific lysis of U87 cells, reaching nearly 100% lysis after 40 hours of co-culture. [Fig. 29C-D] Figure 29C is a schematic of an ACEA transwell (pore size: 1 micron) experiment in which CAR.BiTE T cells were seeded in the top well with the UTD and the target tumor was seeded in the bottom. Figure 29D is a graph showing that transwells containing CAR.BiTEs, but not wells with inserts containing the UTD or CAR.BiTE control, resulted in selective lysis of U87. [Figure 30-31]FIG. 30A is a schematic of the in vivo evaluation of CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-EGFR anti-tumor activity against intracranial U251. Tumors were engrafted with stereotactic assistance on day -1 followed by adoptive transfer of 1×106 CAR-transduced cells into the contralateral lateral ventricle. FIG. 30B shows the in vivo efficacy of CAR-BiTE in mice treated with CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-EGFR. CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-EGFR showed near complete eradication of intracranial tumors by day 21. FIG. 31 shows EGFR expression in glioblastoma and normal tissues of the central nervous system (CNS). Tissue microarrays show EGFR expression by immunohistochemistry across several normal healthy human CNS tissues (top) and glioblastoma specimens (bottom). Details regarding each specimen can be found in Table 2. [Fig. 32A-D] Figure 32A shows the experimental design in which a heterogeneous population of U87 glioma cells (5x104) (30% EGFRvIII positive, 70% wild type) was engrafted into the flank of NSG mice. Figure 32B shows bioluminescence analysis of the growth of EGFRvIII-expressing tumors over time. Figure 32C shows caliper measurements of total tumor growth in mice treated with UTD alone vs. CART-EGFRvIII (n=5 mice). Figure 32D shows hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining and immunohistochemistry (IHC) of EGFR and EGFRvIII on tumors taken from mice treated with UTD cells or CART-EGFRvIII (scale bar=50 μm). [Figure 32E] FIG. 32E shows heterogeneous EGFRvIII expression. [Figure 33A] Figure 33A shows a schematic of the transgenes of two BiTE-secreting anti-EGFRvIII CAR constructs targeting EGFR and CD19. [Fig. 33B-E]Figure 33B shows transduction efficiency. All constructs demonstrated efficient transduction of primary human T cells from three normal donors (mean ± SEM). Figure 33C shows the overall scFv orientation for each BiTE, which is light-heavy-heavy-light cross-linked by a flexible glycine-serine linker. Figure 33D shows a schematic of BiTE-EGFR and BiTE-CD19. Figure 33E shows Western blot analysis of BiTEs in the supernatant of HEK298T cells transduced with CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-CD19 or CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-EGFR. [Figure 33F] Figure 33F shows flow cytometry histograms demonstrating secondary His-tag detection of BiTE binding to K562 cells expressing their respective targets. Unconcentrated supernatants from CART-EGFRvIII, CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-CD19, and CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-EGFR cells were incubated with K562 cells expressing CD19 or EGFR 10 days after transduction. [Fig. 33G-H] Figure 33G shows flow cytometry histograms showing BiTE binding to CD3 on primary human T cells. Data reflects cultures stained with the corresponding anti-His tag antibody: UTD alone, UTD cultured with CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-CD19 cells, or UTD cultured with CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-EGFR cells. Shown is UTD stained with concentrated supernatants (~1000x) from each culture. Figure 33H shows that BiTE concentration in the supernatants increases over time. Untransduced T cells (UTD) or T cells transduced with CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-EGFR were cultured with supernatants collected for His tag ELISA analysis on days 0, 7, and 14. Assays were performed in triplicate (mean ± SEM shown; unpaired t-test, *=p<0.05). [Fig. 34A-B]Figure 34A shows EGFR and EGFRvIII expression in U87 and U251 cell lines compared to unstained cells by flow cytometry. Figure 34B shows Jurkat reporter T cells untransduced (UTD) or transduced with CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-CD19 or CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-EGFR and co-cultured with U87 or U251 glioma cell lines at 1:1 E:T for 18 hours. Activation is reflected by relative luminescence. [Figure 34C] Figure 34C shows cytokine production by primary human UTD, CAR T, and CART.BiTE cells when co-cultured overnight with U87 or U251 E:T 1:1. [Diagram 35] Figure 35 shows anti-tumor specific lysis of CART.BiTEs against EGFR-expressing tumors. Cytotoxicity of UTD or CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-EGFR cells against U87 by bioluminescence-based assay at the indicated E:T ratios after 18 hours. [Figure 36A] Figures 36A and 36B show impedance-based cytotoxicity assays of UTD and CAR T cells against U87 and U251 with E:T of 3:1 (Hi) and 1:1 (Lo) (Figure 36A). [Figure 36B] It is also expressed as percent lysis normalized to UTD over time (Figure 36B). Data was recorded with readings taken every 15 minutes. [Figure 36C] Figure 36C shows the correlation between EGFR expression in GBM cell lines and the percentage of specific lysis by CAR T cells. Quantification of EGFR expression by U251 and U87 was determined by flow cytometry and plotted as mean fluorescence intensity (MFI). The percentage of specific lysis was measured by impedance-based killing assay. Effector cells were incubated with target cells at 1:1 E:T for 24 hours. Cytotoxicity was reflected by the decrease in cell index compared to targets incubated with UTD control. [Figure 37A-C]Figure 37A shows the characterization of EGFR and EGFRvIII expression on the PDX neurosphere line, BT74, by flow cytometry. Positive events (grey) were gated for isotype staining (black). Figure 37B shows reporter T cells transduced with either UTD, CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-CD19 or CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-EGFR and co-cultured with BT74 at 1:1 E:T. Figure 37C shows the assessment of cytotoxicity against BT74 transduced in duplicate at 3:1 E:T with eGFP. The total green image area (μm2) was recorded as a proxy for BT74 viability. [Figure 37D] FIG. 37D shows representative images of neurospheres from FIG. 37C over the course of 4 days (scale bar=100 μm). [Figure 38A] Figure 38A shows a schematic of the experimental design in which 5x103 U87vIII cells were orthotopically engrafted into the brain of NSG mice and treated with intravenous (IV) or intracerebroventricular (IVT) CAR T cells (1x106 transduced cells). [Figure 38B] FIG. 38B shows survival plots of mice treated with CART-EGFRvIII compared to treatment with UTD cells, grouped by route of delivery (n=5 per group). [Figure 39] Figure 39A shows a schematic of the experimental design in which 5x105 BT74 cells transduced with CBG-GFP were engrafted intracranially (IC) in NSG mice and treated 7 days after engraftment with intracerebroventricular (IVT) injection of UTD, CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-CD19, or CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-EGFR cells (1x106 transduced cells). Figure 39B shows tumor growth over time; data represent 3 consecutive mice treated with the corresponding regimen. Figure 39C shows the mean bioluminescence values ​​per group displayed over time (mean + SD shown). [Fig. 40A-D]FIG. 40A shows U251 cells (2×104) engrafted orthotopically into NSG mice and treated with intracerebroventricular (IVT) untransduced T cells (UTD), CART-EGFRvIIIv.BiTE-CD19 cells, or CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-EGFR cells 5 days after engraftment. FIG. 40B shows bioluminescence images of U251 tumor growth over time (n=5 mice). FIG. 40C shows tumor growth for individual mice (left panel) and as mean (right panel) (mean±SD shown; unpaired t test, ***=p<0.001). FIG. 40D shows the experimental design. Human skin was engrafted on the back of NSG mice and allowed to heal for 6 weeks. CART-EGFR, CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-CD19, or CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-EGFR cells were then administered intravenously (IV) via the tail vein. The grafts were observed for up to 2 weeks before excision and histopathological analysis. [Fig. 40E-G] Figure 40E shows hematoxylin counterstaining and immunohistochemistry (IHC) of CD3 (T cells) and apoptotic cells identified by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded skin specimens of mice treated with intravenous CAR T cells or CART.BiTE cells (scale bar = 100 μm). Figures 40F and 40G show quantification of infiltrating CD3+ cells (Figure 40F) and TUNEL+ cells (Figure 40G) in skin grafts of mice treated with CART-EGFR, CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-CD19, or CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-EGFR. Cell numbers were recorded in 10 consecutive high power fields (HPF) at 40x magnification. Experiments were repeated. Bars represent mean values, n = 10 (unpaired t-test, ** = P < 0.01, *** = p < 0.001). [Fig. 41A-B]Figure 41A shows confocal micrographs showing binding of BiTEs to T cells. CAR transduction is shown as mCherry positive cells. EGFR specificity is determined by the ability to bind biotinylated EGFR, and there are also overlapping regions (scale bar = 10 μm). Figure 41B shows a schematic of the panels shown in Figure 41A; CART-EGFR (top), CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-CD19 (middle), and CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-EGFR (bottom). [Figure 41C] Figure 41C shows CD25 and CD69 expression on CAR T cells and CART.BiTE cells (mCherry positive) and bystander T cells (mCherry negative) after co-culture with EGFR-expressing tumor U87. [Fig. 41D-E] Figure 41D shows bystander reporter T cell activation. UTD, CAR T cells, and CART.BiTE cells were co-cultured with reporter T cells and EGFR-expressing tumor cells overnight, after which bystander activation was measured by relative luminescence. Figure 41E shows CAR T cell and CART.BiTE cell culture proliferation against U87. CAR T cells and CART.BiTE cells were co-cultured with target cells revealing transduced cells, non-transduced bystander cells, and U87. [Fig. 41F-H] Figure 41F shows flow cytometry quantification of bystander cells from the cultures shown in Figure 41E by bead counting. Figure 41G shows a schematic of the Transwell system used to assess bystander cytokine secretion and cytotoxicity against U87. Jurkat T cells, either untransduced or transduced with CART.BiTE constructs, were cultured in the top wells, and primary human UTD cells and U87 targets were placed in the bottom wells. Figure 41H shows cytokine production by bystander UTD cells when co-cultured with targets and exposed to supernatant from the top wells. [Fig. 41I-42]Figure 41I shows an impedance-based cytotoxicity assay measuring bystander cell activity against U87 and U87-CD19 using the Transwell system shown in Figure 41G. Figure 42 shows a bioluminescence-based cytotoxicity assay measuring bystander Treg activity against U87 using the Transwell system. T cells transduced with either CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-CD19 or CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-EGFR were cultured in the top wells, and sorted primary human Treg (CD4+CD25+CD127dim / -) and U87 targets were placed in the bottom wells. [Fig. 43A-D] Figure 43A shows a schematic of the experimental design in which a heterogeneous population of U87 glioma cells (5x103) (10% EGFRvIII positive, 90% wild type) was orthotopically engrafted in the brain of NSG mice. Both U87 and U87vIII cells were modified with CBG-luc to allow visualization of intracranial tumor volume by bioluminescence imaging. Mice were treated intracerebroventricularly with untransduced T cells (UTD), CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-CD19 cells, or CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-EGFR cells 2 days after engraftment. Figure 43B shows bioluminescence analysis of mixed tumor growth over time (n=5). Figure 43C shows tumor growth presented as mean values ​​(mean±SD shown; unpaired t-test, ***=p<0.001). Figure 43D shows the purity of sorted CAR T cells and CART.BiTE cells. Representative flow cytometry data before and after cell sorting are shown. [Fig. 43E-F] 43E and 43F show bioluminescence-based cytotoxicity assays of UTD, sorted CART-EGFRvIII cells, or sorted CART.BiTE cells against U87, U87-CD19 (Figure 41E), or U87vIII (Figure 41F) at the indicated E:T ratios over 18 hours. [Figure 43G]Figure 43G shows proliferation assay of sorted transduced cells. Effector cells were stimulated with irradiated U87, U87vIII, or U87-CD19 (arrows). UTD cells, sorted CART-EGFRvIII cells, and sorted CART.BiTE cells were then stimulated with CAR alone (CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-CD19 and U87vIII), BiTE alone (CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-CD19 and U87-CD19), or CAR and BiTE (CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-EGFR and U87vIII). Assays were performed in triplicate (mean ± SEM shown; unpaired t test, *** = p < 0.001). [Fig. 43H-I] Figure 43H shows the phenotype of T cells outlined in Figure 41G after 3 weeks of stimulation. Cells were grouped by flow cytometry according to T cell phenotype as follows: naive (TN) CCR7+CD45RO-, central memory (TCM) CCR7+CD45RO+, effector memory (TEM) CCR7-CD45RO+, and effector (TE) CCR7-CD45RO-. Pie charts show the phenotype of CAR T cells stimulated with BiTE only, CAR only, or CAR and BiTE. Figure 43I shows exhaustion markers (PD-1, TIM-3, and LAG-3) after 12 days of stimulation with BiTE only, CAR only, or CAR and BiTE. [Fig. 44A-C]Figures 44A-44C are a series of schematic diagrams showing exemplary chimeric antigen receptors (CARs), including tandem CARs targeting two different antigens. Figure 44A shows a schematic diagram of an exemplary anti-IL-13Rα2 CAR construct, including an EF1α promoter, an IL-13 receptor alpha 2 ligand (e.g., IL-13 zetakines, anti-IL-13Ra2 single chain variable fragments or single domain antibodies), a 4-1BB transmembrane domain, a 4-1BB costimulatory domain, a CD3 zeta domain, a T2A peptide sequence, and a reporter gene (mCherry). Figure 44B shows a schematic diagram of an exemplary anti-EGFRvIII CAR construct, including an EF1α promoter, an anti-EGFRvIII scFv, a CD8 transmembrane domain, a 4-1BB costimulatory domain, a CD3 zeta domain, a T2A peptide sequence, and a reporter gene (mCherry). FIG. 44C shows a schematic diagram of an exemplary tandem anti-IL-13Rα2 / anti-EGFRvIII CAR construct, including an EF1α promoter, an IL-13 ligand (IL-13 zetakine), an anti-EGFRvIII scFv, a CD8 transmembrane domain, a 4-1BB costimulatory domain, a CD3ζ domain, a T2A peptide sequence, and a reporter gene (mCherry). [Fig.44D] Figure 44D shows a schematic of the constructs of Figures 43A-43C without mCherry. [Diagram 45] Figure 45A is a series of graphs showing the results of flow cytometry analysis to assess IL-13Rα2 expression in U87 human glioblastoma cells and U87 cells transduced to express EGFRvIII (U87vIII). Figure 45B is a graph showing the results of a cytotoxicity assay in which a heterogeneous population of glioblastoma cells (U87:U87vIII cells at a 1:1 ratio) was incubated with control non-transduced T cells (UTD) or T cells transduced with the indicated CAR constructs of Figures 44A-44C. The y-axis shows percent specific lysis and the x-axis shows the effector to target (E:T) ratio. Detailed Description

[0118] The present invention provides improved approaches to chimeric antigen receptor T cell ("CAR T cell")-based therapy. In general, the improvements relate to various aspects of targeting in antitumor therapy, such as targeting of the tumor microenvironment.

[0119] For example, described herein are immune cells, e.g., T cells, engineered to express a CAR, such as a bispecific T cell engager (BiTE), as well as secrete a therapeutic agent. CAR T cells engineered to secrete a BiTE are referred to herein as CART.BiTE. The CART.BiTE strategy allows for locoregional delivery of a therapeutic agent to tumors, e.g., in the central nervous system (CNS), while reducing the risk of undesired activity in systemic tissues. Such CART.BiTE constructs are useful, inter alia, for the treatment of cancers, such as glioblastoma, prostate cancer, lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, lymphoma, or myeloma, as described herein.

[0120] In addition, as further described below, we have demonstrated that regulatory T cells (also referred to herein as "Tregs"), which play a role in suppressing a subject's immune response to a tumor (e.g., in the tumor microenvironment), can be targeted with CAR T cells. Thus, the present invention provides CAR T cells in which the CAR is directed against a Treg antigen or marker (e.g., GARP, LAP, CTLA4, or CD25; see also below). In other examples, the present invention provides CAR T cells that secrete antibodies (e.g., single chain antibodies, single domain antibodies (e.g., camelid antibodies), or bispecific antibodies (e.g., bispecific T cell engagers)) against one or more Treg antigens or markers (e.g., GARP, LAP, CTLA4, or CD25; see also below). In addition to targeting Tregs, the present invention provides CAR T cells and related methods for delivering other therapeutic agents (e.g., antibodies and related molecules) to tumors. In one example, CAR T cells with a CAR specific for EGFRvIII are used to target brain tumors (e.g., glioblastoma). Such CAR T cells may also be used to deliver therapeutic agents such as antibody reagents (e.g., single chain antibodies, single domain antibodies (e.g., camelid antibodies), or bispecific antibodies (e.g., bispecific T cell engagers)) to these tumors. These methods are particularly advantageous because they actually facilitate antibody administration to the brain, despite the blood-brain barrier, which antibodies normally do not cross. These approaches, as well as related methods and compositions, are further described as follows.

[0121] [Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR)] The technology described here provides improved chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) for use in immunotherapy. Below, we discuss CARs and various improvements.

[0122] As used herein, the term "chimeric antigen receptor" or "CAR" or "CARs" refers to an engineered T cell receptor that transfers ligand or antigen specificity into a T cell (e.g., a naive T cell, a central memory T cell, an effector memory T cell, or a combination thereof). CARs are also known as artificial T cell receptors, chimeric T cell receptors, or chimeric immune receptors.

[0123] A CAR places a chimeric extracellular target binding domain that specifically binds to a target, e.g., a polypeptide, expressed on the surface of a cell targeted by a T cell response in a construct that includes the transmembrane and intracellular domains of a T cell receptor molecule. In one embodiment, the chimeric extracellular target binding domain includes an antigen binding domain of an antibody that specifically binds to an antigen expressed on a cell targeted by a T cell response. While the properties of the intracellular signaling domain of a CAR can vary as known in the art and disclosed herein, the chimeric target / antigen binding domain renders the receptor susceptible to signaling activation when the chimeric target / antigen binding domain binds to a target / antigen on the surface of a target cell.

[0124] With respect to intracellular signaling domains, so-called "first generation" CARs include those that provide only a CD3 zeta (CD3ζ) signal upon antigen binding. So-called "second generation" CARs include those that provide both a costimulatory (e.g., CD28 or CD137) and activation (CD3ζ) domain, and so-called "third generation" CARs include those that provide multiple costimulatory (e.g., CD28 and CD137) domains and an activation domain (e.g., CD3ζ). In various embodiments, the CAR is selected to have high affinity or avidity for the target / antigen - for example, target or antigen binding domains derived from antibodies generally have higher affinity and / or avidity for target antigens than naturally occurring T cell receptors. This property, combined with the high specificity that can be selected for antibodies, provides highly specific T cell targeting by CAR T cells.

[0125] As used herein, "CAR T cell" or "CAR-T" refers to a T cell expressing a CAR. When expressed in a T cell, a CAR has the ability to redirect the specificity and reactivity of the T cell toward a selected target in an MHC-unrestricted manner, utilizing the antigen-binding properties of a monoclonal antibody. MHC-unrestricted antigen recognition endows the CAR-expressing T cell with the ability to recognize antigens independent of antigen processing, bypassing a major mechanism of tumor escape.

[0126] As used herein, the term "extracellular target binding domain" refers to a polypeptide found outside of a cell sufficient to facilitate binding to a target. An extracellular target binding domain specifically binds to its binding partner, i.e., a target. As non-limiting examples, an extracellular target binding domain may include an antigen binding domain of an antibody or antibody reagent, or a ligand that recognizes and binds to a cognate binding partner protein. In this context, a ligand is a molecule that specifically binds to a portion of a protein and / or receptor. The cognate binding partner of a ligand useful in the methods and compositions described herein may generally be found on the surface of a cell. Ligand:cognate partner binding may result in a change in the receptor bearing the ligand or may activate a physiological response, e.g., activation of a signaling pathway. In one embodiment, the ligand may be non-native to the genome. In some cases, the ligand has a function that is conserved across at least two species.

[0127] [Antibody Reagents] In various embodiments, the CARs described herein comprise an antibody reagent or an antigen-binding domain thereof as the extracellular target binding domain.

[0128] As used herein, the term "antibody reagent" refers to a polypeptide that contains at least one immunoglobulin variable domain or immunoglobulin variable domain sequence and that specifically binds to a given antigen. An antibody reagent may include an antibody or a polypeptide that contains an antigen-binding domain of an antibody. In some embodiments of any of the aspects, an antibody reagent may include a monoclonal antibody or a polypeptide that contains an antigen-binding domain of a monoclonal antibody. For example, an antibody may be a heavy (H) chain variable region (herein referred to as V H ) and the light (L) chain variable region (here abbreviated as V L In another example, the antibody comprises two heavy (H) chain variable regions and two light (L) chain variable regions. The term "antibody reagent" encompasses antigen-binding fragments of antibodies (e.g., single chain antibodies, Fab and sFab fragments, F(ab')2, Fd fragments, Fv fragments, scFv, CDR, and domain antibody (dAb) fragments (see, e.g., de Wildt et al., Eur. J. Immunol. 26(3):629-639, 1996, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety)) as well as complete antibodies. Antibodies may have the structural characteristics of IgA, IgG, IgE, IgD, or IgM (as well as combinations of subtypes thereof). Antibodies may be from any source, including mouse, rabbit, pig, rat, and primates (human and non-human primates) and primatized antibodies. Antibodies also include midibodies, humanized antibodies, chimeric antibodies, and the like. Fully human antibody binding domains can be selected, for example, from phage display libraries using methods known to those of skill in the art. Additionally, antibody reagents include single domain antibodies, such as camelid antibodies.

[0129] V H and V LThe regions can be further divided into regions of hypervariability called "complementarity determining regions" ("CDRs"), interspersed with more conserved regions called "framework regions" ("FRs"). The extent of the framework regions and CDRs has been precisely defined (see Kabat, EA et al. (1991) Sequences of Proteins of Immunological Interest, 5th ed., US Department of Health and Human Services, NIH Publication No. 91-3242, and Chothia et al., J. Mol. Biol. 196:901-917, 1987; each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety). Each V H and V L typically consists of three CDRs and four FRs, arranged from the amino terminus to the carboxy terminus in the following order: FR1, CDR1, FR2, CDR2, FR3, CDR3, FR4.

[0130] In one embodiment, the antibody or antibody reagent is not human (i.e., the antibody or antibody reagent is murine), but is humanized. By "humanized antibody or antibody reagent" is meant a non-human antibody or antibody reagent that has been modified at the protein sequence level to increase its similarity to the antibody or antibody reagent variants naturally produced in humans. One approach to humanizing antibodies employs grafting murine or other non-human CDRs onto a human antibody framework.

[0131] In one embodiment, the extracellular target binding domain of the CAR is linked to the V of an antibody, typically a monoclonal antibody, via a flexible linker peptide. H and V L The CAR may comprise or consist essentially of a single chain Fv (scFv) fragment produced by fusing domains. In various embodiments, the scFv is fused to a transmembrane domain and a T cell receptor intracellular signaling domain, e.g., an engineered intracellular signaling domain as described herein. In another embodiment, the extracellular target binding domain of the CAR comprises a camelid antibody.

[0132] Antibody binding domains and methods for selecting and cloning them are well known to those of skill in the art. In some embodiments, the antibody reagent is an anti-GARP antibody reagent and comprises the sequence of SEQ ID NO:3 or 25 or a sequence having at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or more sequence identity to the sequence of SEQ ID NO:3 or 25. In further embodiments, the antibody reagent is an anti-GARP antibody reagent and comprises the complementarity determining regions (CDRs) of SEQ ID NO:81, 82, 83, 84, 85, and / or 86 or a CDR sequence having at least one, two, or three amino acid substitutions of SEQ ID NO:81, 82, 83, 84, 85, and / or 86. In further embodiments, the anti-GARP antibody reagent comprises a variable heavy chain (VH) and / or a variable light chain (VL) of SEQ ID NO: 87 and 88, or comprises a VH and / or VL sequence having at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or more sequence identity to the sequences of SEQ ID NO: 87 and 88. The VH can be located N-terminal to the VL, or the VL can be located N-terminal to the VH. In further embodiments, the anti-GARP antibody reagent comprises a sequence of SEQ ID NO: 71 or 77, or comprises a sequence having at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or more sequence identity to the sequences of SEQ ID NO: 71 or 77.

[0133] In other embodiments, the antibody reagent is an anti-LAP antibody reagent and comprises the complementarity determining regions (CDRs) of SEQ ID NOs: 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, and / or 94, or comprises CDR sequences with at least one, two, or three amino acid substitutions of SEQ ID NOs: 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, and / or 94. In further embodiments, the anti-LAP antibody reagent comprises the VH and / or VL of SEQ ID NOs: 95 and 96, or comprises VH and / or VL sequences having at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or more sequence identity to the sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 87 and 88. The VH may be located N-terminal to the VL, or the VL may be located N-terminal to the VH. In further embodiments, the antibody reagent is an anti-LAP antibody reagent and comprises the sequence of SEQ ID NO:9 or 15 or a sequence having at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or more sequence identity to the sequence of SEQ ID NO:9 or 15. In other embodiments, the antibody reagent is an anti-EGFR or anti-EGFRvIII antibody reagent and comprises the sequence of SEQ ID NO:21, 27, 33, 36, 42, 45, 55, 57, 65, or 103 or a sequence having at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or more sequence identity to the sequence of SEQ ID NO:21, 27, 33, 36, 42, 45, 55, 57, 65, or 103.

[0134] In certain embodiments, the antibody reagent is an anti-EGFRvIII scFv. For example, the anti-EGFRvIII scFv comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 111 or 113; or comprises a VH corresponding to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 111 or 113, comprising an amino acid sequence having at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or more sequence identity with the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 111 or 113. In further embodiments, the anti-EGFRvIII scFV comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 112 or 114; or comprises a VL corresponding to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 112 or 114, comprising an amino acid sequence having at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or more sequence identity with the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 112 or 114. In some embodiments, the anti-EGFRvIII scFv corresponds to or comprises the sequence of SEQ ID NO: 27, 36, 45, 57, 65, or 103, or comprises a sequence having at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or more sequence identity to the sequence of SEQ ID NO: 27, 36, 45, 57, 65, or 103. Immune cells comprising a CAR polypeptide comprising an extracellular target binding domain comprising an anti-EGFRvIII scFv can secrete anti-EGFR BiTEs as described below.

[0135] In other embodiments, the antibody reagent is an anti-CD19 antibody reagent and comprises the sequence of SEQ ID NO:51 or 63 or a sequence having at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or more sequence identity to the sequence of SEQ ID NO:51 or 63.

[0136] In yet other embodiments, the antibody reagent is an anti-CD3 antibody reagent and comprises a sequence of SEQ ID NO: 34, 43, 52, 56, or 64, or a sequence having at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or more sequence identity to a sequence of SEQ ID NO: 34, 43, 52, 56, or 64. In various examples, the antibody reagent can be selected from C225, 3C10, cetuximab, and 2173. Any of the antibody reagents described herein can be useful as an antigen binding domain of a CAR or as a therapeutic agent.

[0137] In one embodiment, a CAR useful in the technology described herein comprises at least two antigen-specific targeting regions, an extracellular domain, a transmembrane domain, and an intracellular signaling domain. In such an embodiment, the two or more antigen-specific targeting regions target at least two different antigens and can be arranged in tandem and separated by a linker sequence. In another embodiment, the CAR is a bispecific CAR. A bispecific CAR is specific for two different antigens.

[0138] For example, the bispecific CAR can be a tandem CAR targeting IL-13Rα2 and EGFRvIII. In some embodiments, the IL-13Rα2 binding sequence comprises an anti-IL-13Rα2 antibody reagent, such as an scFv or a single domain antibody (e.g., Camelid). In some embodiments, the IL-13Rα2 binding sequence can comprise an IL-13Rα2 ligand or an antigen-binding fragment thereof, such as IL-13 or IL-13 zetakine. In some embodiments, the IL-13 zetakine corresponds to or comprises the sequence of SEQ ID NO:101, or comprises a sequence having at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or more sequence identity to the sequence of SEQ ID NO:101. In some embodiments, the EGFRvIII binding site can comprise an anti-EGFRvIII scFv. In some embodiments, the anti-EGFRvIII scFv comprises a VH corresponding to the sequence of SEQ ID NO: 111 or 113, comprising an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 111 or 113 or having at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or more sequence identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 111 or 113. In some embodiments, the anti-EGFRvIII scFv comprises a VL corresponding to the sequence of SEQ ID NO: 112 or 114, comprising an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 112 or 114 or having at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or more sequence identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 112 or 114. The VH can be positioned N-terminal to the VL, or the VL can be positioned N-terminal to the VH.In some embodiments, the anti-EGFRvIII scFv corresponds to or comprises the sequence of SEQ ID NO:27, 36, 45, 57, 65, or 103, or comprises a sequence having at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or more sequence identity to the sequence of SEQ ID NO:27, 36, 45, 57, 65, or 103. The IL-13Rα2 binding sequence may be located N-terminal to the EGFRvIII binding sequence, or the EGFRvIII binding sequence may be located N-terminal to IL-13Rα2. The IL-13Rα2 binding sequence and the EGFRvIII binding sequence may optionally be linked via a linker, for example, SEQ ID NO:102, as well as any other linker described herein or known in the art.

[0139] [Target / antigen] Any cell surface moiety can be targeted by the CAR. Often the target is a cell surface polypeptide that can be differentially or preferentially expressed on the cells one wishes to target for a T cell response. To target Tregs, the antibody reagent can target, for example, repeat-dominant glycoprotein A (GARP), latency-associated peptide (LAP), CD25, CTLA-4, ICOS, TNFR2, GITR, OX40, 4-1BB, and LAG-3. To target tumor or cancer cells, the antibody domain can be targeted, for example, to EGFR or EGFRvIII, as described herein. Targeting tumor-specific or tumor-associated antigens can provide a means of targeting tumor cells while avoiding or at least limiting collateral damage to non-tumor cells or tissues. Non-limiting examples of additional tumor antigens, tumor associated antigens, or other antigens of interest include CD19, CD37, BCMA (Tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 17 (TNFRSF17)); NCBI Gene ID: 608; NCBI Reference Sequence: NP_001183.2 and mRNA (e.g., NCBI Reference Sequence: NM_001192.2)), CEA, immature laminin receptor, TAG-72, HPV These include E6 and E7, BING-4, calcium-activated chloride channel 2, cyclin B1, 9D7, Ep-CAM, EphA3, her2 / neu, telomerase, mesothelin, SAP-1, survivin, BAGE family, CAGE family, GAGE ​​family, MAGE family, SAGE family, XAGE family, NY-ESO-1 / LAGE-1, PRAME, SSX-2, Melan-A / MART-1, gp100 / pmel17, tyrosinase, TRP-1 / -2, MC1R, BRCA1 / 2, CDK4, MART-2, p53, Ras, MUC1, TGF-βRII, IL-15, IL13Ra2, and CSF1R.

[0140] In some embodiments, the target / antigen of the CAR is EGFR, EGFRvIII, CD19, CD79b, CD37, prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA), prostate stem cell antigen (PSCA), IL-13Rα2, EphA1, Her2, mesothelin, MUC1, or MUC16. In other embodiments, the target / antigen of the CAR is LAP or GARP. In further embodiments, the CAR is a bispecific CAR that binds to two of EGFR, EGFRvIII, CD19, CD79b, CD37, PSMA, PSCA, IL-13Rα2, EphA1, Her2, mesothelin, MUC1, and MUC16.

[0141] [Hinge and transmembrane domains] Each CAR described herein comprises a transmembrane domain, e.g., a hinge / transmembrane domain, that connects the extracellular target binding domain to the intracellular signaling domain.

[0142] The binding domain of a CAR is optionally followed by one or more "hinge domains," which serve to position the antigen binding domain away from the effector cell surface to allow for proper cell / cell contact, antigen binding, and activation. A CAR optionally comprises one or more hinge domains between the binding domain and the transmembrane domain (TM). The hinge domain may be derived from either natural, synthetic, semi-synthetic, or recombinant sources. The hinge domain may comprise the amino acid sequence of a naturally occurring immunoglobulin hinge region or a modified immunoglobulin hinge region. Exemplary hinge domains suitable for use in the CARs described herein include hinge regions derived from the extracellular regions of type 1 membrane proteins such as CD8 (e.g., CD8α), CD4, CD28, 4-1BB, and CD7, which may be wild-type hinge regions from these molecules or may be modified. In some embodiments, the hinge region is derived from the hinge region of an immunoglobulin-like protein (e.g., IgA, IgD, IgE, IgG, or IgM), CD28, or CD8. In one embodiment, the hinge domain comprises a CD8α hinge region.

[0143] As used herein, a "transmembrane domain" (TM domain) refers to a portion of a CAR that fuses the extracellular binding portion, optionally via a hinge domain, to the intracellular portion (e.g., the costimulatory domain and the intracellular signaling domain), anchoring the CAR to the plasma membrane of an immune effector cell. A transmembrane domain is a generally hydrophobic region of a CAR that passes through the plasma membrane of a cell. A TM domain can be a transmembrane region or fragment thereof of a transmembrane protein (e.g., a type I transmembrane protein or other transmembrane protein), an artificial hydrophobic sequence, or a combination thereof. Although specific examples are provided herein and used in the examples, other transmembrane domains will be apparent to those of skill in the art and can be used in connection with alternative embodiments of the technology. It is preferred that the selected transmembrane region or fragment thereof does not interfere with the intended function of the CAR. When used in connection with a transmembrane domain of a protein or polypeptide, a "fragment thereof" refers to a portion of the transmembrane domain sufficient to anchor or attach the protein to the cell surface.

[0144] In some examples, the transmembrane domain of a CAR described herein, or a fragment thereof, may be selected from the group consisting of the alpha, beta, or zeta chain of the T cell receptor, CD28, CD3 epsilon, CD45, CD4, CD5, CD8, CD9, CD16, CD22, CD33, CD37, CD64, CD80, CD86, CD134, CD137, CD154, KIRDS2, OX40, CD2, CD27, LFA-1 (CD11a, CD18), ICOS (CD278), 4-1BB (CD137), 4-1BBL, GITR, CD40, BAFFR, HVEM (LIGHTR), SLAMF7, NKp80 (K LRF1), CD160, CD19, IL2R beta, IL2R gamma, IL7Ra, ITGA1, VLA1, CD49a, ITGA4, IA4, CD49D, ITGA6, VLA-6, CD49f, ITGAD, CD11d, ITGAE, CD103, ITGAL, CD11a, LFA-1, ITGAM, CD11b, ITGAX, CD11c, ITGB1, CD29, ITGB2, CD18, LFA-1, ITGB7, TNFR2, DNAM1 (CD226), SLAMF4 (CD244, 2B4), CD84, CD96 (Tactile), CEACAM1, CRT and / or NKG2C.

[0145] As used herein, "hinge / transmembrane domain" refers to a domain that includes both the hinge domain and the transmembrane domain. For example, the hinge / transmembrane domain can be derived from the hinge / transmembrane domain of CD8, CD28, CD7, or 4-1BB. In one embodiment, the hinge / transmembrane domain of the CAR or a fragment thereof is derived from or includes the hinge / transmembrane domain of CD8 (e.g., SEQ ID NOs: 4, 10, 16, 22, 28, 37, 46, 58, 66, 72, 78, 104, or any one of their variants).

[0146] CD8 is an antigen found preferentially on the cell surface of cytotoxic T lymphocytes. CD8 mediates cell-cell interactions within the immune system and acts as a co-receptor for T cells. CD8 consists of alpha (CD8α or CD8a) and beta (CD8β or CD8b) chains. CD8a sequences are known for many species, for example, human CD8a (NCBI gene number: 925) polypeptide (e.g., NCBI Reference Sequence NP_001139345.1) and mRNA (e.g., NCBI Reference Sequence NM_000002.12). CD8 can refer to human CD8, including naturally occurring variants, molecules, and alleles thereof. In some embodiments of any of the aspects, for example, in veterinary applications, CD8 can refer to CD8, for example, canine, feline, bovine, equine, porcine, etc. Homologs and / or orthologs of human CD8 are readily identified for a species by one of skill in the art using, for example, the NCBI ortholog search function, or by searching available sequence data for a given species for sequences similar to the reference CD8 sequence.

[0147] In some embodiments, the CD8 hinge and transmembrane sequence corresponds to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:4, 10, 16, 22, 28, 37, 46, 58, 66, 72, 78, or 104; or comprises the sequence of SEQ ID NO:4, 10, 16, 22, 28, 37, 46, 58, 66, 72, 78, or 104; or comprises a sequence having at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or at least 100% sequence identity to the sequence of SEQ ID NO:4, 10, 16, 22, 28, 37, 46, 58, 66, 72, 78, or 104.

[0148] [Costimulatory domain] Each CAR described herein optionally includes an intracellular domain or costimulatory domain of one or more costimulatory molecules. As used herein, the term "costimulatory domain" refers to the intracellular signaling domain of a costimulatory molecule. A costimulatory molecule is a cell surface molecule other than an antigen receptor or an Fc receptor that, upon binding to an antigen, provides a second signal required for efficient activation and function of T lymphocytes. The costimulatory domain can be, for example, the costimulatory domain of 4-1BB, CD27, CD28, or OX40. In one example, the 4-1BB intracellular domain (ICD) can be used (see, for example, below and SEQ ID NOs: 5, 11, 17, 23, 29, 38, 47, 59, 67, 73, 79, 105, or variants thereof). Additional illustrative examples of such costimulatory molecules include CARD11, CD2, CD7, CD27, CD28, CD30, CD40, CD54 (ICAM), CD83, CD134 (OX40), CD137 (4-1BB), CD150 (SLAMF1), CD152 (CTLA4), CD223 (LAG3), CD270 (HVEM), CD273 (PD-L2), CD274 (PD-L1), CD278 (ICOS), DAP10, LAT, NKD2C SLP76, TRIM, and ZAP70. In one embodiment, the intracellular domain is the intracellular domain of 4-1BB. 4-1BB (CD137; TNFRS9) is an activation-induced costimulatory molecule and a key regulator of the immune response.

[0149] 4-1BB is a membrane receptor protein, also known as CD137, which is a member of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor superfamily. 4-1BB is expressed on activated T lymphocytes. 4-1BB sequences are known for many species, e.g., human 4-1BB, also known as TNFRSF9 (NCBI gene number: 3604) and mRNA (NCBI reference sequence: NM_001561.5). 4-1BB may refer to human 4-1BB, including naturally occurring variants, molecules, and alleles thereof. In some embodiments of any of the aspects, e.g., in veterinary applications, 4-1BB may refer to, e.g., canine, feline, bovine, equine, porcine, etc. 4-1BB may be used in a variety of applications. Homologs and / or orthologs of human 4-1BB are easily identified for such species by those skilled in the art, e.g., using the NCBI ortholog search function or by searching available sequence data of a given species for sequences similar to the reference 4-1BB sequence.

[0150] In some embodiments, the intracellular domain is the intracellular domain of 4-1BB. In one embodiment, the 4-1BB intracellular domain corresponds to an amino acid sequence selected from SEQ ID NO:5, 11, 17, 23, 29, 38, 47, 59, 67, 73, 79, or 105; or comprises a sequence selected from SEQ ID NO:5, 11, 17, 23, 29, 38, 47, 59, 67, 73, 79, or 105; or comprises at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or at least 100% sequence identity to a sequence selected from SEQ ID NO:5, 11, 17, 23, 29, 38, 47, 59, 67, 73, 79, or 105.

[0151] [Intracellular signaling domain] The CAR described herein comprises an intracellular signaling domain. By "intracellular signaling domain" is meant the portion of a CAR polypeptide that is involved in transmitting the message of effective CAR binding to a target antigen inside an immune effector cell to induce effector cell functions, such as activation, cytokine production, proliferation and cytotoxic activity, such as release of cytotoxic factors to a target cell bound to the CAR, or other cellular responses elicited after antigen binding to the extracellular CAR domain. In various examples, the intracellular signaling domain is derived from CD3zeta (see, e.g., below). Further non-limiting examples of intracellular signaling domains that contain immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motifs (ITAMs) that are particularly useful in the art include those derived from TCRzeta, FcRgamma, FcRbeta, CD3gamma, CD3q, CD3delta, CD3eta, CD3epsilon, CD3zeta, CD22, CD79a, CD79b, and CD66d.

[0152] CD3 is a T cell coreceptor that promotes T lymphocyte activation when engaged simultaneously with appropriate costimulation (e.g., binding of costimulatory molecules). The CD3 complex consists of four different chains; mammalian CD3 consists of the CD3γ chain, the CD3δ chain, and two CD3ε chains. These chains associate with a molecule known as the T cell receptor (TCR) and CD3ζ to generate an activation signal in the T lymphocyte. The complete TCR complex includes the TCR, CD3ζ, and the complete CD3 complex.

[0153] In some embodiments of any of the aspects, the CAR polypeptide described herein comprises an intracellular signaling domain comprising an immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motif or ITAM from CD3 zeta (CD3ζ), including variants of CD3ζ, such as, for example, ITAM-mutated CD3ζ, CD3η, or CD3θ. In some embodiments of any of the aspects, the ITAM comprises an ITAM triad of CD3ζ (ITAM3). In some embodiments of any of the aspects, the ITAM triad of CD3ζ is not mutated and thus comprises a native or wild-type sequence. In some embodiments, the CD3ζ sequence comprises a CD3ζ sequence set forth in the sequences provided herein, e.g., SEQ ID NOs: 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 39, 48, 60, 68, 74, 80, 106, or one of their variants.

[0154] For example, a CAR polypeptide described herein comprises an intracellular signaling domain of CD3zeta. In one embodiment, the CD3zeta intracellular signaling domain corresponds to an amino acid sequence selected from SEQ ID NO: 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 39, 48, 60, 68, 74, 80, or 106; or comprises a sequence selected from SEQ ID NO: 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 39, 48, 60, 68, 74, 80, or 106; or comprises a sequence having at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or at least 100% sequence identity to a sequence selected from SEQ ID NO: 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 39, 48, 60, 68, 74, 80, or 106.

[0155] The individual CAR and other construct components described herein can be used in conjunction with one another and substituted in the various constructs described herein, as can be determined by one of skill in the art. Each of these components can comprise or consist of any of the corresponding sequences described herein, or variants thereof.

[0156] A more detailed description of CARs and CAR T cells can be found in Maus et al., Blood 123:2624-2635, 2014; Reardon et al., Neuro-Oncology 16:1441-1458, 2014; Hoyos et al., Haematologica 97:1622, 2012; Byrd et al., J. Clin. Oncol. 32:3039-3047, 2014; Maher et al., Cancer Res 69:4559-4562, 2009; and Tamada et al., Clin. Cancer Res. 18:6436-6445, 2012; each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0157] In some embodiments, the CAR polypeptides described herein include a signal peptide. The signal peptide can be from any protein that has an extracellular domain or is secreted. The CAR polypeptides described herein can include any signal peptide known in the art. In some embodiments, the CAR polypeptides include a CD8 signal peptide, e.g., a CD8 signal peptide that corresponds to or includes the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2, 8, 14, 20, 70, or 76, or includes an amino acid sequence having at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or at least 100% sequence identity to the sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2, 8, 14, 20, 70, or 76.

[0158] In further embodiments, the CAR polypeptides described herein can optionally exclude one of the signal peptides described herein, such as the CD8 signal peptide of SEQ ID NO:2, 8, 14, 20, 70, or 76 or the Igκ signal peptide of SEQ ID NO:32, 41, 50, 54, or 62.

[0159] In one embodiment, the CAR further comprises a linker domain. As used herein, "linker domain" refers to an oligo- or polypeptide region of about 2 to 100 amino acids in length that connects any of the domains / regions of the CAR described herein to one another. In some embodiments, the linker can comprise or consist of flexible residues such as glycine and serine, allowing adjacent protein domains to move freely relative to one another. Linker sequences useful in the present invention can be 2 to 100 amino acids in length, 5 to 50 amino acids in length, 10 to 15 amino acids in length, 15 to 20 amino acids in length, or 18 to 20 amino acids in length, and include any suitable linker known in the art. For example, linker sequences useful in the present invention include, but are not limited to, glycine / serine linkers, such as GGGSGGGSGGGS (SEQ ID NO:107) and Gly4Ser(G4S) linkers, such as (G4S)3(GGGGSGGGGSGGGGS (SEQ ID NO:108)) and (G4S)4(GGGGSGGGGSGGGGSGGGGS (SEQ ID NO:102)); the linker sequence GSTSGSGKPGSGEGSTKG (SEQ ID NO:109) described by Whitlow et al., Protein Eng. 6(8):989-95, 1993, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety; linker sequences that add functionality, such as coding sequences containing Cre-Lox recombination sites or epitope tags, as described by Sblattero et al., Nat. Biotechnol. 18(1):75-80, 2000, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Longer linkers can be used when it is desirable to prevent two adjacent domains from sterically interfering with each other.

[0160] Furthermore, the linker may be cleavable or non-cleavable. Examples of cleavable linkers include 2A linkers (e.g., P2A and T2A), 2A-like linkers or functional equivalents thereof and combinations thereof. For example, the P2A linker sequence may correspond to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 31, 40, or 49. In various examples, linkers having sequences described herein or variants thereof are used. It should be understood that the display of a particular linker in a construct at a particular position does not mean that only that linker can be used therein. Rather, different linker sequences (e.g., P2A and T2A) can be interchanged (e.g., in the context of the constructs of the present invention) as can be determined by one of skill in the art. In one embodiment, the linker region is T2A derived from Thosea asigna virus. Non-limiting examples of linkers that can be used in this technology include T2A, P2A, E2A, BmCPV2A, and BmIFV2A. Linkers such as these can be used in the context of polyproteins such as those described below. For example, they can be used to separate the CAR component of a polyprotein from the therapeutic (e.g., an antibody, such as an scFv, a single domain antibody (e.g., a camelid antibody), or a bispecific antibody (e.g., a BiTE)) component of the polyprotein (see below).

[0161] In some embodiments, the CARs described herein optionally further comprise a reporter molecule, for example to allow for non-invasive imaging (e.g., positron emission tomography PET scans). In bispecific CARs that include a reporter molecule, the first extracellular binding domain and the second extracellular binding domain can include different or the same reporter molecule. In bispecific CAR T cells, the first CAR and the second CAR can express different or the same reporter molecule. In another embodiment, the CARs described herein can be expressed alone or in combination with a substrate or chemical (e.g., 9-[4-[ 18 F]fluoro-3]-(hydroxymethyl)butyl]guanine ([ 18In another embodiment, the CAR described herein further comprises a reporter molecule (e.g., hygromycin phosphotransferase (hph)) that can be imaged in combination with a non-invasive technique (e.g., 64 Cu 2+ Further included are nanoparticles that can be easily imaged using gold nanoparticles (GNPs) functionalized with . Labeling of CAR T cells for non-invasive imaging is reviewed, for example, in Bhatnagar et al., Integr. Biol. (Camb). 5(1):231-238, 2013, and Keu et al., Sci. Transl. Med. 18; 9(373), 2017, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

[0162] GFP and mCherry are demonstrated herein as useful fluorescent tags for imaging CARs expressed on T cells (e.g., CAR T cells). It is expected that essentially any fluorescent protein known in the art can be used as a fluorescent tag for this purpose. For clinical applications, it is not necessary for the CAR to include a fluorescent tag or fluorescent protein. Thus, in each of the specific construct examples provided herein, any marker present in the construct can be removed. The present invention includes constructs with or without markers. Thus, when a specific construct is referred to herein, it can be considered to be included in the present invention with or without a marker or tag (e.g., including a histidine tag, such as the histidine tag of HHHHHH (SEQ ID NO: 97)).

[0163] In some embodiments, the CAR polypeptide sequence comprises a sequence selected from SEQ ID NO:1, 7, 13, 69, 75, 100, 115, 116, or 117, or a combination of SEQ ID NO:21-24, 27-30, 36-39, 45-48, 57-60, 65-68, 71-74, 77-80, or 101-106, optionally excluding the CD8 signal peptide described herein, or a sequence having at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or more sequence identity thereto. As can be determined by one of skill in the art, various functionally similar or equivalent components of these CARs can be exchanged or substituted for each other, as well as for other similar or functionally equivalent components known in the art or listed herein.

[0164] [Therapeutic agents delivered by CAR T cells] As described above, the CAR T cells of the present invention can be used to deliver therapeutic agents, e.g., antibody reagents or other therapeutic molecules, e.g., cytokines, to the tumor (i.e., tumor microenvironment). In various embodiments, the therapeutic agent is encoded by the same nucleic acid molecule as the CAR, thus facilitating the transduction of the cell (e.g., T cell) to express both the CAR and the therapeutic agent, e.g., antibody reagent or cytokine. In such examples, the therapeutic agent (e.g., antibody reagent or cytokine) can be expressed such that it is separated from the CAR (and optionally other proteins, e.g., markers) by, for example, a cleavable linker sequence (e.g., a 2A linker, e.g., P2A or T2A; see above). The therapeutic agent (e.g., antibody reagent or cytokine) can be expressed under the control of the same promoter as the CAR (e.g., by the EF1α promoter) and can be expressed constitutively. In other examples, the therapeutic agent (e.g., antibody reagent or cytokine) is expressed under the control of an inducible promoter, e.g., a promoter that is expressed upon T cell activation (e.g., the NFAT promoter). Such inducible promoters can be used, for example, to ensure that antibodies are expressed only upon T cell activation and thus only when, for example, the CAR T cells are within the tumor microenvironment where limiting antibody production therein may be advantageous. As is understood in the art, the CAR coding sequence can be 5' or 3' to the therapeutic agent (e.g., antibody reagent or cytokine) coding sequence in various vector designs within the invention. In some embodiments, the Therapeutic Agent comprises an Igκ signal peptide, e.g., an Igκ signal peptide comprising an amino acid sequence corresponding to, or comprising, the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:32, 41, 50, 54, or 62, or having at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or at least 100% sequence identity to the sequence of SEQ ID NO:32, 41, 50, 54, 62, or 62.

[0165] In various examples, the therapeutic agent is an antibody reagent. The antibody reagent expressed in the CAR T cells (e.g., from the same nucleic acid molecule as the CAR) can be a single chain antibody (e.g., scFv) or a single domain antibody (e.g., camelid), as described herein. In the case of a single chain antibody, the light (L) and heavy (H) chains can be in LH or HL order (N-terminus to C-terminus), and can optionally be separated from each other by a linker (e.g., a glycine-based linker). In a further example, the antibody reagent is a bispecific antibody, including, for example, a bispecific T cell engager (BiTE), as described below.

[0166] The antibody reagent may target a tumor antigen, such as, for example, EGFR, EGFRvIII, CD19, IL-15, IL13Ra2, CSF1R, etc. For example, the antibody reagent is an anti-EGFR or anti-EGFRvIII antibody reagent and comprises the sequence of SEQ ID NO:21, 27, 33, 36, 42, 45, 55, 57, or 65, or a sequence having at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or more sequence identity to the sequence of SEQ ID NO:21, 27, 33, 36, 42, 45, 55, 57, or 65. In another example, the antibody reagent is an anti-CD19 antibody reagent and comprises the sequence of SEQ ID NO:51 or 63 or a sequence having at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or more sequence identity to the sequence of SEQ ID NO:51 or 63. In another example, the antibody reagent is an anti-CD3 antibody reagent and comprises the sequence of SEQ ID NO:34, 43, 52, 56, or 64 or a sequence having at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or more sequence identity to the sequence of SEQ ID NO:34, 43, 52, 56, or 64. In various other examples, the antibody reagent can comprise C225, 3C10, cetuximab, or 2173, or an antigen-binding fragment thereof.

[0167] In other examples, the antibody reagent may target a Treg antigen, such as, for example, CTLA-4, CD25, GARP, LAP, etc. For example, the antibody reagent is an anti-GARP antibody reagent and comprises the sequence of SEQ ID NO:3 or 25, or a sequence having at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or more sequence identity to the sequence of SEQ ID NO:3 or 25. In further embodiments, the antibody reagent is an anti-GARP antibody reagent and comprises the complementarity determining regions (CDRs) of SEQ ID NO:81, 82, 83, 84, 85, and / or 86, or a CDR sequence having at least one, two, or three amino acid substitutions of SEQ ID NO:81, 82, 83, 84, 85, and / or 86. In further embodiments, the anti-GARP antibody reagent comprises a VH and / or VL of SEQ ID NO:87 and 88, or a VH and / or VL sequence having at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or more sequence identity to the sequences of SEQ ID NO:87 and 88. The VH can be located N-terminal to the VL, or the VL can be located N-terminal to the VH. In further embodiments, the anti-GARP antibody reagent comprises a sequence of SEQ ID NO:71 or 77, or a sequence having at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or more sequence identity to the sequences of SEQ ID NO:71 or 77. In another example, the antibody reagent is an anti-LAP antibody reagent and comprises the complementarity determining regions (CDRs) of SEQ ID NOs:89, 90, 91, 92, 93, and / or 94, or comprises CDR sequences having at least one, two, or three amino acid substitutions of SEQ ID NOs:89, 90, 91, 92, 93, and / or 94.In some embodiments, the anti-LAP antibody reagent comprises a VH and / or VL of SEQ ID NO:95 and 96, or comprises a VH and / or VL sequence having at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or more sequence identity to the sequence of SEQ ID NO:87 and 88. The VH can be located N-terminal to the VL, or the VL can be located N-terminal to the VH. In further embodiments, the antibody reagent is an anti-LAP antibody reagent and comprises a sequence of SEQ ID NO:9 or 15, or comprises a sequence having at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or more sequence identity to the sequence of SEQ ID NO:9 or 15. In further examples, the antibody reagent can comprise daclizumab or an antigen-binding fragment thereof.

[0168] The antibody reagents can also target any other antigen described herein or known in the art. In addition to optionally delivering antibody reagents as described herein, the CAR T cells of the present invention can be used to deliver other therapeutic agents, including, but not limited to, cytokines and toxins.

[0169] [Bispecific T cell engager (BiTE)] In some embodiments, the therapeutic agent delivered by the CAR T cells described herein is a bispecific T cell engager (BiTE). Such a molecule can target T cells by binding to a T cell antigen (e.g., by binding to CD3) as well as a target antigen, e.g., a tumor antigen. Exemplary tumor antigens include EGFR, EGFRvIII, CD19, CD79b, CD37, PSMA, PSCA, IL-13Rα2, EphA1, Her2, mesothelin, MUC1, or MUC16 (see also above). BiTEs can be used, for example, to enhance T cell responses in the tumor microenvironment. The two components of a BiTE can be separated from each other, optionally by a linker (e.g., a glycine-based linker) described herein, and can be linked in either orientation, e.g., the N-terminus of the anti-CD3 component to the anti-target antigen component, or vice versa. The anti-CD3 component or the anti-target antigen component of the BiTE can include any of the antibody reagents described herein.

[0170] BiTEs secreted by CAR T cells act in a paracrine manner, for example, by stimulating the CAR T cells themselves or redirecting non-specific bystander T cells to tumors, thus enhancing the antitumor effect of CAR T cell immunotherapy. CAR T cell-mediated BiTE secretion may reduce the risk of undesired BiTE activity in systemic tissues by directing BiTE secretion to the tumor microenvironment. Exemplary BiTE constructs are provided below; however, BiTEs other than those described herein may also be useful for the present invention.

[0171] Exemplary BiTEs useful in the invention described herein include, for example, an anti-EGFR BiTE (also referred to herein as BiTE-EGFR) comprising an anti-EGFR scFv and an anti-CD3 scFv. The anti-EGFR scFv can be arranged in a VH-VL orientation or a VL-VH orientation. In certain embodiments, the anti-EGFR scFv corresponds to, or comprises, the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:33, 42, or 55, or comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or more sequence identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:33, 42, or 55.

[0172] Another exemplary BiTE is an anti-CD19 BiTE (also referred to herein as BiTE-CD19) comprising an anti-CD19 scFv and an anti-CD3 scFv. The anti-CD19 scFv can be arranged in a VH-VL orientation or a VL-VH orientation. In certain embodiments, the anti-CD19 scFv corresponds to or comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 51 or 63, or comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or more sequence identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 51 or 63.

[0173] In some embodiments, the anti-CD3 scFv of any of the BiTEs described herein can be arranged in a VH-VL or VL-VH orientation and can optionally correspond to, or comprise, the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:34, 43, 52, 56, or 64, or comprise an amino acid sequence having at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or more sequence identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:34, 43, 52, 56, or 64.

[0174] The anti-EGFR BiTEs described herein correspond to, or comprise, the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:98, or have at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or more sequence identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:98. The anti-CD19 BiTEs described herein correspond to, or comprise, the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:99, or have at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or more sequence identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:99.

[0175] In some cases, a BiTE can include a signal peptide described herein, e.g., an Igκ signal peptide, e.g., an Igκ signal peptide, comprising an amino acid sequence that corresponds to, or includes, the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:32, 41, 50, 54, or 62, or has at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or at least 100% sequence identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:32, 41, 50, 54, or 62.

[0176] In some embodiments, the CAR T cell comprises a polyprotein comprising the CAR and a therapeutic agent and / or a nucleic acid encoding the polyprotein. In certain embodiments, the polyprotein sequence comprising the CAR and a therapeutic agent corresponds to or comprises a sequence selected from SEQ ID NOs: 19, 26, 35, 44, 53, and 61, or comprises a sequence with at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99% or more sequence identity thereto.

[0177] Other components of the CAR and associated constructs (or variants thereof) described herein, such as the Igκ signal sequence (e.g., SEQ ID NO:32, 41, 50, 54, 62, or variants thereof), the CD8 signal sequence (e.g., SEQ ID NO:2, 8, 14, 20, 70, 76, or variants thereof), and related sequences, can be selected for use in making the constructs of the invention, as will be apparent to one of skill in the art.

[0178] [Nucleic acid encoding CAR] Also provided are nucleic acid constructs and vectors encoding a polyprotein comprising (i) a CAR polypeptide (e.g., of SEQ ID NO: 1, 7, 13, 69, 75, or 100) or (ii) a CAR polypeptide (e.g., of SEQ ID NO: 19, 26, 35, 44, 53, or 61) as described herein and a therapeutic agent. In various examples, the invention provides constructs each comprising separate coding sequences for multiple proteins expressed in the CAR T cells of the invention. These separate coding sequences can be separated from each other by cleavable linker sequences, as described herein. For example, sequences encoding viral 2A proteins (e.g., T2A and P2A) can be placed between separate genes and, when transcribed, can direct cleavage of the generated polyprotein. As noted above, the constructs and vectors of the invention can comprise any of many different combinations of sequences. For example, a construct or vector of the invention can include a sequence encoding one of the CARs described herein, optionally in combination with a therapeutic agent described herein (e.g., an antibody reagent (e.g., a single chain antibody, a single domain antibody (e.g., a camelid), or a bispecific antibody (e.g., a BiTE)) or a cytokine).

[0179] Efficient expression of a protein in a CAR T cell described herein can be assessed using standard assays that detect the mRNA, DNA, or gene product of a nucleic acid encoding the protein. For example, RT-PCR, FACS, Northern blotting, Western blotting, ELISA, or immunohistochemistry can be used. The proteins described herein can be constitutively expressed or inducibly expressed. In some examples, the protein is encoded by a recombinant nucleic acid sequence. For example, the invention provides a vector that includes a first polynucleotide sequence encoding a CAR (wherein the CAR comprises an extracellular domain that comprises an antigen-binding sequence that binds, for example, to a tumor antigen or a Treg-associated antigen) and, optionally, a second polynucleotide sequence encoding a therapeutic agent (e.g., an antibody reagent (e.g., a single chain antibody, a single domain antibody (e.g., a camelid), or a bispecific antibody (e.g., a BiTE)) or a cytokine).

[0180] In some embodiments, the first polynucleotide sequence and the second polynucleotide sequence are each operably linked to a promoter. In some embodiments, the first polynucleotide sequence is operably linked to a first promoter and the second polynucleotide sequence is operably linked to a second promoter. The promoters can be constitutively expressed promoters (e.g., EF1α promoter) or inducibly expressed promoters (e.g., NFAT promoter).

[0181] In some embodiments, expression of the CAR and the therapeutic agent are driven by the same promoter, such as a constitutively expressed promoter (e.g., the EF1 alpha promoter). In other embodiments, expression of the CAR and the therapeutic agent are driven by different promoters. For example, expression of the CAR can be driven by a constitutively expressed promoter (e.g., the EF1 alpha promoter), while expression of the therapeutic agent can be driven by an inducibly expressed promoter (e.g., the NFAT promoter). A polynucleotide sequence encoding the CAR can be located upstream of a polynucleotide sequence encoding the therapeutic agent, or a polynucleotide sequence encoding the therapeutic agent can be located upstream of a polynucleotide sequence encoding the CAR.

[0182] Furthermore, the polynucleotide of the present invention may include the expression of a suicide gene. This may be done to facilitate external drug-mediated control of the administered cells. For example, the suicide gene may be used to deplete the modified cells from the patient, for example, in the case of an adverse event. In one example, the FK506 binding domain is fused to the caspase 9 pro-apoptotic molecule. T cells engineered in this way are made sensitive to the immunosuppressant drug tacrolimus. Other examples of suicide genes are thymidine kinase (TK), CD20, thymidylate kinase, truncated prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA), truncated low affinity nerve growth factor receptor (LNGFR), truncated CD19, and modified Fas, which may be triggered by conditional ablation by administering specific molecules (e.g., ganciclovir for TK+ cells) or antibodies or antibody-drug conjugates.

[0183] The constructs containing sequences encoding proteins for expression in the CAR T cells of the present invention can be contained within a vector. In various examples, the vector is a retroviral vector. Retroviruses, such as lentiviruses, provide a convenient platform for delivery of nucleic acid sequences encoding genes of interest or chimeric genes. A selected nucleic acid sequence can be inserted into a vector and packaged into retroviral particles using techniques known in the art. The recombinant virus can then be isolated and delivered to cells, for example, in vitro or ex vivo. Retroviral systems are well known in the art and are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,219,740; Kurth and Bannert (2010) "Retroviruses: Molecular Biology, Genomics and Pathogenesis" Calster Academic Press (ISBN:978-1-90455-55-4); and Hu and Pathak Pharmacological Reviews 2000 52:493-512, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. A lentiviral-based system for efficient DNA delivery is available from OriGene (Rockville, MD). In various embodiments, proteins are expressed in T cells by transfection or electroporation of an expression vector containing a nucleic acid encoding the protein, using vectors and methods known in the art. In some embodiments, the vector is a viral vector or a non-viral vector. In some embodiments, the viral vector is a retroviral vector (e.g., a lentiviral vector), an adenoviral vector, or an adeno-associated viral vector.

[0184] The invention also includes vectors comprising a first polynucleotide sequence encoding a CAR (wherein the CAR comprises an extracellular domain comprising a sequence that specifically binds, e.g., a tumor antigen or a Treg-associated antigen) and, optionally, a second polynucleotide sequence encoding a therapeutic agent. In certain embodiments, when the therapeutic agent is an antibody reagent (e.g., a single chain antibody, a single domain antibody (e.g., a camelid), or a bispecific antibody (e.g., a BiTE)), the antibody reagent specifically binds to a tumor antigen or a Treg-associated antigen.

[0185] [Cells and Therapeutics] One aspect of the technology described herein relates to a mammalian cell comprising any of the CAR polypeptides described herein (optionally together with another therapeutic agent (e.g., an antibody reagent (e.g., an scFv, camelid antibody, or BiTE) or a cytokine); or a nucleic acid encoding any of the CAR polypeptides described herein (optionally together with another therapeutic agent (e.g., an antibody reagent (e.g., an scFv, camelid antibody, or a cytokine)). In one embodiment, the mammalian cell comprises an antibody, an antibody reagent, an antigen-binding portion thereof, any of the CARs described herein, or a cytokine, or a nucleic acid encoding such an antibody, antibody reagent, an antigen-binding portion thereof, any of the CARs described herein, or a cytokine. The mammalian cell or tissue may be from a human, primate, hamster, rabbit, rodent, bovine, porcine, ovine, equine, caprine, canine, or feline, although any other mammalian cell may be used. In a preferred embodiment of either aspect, the mammalian cell is human.

[0186] In some embodiments of either aspect, the mammalian cell is an immune cell. As used herein, "immune cell" refers to a cell that plays a role in an immune response. Immune cells are of hematopoietic origin and include lymphocytes, such as B cells and T cells; natural killer cells; myeloid cells, such as monocytes, macrophages, eosinophils, mast cells, basophils, and granulocytes. In some embodiments, the immune cell is a T cell; a NK cell; a NKT cell; a lymphocyte, such as B cells and T cells; and a myeloid cell, such as a monocyte, macrophage, eosinophil, mast cell, basophil, and granulocyte. In one embodiment, the immune cell is a T cell.

[0187] In other embodiments, the immune cells are obtained from an individual who has or has been diagnosed with cancer, a plasma cell disorder, or an autoimmune disease.

[0188] Cluster of differentiation (CD) molecules are cell surface markers present on white blood cells. As white blood cells differentiate and mature, their CD profile changes. When white blood cells become cancer cells (i.e., lymphoma), their CD profile is important for diagnosing the disease. The treatment and prognosis of a given type of cancer depends on determining the CD profile of the cancer cells. "CDX+", where "X" is a CD marker, indicates that the CD marker is present in the cancer cell, and "CDX-" indicates that the marker is not present. One skilled in the art can use standard techniques to assess the CD molecules present on cancer cells, for example, by using immunofluorescence to detect commercially available antibodies bound to the CD molecules.

[0189] In some embodiments, immune cells (e.g., T cells) containing a CAR, such as a CART.BiTE described herein, can be used to treat cancer, such as lymphoma, myeloma, or a solid tumor, such as glioblastoma, prostate cancer, lung cancer, or pancreatic cancer. In some embodiments, a CART.BiTE described herein, such as CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-EGFR, can be used to treat glioblastoma with reduced EGFRvIII expression.

[0190] In a further embodiment, immune cells (e.g., T cells) containing a CAR, such as a CART.BiTE described herein, can be used to prevent or reduce immune suppression, e.g., by Tregs, in the tumor microenvironment. Additionally, such CART.BiTEs are useful for preventing or reducing T cell exhaustion in the tumor microenvironment.

[0191] Immune cells (e.g., T cells) containing a CAR, such as a CART.BiTE described herein, can also be used to treat cancers with heterologous antigen expression. For example, the CAR component of the CART.BiTE construct can contain an extracellular target binding domain that binds to one antigen expressed by the cancer, and the BiTE component of the CART.BiTE construct can bind to a second antigen expressed by the cancer in addition to the T cell antigen (e.g., CD3).

[0192] As used herein, "cancer" may refer to the hyperproliferation of cells whose unique traits, loss of normal cellular control, result in uncontrolled growth, lack of differentiation, local tissue invasion, and metastasis. Exemplary cancers include, but are not limited to, glioblastoma, prostate cancer, glioma, leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, or solid tumors, such as lung cancer and pancreatic cancer. Non-limiting examples of leukemia include acute myeloid leukemia (AML), chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). In one embodiment, the cancer is ALL or CLL. Non-limiting examples of lymphomas include diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), follicular lymphoma, small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL), mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), marginal zone lymphoma, Burkitt's lymphoma, hairy cell leukemia (HCL), and T-cell lymphomas (e.g., peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCL), including cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) and anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL)). In one embodiment, the cancer is DLBCL or follicular lymphoma. Non-limiting examples of solid tumors include adrenal cortical tumors, alveolar soft part sarcoma, carcinoma, chondrosarcoma, colorectal carcinoma, desmoid tumor, desmoplastic small round cell tumor, endocrine tumor, endodermal sinus tumor, epithelioid hemangioendothelioma, Ewing's sarcoma, germ cell tumors (solid tumors), giant cell tumor of bone and soft tissue, hepatoblastoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, melanoma, nephroma, neuroblastoma, non-rhabdomyosarcoma soft tissue sarcoma (NRSTS), osteosarcoma, paraspinal sarcoma, renal cell carcinoma, retinoblastoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, synovial sarcoma, and Wilms' tumor. Solid tumors may be found in bone, muscle, or organs and may be sarcomas or carcinomas. It is believed that any aspect of the technology described herein may be used to treat all types of cancer, including cancers not listed in this application. As used herein, the term "tumor" refers to an abnormal growth of cells or tissues, for example, of malignant or benign type.

[0193] As used herein, an "autoimmune disease or disorder" is characterized by the inability of the immune system to distinguish between foreign and normal cells. This leads to the immune system targeting normal cells for programmed cell death. Non-limiting examples of autoimmune diseases or disorders include inflammatory arthritis, type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease, SLE, and vasculitis, allergic inflammation, such as allergic asthma, atopic dermatitis, and contact hypersensitivity. Other examples of autoimmune related diseases or disorders, which should not be construed as limiting, include rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis (MS), systemic lupus erythematosus, Graves' disease (hyperthyroidism), Hashimoto's thyroiditis (hypothyroidism), celiac disease, Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, Guillain-Barre syndrome, primary biliary sclerosis / cirrhosis, sclerosing cholangitis, autoimmune hepatitis, Raynaud's phenomenon, scleroderma, Sjogren's syndrome, Goodpasture's syndrome, Wegener's granulomatosis, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis. These include myalgia, temporal arteritis / giant cell arteritis, chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), psoriasis, autoimmune Addison's disease, ankylosing spondylitis, acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, antiphospholipid syndrome, aplastic anemia, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, myasthenia gravis, opsoclonus-myoclonus syndrome, optic neuritis, Ord's thyroiditis, pemphigus, pernicious anemia, canine polyarthritis, Reiter's syndrome, Takayasu's arteritis, warm autoimmune hemolytic anemia, Wegener's granulomatosis and fibromyalgia (FM).

[0194] In one embodiment, mammalian cells are obtained from a patient with an immune system disorder that results in abnormally low activity of the immune system, or an immunodeficiency disorder that interferes with the ability to fight foreign substances (eg, viruses or bacterial cells).

[0195] Plasma cells are white blood cells generated from B lymphocytes that function to produce and release antibodies required to fight infection. As used herein, a "plasma cell disorder or disease" is characterized by abnormal proliferation of plasma cells. Abnormal plasma cells can "crowd out" normal plasma cells, reducing their ability to fight foreign substances such as viruses or bacterial cells. Non-limiting examples of plasma cell disorders include amyloidosis, Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia, osteosclerosing myeloma (POEMS syndrome), monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), and plasma cell myeloma.

[0196] Mammalian cells, e.g., T cells, can be engineered to contain any of the CAR polypeptides described herein (including a CAR polypeptide cleavably linked to an antibody reagent or cytokine described herein); or a nucleic acid encoding any of the CAR polypeptides described herein (and optionally also a genetically encoded antibody reagent or cytokine). T cells can be obtained from a subject using standard techniques known in the art. For example, T cells can be isolated from peripheral blood taken from a donor or patient. T cells can be isolated from a mammal. Preferably, T cells are isolated from a human.

[0197] In some embodiments of any aspect, a CAR polypeptide described herein (optionally along with an antibody reagent or cytokine described herein) is expressed from a lentiviral vector, which is used to express the CAR polypeptide (and optionally also the antibody reagent or cytokine) in a cell using standard infection techniques.

[0198] Retroviruses, such as lentiviruses, provide a convenient platform for delivery of nucleic acid sequences encoding genes of interest or chimeric genes. A selected nucleic acid sequence can be inserted into a vector and packaged into retroviral particles using techniques known in the art. The recombinant virus can then be isolated and delivered to cells, for example, in vitro or ex vivo. Retroviral systems are well known in the art and are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,219,740; Kurth and Bannert (2010) "Retroviruses: Molecular Biology, Genomics and Pathogenesis" Calster Academic Press (ISBN:978-1-90455-55-4); and Hu et al., Pharmacological Reviews 52:493-512, 2000, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. A lentiviral system for efficient DNA delivery can be purchased from OriGene (Rockville, MD). In some embodiments, a CAR polypeptide (and optionally an antibody reagent or cytokine) of any of the CARs described herein is expressed in a mammalian cell by transfection or electroporation of an expression vector containing a nucleic acid encoding the CAR. Transfection and electroporation methods are known in the art.

[0199] Efficient expression of a CAR polypeptide (and optionally an antibody reagent or cytokine) of any of the polypeptides described herein can be assayed using standard assays that detect the mRNA, DNA, or gene product of the nucleic acid encoding the CAR (and optionally an antibody reagent or cytokine), such as RT-PCR, FACS, Northern blotting, Western blotting, ELISA, or immunohistochemistry.

[0200] In some embodiments, the CAR polypeptide (and optionally the antibody reagent or cytokine) described herein is constitutively expressed. In other embodiments, the CAR polypeptide is constitutively expressed and the optional antibody reagent or cytokine is inducibly expressed. In some embodiments, the CAR polypeptide (and optionally the antibody reagent or cytokine) described herein is encoded by a recombinant nucleic acid sequence.

[0201] One aspect of the presently described technology relates to a method of treating cancer, plasma cell disorder, or autoimmune disease in a subject in need thereof, the method comprising engineering a T cell to contain any of the CAR polypeptides described herein (and optionally an antibody reagent or cytokine) on the T cell surface; and administering the engineered T cell to the subject. In the case of cancer, the method can be for treating a diagnosed cancer, for preventing recurrence of cancer, or for use in an adjuvant or neoadjuvant setting.

[0202] One aspect of the presently described technology relates to a method of treating cancer, a plasma cell disorder, or an autoimmune disease in a subject in need thereof, the method comprising administering any mammalian cell comprising any of the CAR polypeptides (and optionally an antibody reagent or cytokine) described herein.

[0203] In some embodiments of any of the aspects, the engineered CAR-T cells are stimulated and / or activated prior to administration to a subject.

[0204] [Administration] In some embodiments, the methods described herein relate to treating a subject having or diagnosed as having cancer, a plasma cell dyscrasia or disorder, or an autoimmune disease or disorder with any of the CAR polypeptides (and optional antibody reagents or cytokines) described herein, or a mammalian cell comprising a nucleic acid encoding any of the CAR polypeptides (and optional antibody reagents or cytokines) described herein. The CAR T cells described herein include mammalian cells comprising any of the CAR polypeptides (and optional antibody reagents or cytokines) described herein, or a nucleic acid encoding any of the CAR polypeptides (and optional antibody reagents or cytokines) described herein. As used herein, "disease condition" refers to cancer, a plasma cell dyscrasia or disorder, or an autoimmune disease or disorder. Subjects having a disease condition can be identified by a physician using the present methods of diagnosing a disease condition. Symptoms and / or complications of a disease condition that characterize and aid in the diagnosis of these conditions are well known in the art and include, but are not limited to, fatigue, persistent infection, and persistent bleeding. For example, tests that may help diagnose a condition include, but are not limited to, blood tests and bone marrow tests, as are known in the art for a given condition. A family history of a condition, or exposure to risk factors for a condition, may also help determine whether a subject is likely to have the condition or to make a diagnosis of the condition.

[0205] The compositions described herein may be administered to a subject having or diagnosed with a medical condition. In some embodiments, the methods described herein include administering to a subject an effective amount of the activated CAR T cells described herein to alleviate the symptoms of the medical condition. As used herein, "alleviating the symptoms of a medical condition" refers to ameliorating any medical condition or symptoms associated with a medical condition. Such reduction is at least 5%, 10%, 20%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 80%, 90%, 95%, 99% or more as measured by any standard technique, compared to an equivalent untreated control. Various means for administering the compositions described herein to a subject are known to those of skill in the art. In one embodiment, the compositions described herein are administered systemically or locally. In a preferred embodiment, the compositions described herein are administered intravenously. In another embodiment, the compositions described herein are administered to the site of a tumor.

[0206] The term "effective amount" as used herein refers to the amount of activated CAR T cells necessary to alleviate at least one or more symptoms of a disease or disorder, and relates to a cell preparation or composition in an amount sufficient to produce the desired effect. Thus, the term "therapeutically effective amount" refers to an amount of activated CAR T cells sufficient to produce an effect against a particular pathology when administered to a typical subject. Effective amount as used herein may also include an amount sufficient to slow the progression of a disease symptom, alter the course of a disease symptom (such as, but not limited to, slow the progression of a symptom), or reverse a disease symptom, in various circumstances. Thus, it is generally not practical to specify an exact "effective amount". However, in any given case, an appropriate "effective amount" can be determined by one of ordinary skill in the art using only routine experimentation.

[0207] Effective doses, toxicity, and therapeutic effects can be evaluated by standard pharmaceutical procedures in cell cultures or experimental animals. Dosages can vary depending on the dosage form used and the route of administration utilized. The dose ratio between toxic and therapeutic effects is the therapeutic index, which can be expressed as the ratio LD50 / ED50. Compositions and methods that exhibit large therapeutic indices are preferred. Therapeutically effective doses can be estimated initially from cell culture assays. A dose can also be formulated in animal models to achieve a circulating plasma concentration range that includes the IC50 (i.e., the concentration of activated CAR T cells that achieves half-maximal inhibition of symptoms) determined in cell culture or a suitable animal model. Plasma levels can be measured, for example, by high performance liquid chromatography. The effect of any particular dosage can be monitored by suitable bioassays, such as, inter alia, assays for bone marrow biopsy. Dosages can be determined by a physician and adjusted as necessary to accommodate observed therapeutic effects.

[0208] In one aspect of the technology described herein, the technology described herein relates to a pharmaceutical composition comprising the activated CAR T cells described herein and, optionally, a pharma- ceutically acceptable carrier. The active ingredient of the minimal pharmaceutical composition comprises the activated CAR T cells described herein. In some embodiments, the active ingredient of the pharmaceutical composition consists essentially of the activated CAR T cells described herein. In some embodiments, the active ingredient of the pharmaceutical composition consists of the activated CAR T cells described herein. Pharmaceutically acceptable carriers for cell-based therapeutic formulations include saline and aqueous buffers, Ringer's solution, and serum components, such as serum albumin, HDL, and LDL. Terms such as "excipient," "carrier," "pharma- ceutically acceptable carrier," and the like, are used interchangeably herein.

[0209] In some embodiments, the pharmaceutical composition comprising the activated CAR T cells described herein can be in a parenteral dosage form. Since administration of a parenteral dosage form typically circumvents the patient's natural defense against contaminants, components other than the CAR T cells themselves are preferably sterile or can be sterilized before administration to a patient. Examples of parenteral dosage forms include, but are not limited to, solutions for injection, dry products dissolved or suspended in a pharma- ceutically acceptable vehicle for injection, suspensions for injection, and emulsions. Any of these can be added to the activated CAR T cell preparation before administration.

[0210] Suitable vehicles that can be used to provide parenteral dosage forms of the disclosed activated CAR T cells are well known to those of skill in the art. Examples include, but are not limited to, saline; glucose solutions; aqueous vehicles including, but not limited to, Sodium Chloride Injection, Ringer's Injection, Dextrose Injection, Dextrose and Sodium Chloride Injection, Lactated Ringer's Injection; water-miscible vehicles such as, but not limited to, ethyl alcohol, polyethylene glycol, and propylene glycol; and non-aqueous vehicles such as, but not limited to, corn oil, cottonseed oil, peanut oil, sesame oil, ethyl oleate, isopropyl myristate, and benzyl benzoate.

[0211] [Dosage] The term "unit dosage form" as used herein means a dosage amount suitable for single administration. By way of example, a unit dosage form can be an amount of a therapeutic agent disposed in a delivery device, such as a syringe or an intravenous drip bag. In one embodiment, a unit dosage form is administered in a single dose. In another embodiment, more than one unit dosage form can be administered simultaneously.

[0212] In some embodiments, the activated CAR T cells described herein are administered as a monotherapy, i.e., the subject is not concurrently receiving any other treatment for the condition.

[0213] Pharmaceutical compositions comprising the T cells described herein generally comprise at least 10 4 ~10 9Cells / kg body weight, in some cases 10 5 ~10 6 The T cell composition can be administered in a dosage of cells / kg body weight, including all integer values ​​within these ranges. If necessary, the T cell composition can be administered multiple times at these dosages. The cells can be administered by using injection techniques commonly known in immunotherapy (see, for example, Rosenberg et al., New Eng. J. Med. 319:1676, 1988).

[0214] In certain embodiments, it may be desirable to administer the activated CAR T cells to the subject, then re-draw blood (or perform apheresis), activate T cells therefrom as described herein, and re-infuse the patient with these activated and expanded T cells. This method may be performed multiple times, every few weeks. In certain embodiments, the T cells may be activated from a blood draw of 10cc to 400cc. In certain embodiments, the T cells are activated from a blood draw of 20cc, 30cc, 40cc, 50cc, 60cc, 70cc, 80cc, 90cc, or 100cc.

[0215] Methods of administration may include, for example, intravenous (iv) injection or infusion. The compositions described herein may be administered to a patient intraarterially, intratumorally, intranodally, or intramedullarily. In some embodiments, the T cell compositions may be injected directly into a tumor, lymph node, or site of infection. In one embodiment, the compositions described herein are administered into a body cavity or fluid (e.g., ascites, pleural fluid, peritoneal fluid, or cerebrospinal fluid).

[0216] In certain exemplary aspects, the subject may undergo leukapheresis, where leukocytes are collected, enriched or removed ex vivo to select and / or isolate cells of interest, e.g., T cells. These T cell isolates are expanded by contact with artificial APCs, e.g., aAPCs expressing anti-CD28 and anti-CD3 CDRs, and processed to allow for the introduction of one or more CAR constructs of the present technology, thereby generating CAR T cells. The subject in need thereof may then undergo standard treatment with high-dose chemotherapy, followed by peripheral blood stem cell transplantation. After or simultaneously with transplantation, the subject may receive an infusion of the expanded CAR T cells. In one embodiment, the expanded cells are administered before or after surgery.

[0217] In some embodiments, lymphodepletion is performed on the subject prior to administration of one or more CAR T cells described herein. In such embodiments, lymphodepletion can include administering one or more of melphalan, cytoxan, cyclophosphamide, and fludarabine.

[0218] Dosages of the above therapeutic agents administered to a patient will vary according to the exact nature of the condition being treated and the recipient of the treatment. Scaling of dosages for administration to humans can be performed in accordance with art-recognized practices.

[0219] In some embodiments, a single treatment regimen is required. In other cases, one or more subsequent doses or treatment regimen administrations may be performed. For example, after treatment every other week for three months, treatment may be repeated once a month for six months or for a year or more. In some embodiments, no additional treatment is administered after the first treatment.

[0220] The dosage of the compositions described herein can be determined by a physician and adjusted as necessary to suit the observed therapeutic effect. With regard to the duration and frequency of treatment, a skilled clinician will typically monitor the subject to determine when the treatment produces a therapeutic effect and to determine whether to administer further cells, discontinue treatment, resume treatment, or make other changes to the treatment regimen. The dosage should not be so high as to cause adverse side effects, such as cytokine release syndrome. In general, the dosage will vary depending on the age, medical condition, and sex of the patient, and can be determined by one of skill in the art. The dosage can also be adjusted by the individual physician in the event of any complications.

[0221] [Combination therapy] The activated CAR T cells described herein can optionally be used in combination with each other and with other known drugs and therapies, as can be determined to be appropriate by one of skill in the art. In one example, two or more CAR T cells targeting different Treg markers (e.g., GARP, LAP, etc.) can be administered in combination. In another example, two or more CAR T cells targeting different cancer antigens are administered in combination. In a further example, one or more CAR T cells targeting a Treg marker (e.g., GARP, LAP, etc.) are administered in combination with one or more CAR T cells targeting one or more tumor antigens.

[0222] As used herein, administered "in combination" means that two (or more) different therapeutic agents are delivered to a subject during the course of the subject's disease affliction. For example, two or more therapeutic agents are delivered after the subject is diagnosed with a disorder and before the disorder is cured or eliminated, or before treatment is discontinued for other reasons. In some embodiments, the delivery of one treatment is still occurring when the delivery of the second begins, and there is an overlap in administration. This is sometimes referred to herein as "simultaneous" or "concurrent delivery." In other embodiments, the delivery of one type of therapeutic agent ends before the delivery of the other begins. In some embodiments in either case, the treatment is more effective due to the combined administration. For example, the second therapeutic agent is more effective than would be observed if administered in the absence of the first therapeutic agent, e.g., the same effect is observed with less of the second therapeutic agent, or the second therapeutic agent significantly reduces symptoms, or a similar situation is observed as with the first therapeutic agent. In some embodiments, the delivery is such that the reduction in symptoms or other parameters associated with the disorder is greater than would be observed with one therapeutic agent in the absence of the other therapeutic agent. The effects of the two therapeutic agents may be partially additive, fully additive, or greater than additive. Delivery may be such that the effect of the first therapeutic agent delivered is still detectable when the second therapeutic agent is delivered. The activated CAR T cells described herein and at least one additional therapeutic agent may be administered simultaneously, in the same or separate compositions, or sequentially. For sequential administration, the CAR-expressing cells described herein may be administered first and the additional agent may be administered a second time, or the order of administration may be reversed. CAR T therapy and / or other therapeutic agents, procedures, or modalities may be administered during periods of active disease or during periods of remission or less active disease. CAR T therapy may be administered prior to another treatment, concurrently with a treatment, after a treatment, or during remission of the disorder.

[0223] When administered in combination, the activated CAR T cells and additional agent (e.g., second or third agent), or all, may be administered in amounts or dosages that are greater than, less than, or the same as the amount or dosage of each agent used individually, e.g., as monotherapy. In certain embodiments, the amount or dosage of the activated CAR T cells, additional agent (e.g., second or third agent), or all administered is less than the amount or dosage of each agent used individually (e.g., at least 20%, at least 30%, at least 40%, or at least 50%). In other embodiments, the amount or dosage of the activated CAR T cells, additional agent (e.g., second or third agent), or all that results in a desired effect (e.g., treatment of cancer) is less than the amount or dosage of each agent individually required to achieve the same therapeutic effect (e.g., at least 20%, at least 30%, at least 40%, or at least 50% less). In further embodiments, the activated CAR T cells described herein may be used in a treatment regimen in combination with surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, mTOR pathway inhibitors, immunosuppressants such as cyclosporine, azathioprine, methotrexate, mycophenolate, and FK506, antibodies, or other immunoablative agents such as CAMPATH, anti-CD3 antibodies or other antibody therapies, cytotoxin, fludarabine, rapamycin, mycophenolic acid, steroids, FR901228, cytokines, or peptide vaccines, such as those described in Izumoto et al., J. Neurosurg. 108:963- 971, 2008.

[0224] In one embodiment, the activated CAR T cells described herein may be used in combination with checkpoint inhibitors. Exemplary checkpoint inhibitors include anti-PD-1 inhibitors (nivolumab, MK-3475, pembrolizumab, pidilizumab, AMP-224, AMP-514), anti-CTLA4 inhibitors (ipilimumab and tremelimumab), anti-PDL1 inhibitors (atezolizumab, avelomab, MSB0010718C, MEDI4736, and MPDL3280A), and anti-TIM3 inhibitors.

[0225] In one embodiment, the activated CAR T cells described herein may be used in combination with a chemotherapeutic agent. Exemplary chemotherapeutic agents include anthracyclines (e.g., doxorubicin (e.g., liposomal doxorubicin)), vinca alkaloids (e.g., vinblastine, vincristine, vindesine, vinorelbine), alkylating agents (e.g., cyclophosphamide, decarbazine, melphalan, ifosfamide, temozomide, temozolomide), immune cell antibodies (e.g., alemtuzamab, gemtuzumab, rituximab, tositumomab), surrogates, and the like. These include antagonists (including, for example, folate antagonists, pyrimidine analogues, purine analogues and adenosine deaminase inhibitors (e.g., fludarabine)), mTOR inhibitors, TNFR glucocorticoid-induced TNFR-related protein (GITR) agonists, proteasome inhibitors (e.g., aclacinomycin A, gliotoxin or bortezomib), immunomodulators such as thalidomide or thalidomide derivatives (e.g., lenalidomide). Common chemotherapy agents that may be considered for use in combination therapy include anastrozole (Arimidex®), bicalutamide (Casodex®), bleomycin sulfate (Blenoxane®), busulfan (Myleran®), busulfan injection (Busulfex®), capecitabine (Xeloda®), N4-pentoxycarbonyl-5-deoxy-5-fluorocytidine, carboplatin (Paraplatin®), carmustine (BiCNU®), chlorambucil (Leukeran®), cisplatin (Platinol®), and cisplatin (Platinol®). cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan or Neosar), cytarabine, cytosine arabinoside (Cytosar-U), cytarabine liposome injection (DepoCyt), dacarbazine (DTIC-Dome), dactinomycin (Actinomycin D, Cosmegan), daunorubicin hydrochloride (Cerubicin), daunorubicin citrate liposome injection (DaunoXome), dexamethasone, docetaxel (Taxotere),Doxorubicin hydrochloride (Adriamycin®, Rubex®), etoposide (Bepesid®), fludarabine phosphate (Fludara®), 5-fluorouracil (Adrsil®, Efudex®), flutamide (Eulexin®), tezacitibine, gemcitabine (difluorodeoxycytidine), hydroxyurea (Hydrea®), idarubicin (Idamycin), ifosfamide (IFEX®), irinotecan (Camptosar®), L-asparaginase (ELSPAR®), leucovorin calcium, melphalan (Alkeran®), 6-mercaptopurine (Purinethol®), tetracycline (Taxol®), methotrexate (Folex®), mitoxantrone (Novantron®), Mylotarg, paclitaxel (Taxol®), Phoenix (Yttrium-90 / MX-DTPA), pentostatin, polipheprosan 20 including carmustine implant (Gliadel®), tamoxifen citrate (Nolvadex®), teniposide (Vumon®), 6-thioguanine, thiotepa, tirapazamine (Tirazone®), topotecan hydrochloride for injection (Hycamtin®), vinblastine (Velban®), vincristine (Oncovin®), and vinorelbine (Navelbine®). Exemplary alkylating agents include, but are not limited to, nitrogen mustards, ethylenimine derivatives, alkylsulfonates, nitrosoureas, and triazenes; uracil mustard (Aminouracil Mustard®, Chloretaminacil®, Demethyldopan®, Desmethyldopan®, Hemanthamine®, Nordpan®, Uracil Nitrogen Mustard®, Uracillost®, Uracilmostaza®, Uramustin®,Uramustine®), Chlormethine (Mustargen®), Cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan®, Neosar®, Clafen®, Endoxan®, Procytox®, Revimmune, TM), ifosfamide (Mitoxana®), melphalan (Alkeran®), chlorambucil (Leukeran®), pipobroman (Amedel®, Vercyte®), triethylenemelamine (Hemel®, Hexalen®, Hexastat®), )), triethylenethiophosphoramine, temozolomide (Temodar®), thiotepa (Thioplex®), busulfan (Busilvex®, Myleran®), carmustine (BiCNU®), lomustine (CeeNU®), streptozocin (Zanosar®), and dacarbazine (DTIC-Dome®).Additional exemplary alkylating agents include, but are not limited to, oxaliplatin (Eloxatin®); temozolomide (Temodar® and Temodal®); dactinomycin (Actinomycin-D, also known as Cosmegen®); melphalan (L-PAM, L-sarcolysin, and phenylalanine mustard, also known as Alkeran®); altretamine (hexamethylmelamine (HMM), also known as Hexalen®); carmustine (BiCNU®); bendamustine (Treanda®); busulfan (Busulfex® and Myleran®); carboplatin (Paraplatin®); lomustine (CCNU, also known as CeeNU®); cisplatin (CDDP, also known as Platinol® and Platinol®-AQ); chlorambucil. (Leukeran®); cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan® and Neosar®); dacarbazine (DTIC, also known as DIC and imidazole carboxamide, DTIC-Dome®); altretamine (hexamethylmelamine (HMM), also known as Hexalen®); ifosfamide (Ifex®); prednumstine; procarbazine (Matulane®); mechlorethamine (nitrogen mass) tard, mustine and mechlorethamine hydrochloride, also known as Mastergen®); streptozocin (Zanosar®); thiotepa (thiophosphoamide, TESPA and TSPA, also known as Thioplex®); cyclophosphamide (Endoxan®, Cytoxan®, Neosar®, Procytox®, Revimmune®); and bendamustine HC1 (Treanda®).Exemplary mTOR inhibitors include, for example, temsirolimus; ridaforolimus (formally also known as AP23573 and MK8669, and described in PCT Publication No. WO03 / 064383); deferolimus, (lR,2R,45)-4-[(2R)-2[(1R,95,125,15R,16E,18R,19R,21R,235,24E,26E,28Z,305,325,35R)-l,18-dihydro roxy-19,30-dimethoxy-15,17,21,23,29,35-hexamethyl-2,3,10,14,20-pentaoxo-ll,36-dioxa-4-azatricyclo[30.3.1.04'9]hexatriaconta-16,24,26,28-tetraen-12-yl]propyl]-2-methoxycyclohexyl dimethylphosphinate; everolimus (Afinitor® or RADOOl); rapamycin (AY2 2989, Sirolimus®; simapimod (CAS 164301-51-3); emsirolimus, (5-{2,4-bis[(35,)-3-methylmorpholin-4-yl]pyrido[2,3-(i]pyrimidin-7-yl}-2-methoxyphenyl)methanol (AZD8055); 2-amino-8-[iraw5,-4-(2-hydroxyethoxy)cyclohexyl]-6-(6-methoxy-3-pyridinyl)-4 -methyl-pyrido[2,3-JJ pyrimidin-7(8H)-one (PF04691502, CAS 1013101-36-4); and N2-[1,4-dioxo-4-[[4-(4-oxo-8-phenyl-4H-1-benzopyran-2-yl)morpholinium-4-yl]methoxy]butyl]-L-arginylglycyl-La-aspartyl L-serine-, inner salt (SF1126, CAS 936487-67-1), and XL765.Exemplary immunomodulatory agents include, for example, afutuzumab (available from Roche®), pegfilgrastim (Neulasta®); lenalidomide (CC-5013, Revlimid®); thalidomide (Thalomid®), actimid (CC4047); and IRX-2 (human cytokine mixture containing interleukin-1, interleukin-2, and interferon-gamma, CAS951209-71-5, available from IRX Therapeutics). Exemplary anthracyclines include, for example, doxorubicin (Adriamycin® and Rubex®); bleomycin (Lenoxan®); daunorubicin (daunorubicin hydrochloride, daunomycin, and rubidomycin hydrochloride, Cervizin®); daunorubicin liposome (daunorubicin citrate liposome, DaunoXome®); mitoxantrone (DHAD, Novantrone®); epirubicin (Elence. TM); idarubicin (Idamycin®, Idamycin PFSR); mitomycin C (Mutamycin®); geldanamycin; herbimycin; rabidomycin; and desacetylrabidomycin. Exemplary vinca alkaloids include, for example, vinorelbine tartrate (Navelbine®), vincristine (Oncovin®), and vindesine (Eldisine®); vinblastine (also known as vinblastine sulfate, vincaleukoblastine and VLB, Alkaban AQR and Velban®); and vinorelbine (Navelbine®). Exemplary proteosome inhibitors include bortezomib (VELCADE®); carfilzomib (PX-171-007, (5)-4-methyl-N-((5)-l-(((5)-4-methyl-1-((R)-2-methyloxiran-2-yl)-1-oxopentan-2-yl)amino)-1-oxo-3-phenylpropan-2-yl)-2-((5,)-2-(2-morpholinoacetamido)-4-phenylbutanamido)-pentanamide); marizomib (NPT0052); ixazomib citrate (MLN-9708); delanzomib (CEP-1 8770); and O-methyl-N-[(2-methyl-5-thiazolyl)carbonyl]-L-seryl-O-methyl-N-[(IIS')-2-[(2R)-2-methyl-2-oxiranyl]-2-oxo-1-(phenylmethyl)ethyl]-L-serinamide (ONX-0912).

[0226] Those of skill in the art can readily identify chemotherapeutic agents to use (see, e.g., Physicians' Cancer Chemotherapy Drug Manual 2014, Edward Chu, Vincent T. DeVita Jr., Jones & Bartlett Learning; Principles of Cancer Therapy, Chapter 85 in Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, 18th Edition; Therapeutic Targeting of Cancer Cells: Era of Molecularly Targeted Agents and Cancer Pharmacology, Chapters 28-29 in Abeloff's Clinical Oncology, 2013 Elsevier; and Fischer DS (ed.): The Cancer Chemotherapy Handbook, 4th Edition St. Louis, Mosby-Year Book, 2003).

[0227] In one embodiment, the activated CAR T cells described herein are administered to a subject in combination with a molecule that targets GITR and / or reduces the level and / or activity of a molecule that modulates GITR function, a molecule that reduces the Treg cell population, an mTOR inhibitor, a GITR agonist, a kinase inhibitor, a non-receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, a CDK4 inhibitor, and / or a BTK inhibitor.

[0228] [Effectiveness] For example, the efficacy of activated CAR T cells in treating a condition described herein or in inducing a response described herein (e.g., reduction in cancer cells) can be determined by a skilled clinician. However, a treatment is considered to be "effective treatment" as that term is used herein if, following treatment with the methods described herein, one or more of the signs or symptoms of a condition described herein are beneficially altered, other clinically acceptable symptoms are improved or even ameliorated, or a desired response is induced, for example, by at least 10%. Efficacy can be assessed, for example, by measuring a marker, indicator, symptom, and / or incidence or any other suitable measurable parameter of a condition treated by the methods described herein. Treatment with the methods described herein can reduce the level of a marker or symptom of a condition, for example, by at least 10%, at least 15%, at least 20%, at least 25%, at least 30%, at least 40%, at least 50%, at least 60%, at least 70%, at least 80%, or at least 90% or more.

[0229] Efficacy can also be measured by lack of deterioration of the individual as assessed by hospitalization or need for medical intervention (i.e., halting of disease progression). Methods for measuring these indicators are known to those of skill in the art and / or described herein.

[0230] Treatment includes any treatment of a disease in an individual or animal (some non-limiting examples include humans or animals), including (1) inhibiting the disease, e.g., preventing the worsening of symptoms (e.g., pain or inflammation); or (2) reducing the severity of symptoms, e.g., causing regression of symptoms. An effective amount for the treatment of a disease means an amount sufficient to effect effective treatment, as that term is defined herein, for that disease, when administered to a subject in need thereof. The efficacy of an agent may be determined by assessing physical indicators of the disease state or desired response. It is well within the capabilities of one of ordinary skill in the art to monitor the efficacy of administration and / or treatment by measuring any one of such parameters, or any combination of parameters. The efficacy of a given approach can be evaluated in animal models of the disease states described herein. When using experimental animal models, the efficacy of the treatment is demonstrated when a statistically significant change in the marker is observed.

[0231] All patents and other publications, including literature references, issued patents, published patent applications, and co-pending patent applications, cited throughout this application are expressly incorporated herein by reference for the purpose of describing and disclosing, for example, the methodologies described in such publications that may be used in connection with the technology described herein. These publications are provided solely for their disclosure prior to the filing date of this application. Nothing in this regard should be construed as an admission that the inventors are not entitled to antedate such disclosure by reason of prior art or for any other reason. All statements as to the date or representation as to the contents of these documents are based on the information available to the applicants and do not constitute any admission as to the accuracy of the dates or contents of these documents.

[0232] The description of the embodiments of the present disclosure is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise form disclosed. Although specific embodiments and examples of the present disclosure are described herein for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the relevant art will recognize that various equivalent modifications are possible within the scope of the present disclosure. For example, while method steps or functions are presented in a given order, in alternative embodiments, the functions may be performed in a different order, or may be performed substantially simultaneously. The teachings of the disclosure provided herein can be applied to other procedures or methods as appropriate. The various embodiments described herein can be combined to provide further embodiments. Aspects of the present disclosure can be modified, as appropriate, to provide still further embodiments of the present disclosure using the compositions, functions, and concepts of the above references and applications. Furthermore, considerations of biological function equivalence allow for some modifications to protein structures without affecting biological or chemical action in type or amount. These and other modifications can be made to the present disclosure in light of the detailed description. All such modifications are intended to be within the scope of the appended claims.

[0233] Specific elements of any of the foregoing embodiments can be combined with or substituted for elements of other embodiments. Additionally, although advantages associated with certain embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in the context of those embodiments, other embodiments may also exhibit such advantages, and not all embodiments necessarily exhibit such advantages in order to fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0234] The technology described herein is further illustrated by the following examples, which should not be construed as further limiting in any way. EXAMPLES

[0235] The following are examples of methods and compositions of the present invention: In view of the general description provided above, it will be understood that various other embodiments may be practiced.

[0236] Example 1: CAR T cell-mediated secretion of toxic drugs modifies the tumor microenvironment and enhances CAR T cell efficacy CAR-modified T cells can be used to deliver toxic antibodies to the tumor microenvironment, etc. In this example, the T cells are genetically modified to secrete antibodies or cytokines with the goal of modifying the suppressive immune cell milieu of the tumor microenvironment.

[0237] Specifically, CAR T cells directed against heterologously expressed antigens can enhance their efficacy by enabling activation of surrounding tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in the tumor microenvironment. Specific non-limiting examples include the following: (1) Genetically encoded anti-CTLA4 CAR-T cell-mediated secretion. Anti-CTLA4 checkpoint blockade can cause toxicity when delivered systemically. However, local secretion of anti-CTLA4 is expected to result in checkpoint blockade and deplete regulatory T cells in the tumor microenvironment. (2) Genetically encoded anti-CD25 (e.g., daclizumab) to deplete Tregs in the local tumor microenvironment. CAR T cells have been shown to migrate into tumors despite the hostile environment and the blood-brain barrier. New T cell immigrants also infiltrate tumors, but these are hypothesized to be inhibited by checkpoint and Treg activation. Local secretion of anti-CD25 is expected to deplete Tregs. However, pharmacologically administered daclizumab is toxic when administered systemically. (3) Genetically encoded anti-EGFR (e.g., cetuximab). CAR T cells directed to a safe but heterologously expressed antigen (e.g., EGFRvIII) do not completely eliminate tumors when the antigen is heterologously expressed. However, other antigens may be expressed at high levels in the tumor microenvironment (e.g., EGFR). EGFR is only expressed in brain tumors in the brain, but also in many other epithelial tissues, making it an unsafe target for CAR T cells. However, CAR T cells directed to EGFRvIII can be designed to secrete anti-EGFR so that only tissues in the tumor microenvironment where the CAR T cells migrate are exposed to high levels of anti-EGFR. In the case of anti-EGFR, the antibody is expected to be less toxic given its systemic use in other cancers such as head and neck and colon cancers. However, it does not penetrate the CNS and is therefore ineffective against brain tumors. Genetically encoded anti-EGFR in the form of CNS-directed CAR T cells has the potential to use T cells as a vehicle for localized delivery of anti-EGFR to the CNS and brain tumors, such as glioblastoma.

[0238] Thus, provided are two different forms of genetically encoded depletion of Tregs in the tumor microenvironment. In addition, genetically encoded delivery of antibodies that cannot enter certain tissues can enhance the efficacy of T cell therapy by broadening the specificity of anti-tumor targets. Thus, a genetically modified T cell therapy for cancer is described.

[0239] Example 2: Engineered CAR T cells overcome tumor heterogeneity and immune suppression in glioblastoma Materials and Methods Leukapheresis T cells from anonymized healthy donors were stimulated with Dynabeads Human T-Activator CD3 / CD28 at a bead-to-cell ratio of 3:1 and cultured in complete RPMI1640 medium. Ten days after stimulation and lentiviral transduction, cells were frozen and stored for use in functional assays. The ability of CAR T cells to kill target cells was tested in a 20-hour luciferase-based assay. Treg suppression was visualized by IncuCyte live cell analysis.

[0240] For in vivo experiments, tumor cells were harvested in logarithmic growth phase, washed, and placed into a 50 microliter Hamilton syringe. Using a stereotaxic frame, the needle was positioned at the coronal suture, 2 mm to the right of bregma and 4 mm below the skull surface. For treatment, mice were injected with CAR T cells (1 × 10 per mouse). 6 CAR-transduced T cells) were injected once via the tail vein.

[0241] [result] EGFRvIII CAR T cells mediate antitumor activity in vitro. We designed and synthesized an EGFRvIII CAR, which was used in initial in vitro testing. In vitro characterization of this CAR demonstrates that the EGFRvIII CAR mediates significant and specific cytotoxicity against the human glioma U87vIII cell line (Figure 1; EGFRvIII CAR-transduced T cells potently and specifically mediate cytotoxicity against the U87vIII human glioma cell line). This effect was observed in a subcutaneous model of human GBM xenografts, where even established bulky tumors responded to CART-EGFRvIII (Figures 2A and 2B; CART-EGFRvIII treats EGFRvIII-expressing tumors (U87vIII) in a subcutaneous model of human glioma). Mice were treated with CART-EGFRvIII on day 4 after engraftment (top row) and were successfully treated by day 21 (bottom row). UTD, a non-transduced cell, serves as a negative control).

[0242] EGFRvIII CAR T cells mediate antitumor activity against EGFRvIII-expressing tumors in the brain. In a mouse model of intracranial human glioma, EGFRvIII CAR T cells slowed tumor growth and extended survival (Figures 3A and 3B; CART-EGFRvIII slows growth of EGFRvIII-expressing tumors (U87vIII) in an intracranial model of human glioma. Mice were treated with CART-EGFRvIII on day 2 after engraftment). Although tumor growth was inhibited, the effect was not as pronounced as that observed for subcutaneous tumors. One important barrier to the transfer of CAR T cells to brain tumor patients was the infiltration of well-characterized inhibitory Tregs.

[0243] CAR T cell activity is suppressed by regulatory T cells. In co-culture experiments with CAR T cells and target glioma cell lines, it was found that the presence of regulatory T cells suppressed the in vitro antitumor activity of CAR T cells. Figures 5A-5D demonstrate qualitative (Figures 5A-5C) and quantitative (Figure 5D) Treg suppression of the antitumor activity of CAR T cells after 18 h of co-culture with human glioma cells in vitro. Figures 6A-6C show that CD4 + CD25 + CD127 - Tregs were sorted from leukopaks and expanded with CD3 / CD28 beads in the presence of IL-2 for 7 days. On day 1, they were transduced to express GFP. After removal of the beads on day 7, the expanded Tregs were rested for 4 days before freezing. After thawing, Tregs were stained for LAP and GARP expression after overnight rest (non-activated) or overnight activation with anti-CD3 and anti-CD28. Non-transduced T cells (CD4+ and CD8+) from the same donor were used as expression controls.

[0244] Anti-LAP CAR T cells kill regulatory T cells in vitro. As shown in Figures 9A and 9B, CAR T cells were co-cultured with isolated Tregs expanded from the same donor and transduced to express GFP. Tregs were activated overnight with anti-CD3 and anti-CD28 and rested overnight before killing assay. 62500 Tregs were plated per well. CARs were added at the ratio to Tregs indicated in the graph above. Cells were cultured for 3 days in the presence of 300U / mL IL-2. Flow was run on day 3, resulting in 30000 events from each well. Percent cytotoxicity was calculated as the percentage of GFP+ cells lost compared to non-transduced T cell cultures with Tregs. Based on these data, we developed novel CAR constructs that target surface markers found on Tregs. The overall design of these CAR T cells is shown in Figures 8A-8D.

[0245] conclusion The ultimate goal is to design, test, and improve CAR T cell therapy in preclinical mouse models of human GBM. It has now been demonstrated that CAR T cells can indeed mediate specific and potent effects in vivo, even against established large tumors. In addition, it has been shown that regulatory T cells may play an important role in suppressing these immune responses. New techniques targeting Tregs may provide a way to modulate the local immune environment to enhance antitumor effects.

[0246] Example 3 EGFRvIII-targeted CAR T cells In part because EGFRvIII is generally absent from healthy tissues and specifically expressed in tumor tissues, CAR T cells containing an EGFRvIII antigen-binding portion (e.g., CART-EGFRvIII cells) are promising cell therapies for specifically targeting cytolytic cells to the tumor microenvironment. In this example, CART-EGFRvIII cells were tested in two animal models in vitro and in vivo.

[0247] Leukapheresis T cells from anonymized healthy donors were stimulated with Dynabeads (Human T-Activator CD3 / CD28) at a bead-to-cell ratio of 3:1 and cultured in complete RPMI 1640 medium. Ten days after stimulation and lentiviral transduction, cells were frozen and stored for use in functional assays.

[0248] Initial studies were performed in vitro to characterize the ability of CAR-EGFRvIII cells to preferentially kill tumor cells compared to non-transduced control cells in a 20-hour luciferase-based assay shown in Figure 1. The glioma cell line U87vIII was used as the target cells. In vitro characterization demonstrates that EGFRvIII CAR T cells mediate significant and specific cytotoxicity against U87vIII cells (Figure 1).

[0249] For in vivo experiments, U87vIII tumor cells were harvested in logarithmic growth phase, washed, and administered to mice subcutaneously in a xenograft model of human glioblastoma (Figures 2A and 2B) or intracranially in a model of human glioma (Figures 3A and 3B). For intracranial administration, the needle of a 50 microliter Hamilton syringe was positioned at the coronal suture 2 mm to the right of bregma and 4 mm below the skull surface using a stereotaxic frame. For treatment, mice were injected with CAR T cells (1 x 10 per mouse) or 1 x 10 per mouse. 6 CAR-transduced T cells) were injected once via the tail vein.

[0250] The strong antitumor effects observed in vitro were mirrored in an in vivo subcutaneous xenograft model of human glioblastoma (Figures 2A and 2B). In this model, established bulky tumors (top row) responded to CART-EGFRvIII (Figure 2B), while non-transduced cells did not prevent tumor growth (Figure 2A). In a mouse model of intracranial human glioma, EGFRvIII CAR T cells slowed tumor growth and resulted in longer survival (Figure 3B) compared to non-transduced cells (Figure 3A). Although tumor growth was inhibited, the effect was not as pronounced as that observed for subcutaneous tumors.

[0251] The presence of regulatory T cells (Tregs) was observed in tumor tissues of human patients after treatment with CART-EGFRvIII cells (Figures 4A and 4B). To determine whether brain-infiltrating Tregs play a functional role in suppressing CART-EGFRvIII cells, an in vitro Treg suppression assay was performed, in which CART-EGFRvIII cells and glioma cells were incubated for 18 h in the presence of Tregs. Results were obtained by IncyCyte live cell analysis, as shown in Figures 5A-5C. Nonspecific CAR cells allowed proliferation of glioma cells (Figures 5A and 5D, top lines), whereas CART-EGFRvIII cells killed glioma cells (Figures 5B and 5D, bottom lines). However, the addition of Tregs in the co-culture significantly reduced the ability of CART-EGFRvIII cells to kill target glioma cells (Figures 5C and 5D, middle lines).

[0252] Example 4 Design and characterization of CAR T cells targeting Treg-associated antigens Figures 6A-6C, 7A, and 7B show the results of experiments in which LAP and GARP were identified as Treg-associated markers on human peripheral blood cells. Notably, among human Tregs that were not activated ex vivo, approximately 27% expressed LAP and approximately 4% were double positive for LAP and GARP (Figure 6B). Upon ex vivo activation with anti-CD3, anti-CD8, and IL-2, approximately 30% expressed LAP and the number of LAP / GARP double positive Tregs increased to 12.3% (Figure 6C).

[0253] Next, CAR constructs were designed encoding CARs targeting LAP and GARP. Schematic diagrams of these constructs are shown in Figures 8A-8D. The Treg-targeting constructs include two LAP-targeting CARs (CAR-LAP-LH (Figure 8A) and CAR-LAP-HL (Figure 8B) with a reversal of the heavy (H) and light (L) chain configurations of each anti-LAP scFv), a GARP-targeting CAR construct (CAR-GARP; Figure 8C), and an EGFR-targeting CAR construct (CAR-EGFR-GARP; Figure 8D) that further encodes an anti-GARP camelid antibody. The transduction efficiency of each construct was assessed using flow cytometry by measuring the percentage of mCherry-positive cells and is provided below. TIFF2025032089000002.tif48170

[0254] To test anti-LAP CART cells, CAR T cells were co-cultured with isolated Tregs expanded from the same donor and transduced to express GFP as a Treg marker. Tregs were activated overnight with anti-CD3 and anti-CD28 (Figure 9B) or rested overnight before killing assay (Figure 9A). 62500 Tregs were plated per well. CARs were added to Tregs at the indicated ratios. Cultures were incubated for 3 days in the presence of 300U / mL IL-2. Flow cytometry was performed on day 3 by collecting 30000 events per well. Percent cytotoxicity was calculated as the percent reduction of GFP-positive cells compared to non-transduced T cell cultures with Tregs. CART-LAP-HL was more effective at killing non-activated Tregs compared to CART-LAP-LH. LAP-targeted CAR T cells were then compared to GARP-targeted CAR T cells in a similar Treg killing assay across two donors at a 1:1 CAR T cell to Treg ratio for 4 days (Figures 10A and 10B). Figures 11A and 11B characterize resting and activated Treg killing by LAP-targeted CAR T cells compared to non-transduced controls by the number of targeted Tregs remaining at the end of 3 days of co-culture as a function of CAR T cell to Treg cell ratio. Figures 11C and 11D show similar data from the same donors, with cytotoxicity measured by luciferase expression.

[0255] To further characterize the effect of antigen expression on the function of LAP-targeted and GARP-targeted CAR T cells, immortalized cell lines were screened for expression of LAP and GARP antigens, and the cytotoxic effect of each CAR T cell was evaluated. First, HUT78 cells, a skin human CD4 T cell lymphocyte-derived cell line expressing IL-2, were stained for GARP and LAP (Figures 12A and 12B, respectively), confirming LAP expression by HUT78 cells. Next, CART-LAP-HL and CART-LAP-LH cell-mediated cytotoxicity against HUT78 cells was measured by cytotoxicity assay (Figures 13A and 13B). Next, SeAx, an IL-2-dependent human Sézary syndrome-derived cell, was stained for GARP and LAP (Figures 14A and 14B, respectively), confirming the expression of both antigens. SeAx cells were co-cultured with CART-GARP, CART-LAP-HL, CART-LAP-LH, and non-transduced cells, and CAR T cell-mediated killing was quantified at 24 hours (Figure 15A) and 48 hours (Figure 15B). Each CAR T demonstrated excellent SeAx target cell killing at 24 hours, with a more pronounced effect at 48 hours. CART-GARP and CART-LAP-HL killed target SeAx cells more efficiently than CART-LAP-LH cells by 48 hours.

[0256] Next, the secretion of anti-GARP camelid antibodies by CART-EGFR-GARP cells was characterized by Western blot (Figures 16A-16C). Supernatants were collected from cultures containing CART-EGFR-GARP cells treated under reducing and non-reducing conditions, and the presence of a 10- to 15-kD band was observed in the lane containing the non-reduced sample (Figure 16C), confirming the presence of camelid antibodies.

[0257] Example 5. Design and characterization of BiTE-secreting CAR T cells Another mechanism provided herein for enhancing the effectiveness of CAR T cell activity within the tumor microenvironment (e.g., to overcome immune regulation by Tregs) is by CAR T cells secreting immune-modulating antibodies, such as BiTEs. Without wishing to be bound by theory, the inventors have discovered that expression of immune-modulating antibodies (e.g., BiTEs) from a construct that also encodes a CAR can further amplify anti-tumor effects.

[0258] One exemplary nucleic acid construct, CAR-EGFR-BiTE-(EGFR-CD3), shown diagrammatically in FIG. 17, comprises a CAR-encoding polynucleotide operably linked at 5' to a polynucleotide encoding a BiTE. The CAR features a tumor antigen-binding domain that binds EGFRvIII, directing CAR-T cells to the microenvironment of EGFRvIII-positive tumors. As shown in FIG. 18, the BiTE binds EGFR at one domain and CD3 at the other, which may (a) further enhance the avidity of host CAR T cells to tumor cells or (b) arm adjacent (e.g., endogenous) T cells against the tumor. While the CAR targets the cell surface, the BiTE is flanked by cleavable linkers P2A and T2A, allowing separate secretion of the BiTE. Other exemplary BiTE-encoded CAR constructs (e.g., encoding a BiTE that targets CD19) are shown in FIGS. 26A and 26B.

[0259] BiTE secretion by CART-EGFR-BiTE-(EGFR-CD3) cells was confirmed by isolating the supernatant from a culture containing SupT1 cells transduced with CAR-EGFR-BiTE-(EGFR-CD3), calculating the concentration of BiTE in the supernatant based on OD450, and performing Western blot analysis. The concentration of BiTE in the supernatant was 0.604 ng / mL. The results of the Western blot experiment are shown in Figure 19. A band was observed at approximately 50-60 kD in lane 2, indicating the presence of BiTE molecules in the supernatant.

[0260] Next, binding of the BiTE molecules was evaluated by flow cytometry. HEK293T cells were transduced with CAR-EGFR-BiTE-(EGFR-CD3), and the supernatant containing the secreted BiTE was collected and incubated with K562 cells (FIG. 20A) and Jurkat cells (FIG. 20B). As shown in FIG. 20A, BiTE bound to K562 cells expressing EGFR, but not to K562 cells expressing CD19, confirming the functionality of the EGFR-binding domain of BiTE. As shown in FIG. 20B, Jurkat cells expressing CD3 showed stronger staining for BiTE after incubation with supernatant from HEK293T cells expressing CAR-EGFR-BiTE-(EGFR-CD3) compared to staining for BiTE after incubation with supernatant from non-transduced HEK293T, indicating that BiTE also functionally binds to CD3.

[0261] Similar experiments were performed using SupT1 cells as transduction hosts for CAR-EGFR-BiTE-(EGFR-CD3). Figure 21A shows that BiTE bound to K562 cells expressing EGFR, but not to K562 cells expressing CD19, confirming the functionality of the EGFR-binding domain of BiTE expressed by transduced SupT1 cells. To confirm that BiTE bound to CD3 expressed on the surface of host SupT1 cells, transduced SupT1 cells were stained for BiTE. Results shown in Figure 21B confirmed that transduced SupT1 cells stained positive for BiTE. ND4 cells were also assessed for their ability to secrete functional BiTE upon transduction with CAR-EGFR-BiTE-(EGFR-CD3). Figure 22A shows that BiTE secreted by transduced ND4 cells bound to K562 cells expressing EGFR, but not to K562 cells expressing CD19. As shown in FIG. 22B, BiTEs bound to CD3 expressed in the transduced ND4 cells from which they were secreted.

[0262] Next, the ability of BiTEs secreted from transduced CAR T cells was characterized in vitro. Supernatants containing BiTEs secreted from HEK293T cells transduced with CAR-EGFR-BiTE-(EGFR-CD3) were incubated with various ratios of co-cultures of non-transduced ND4 cells and U87vIII target cells. As shown in Figure 23, ND4 cells, when incubated with BiTEs, showed that BiTEs bound to both ND4-expressed CD3 and U87vIII-expressed EGFR in a dose-dependent manner to a sufficient extent to induce killing by ND4 cells.

[0263] To allow inducible expression of BiTE upon T cell activation, a construct containing an NFAT promoter was designed and synthesized. As shown in FIG. 24, the NFAT promoter precedes a polynucleotide encoding GFP, and the construct further comprises a downstream CAR-encoding polynucleotide driven by a constitutive promoter, EF1α. To confirm inducible expression of GFP, GFP expression was assessed by FACS in response to TCR stimulation with PMA / ionomycin. As shown in FIG. 25A and 25B, the stimulation triggered expression of GFP. This inducible expression was inhibited by incubation with PEPvIII. An inducible BiTE construct encoding a CAR is designed by placing the BiTE downstream of an inducible promoter, such as the NFAT promoter, as shown in FIG. 27A and 27B.

[0264] Example 6 CAR T Cells for Glioblastoma Using confocal microscopy, we demonstrated that EGFR-targeted BiTEs were released into the supernatant and bound to both transduced (mcherry+) and bystander untransduced (mcherry-) T cells via CD3 (effector arm). In this experiment, CART-EGFR-transduced cells (mcherry+) bound the biotinylated target antigen efficiently (green, Figure 28, top); in contrast, CART-EGFRvIII, which secretes a nonspecific BiTE, did not bind (Figure 28, middle). In cultures of CAR.BiTEs, BiTEs bound in clusters (red / green colocalization), but bystander untransduced T cells (mcherry-) in the cultures also bound the biotinylated antigen (Figure 28, bottom).

[0265] Next, we analyzed cytokine production in response to antigen stimulation. We compared the patterns of IFN-γ and TNF-α production by the different CAR constructs after in vitro stimulation with U87, a human malignant glioma cell line that expresses EGFR but not EGFRvIII. This demonstrated EGFR-specific cytokine production mediated by BiTE-redirected T cells (Figure 29). This finding was consistent with cytotoxicity assays performed on the ACEA instrument, where CAR.BiTEs were able to mediate potent and specific antitumor effects against U87 in vitro (Figure 29). ACEA Transwell experiments demonstrated that this was mainly due to the redirection of bystander untransduced T cells (Figures 29C and 29D). Using an in vivo model of intracranial glioma (U251) that expresses EGFR but not EGFRvIII (Figure 30A), intraventricular administration of CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-EGFR was also found to be effective against tumors engrafted in the brains of immunodeficient mice (Figure 30B).

[0266] In this experiment, CAR T cells secreting an engineered BiTE with biological antitumor effects were successfully generated, which, to our knowledge, is the first time this has been demonstrated.

[0267] Example 7 Materials and Methods [Research design] The overall goal of this study was to provide proof of concept for a novel therapeutic approach that seeks to combine both CAR and BiTE T cell redirection technologies. Both the CAR design and the integrated CART.BiTE construct were tested using several tumor models, techniques, and approaches. These included five different xenogeneic models, including three orthotopic brain tumors as well as engrafted human skin to aid in toxicity evaluation. Tumor growth was measured by caliper and bioluminescence imaging, and three different in vitro assays of cytotoxicity were used. Each experiment was performed multiple times using T cells from different normal human donors.

[0268] [Mice and cell lines] NSG mice were purchased from the Jackson Laboratory and housed under pathogen-free conditions at the MGH Cancer Research Center. All experiments were performed according to protocols approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. Human glioma cell lines U87 and U251, as well as the wild-type parent K562, were obtained from the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) and maintained under conditions outlined by the supplier. In some cases, cells were engineered to express EGFR, EGFRvIII, or CD19 by lentiviral transduction. Where indicated, cell lines were transduced to express click beetle green (CBG) luciferase or enhanced GFP (eGFP) and sorted on a BD FACSAria to obtain clonal populations of transduced cells. Patient-derived neurosphere cultures, BT74, were a kind gift from Dr. Santosh Kesari and were maintained in serum-free EF20 medium as previously described (Pandita et al., Genes Chromosomes Cancer. 39:29-36, 2004).

[0269] [Construction of CAR] Two anti-EGFRvIII CART.BiTE constructs and three additional CAR constructs (anti-EGFR, anti-EGFRvIII, and anti-CD19) were synthesized and cloned into a third-generation lentiviral plasmid backbone under the control of the human EF-1α promoter. All CAR and CART.BiTE constructs contained the CD8 transmembrane domain in tandem with intracellular 4-1BB costimulatory and CD3z signaling domains. BiTEs were designed against wild-type EGFR and CD19, both sequences flanked by an Igκ signal peptide and a polyhistidine tag (His tag) element. Ribosomal skip sites were incorporated at appropriate positions. All constructs also contained a transgene encoding the fluorescent reporter mCherry to aid in the assessment of transduction efficiency.

[0270] [CAR T cell production] Human T cells were purified from anonymous human normal donor leukapheresis products (Stem Cell Technologies) purchased from the MGH blood bank under an IND-waived protocol. Cells were transduced with lentiviruses corresponding to various second-generation CAR T cell constructs. Briefly, bulk human T cells were activated on day 0 using CD3 / CD28 Dynabeads (Life Technologies) and cultured in RPMI1640 medium containing GlutaMAX and HEPES supplemented with 10% FBS and 20 IU / mL recombinant human IL-2. Lentiviral transduction of cells was performed on day 1 and, unless otherwise stated, cells were allowed to grow until day 10, after which they were transferred to storage in liquid nitrogen prior to functional assays. For all functional assays, CAR T cells and CART.BiTE cells were normalized for transduction efficiency using untransduced but cultured and activated T cells from the same donor and expansion. In a given experiment, CAR T cells were sorted on a BD FACSAria to obtain a pure population of transduced mCherry-positive T cells on day 10.

[0271] [T cell activation and functional assays] Jurkat (NFAT-luciferase) reporter cells (Signosis) were transduced with different CAR constructs before co-culture with tumor targets at a 1:1 E:T ratio for 24 hours. Bystander Jurkat activation was similarly assessed in untransduced Jurkat reporter cells (J) and accompanying co-cultures of primary human T cells and tumor targets at a 1:1:1 J:E:T ratio for 24 hours. Luciferase activity was then assessed using a Synergy Neo2 luminescence microplate reader (Biotek). Cell-free supernatants from responder cells co-cultured with tumor targets were also analyzed for cytokine expression using Luminex arrays (Luminex Corp, FLEXMAP 3D) according to the manufacturer's instructions. In experiments evaluating the activation markers CD25 and CD69, CAR T cells and CART.BiTE cells were incubated with irradiated U87 at a 1:1 E:T ratio. Cells were co-cultured for 72 hours and then subjected to flow cytometry analysis. For proliferation assays of sorted transduced cells, effectors were expanded for 10 days and then sorted for mCherry-positive events. Cells were then stimulated using irradiated U87, U87vIII, or U87-CD19. UTD, sorted CART-EGFRvIII cells, and sorted CART.BiTE cells were then stimulated with CAR alone (CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-CD19 and U87vIII), BiTE alone (CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-CD19 and U87-CD19), or CAR and BiTE (CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-EGFR and U87vIII). Effector and target cells were plated 1:1 E:T. Cells were counted every 7 days and re-plated with stimulation at 7-day intervals.

[0272] [Cytotoxicity assay] For single time point cytotoxicity assays, CAR T cells were incubated with luciferase-expressing tumor targets at the indicated E:T ratios for 18 hours. Residual luciferase activity was then measured with a Synergy Neo2 luminescence microplate reader (Biotek). Percent specific lysis was calculated using the following formula: % = ((RLU of target cells alone - total RLU) / (RLU of target cells alone)) x 100. For real-time cytotoxicity assays against adherent cell lines, cell index was recorded as a measurement of cell impedance using a xCELLigence RTCA SP instrument (ACEA Biosciences, Inc.). Percent specific lysis was calculated using the following formula: % = ((Cell Index of UTD - Cell Index of CAR T Cells) / Cell Index of UTD) x 100. For Transwell cytotoxicity assays using the ACEA instrument, Jurkat reporter cells transduced with CAR constructs were cultured in the top well of a 0.4 μm Transwell insert (ACEA Biosciences). Non-transduced T cells were co-cultured in the bottom wells with tumor targets at the indicated E:T ratios. Occasionally, erroneous readings from some wells due to ACEA instrument failure were censored but did not affect the interpretation of the data. For tests against neurospheres, cytotoxicity was measured as the total mean area of ​​green color recorded by IncuCyte Live Cell Analysis. Neurospheres were plated 3 days before the addition of effectors that promote neurosphere formation. Effector cells were added at 3:1 E:T and monitored over time, with 4 images per well taken every 10 min.

[0273] [Purification and quantification of BiTE] HEK293T cells were transduced with the respective CAR constructs and cultured to confluence. Supernatants from the cells were collected and incubated with HisPur Ni-NTA resin (Thermo Fisher Scientific) for 24–48 h at 4 °C with gentle agitation. The supernatant-resin mixture was then washed with Ni-NTA wash buffer (50 mM Tris (pH 8.0), 500 mM NaCl, 5% glycerol, 25 mM imidazole). His-tagged proteins were then eluted with Ni-NTA elution buffer (50 mM Tris (pH 8.0), 500 mM NaCl, 5% glycerol, 250 mM imidazole). After elution, proteins were buffer exchanged into PBS using a Slide-A-Lyzer cassette float buoy (Thermo Fisher Scientific) according to the manufacturer's instructions. Where indicated, further protein concentration was performed using Amicon Ultra-15 centrifugal filter units (EMD Millipore). Protein concentrations of cell-free, BiTE-containing solutions were determined using a His-tag ELISA detection kit (GenScript). Briefly, BiTE-producing cells were cultured at 2 × 10 5 Cells were grown for 2 weeks and supernatants were collected and analyzed intermittently. Where indicated, samples were normalized to the average value obtained from wells containing UTD only.

[0274] [Western blotting] Protein samples were separated by SDS-PAGE and transferred to nitrocellulose membranes using a Novex iBlot2 Nitrocellulose Transfer Stack (Invitrogen) and an iBlot2 Gel Transfer Device (Invitrogen) according to the manufacturer's protocol. Briefly, the membrane was incubated for 1 h in blocking buffer consisting of 5% nonfat dry milk (Bio-Rad) in TBST (Santa Cruz Biotechnology). The membrane was washed once with TBST and probed overnight at 4°C with an anti-His tag antibody (1:2500, clone 3D5, Invitrogen). The membrane was washed three times for 5 min with TBST and incubated for 1 h with horseradish peroxidase-conjugated sheep anti-mouse IgG antibody (1:5000, GE Healthcare). The membrane was then washed three times for 5 min each with TBST and developed with Amersham ECL Prime Western Blotting Detection Reagent (GE Healthcare).

[0275] [Flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry] The following antibody clones targeting the respective antigens were used for flow cytometry analysis where indicated: EGFR (AY13, BioLegend), EGFRvIII (L8A4, Absolute Antibody), His-tag (4E3D10H2 / E3, Thermo Fischer), CD25 (2A3, BD Biosciences), CD69 (FN50, BioLegend), CCR7 (3D12, BD Bioscience), CD45RO (UCHL1, BD Biosciences), PD-1 (EH12287, Biolegend), TIM-3 (F38-2E2, Biolegend), LAG-3 (3DS223H, Biolegend). In a given experiment, purified BiTEs or supernatants containing soluble BiTEs were incubated with target cells before secondary staining with anti-His-tag antibodies. Typically, cells were stained for 15 min in the dark at room temperature and washed twice with PBS containing 2% FBS before analysis. DAPI was added to establish live / dead separation. Antibody clones for immunohistochemistry included: EGFRvIII (D6T2Q, Cell Signaling) and EGFR (D38B1, Cell Signaling), diluted 1:200 and 1:50, respectively, after EDTA-based antigen retrieval. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded specimens were either isolated from experiments or purchased in the form of commercial tissue microarrays (GL805c, US Biomax; BNC17011a, US Biomax).

[0276] [Microscopic Imaging] Confocal microscopy of T cells was performed on a Zeiss LSM710 inverted confocal microscope at the MGH Cancer Center Molecular Pathology Confocal Core and analyzed with Fiji Is Just ImageJ software. Briefly, transduced T cells activated and expanded for 10 days were stained with biotinylated human EGFR (Acro Biosystems) at a concentration of 1 μg / mL for 40 min and then incubated with 1 μg / mL streptavidin (eBioscience) for 15 min on ice before microscopic analysis. Otherwise, cell cultures were also visualized using an EVOS cell imaging system (Thermo Fisher Scientific). In experiments assessing proliferation, CAR T cells and CART.BiTE cells were cocultured 1:1 E:T with irradiated U87 expressing eGFP for 1 week.

[0277] [Animal model] Tumor cells were harvested in logarithmic growth phase, washed twice with PBS, and then placed in a 50 μL syringe fitted with a 25-gauge needle. With the assistance of a stereotaxic frame, tumor cells were engrafted 2 mm to the right of bregma and 4 mm deep from the skull surface at the coronal suture. The number of tumor cells varied depending on the cell culture. In mouse models of flank tumors or human skin toxicity, effector cells were injected systemically via tail vein injection in a volume of 100 μL. When delivered intracerebroventricularly, cells were injected 2 mm left of bregma and 0.3 mm anterior at a depth of 3 mm. The effector cell population was 1 × 10 per injection for all experiments. 6 The tumors were normalized to contain 100% soluble IgG cells. Tumor progression was then assessed longitudinally by bioluminescence using an Ami HT optical imaging system (Spectral Instruments) after intraperitoneal matrix injection. For toxicity studies, anonymized excess human skin was obtained from healthy donors during abdominoplasty surgery with informed consent and approval by the Institutional Review Board. Skin samples measuring approximately 1 cm × 1 cm were sutured to the dorsum of NSG mice and allowed to heal for at least 6 weeks. Engrafted skin was monitored daily for up to 2 weeks before excision and histological analysis.

[0278] [Statistical method] All analyses were performed with GraphPad Prism 7.0c software. Data are presented as mean ± standard deviation (SD) or standard error of the mean (SEM) with statistical significance determined by tests as indicated in the figure legends.

[0279] Example 8. Design of CAR T cells and CART.BiTE against EGFRvIII in glioblastoma (GBM) Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common malignant brain tumor and also the most lethal. Current treatments for GBM include surgical resection, radiation therapy, and temozolomide chemotherapy, which provide only gradual benefit and are limited by systemic toxicity and damage to normal brain (Imperato et al., Annals of Neurology 28:818-822, 1990). In 2017, CD19-targeting CAR T cells were approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for B-cell malignancies and have since revolutionized the treatment of hematological cancers (Mullard et al., Nat. Rev. Drug. Discov. 16:699, 2017). Recent clinical trials for GBM have described several different CARs (O'Rourke et al., Sci. Transl. Med. 9, 2017; Ahmed et al., JAMA Oncol. 3:1094-1101, 2017; Brown et al., N. Engl. J. Med. 375:2561-2569, 2016), with peripherally infused CAR-transduced T cells confined to brain tumors and, in at least one case, intracranially administered CAR T cells mediated regression of late-stage, multifocal bulky disease (Brown et al., supra). However, clinical responses to GBM have been inconsistent or not durable, in large part due to heterogeneous antigen expression within these tumors and the emergence of antigen escape following treatment with single-targeted CAR T cells.

[0280] Approximately 30% of GBM express EGFRvIII (Wikstrand et al., Cancer Res. 57:4130-4140, 1997), and more than 80% express EGFR (Verhaak et al., Cancer Cell 17:98-110, 2010). When EGFRvIII mutations are lost in GBM, amplification of wild-type EGFR is maintained (O'Rourke et al., Sci. Transl. Med. 9, 2017;Felsberg et al., Clin. Cancer Res. 23:6846-6855, 2017). Although expression of EGFR is also found in normal tissues such as skin, lung, and intestine, EGFR was not detected in an analysis of 80 core samples of healthy human central nervous system (CNS) tissue (Figure 31, Table 2), consistent with published organ-specific data from The Human Protein Atlas (Uhlen et al. Mol. Cell Proteomics 4:1920-1932, 2005). We exploited this favorable expression pattern by generating EGFRvIII-specific CAR T cells secreting a BiTE against wild-type EGFR (CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-EGFR), hypothesizing that this strategy could be used to safely enhance efficacy in a GBM model of EGFRvIII antigen loss.

[0281] TIFF2025032089000003.tif255157TIFF2025032089000004.tif255141TIFF2025032089000005.tif161157

[0282] To recapitulate GBM heterogeneity and the emergence of antigen escape at recurrence in a xenograft model, tumors with heterologous EGFRvIII expression were isolated from NSG (NOD.Cg-Prkdc scid Il2rg tm1WjlEGFRvIII-positive cells were transduced with click beetle green luciferase (CBG-luc) to allow real-time assessment of tumor progression by bioluminescence imaging. Once EGFRvIII-positive cells were eliminated, flank engraftment allowed for simultaneous caliper measurement of tumor growth. In this experiment, only EGFRvIII-expressing cells were transduced with luciferase, so imaging signal is only detected in this cell population. Mice treated with intravenous (IV) untransduced (UTD) T cells showed growth of EGFRvIII-positive tumors, whereas mice treated with CART-EGFRvIII cells showed variable degrees of tumor growth, reflected by abrogation of bioluminescence signal in some mice (Figure 32B). Nonetheless, these mice developed palpable and measurable tumors (Figure 32C). Immunohistochemistry (IHC) analysis of harvested tumors was consistent with the results of clinical trials (O'Rourke et al., supra); recurrent viable tumors with concomitant loss of EGFRvIII and maintenance of EGFR expression after treatment with CART-EGFRvIII (Figure 32D). Thus, the concept of CART.BiTE was developed (Figure 32E), which has the theoretical advantage of targeting multiple antigens and also has the ability to recruit and activate bystander T cells (Choi et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. US A. 110:270-275, 2013), a major component of the cellular infiltrate observed in GBM of patients treated with CART-EGFRvIII (O'Rourke et al., supra). While conventional CART-EGFRvIII only targets EGFRvIII-positive tumors, CART.BiTE cells have the additional ability to target EGFRvIII-negative tumors, and secreted BiTEs can also redirect bystander T cells against residual tumor cells.

[0283] Example 9 Production of CART.BiTEs for Heterogeneous Tumors We generated two CART.BiTE constructs, both based on a second-generation CART-EGFRvIII scaffold containing the intracellular signaling domains of 4-1BB and CD3ζ (Figure 33A). BiTEs were designed against wild-type EGFR or CD19, the latter serving as both a negative control and proof of concept to generalize our findings across model antigens. The BiTE sequence is preceded by an Igκ signal peptide followed by a polyhistidine tag (His tag) element to aid in detection and purification of the secreted product. A control CAR that did not secrete BiTEs was constructed from the same 4-1BB and CD3ζ scaffold and single-chain variable fragments (scFvs) targeting EGFRvIII, EGFR, and CD19. The mCherry fluorescent reporter gene was included in all vectors to facilitate evaluation of transduction efficiency. Efficient gene transfer of CART.BiTE vectors into primary human T cells was achieved with lentiviral vectors (Figure 33B).

[0284] BiTE cDNA was generated following the general format previously described (Choi et al., Expert Opin. Biol. Ther. 11:843-853, 2011) and contained two scFvs translated in tandem, bridged by a flexible glycine-serine linker (Figures 33C and 33D). Traditionally, one arm of the BiTE is designed to engage and activate T cells by binding to CD3, while the opposite target-binding arm is directed against a tumor antigen. Supernatants from human embryonic kidney (HEK) cells transduced with each CART.BiTE vector demonstrated successful translation and secretion of both BiTE-EGFR and BiTE-CD19 as evidenced by Western blot at the expected molecular weight of approximately 55 kDa (Figure 33E). Lanes were loaded with 10 μg of protein and subjected to SDS-PAGE and blotting with anti-His tag antibody. Secreted BiTE products were also successfully isolated from transduced primary human T cells; supernatants from these cultures bound to K562 target cells expressing the appropriate cognate antigen. BiTEs isolated from CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-CD19 and CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-EGFR cells did not bind to K562 expressing EGFR and CD19, respectively, confirming that this was antigen specific (Figure 33F). As expected, secreted BiTEs also demonstrated the ability to bind to T cells via their anti-CD3 scFv domain (Figure 33G). Detection was enhanced when supernatants from CART.BiTE cells were concentrated, a finding consistent with BiTEs using the same anti-CD3 scFv clones such as blinatumomab (Fajardo et al., Cancer Res. 77:2052-2063).

[0285] The amount of BiTE produced by human CART.BiTE cells was then estimated using a competitive ELISA-based immunoassay. Although UTD cells did not produce detectable secreted His-tagged proteins, soluble BiTEs were readily measured in the supernatants of CART.BiTE cells (5 × 10 5), total BiTE concentrations increased over time at a rate of approximately 10 pg / d (Figure 33H). When scaled to the estimated target dose for clinical trials (e.g., approximately 5 x 10 8 of transduced cells) (O'Rourke et al., supra), which resulted in BiTE secretion at an estimated rate of 10 ng / d. Importantly, BiTE-EGFR has been toxicologically tested in cynomolgus monkeys and was safe at a dose equivalent to approximately 800 μg / d for a 70 kg patient (Lutterbuese et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 107:12065-12610, 2010); this calculates to be 5 orders of magnitude greater than the expected BiTE secretion resulting from systemic infusion of CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-EGFR cells in humans.

[0286] Immunotherapy with CAR T cells and BiTEs has produced robust antitumor responses in patients with hematological malignancies but has met with limited success in solid tumors such as GBM. In this study, we developed an approach to strategically combine CARs with BiTEs into a single genetically modified T cell product. Using this platform, we demonstrate that key barriers to effective immunotherapy of solid tumors can be addressed, including antigen escape, immune suppression, and T cell exhaustion.

[0287] Example 10 CART.BiTE Function in the Setting of EGFRvIII Antigen Loss Having demonstrated that CAR-transduced T cells could be engineered to both translate and secrete BiTEs, we next determined the functional capacity of CART.BiTE cells in mediating anti-tumor immune responses. First, Jurkat reporter T cells transduced with candidate constructs were generated and assessed for selective activation against well-characterized EGFRvIII-negative, EGFR-positive glioma cell lines in vitro (Figure 34A). Unless otherwise stated, all assays were performed in triplicate (mean ± SEM shown; unpaired t-test, ***= p<0.001). To control for off-target activation via the anti-CD3 scFv of the BiTE alone or through the EGFRvIII-specific CAR, we used cells transduced with CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-CD19. Indeed, T cell activation was not detected in wells containing either UTD cells or CAR T cells secreting BiTE-CD19. In contrast, CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-EGFR transduced T cells showed significant and selective activation towards GBM (Figure 34B). In a similar experiment using primary human T cells, CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-EGFR cells were also found to produce the Th1 inflammatory cytokines IFN-γ and TNF-α when cultured with glioma cells in a BiTE-dependent, EGFR-specific manner (Figure 34C).

[0288] Next, we tested the ability of CART.BiTE to induce antigen-specific cytotoxic responses. Using a standard bioluminescent cytotoxicity assay, we demonstrated that CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-EGFR cells were highly cytotoxic and specific against EGFR-positive gliomas (Figure 35). These results were reproduced using an impedance-based platform that integrates microelectronics to capture real-time assessments of the dynamics of cell viability over time. In these assays, target EGFR-positive glioma cell lines were incubated with effector T cells and impedance, expressed as a cell index (viability), was recorded longitudinally. While wells co-cultured with agnostic CART controls (e.g., CART-CD19, CART-EGFRvIII, and CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-CD19) or UTD all showed similar viability kinetics, CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-EGFR cells were found to mediate a rapid decrease in target cell viability at various effector to target (E:T) ratios against multiple glioma cell lines (Figure 36A). When expressed as percent cytotoxicity at several time points, CART.BiTE cells were significantly more effective against GBM cells, even when compared to the positive control CART-EGFR (Figure 36B). This effect correlated with the degree of EGFR expression on the tumor cells, as targets with higher EGFR expression were more efficiently lysed by T cells transduced with either CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-EGFR or CART-EGFR (Figure 36C).

[0289] Patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) have been a recent focus of translational research in GBM, believed to meticulously recapitulate the genetic complexity and characteristic biological features of brain tumors. Importantly, GBM PDXs have been specifically shown to maintain physiologically relevant EGFR copy number and amplification levels. In a study of over 11 established GBM PDX neurospheres (Pandita et al., Genes Chromosomes Cancer 39:29-36, 2004), only one tumor contained both amplified EGFR and EGFRvIII. Given its native dual antigen expression, we reasoned that this model (i.e., BT74, formerly GBM6) would be an ideal platform for CART.BiTE evaluation. We confirmed that BT74 robustly demonstrated heterogeneous expression of both EGFR and EGFRvIII (Figure 37A). Highlighting this heterogeneity, Jurkat reporter T cells transduced with CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-CD19 were activated in the presence of BT74—albeit to a significantly lesser extent than those transduced with CAR-EGFRvIII.BiTE-EGFR—consistent with CAR-mediated recognition of EGFRvIII-expressing cells in culture (Figure 37B).

[0290] As PDX neurospheres are non-adherent and therefore impedance-based viability measurements are not applicable, anti-tumor cytotoxicity was assessed by live cell image-based analysis. Using this system, we demonstrated significant anti-tumor activity of CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-EGFR cells against BT74 over time (Figure 37C). This platform also allowed for morphological evaluation of the neurospheres themselves, again demonstrating selective anti-tumor effects in wells containing CAR T cells secreting BiTE-EGFR compared to those secreting BiTE-CD19 or UTD controls (Figure 37D). Given these observations, we designed a pilot experiment to evaluate the activity of CART.BiTE against orthotopic PDX in immunodeficient mice. Consistent with published literature (Brown et al., N. Engl. J. Med. 375:2561-2569, 2016; Priceman et al., Clin. Cancer Res. 24:95-105, 2018; Choi et al., J. Clin. Neurosci. 21:189-190, 2014), localized intraventricular delivery of CAR T cells was found to be feasible, safe, and superior to systemic delivery when treating tumors in the brain (Figures 38A and 38B). When tested against BT74 in vivo, intraventricular administration of CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-EGFR caused sustained regression of 7-day established intracerebral PDXs (Figures 39A-39C). Mice treated with CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-CD19 cells also eventually demonstrated a therapeutic effect, although this occurred later in the course of the experiment and was consistent in retrospect with reports that BT74 may have the ability to upregulate EGFRvIII when passaged serially in vivo (Pandita et al., Genes Chromosomes Cancer 39:29-36, 2004).

[0291] Example 11 CART.BiTEs are Effective and Safe Against EGFRvIII-Negative Tumors in Mice Given that expression of EGFRvIII in BT74 was found to vary in mice, we next determined whether the in vivo efficacy of CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-EGFR was dependent on CAR recognition of its cognate antigen EGFRvIII, or whether the secreted BiTE in the absence of CAR engagement was sufficient to detect a measurable antitumor response in vivo. To test this, human glioma cells (U251) were orthotopically engrafted in NSG mice and treatment proceeded (Figure 40A). U251 is considered one of the most stringent glioma models in which to test efficacy, given its lack of EGFRvIII expression and relatively low surface expression of EGFR (Figure 36C), as well as its greater resistance to cell death by CART.BiTE cells in vitro (Figures 36A and 36B). Moreover, compared to other cell lines, U251 has been specifically cited for its ability to most closely reflect the hallmark pathobiological features of human GBM when engrafted in mice (Radaelli et al. Histol. Histopathol. 24:879-891, 2009). Using this xenograft model, we demonstrated durable regression of established gliomas 5 days after injection of CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-EGFR cells (Figures 40B and 40C). Conversely, mice treated with cells expressing CART-EGFRvIII and BiTE-CD19 displayed progressive tumor burden comparable to mice receiving UTD controls.

[0292] Because secreted BiTE-EGFR was necessary and sufficient to mediate antitumor effects against GBM even in the absence of EGFRvIII, one potential concern is that CART.BiTEs might also produce significant on-target, off-tumor toxicity in normal human tissues expressing wild-type EGFR. However, given the very low levels of BiTE secretion from transduced T cells (Figure 33H), we hypothesized that local targeting of EGFR with secreted BiTEs may result in an improved safety profile compared to alternative approaches such as direct immunotherapeutic targeting with EGFR-specific CAR T cells. To test this, we used a previously published skin graft toxicity model (Johnson et al., Sci. Transl. Med. 7:275ra222, 2015), which allows for in vivo assessment of immune responses against human tissues expressing EGFR at endogenous levels. Skin grafts were chosen because of the ease of visualization and harvesting for analysis and because cutaneous reactions are a major side effect of several FDA-approved therapies targeting EGFR (Agero et al., J. Am. Acad. Dermatol. 55:657-670, 2006).

[0293] Human skin was grafted onto the backs of NSG mice and allowed to heal completely before treatment with CAR T cell therapy (Figure 40D). CART-EGFR cells based on the variable chain of cetuximab served as a positive control for inducing skin toxicity and have previously been shown to be safe in skin graft experiments (Johnson et al., supra) and clinical trials (O'Rourke et al., supra), while CAR T cells against EGFRvIII engineered to secrete a CD19 BiTE were used as a negative control. All T cells were delivered intravenously rather than intracranially to increase sensitivity to toxicity that may result from the pharmacokinetic distribution of CAR T cells and secreted BiTE into the systemic circulation. Skin samples were harvested up to 2 weeks after injection and subjected to histological examination. Mice treated with CART-EGFR showed strong lymphocytic infiltration in the dermis and epidermis of their skin grafts. Analysis by IHC revealed strong CD3 +T cell infiltration, keratinocyte apoptosis and TUNEL + Contiguous regions of cells were evident (Figure 40E). Conversely, these signs were not seen in mice treated with CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-EGFR cells, which were not significantly different from controls when quantified in 10 consecutive high-power fields (Figures 40F and 40G). These results suggest that there is a therapeutic window for CARs designed to secrete low levels of BiTEs, and that it may be safe to target antigens in healthy tissues, even when CART.BiTE cells are administered systemically.

[0294] Example 12 BiTEs secreted by CAR T cells recruit bystander effector activity In patients, GBM tumors are variably infiltrated with endogenous T cells at baseline, and the presence of these cells has been shown to predict favorable clinical outcomes (Lohr et al., Clin. Cancer Res. 17:4296-4308, 2011). Similarly, clinical trials of patients receiving CART-EGFRvIII cells have demonstrated robust bystander T cell infiltration within the tumor matrix (O'Rourke et al., supra). However, it has also been shown that tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) often have tumor agonist specificity and may recognize a wide range of epitopes completely unrelated to the cancer (Simoni et al. Nature 557:575-579, 2018). Thus, these unmodified endogenous T cells may represent an untapped resource that could be redirected into tumor-specific cytotoxic killers (Figure 32E).

[0295] Mechanistically, it remained unclear whether the secreted BiTEs were recruiting only cells engineered to express the transgene or, in contrast, primarily redirecting the bystander T cell compartment, which is incidentally present in all CAR T cell preparations for both research and clinical use (Figure 33B). To specifically characterize the interaction between secreted BiTEs and bystander T cells, confocal microscopy was first used to visualize the distribution of EGFR-specific BiTEs in both CAR T cells and non-transduced T cells in culture. As before, transduced cells were identified by expression of mCherry fluorescent protein (Figure 33A). In addition, biotinylated EGFR was used for sensitive detection of anti-EGFR scFv, expressed in this case as a transmembrane protein in the form of a CAR or as the free arm of the BiTE opposite its binding site on CD3. Unless otherwise stated, all assays were performed in triplicate (mean ± SEM shown; unpaired t test, *** = p<0.001). As expected, positive control CART-EGFR cells were found to successfully bind free EGFR antigen (Figures 41A and 41B; top). Conversely, negative control T cells transduced with CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-CD19 showed no signs of specificity for EGFR through their CAR or secreted BiTE components (Figures 41A and 41B; middle). However, in cultures transduced with CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-EGFR, evidence of EGFR-specific BiTE bound in clusters was found not only on the transduced mCherry-positive cells but also on the surface of bystander, mCherry-negative, untransduced cells (Figures 41A and 41B; bottom).

[0296] We next assessed the ability of secreted BiTEs to enhance paracrine immune responses against tumor cells, specifically from the bystander compartment. Using flow cytometry analysis on co-cultures of GBM and primary human T cells, we found that only CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-EGFR mediated activation of mCherry-negative cells, as indicated by early induction of CD25 and CD69 (Figure 41C). As expected, activation was also observed in co-cultures containing CART-EGFR cells, but this was restricted to the mCherry-positive population, and bystander cells in these cultures were unchanged. Additional experiments in which bystander T cells were replaced with untransduced Jurkat reporter T cells again demonstrated antigen-specific activation only in the presence of human CAR T cells secreting BiTE-EGFR (Figure 41D). Importantly, prior to the assay, these reporter cells were not cultured under conditions in which BiTE molecules were actively produced, as is typical during standard CAR T cell expansion; thus, bystander activation could be specifically attributed to secreted BiTEs during the assay.

[0297] Also assessed was the degree to which CART.BiTEs could induce functional activity of bystander T cells, as measured by parameters such as proliferation, cytokine secretion, and antitumor cytotoxicity. It was found that mCherry-positive CART-EGFR cells proliferated indiscriminately upon encountering their target antigen in culture, whereas a significant proportion of proliferation in CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-EGFR-transduced cultures was observed within the bystander T cell compartment (Figures 41E and 41F). Finally, we used a 0.4 μm transwell system, which provides a physical barrier between the genetically modified cells and the UTD effectors while allowing soluble BiTEs to pass freely between the chambers (Figure 41G). This strategy eliminated variables associated with direct cell-cell interactions or unexpected activity between nonspecific CAR T cells and tumors in culture. Using this system, we found that BiTEs produced by CART.BiTE cells successfully translocated across a Transwell membrane and mediated Th1 cytokine production and antigen-specific cytotoxicity from unmodified T cells in the presence of GBM (Figures 41H and 41I). This effect was also generalizable in that the results were reproduced with CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-CD19 in the setting of CD19-expressing target cells. Notably, antitumor cytotoxicity was observed when UTD effector cells were induced by highly purified flow cytometry cell-sorted regulatory T cells (T reg ) was also observed (Figure 42). This finding was consistent with the results of reg This is consistent with previous studies showing that even T cells have the ability to transform into antitumor cytotoxic killers via the granzyme-perforin pathway (Choi et al., Cancer Immunol. Res. 1:163, 2013). reg is a highly suppressive cell population in GBM patients and was in fact over-represented in TILs from patients treated with CART-EGFRvIII (O'Rourke et al., supra). Thus, these findings highlight an additional mechanism by which CART.BiTEs may enhance antitumor immunity and mitigate tumor escape from T cell rejection.

[0298] Example 13 Simultaneous redirection of CAR and BiTE results in favorable T cell differentiation and phenotype In a xenogeneic brain tumor model expressing EGFRvIII in only 10% of cells, injection of CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-EGFR cells resulted in a complete and durable response in all mice (Figure 43A-43C). In this setting, CART.BiTE cells could be activated by both their CAR and the secreted bound BiTE. To understand the effect of coactivation by CAR and BiTE, we used fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) to isolate the transduced mCherry-positive subpopulation of several CAR T cell cultures with a purity of more than 97.5% (Figure 43D). This step was performed to largely exclude the contribution of CAR-negative bystander cells in subsequent analyses. Using this approach, we demonstrated that T cells transduced to express CAR maintained the ability to efficiently lyse target tumor cells through BiTE-mediated cytotoxicity (Figure 43E). This was true for both BiTE-EGFR and BiTE-CD19 when tested against corresponding target tumor lines expressing EGFR and CD19, respectively. In addition, CAR T cells redirected via both CAR and BiTE (e.g., CART-EGFRvIII.BiTE-EGFR against U87vIII, which expresses both EGFRvIII and EGFR) showed comparable cytotoxic activity compared to CAR alone (Figure 43F). These data provided initial evidence that CAR and BiTE may be able to signal together without necessarily resulting in competition, counterproductive, or immunodominance between the platforms.

[0299] To further characterize BiTE activity in the context of CAR-transduced cells, each mode of stimulation was also compared for its ability to initiate and sustain T cell proliferation. Notably, BiTEs are limited to T cell activation via CD3 stimulation, whereas CAR T cells are engineered to express both intracellular CD3ζ and a potent co-stimulatory domain, such as 4-1BB in this case. Thus, we speculated that CARs, by design, might outperform BiTEs in assays that measure a given functional parameter when measured head-to-head. Indeed, after continuous antigen stimulation with irradiated target cells, proliferation of BiTE-stimulated sorted transduced cells plateaued after approximately 12 days, whereas repeated antigen stimulation with CAR maintained logarithmic proliferation for more than a month (Figure 43G). Interestingly, simultaneous activation via CAR and BiTE almost completely eliminated the proliferation defect observed with BiTE alone.

[0300] T cells exist in various differentiation states, each with its own functional capabilities. In clinical studies, BiTEs have been used to generate highly differentiated effector memory cells (T EM ) (Bargou et al., Science 321:974-977, 2008); however, the superior results of CART have not been achieved with the proliferation of less differentiated stem cell memory (T SCM ) or Central Memory (T CM ) subtype (Sadelain et al., Nature 545:423-431, 2017). These less differentiated phenotypes are characterized by enhanced proliferation and persistence, the capacity for self-renewal, and a shorter life span of T EM Therefore, we hypothesized that the differences observed in proliferation during sequential antigen stimulation with each modality (Figure 43G) might also result in distinct T cell differentiation patterns. Indeed, consistent with our data as well as previous studies, CAR T cells undergoing prolonged stimulation with BiTE alone were able to produce T EM Cells were preferentially enriched and activated by either CAR alone or CAR with BiTE, which are less differentiated T CMThe CAR-BiTEs appeared to enrich for the 4-1BB compartment (Figure 43H). Finally, we characterized surface markers indicative of T cell exhaustion, a state characterized by generalized hyporesponsiveness, limited proliferative capacity, and severely impaired effector function. Stimulation with BiTEs alone was found to upregulate the expression of several immune checkpoint inhibitors (e.g., PD-1, TIM-3, and LAG-3) associated with exhausted T cells; however, combining CARs with BiTEs reversed the polarization toward T cell exhaustion (Figure 43I). These findings validate previous studies (Long et al., Nat. Med. 21:581-590, 2015) demonstrating the favorable effect of costimulation, particularly via 4-1BB, on attenuating exhaustion in CAR T cells, and also suggest that these benefits may be extended to combination therapy with BiTEs against other antigens. Our findings reveal new insights into how CARs and BiTEs, typically considered to be competing technologies, can be used to complement each other.

[0301] Example 14 Immune cells genetically engineered to target multiple antigens using a combination of tandem chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) and secreted BiTEs Heterogeneous target antigen expression and growth of tumors lacking the target antigen may limit the responsiveness of cancers to immunotherapy using immune cells (e.g., T cells) engineered to express CARs. For example, glioblastoma (GBM) is a highly prognostic cancer known to express surface antigens that can be targeted for effective antitumor immunity, including EGFRvIII, IL13Rα2, EGFR, HER2, and ephrin. However, to date, GBM responses to CAR T cells against single antigens, such as EGFRvIII or IL-13Rα2, have been limited, in part due to antigen escape.

[0302] To address this issue, second generation CARs have been designed that are composed of two or more antigen binding domains (e.g., two or more single chain fragment variable (scFv) regions, two or more ligands, or a combination of one or more scFvs and one or more ligands). Such CARs have the ability to be activated by engaging two or more different antigens, e.g., EGFRvIII and IL-13Rα2. To further broaden the breadth of responses achievable through this approach and protect against tumor progression via antigen escape, additional specificity or targeting of immune cells can be provided by engineering immune cells to also secrete additional antigens, e.g., bispecific antibodies (e.g., BiTEs) that target EGFR or HER2.

[0303] Tandem CAR constructs directed against IL-13Rα2 and EGFRvIII were designed along with two control CARs directed against either single antigen (Figures 44A-44C). The tandem CAR (construct 12) contains an EF1α promoter, an IL-13 ligand (IL-13 zetakine), an anti-EGFRvIII scFv, a CD8 transmembrane domain, a 4-1BB costimulatory domain, a CD3ζ domain, a T2A peptide sequence, and a reporter gene (mCherry). The construct can be a polycistronic vector further encoding a BiTE (e.g., a BiTE targeting EGFR or HER2), for example, using a T2A peptide or an internal ribosome entry site (IRES). Such polycistronic vectors can be designed, for example, according to the methods described in Example 8 and / or similar to the constructs described in Examples 5 and 10. In other examples, CAR-T cells transduced with a tandem CAR construct, such as construct 12, can be transduced with a separate vector for expression of a BiTE.

[0304] A heterogeneous glioblastoma in vitro model was developed using U87 human glioblastoma cells and U87 cells transduced to express EGFRvIII (U87vIII). Expression of IL13Rα2 was confirmed in both U87 and U87vIII glioblastomas as assessed by flow cytometry (Figure 45A). Next, cytotoxicity assays of untransduced T cells (UTD), anti-IL-13Rα2 CAR T cells, anti-EGFRvIII CAR T cells, or tandem anti-IL-13Rα2 / anti-EGFRvIII CAR T cells were performed. As shown in Figure 45B, each CAR T cell population induced cytotoxicity of the target cell population (U87 and U87vIII glioblastoma cells at a 1:1 ratio), with tandem anti-IL-13Rα2 / anti-EGFRvIII CAR T cells showing the highest efficacy in specific lysis compared to CAR T cells targeting single antigens at effector:target (E:T) ratios of 10:1 and 3:1.

[0305] In summary, we have developed tandem CARs targeting two or more distinct antigens, e.g., EGFRvIII and IL-13Rα2, that can be engineered to secrete bispecific antibodies (e.g., BiTEs) targeting additional antigens, e.g., EGFR or HER2. This technique can be extended to other tandem CARs or BiTEs targeting other surface tumor antigens, e.g., EGFR, EGFRvIII, CD19, CD79b, CD37, PSMA, PSCA, IL-13Rα2, EphA1, Her2, mesothelin, MUC1, MUC16, etc. For example, tandem CARs can be designed to target EGFR and EGFRvIII, PSMA and PSCA; CD19 and CD79b; CD79b and CD37; CD19 and CD37; EphA1 and Her2; EphA1 and mesothelin; Her2 and mesothelin, MUC1 and MUC16; as well as other combinations of the aforementioned tumor antigens.

[0306] Example 15 Sequence information Anti-GARP CAR-construct 1: CD8 signal sequence-anti-GARP-CD8 hinge+TM-4-1BB-CD3ζ (SEQ ID NO:1), comprising CD8 signal sequence (amino acids 1-21 of SEQ ID NO:1; SEQ ID NO:2); anti-GARP camelid (amino acids 22-128 of SEQ ID NO:1; SEQ ID NO:3); CD8 hinge / TM domain (amino acids 129-197 of SEQ ID NO:1; SEQ ID NO:4); 4-1BB ICD (amino acids 198-239 of SEQ ID NO:1; SEQ ID NO:5); and CD3ζ (amino acids 240-351 of SEQ ID NO:1; SEQ ID NO:6). MALPVTALLLPLALLLHAARPDIQMTQSPSSLSASLGDRVTITCQASQSISSYLAWYQQKPGQAPNILIYGASRLKTGVPSRFSGSGSGTSFTLTISGLEAEDAGTYYCQQYASVPVTFGQGTKVELKTTTPAPRPPTTPAPTIASQPLSLRPEACRPAAGGAVHTRGLDFACDIYIWAPLAGTCGVLLLSLVITLYCKRGRKKLLYIFKQPFMRPVQTTQEEDGCSCRFPEEEEGGCELRVKFSRSADAPAYQQGQNQLYNELNLGRREEYDVLDKRRGRDPEMGGKPRRKNPQEGLYNELQKDKMAEAYSEIGMKGERRRGKGHDGLYQGLSTATKDTYDALHMQALPPR (SEQ ID NO: 1)

[0307] CD8 signal sequence (amino acids 1-21 of SEQ ID NO:1) MALPVTALLLPLALLLHAARP (SEQ ID NO:2)

[0308] Anti-GARP camelid (amino acids 22-128 of SEQ ID NO:1) DIQMTQSPSSLSASLGDRVTITCQASQSISSYLAWYQQKPGQAPNILIYGASRLKTGVPSRFSGSGSGTSFTLTISGLEAEDAGTYYCQQYASVPVTFGQGTKVELK (SEQ ID NO: 3)

[0309] CD8 hinge / TM domain (amino acids 129-197 of SEQ ID NO:1) TTTPAPRPPTPAPTIASQPLSLRPEACRPAAGGAVHTRGLDFACDIYIWAPLAGTCGVLLLSLVITLYC (SEQ ID NO: 4)

[0310] 4-1BB ICD (amino acids 198-239 of SEQ ID NO:1) KRGRKKLLYIFKQPFMRPVQTTQEEDGCSCRFPEEEEGGCEL (SEQ ID NO: 5)

[0311] CD3ζ (amino acids 240-351 of SEQ ID NO:1) RVKFSRSADAPAYQQGQNQLYNELNLGRREEYDVLDKRRGRDPEMGGKPRRKNPQEGLYNELQKDKMAEAYSEIGMKGERRRGKGHDGLYQGLSTATKDTYDALHMQALPPR (SEQ ID NO: 6)

[0312] Anti-LAP CAR(HL)-Construct 2: CD8 signal sequence-anti-LAP-CD8 hinge+TM-4-1BB-CD3ζ (SEQ ID NO:7), comprising CD8 signal sequence (amino acids 1-21 of SEQ ID NO:7; SEQ ID NO:8), anti-LAP scFv(HL) (amino acids 22-307 of SEQ ID NO:7; SEQ ID NO:9), CD8 hinge / TM domain (amino acids 308-376 of SEQ ID NO:7; SEQ ID NO:10), 4-1BB ICD (amino acids 377-418 of SEQ ID NO:7; SEQ ID NO:11), and CD3ζ (amino acids 419-530 of SEQ ID NO:7; SEQ ID NO:12) (SEQ ID NO:7)

[0313] CD8 signal sequence (amino acids 1-21 of SEQ ID NO:7) MALPVTALLLPLALLLHAARP (SEQ ID NO:8)

[0314] Anti-LAPscFv(HL) (amino acids 22-307 of SEQ ID NO:7) MKLWLNWIFLVTLLNDIQCEVKLVESGGGLVQPGGSLSLSCAASGFTFTDYYMSWVRQPPGKALEWLGFIRNKPNGYTTEYSASVKGRFTISRDNSQSILYLQMNVLRAEDSATYYCARYTGGGYFDYWGQGTTLTVSSGGGGSGGGGSGGGGGSGGGGSMMSSAQFLGLLLLCFQGTRCDIQMTQTTSSLSASLGDRLTISCRASQDISNYLNWYQQKPDGTVKLLIYYTSRLHSGVPSRFSGSGSGTDYSLTISNLEQADIATYFCQQGDTLPWTFGGGTKLEIK (SEQ ID NO: 9)

[0315] CD8 hinge / TM domain (amino acids 308-376 of SEQ ID NO:7) TTTPAPRPPTPAPTIASQPLSLRPEACRPAAGGAVHTRGLDFACDIYIWAPLAGTCGVLLLSLVITLYC (SEQ ID NO: 10)

[0316] 4-1BB ICD (amino acids 377-418 of SEQ ID NO:7) KRGRKKLLYIFKQPFMRPVQTTQEEDGCSCRFPEEEEGGCEL (SEQ ID NO: 11)

[0317] CD3ζ (amino acids 419-530 of SEQ ID NO:7) RVKFSRSADAPAYQQGQNQLYNELNLGRREEYDVLDKRRGRDPEMGGKPRRKNPQEGLYNELQKDKMAEAYSEIGMKGERRRGKGHDGLYQGLSTATKDTYDALHMQALPPR (SEQ ID NO: 12)

[0318] Anti-LAP CAR(LH)-Construct 3: CD8 signal sequence-anti-LAP-CD8 hinge+TM-4-1BB-CD3ζ (SEQ ID NO:13), comprising CD8 signal (amino acids 1-21 of SEQ ID NO:13; SEQ ID NO:14), anti-LAP scFv(LH) (amino acids 22-307 of SEQ ID NO:13; SEQ ID NO:15), CD8 hinge / TM (amino acids 308-376 of SEQ ID NO:13; SEQ ID NO:16), 4-1B ICD (amino acids 377-418 of SEQ ID NO:13; SEQ ID NO:17), and CD3ζ (amino acids 419-530 of SEQ ID NO:13; SEQ ID NO:18). (SEQ ID NO:13)

[0319] CD8 signal sequence (amino acids 1-21 of SEQ ID NO:13) MALPVTALLLPLALLLHAARP (SEQ ID NO: 14)

[0320] Anti-LAPscFv(LH) (amino acids 22-307 of SEQ ID NO:13) MMSSAQFLGLLLLCFQGTRCDIQMTQTTSSLSASLGDRLTISCRASQDISNYLNWYQQKPDGTVKLLIYYTSRLHSGVPSRFSGSGSGTDYSLTISNLEQADIATYFCQQGDTLPWTFGGGTKLEIKGGGGSGGGGSGGGGSGGGGSMKLWLNWIFLVTLLNDIQCEVKLVESGGGLVQPGGSLSLSCAASGFTFTDYYMSWVRQPPGKALEWLGFIRNKPNGYTTEYSASVKGRFTISRDNSQSILYLQMNVLRAEDSATYYCARYTGGGYFDYWGQGTTLTVSS (SEQ ID NO: 15)

[0321] CD8 hinge / TM (amino acids 308-376 of SEQ ID NO:13) TTTPAPRPPTPAPTIASQPLSLRPEACRPAAGGAVHTRGLDFACDIYIWAPLAGTCGVLLLSLVITLYC (SEQ ID NO: 16)

[0322] 4-1BB ICD (amino acids 377-418 of SEQ ID NO:13) KRGRKKLLYIFKQPFMRPVQTTQEEDGCSCRFPEEEEGGCEL (SEQ ID NO: 17)

[0323] CD3ζ (amino acids 419-530 of SEQ ID NO:13) RVKFSRSADAPAYQQGQNQLYNELNLGRREEYDVLDKRRGRDPEMGGKPRRKNPQEGLYNELQKDKMAEAYSEIGMKGERRRGKGHDGLYQGLSTATKDTYDALHMQALPPR (SEQ ID NO: 18)

[0324] anti-EGFR comprising a CD8 signal sequence (amino acids 1-21 of SEQ ID NO:19; SEQ ID NO:20), an anti-EGFR scFv (amino acids 22-267 of SEQ ID NO:19; SEQ ID NO:21), a CD8 hinge / TM (amino acids 268-336 of SEQ ID NO:19; SEQ ID NO:22), a 4-1BB (amino acids 337-378 of SEQ ID NO:19; SEQ ID NO:23), a CD3 zeta (amino acids 379-490 of SEQ ID NO:19; SEQ ID NO:24), a 2A cleavage sequence (amino acids 494-515 of SEQ ID NO:19; SEQ ID NO:31), an Ig kappa leader (amino acids 519-539 of SEQ ID NO:19; SEQ ID NO:32), and an anti-GARP camelid (amino acids 540-646 of SEQ ID NO:19; SEQ ID NO:25). CAR secreting anti-GARP camelide - Construct 4: CD8 signal sequence-anti-EGFR-CD8 hinge + TM-4-1BB-CD3ζ-anti-GARP camelide (SEQ ID NO: 19) (SEQ ID NO: 19)

[0325] CD8 signal sequence (amino acids 1-21 of SEQ ID NO:19) MALPVTALLLPLALLLHAARP (SEQ ID NO:20)

[0326] Anti-EGFRscFv (amino acids 22-267 of SEQ ID NO:19) QVQLKQSGPGLVQPSQSLSITCTVSGFSLTNYGVHWVRQSPGKGLEWLGVIWSGGNTDYNTPFTSRLSINKDNSKSQVFFKMNSLQSNDTAIYYCARALTYYDYEFAYWGQGTLVTVSAGGGGSGGGGSGGGGSGGGGSDILLTQSPVILSVSPGERVSFSCRASQSIGTNIHWYQQRTNGSPRLLIKYASESISGIPSRFSGSGSGTDFTLSINSVESEDIADYYCQQNNNWPTTFGAGTKLELK (SEQ ID NO: 21)

[0327] CD8 hinge / TM (amino acids 268-336 of SEQ ID NO:19) TTTPAPRPPTPAPTIASQPLSLRPEACRPAAGGAVHTRGLDFACDIYIWAPLAGTCGVLLLSLVITLYC (SEQ ID NO: 22)

[0328] 4-1BB (amino acids 337-378 of SEQ ID NO: 19) KRGRKKLLYIFKQPFMRPVQTTQEEDGCSCRFPEEEEGGCEL (SEQ ID NO: 23)

[0329] CD3ζ (amino acids 379-490 of SEQ ID NO:19) RVKFSRSADAPAYQQGQNQLYNELNLGRREEYDVLDKRRGRDPEMGGKPRRKNPQEGLYNELQKDKMAEAYSEIGMKGERRRGKGHDGLYQGLSTATKDTYDALHMQALPPR (SEQ ID NO: 24)

[0330] 2A cleavage sequence (amino acids 494-515 of SEQ ID NO:19; SEQ ID NO:31) GSGATNFSLLKQAGDVEENPGP (SEQ ID NO: 31)

[0331] Igκ signal sequence (amino acids 519-539 of SEQ ID NO:19; SEQ ID NO:32) METDTLLLWVLLLWVPGSTGD (SEQ ID NO: 32)

[0332] Anti-GARP camelid (amino acids 540-646 of SEQ ID NO:19; SEQ ID NO:25) DIQMTQSPSSLSASLGDRVTITCQASQSISSYLAWYQQKPGQAPNILIYGASRLKTGVPSRFSGSGSGTSFTLTISGLEAEDAGTYYCQQYASVPVTFGQGTKVELK (SEQ ID NO: 25)

[0333] Construct 5-3C10 (anti-EGFRvIII) scFv-CD8hinge / TM-4-1BB, comprising 3C10 scFv (amino acids 1-243 of SEQ ID NO:26; SEQ ID NO:27), CD8hinge / TM (amino acids 244-312 of SEQ ID NO:26; SEQ ID NO:28), 4-1BB ICD (amino acids 313-354 of SEQ ID NO:26; SEQ ID NO:29), CD3ζ (amino acids 355-466 of SEQ ID NO:26; SEQ ID NO:30), P2A (amino acids 467-488 of SEQ ID NO:26; SEQ ID NO:31), Igκ signal sequence (amino acids 491-511 of SEQ ID NO:26; SEQ ID NO:32), cetuximab scFv (amino acids 512-752 of SEQ ID NO:26; SEQ ID NO:33), CD3 scFv (amino acids 758-1000 of SEQ ID NO:26; SEQ ID NO:34). ICD-CD3ζ-P2A-Igκ signal sequence-cetuximab (anti-EGFR) scFv-CD3scFv-His-tag (SEQ ID NO: 26)

[0334] 3C10 (anti-EGFRvIII) scFv (amino acids 1-243 of SEQ ID NO:26) EIQLQQSGAELVKPGASVKLSCTGSGFNIEDYYIHWVKQRTEQGLEWIGRIDPENDETKYGPIFQGRATITA DTSSNTVYLQLSSLTSEDTAVYYCAFRGGVYWGPGTTLTVSSGGGGSGGGGSGGGGSHMDVVMTQSPLTLSVAIGQSASISCKSSQSLLDSDGKTYLNWLLQRPGQSPKRLISLVSKLDSGVPDRFTGSGSGTDFTLRISRVEAEDLGIYYCWQGTHFPGTFGGGTKLEIK (SEQ ID NO: 27)

[0335] CD8 hinge / TM (amino acids 244-312 of SEQ ID NO:26) TTTPAPRPPTPAPTIASQPLSLRPEACRPAAGGAVHTRGLDFACDIYIWAPLAGTCGVLLLSLVITLYC (SEQ ID NO: 28)

[0336] 4-1BB ICD (amino acids 313-354 of SEQ ID NO:26) KRGRKKLLYIFKQPFMRPVQTTQEEDGCSCRFPEEEEGGCEL (SEQ ID NO: 29)

[0337] CD3ζ (amino acids 355-466 of SEQ ID NO:26) RVKFSRSADAPAYQQGQNQLYNELNLGRREEYDVLDKRRGRDPEMGGKPRRKNPQEGLYNELQKDKMAEAYSEIGMKGERRRGKGHDGLYQGLSTATKDTYDALHMQALPPR (SEQ ID NO: 30)

[0338] P2A (amino acids 467-488 of SEQ ID NO:26) GSGATNFSLLKQAGDVEENPGP (SEQ ID NO: 31)

[0339] Igκ signal sequence (amino acids 491-511 of SEQ ID NO:26) METDTLLLWVLLLWVPGSTGD (SEQ ID NO: 32)

[0340] Cetuximab (anti-EGFR) scFv (amino acids 512-752 of SEQ ID NO:26) DILLTQSPVILSVSPGERVSFSCRASQSIGTNIHWYQQRTNGSPRLLIKYASESISGIPSRFSGSGSGTDFTLSINSVESEDIADYYCQQNNNWPTTFGAGTKLELKGGGGSGGGGSGGGGSQVQLKQSGPGLVQPSQSLSITCTVSGFSLTNYGVHWVRQSPGKGLEWLGVIWSGGNTDYNTPFTSRLSINKDNSKSQVFFKMNSLQSNDTAIYYCARALTYYDYEFAYWGQGTLVTVSA (SEQ ID NO: 33)

[0341] Anti-CD3 scFv (amino acids 758-1000 of SEQ ID NO:26) DIKLQQSGAELARPGASVKMSCKTSGYTFTRYTMHWVKQRPGQGLEWIGYINPSRGYTNYNQKFKDKATLTTDKSSSTAYMQLSSLTSEDSAVYYCARYYDDHYCLDYWGQGTTLTVSSVEGGSGGSGGSGGSGGVDDIQLTQSPAIMSASPGEKVTMTCRASSSVSYMNWYQQKSGTSPKRWIYDTSKVASGVPYRFSGSGSGTSYSLTISSMEAEDAATYYCQQWSSNPLTFGAGTKLELK (SEQ ID NO: 34)

[0342] 2173scFv (amino acids 1-246 of SEQ ID NO:35; SEQ ID NO:36), CD8 hinge / TM (amino acids 247-315 of SEQ ID NO:35; SEQ ID NO:37), 4-1BB Construct 6-2173 (anti-EGFRvIII) scFv-CD8 hinge / TM-4-1BB ICD-CD3 ζ-P2A-IgK signal sequence-cetuximab (anti-EGFR) scFv-CD3 scFv-His-tag (SEQ ID NO:35), comprising ICD (amino acids 316-357 of SEQ ID NO:36; SEQ ID NO:38), CD3ζ (amino acids 358-469 of SEQ ID NO:35; SEQ ID NO:39), P2A (amino acids 470-491 of SEQ ID NO:35; SEQ ID NO:40), IgK signal sequence (amino acids 494-514 of SEQ ID NO:35; SEQ ID NO:41), cetuximab scFv (amino acids 515-755 of SEQ ID NO:35; SEQ ID NO:42), and CD3 scFv (amino acids 761-1003 of SEQ ID NO:35; SEQ ID NO:43).

[0343] 2173 (anti-EGFRvIII) scFv (amino acids 1-246 of SEQ ID NO:35) EIQLVQSGAEVKKPGESLRISCKGSGFNIEDYYIHWVRQMPGKGLEWMGRIDPENDETKYGPIFQGHVTISADTSINTVYLQWSSLKASDTAMYYCAFRGGVYWGQGTTVTVSSGGGGSGGGGSGGGGSGGGSDVVMTQSPDSLAVSLGERATINCKSSQSLLDSDGKTYLNWLQQKPGQPPKRLISLVSKLDSGVPDRFSGSGSGTDFTLTISSLQAEDVAVYYCWQGTHFPGTFGGGTKVEIK (SEQ ID NO: 36)

[0344] CD8 hinge / TM (amino acids 247-315 of SEQ ID NO:35) TTTPAPRPPTPAPTIASQPLSLRPEACRPAAGGAVHTRGLDFACDIYIWAPLAGTCGVLLLSLVITLYC (SEQ ID NO: 37)

[0345] 4-1BB ICD (amino acids 316-357 of SEQ ID NO:35) KRGRKKLLYIFKQPFMRPVQTTQEEDGCSCRFPEEEEGGCEL (SEQ ID NO: 38)

[0346] CD3ζ (amino acids 358-469 of SEQ ID NO:35) RVKFSRSADAPAYQQGQNQLYNELNLGRREEYDVLDKRRGRDPEMGGKPRRKNPQEGLYNELQKDKMAEAYSEIGMKGERRRGKGHDGLYQGLSTATKDTYDALHMQALPPR (SEQ ID NO: 39)

[0347] P2A (amino acids 470-491 of SEQ ID NO:35) GSGATNFSLLKQAGDVEENPGP (SEQ ID NO: 40)

[0348] Igκ signal sequence (amino acids 494-514 of SEQ ID NO:35) METDTLLLWVLLLWVPGSTGD (SEQ ID NO: 41)

[0349] Cetuximab (anti-EGFR) scFv (amino acids 515-755 of SEQ ID NO:35) DILLTQSPVILSVSPGERVSFSCRASQSIGTNIHWYQQRTNGSPRLLIKYASESISGIPSRFSGSGSGTDFTLSINSVESEDIADYYCQQNNNWPTTFGAGTKLELKGGGGSGGGGSGGGGSQVQLKQSGPGLVQPSQSLSITCTVSGFSLTNYGVHWVRQSPGKGLEWLGVIWSGGNTDYNTPFTSRLSINKDNSKSQVFFKMNSLQSNDTAIYYCARALTYYDYEFAYWGQGTLVTVSA (SEQ ID NO: 42)

[0350] Anti-CD3 scFv (amino acids 761-1003 of SEQ ID NO:35) DIKLQQSGAELARPGASVKMSCKTSGYTFTRYTMHWVKQRPGQGLEWIGYINPSRGYTNYNQKFKDKATLTTDKSSSTAYMQLSSLTSEDSAVYYCARYYDDHYCLDYWGQGTTLTVSSVEGGSGGSGGSGGSGGVDDIQLTQSPAIMSASPGEKVTMTCRASSSVSYMNWYQQKSGTSPKRWIYDTSKVASGVPYRFSGSGSGTSYSLTISSMEAEDAATYYCQQWSSNPLTFGAGTKLELK (SEQ ID NO: 43)

[0351] Construct 7-2173 (anti-EGFRvIII) scFv-CD8hinge / TM-4-1BB, comprising 2173 scFv (amino acids 1-246 of SEQ ID NO:44; SEQ ID NO:45), CD8hinge / TM (amino acids 247-315 of SEQ ID NO:44; SEQ ID NO:46), 4-1BB ICD (amino acids 316-357 of SEQ ID NO:44; SEQ ID NO:47), CD3ζ (amino acids 358-469 of SEQ ID NO:44; SEQ ID NO:48), P2A (amino acids 470-491 of SEQ ID NO:44; SEQ ID NO:49), Igκ signal sequence (amino acids 494-514 of SEQ ID NO:44; SEQ ID NO:50), CD19 scFv (amino acids 515-764 of SEQ ID NO:44; SEQ ID NO:51), CD3 scFv (amino acids 770-1012 of SEQ ID NO:44; SEQ ID NO:52). ICD-CD3ζ-P2A-Igκ signal sequence-CD19scFv-CD3scFv-His-tag (SEQ ID NO: 44)

[0352] 2173 (anti-EGFRvIII) scFv (amino acids 1-246 of SEQ ID NO:44) EIQLVQSGAEVKKPGESLRISCKGSGFNIEDYYIHWVRQMPGKGLEWMGRIDPENDETKYGPIFQGHVTISADTSINTVYLQWSSLKASDTAMYYCAFRGGVYWGQGTTVTVSSGGGGSGGGGSGGGGSGGGSDVVMTQSPDSLAVSLGERATINCKSSQSLLDSDGKTYLNWLQQKPGQPPKRLISLVSKLDSGVPDRFSGSGSGTDFTLTISSLQAEDVAVYYCWQGTHFPGTFGGGTKVEIK (SEQ ID NO: 45)

[0353] CD8 hinge / TM (amino acids 247-315 of SEQ ID NO:44) TTTPAPRPPTPAPTIASQPLSLRPEACRPAAGGAVHTRGLDFACDIYIWAPLAGTCGVLLLSLVITLYC (SEQ ID NO: 46)

[0354] 4-1BB ICD (amino acids 316-357 of SEQ ID NO:44) KRGRKKLLYIFKQPFMRPVQTTQEEDGCSCRFPEEEEGGCEL (SEQ ID NO: 47)

[0355] CD3ζ (amino acids 358-469 of SEQ ID NO:44) RVKFSRSADAPAYQQGQNQLYNELNLGRREEYDVLDKRRGRDPEMGGKPRRKNPQEGLYNELQKDKMAEAYSEIGMKGERRRGKGHDGLYQGLSTATKDTYDALHMQALPPR (SEQ ID NO: 48)

[0356] P2A (amino acids 470-491 of SEQ ID NO:44) GSGATNFSLLKQAGDVEENPGP (SEQ ID NO: 49)

[0357] Igκ signal sequence (amino acids 494-514 of SEQ ID NO:44) METDTLLLWVLLLWVPGSTGD (SEQ ID NO: 50)

[0358] Anti-CD19scFv (amino acids 515-764 of SEQ ID NO:44) DIQLTQSPASLAVSLGQRATISCKASQSVDYDGDSYLNWYQQIPGQPPKLLIYDASNLVSGIPPRFSGSGSGTDFTLNIHPVEKVDAATYHCQQSTEDPWTFGGGTKLEIKGGGGSGGGGSGGGGSQVQLQQSGAELVRPGSSVKISCKASGYAFSSYWMNWVKQRPGQGLEWIGQIWPGDGDTNYNGKFKGKATLTADESSSTAYMQLSSLASEDSAVYFCARRETTTVGRYYYAMDYWGQGTTVTVSS (SEQ ID NO: 51)

[0359] Anti-CD3 scFv (amino acids 770-1012 of SEQ ID NO:44) DIKLQQSGAELARPGASVKMSCKTSGYTFTRYTMHWVKQRPGQGLEWIGYINPSRGYTNYNQKFKDKATLTTDKSSSTAYMQLSSLTSEDSAVYYCARYYDDHYCLDYWGQGTTLTVSSVEGGSGGSGGSGGSGGVDDIQLTQSPAIMSASPGEKVTMTCRASSSVSYMNWYQQKSGTSPKRWIYDTSKVASGVPYRFSGSGSGTSYSLTISSMEAEDAATYYCQQWSSNPLTFGAGTKLELK (SEQ ID NO: 52)

[0360] Igκ signal sequence (amino acids 1-21 of SEQ ID NO:53; SEQ ID NO:54), cetuximab scFv (amino acids 22-262 of SEQ ID NO:53; SEQ ID NO:55), CD3 scFv (amino acids 268-510 of SEQ ID NO:53; SEQ ID NO:56), 2173 scFv (amino acids 517-762 of SEQ ID NO:53; SEQ ID NO:57), CD8 hinge / TM (amino acids 763-831 of SEQ ID NO:53; SEQ ID NO:58), 4-1BB Construct 8-(NFAT response element)-Igκ signal sequence-cetuximab (anti-EGFR) scFv-CD3scFv-His tag-(EF1a promoter)-2173 (anti-EGFRvIII) scFv-CD8 hinge / TM-4-1BB ICD-CD3ζ (SEQ ID NO:53) comprising ICD (amino acids 832-873 of SEQ ID NO:53; SEQ ID NO:59), CD3ζ (amino acids 874-985 of SEQ ID NO:53; SEQ ID NO:60) (NFAT response element) METDTLLLWVLLLWVPGSTGDDILLTQSPVILSVSPGERVSFSCRASQSIGTNIHWYQQRTNGSPRLLIKYASESISGIPSRFSGSGSGTDFTLSINSVESEDIADYYCQQNNNWPTTFGAGTKLELKG GGGSGGGGSGGGGSQVQLKQSGPGLVQPSQSLSITCTVSGFSLTNYGVHWVRQSPGKGLEWLGVIWSGGNTDYNTPFTSRLSINKDNSKSQVFFKMNSLQSNDTAIYYCARALTYYDYEFAYWGQGTLV TVSAGGGGSDIKLQQSGAELARPGASVKMSCKTSGYTFTRYTMHWVKQRPGQGLEWIGYINPSRGYTNYNQKFKDKATLTTDKSSSTAYMQLSSLTSEDSAVYYCARYYDDHYCLDYWGQGTTLTVSSV EGGSGGSGGSGGSGGVDDIQLTQSPAIMSASPGEKVTMTCRASSSVSYMNWYQQKSGTSPKRWIYDTSKVASGVPYRFSGSGSGTSYSLTISSMEAEDAATYYCQQWSSNPLTFGAGTKLELKHHHHHH (EF1a promoter) EIQLVQSGAEVKPGESLRISCKGSGFNIEDYYIHWVRQMPGKGLEWMGRIDPENDETKYGPIFQGHVTISADTSINTVYLQWSSLKASDTAMYYCAFRGGVYWGQGTTVTVSSGGGGS GGGGSGGGGSGGGGSDVVMTQSPDSLAVSLGERATINCKSSQSLLDSDGKTYLNWLQQKPGQPPKRLISLVSKLDSGVPDRFSGSGSGTDFTLTISSLQAEDVAVYYCWQGTHFPGTFGG GTKVEIKTTTPAPRPPTTPAPTIASQPLSLRPEACRPAAGGAVHTRGLDFACDIYIWAPLAGTCGVLLLSLVITLYCKRGRKKLLYIFKQPFMRPVQTTQEEDGCSCRFPEEEEGGCELRVKFSRSADAPAYQQGQNQLYNELNLGRREEYDVLDKRRGRDPEMGGKPRRKNPQEGLYNELQKDKMAEAYSEIGMKGERRRGKGHDGLYQGLSTATKDTYDALHMQALPPR (SEQ ID NO: 53) (Note: although the above two polypeptides are shown with a single sequence identifier for convenience, it should be understood that the CAR and BiTE components can be made separately due to two separate promoters; see above.)

[0361] Igκ signal sequence (amino acids 1-21 of SEQ ID NO:53) METDTLLLWVLLLWVPGSTGD (SEQ ID NO: 54)

[0362] Cetuximab (anti-EGFR) scFv (amino acids 22-262 of SEQ ID NO:53) DILLTQSPVILSVSPGERVSFSCRASQSIGTNIHWYQQRTNGSPRLLIKYASESISGIPSRFSGSGSGTDFTLSINSVESEDIADYYCQQNNNWPTTFGAGTKLELKGGGGSGGGGSGGGGSQVQLKQSGPGLVQPSQSLSITCTVSGFSLTNYGVHWVRQSPGKGLEWLGVIWSGGNTDYNTPFTSRLSINKDNSKSQVFFKMNSLQSNDTAIYYCARALTYYDYEFAYWGQGTLVTVSA (SEQ ID NO: 55)

[0363] Anti-CD3 scFv (amino acids 268-510 of SEQ ID NO:53) DIKLQQSGAELARPGASVKMSCKTSGYTFTRYTMHWVKQRPGQGLEWIGYINPSRGYTNYNQKFKDKATLTTDKSSSTAYMQLSSLTSEDSAVYYCARYYDDHYCLDYWGQGTTLTVSSVEGGSGGSGGSGGSGGVDDIQLTQSPAIMSASPGEKVTMTCRASSSVSYMNWYQQKSGTSPKRWIYDTSKVASGVPYRFSGSGSGTSYSLTISSMEAEDAATYYCQQWSSNPLTFGAGTKLELK (SEQ ID NO: 56)

[0364] 2173 (anti-EGFRvIII) scFv (amino acids 517-762 of SEQ ID NO:53) EIQLVQSGAEVKKPGESLRISCKGSGFNIEDYYIHWVRQMPGKGLEWMGRIDPENDETKYGPIFQGHVTISADTSINTVYLQWSSLKASDTAMYYCAFRGGVYWGQGTTVTVSSGGGGSGGGGSGGGGSGGGSDVVMTQSPDSLAVSLGERATINCKSSQSLLDSDGKTYLNWLQQKPGQPPKRLISLVSKLDSGVPDRFSGSGSGTDFTLTISSLQAEDVAVYYCWQGTHFPGTFGGGTKVEIK (SEQ ID NO: 57)

[0365] CD8 hinge / TM (amino acids 763-831 of SEQ ID NO:53) TTTPAPRPPTPAPTIASQPLSLRPEACRPAAGGAVHTRGLDFACDIYIWAPLAGTCGVLLLSLVITLYC (SEQ ID NO: 58)

[0366] 4-1BB ICD (amino acids 832-873 of SEQ ID NO:53) KRGRKKLLYIFKQPFMRPVQTTQEEDGCSCRFPEEEEGGCEL (SEQ ID NO: 59)

[0367] CD3ζ (amino acids 874-985 of SEQ ID NO:53) RVKFSRSADAPAYQQGQNQLYNELNLGRREEYDVLDKRRGRDPEMGGKPRRKNPQEGLYNELQKDKMAEAYSEIGMKGERRRGKGHDGLYQGLSTATKDTYDALHMQALPPR (SEQ ID NO: 60)

[0368] (NFAT response element), Igκ signal sequence (amino acids 1-21 of SEQ ID NO:61; SEQ ID NO:62), CD19scFv (amino acids 22-271 of SEQ ID NO:61; SEQ ID NO:63), CD3scFv (amino acids 277-519 of SEQ ID NO:61; SEQ ID NO:64), 2173scFv (amino acids 526-771 of SEQ ID NO:61; SEQ ID NO:65), CD8 hinge / TM (amino acids 772-840 of SEQ ID NO:61; SEQ ID NO:66), 4-1BB Construct 9-(NFAT response element)-IgK signal sequence-CD19scFv-CD3scFv-His tag-(EF1a promoter)-2173(anti-EGFRvIII)scFv-CD8 hinge / TM-4-1BB ICD-CD3zeta (SEQ ID NO:61) comprising ICD (amino acids 841-882 of SEQ ID NO:61; SEQ ID NO:67), CD3zeta (amino acids 883-994 of SEQ ID NO:61; SEQ ID NO:68) (NFAT response element) METDTLLLWVLLLWVPGSTGDDIQLTQSPASLAVSLGQRATISCKASQSVDYDGDSYLNWYQQIPGQPPKLLIYDASNLVSGIPPRFSGSGSGTDFTLNIHPVEKVDAATYHCQQSTEDPWTFGGGTKLEI KGGGGSGGGSGGGGSQVQLQQSGAELVRPGSSVKISCKASGYAFSSYWMNWVKQRPGQGLEWIGQIWPDGDGDTNYNGKFKGKATLTADESSSTAYMQLSSLASEDSAVYFCARRETTTVGRYYYAMDYWG QGTTVTVSSGGGGSDIKLQQSGAELARPGASVKMSCKTSGYTFTRYTMHWVKQRPGQGLEWIGYINPSRGYTNYNQKFKDKATLTTDKSSSTAYMQLSSLTSEDSAVYYCARYYDDHYCLDYWGQGTTLTV SSVEGGSGGSGGSGGSGGVDDIQLTQSPAIMSASPGEKVTMTCRASSSVSYMNWYQQKSGTSPKRWIYDTSKVASGVPYRFSGSGSGTSYSLTISSMEAEDAATYYCQQWSSNPLTFGAGTKLELKHHHHHH (EF1a promoter) EIQLVQSGAEVKPGESLRISCKGSGFNIEDYYIHWVRQMPGKGLEWMGRIDPENDETKYGPIFQGHVTISADTSINTVYLQWSSLKASDTAMYYCAFRGGVYWGQGTTVTVSSGGGGS GGGGSGGGGSGGGGSDVVMTQSPDSLAVSLGERATINCKSSQSLLDSDGKTYLNWLQQKPGQPPKRLISLVSKLDSGVPDRFSGSGSGTDFTLTISSLQAEDVAVYYCWQGTHFPGTFGG GTKVEIKTTTPAPRPPTTPAPTIASQPLSLRPEACRPAAGGAVHTRGLDFACDIYIWAPLAGTCGVLLLSLVITLYCKRGRKKLLYIFKQPFMRPVQTTQEEDGCSCRFPEEEEGGCELRVKFSRSADAPAYQQGQNQLYNELNLGRREEYDVLDKRRGRDPEMGGKPRRKNPQEGLYNELQKDKMAEAYSEIGMKGERRRGKGHDGLYQGLSTATKDTYDALHMQALPPR (SEQ ID NO: 61) (Note: although the above two polypeptides are shown with a single sequence identifier for convenience, it should be understood that the CAR and BiTE components can be made separately due to two separate promoters; see above.)

[0369] Igκ signal sequence (amino acids 1-21 of SEQ ID NO:61) METDTLLLWVLLLWVPGSTGD (SEQ ID NO: 62)

[0370] Anti-CD19scFv (amino acids 22-271 of SEQ ID NO:61) DIQLTQSPASLAVSLGQRATISCKASQSVDYDGDSYLNWYQQIPGQPPKLLIYDASNLVSGIPPRFSGSGSGTDFTLNIHPVEKVDAATYHCQQSTEDPWTFGGGTKLEIKGGGGSGGGGSGGGGSQVQLQQSGAELVRPGSSVKISCKASGYAFSSYWMNWVKQRPGQGLEWIGQIWPGDGDTNYNGKFKGKATLTADESSSTAYMQLSSLASEDSAVYFCARRETTTVGRYYYAMDYWGQGTTVTVSS (SEQ ID NO: 63)

[0371] Anti-CD3 scFv (amino acids 277-519 of SEQ ID NO:61) DIKLQQSGAELARPGASVKMSCKTSGYTFTRYTMHWVKQRPGQGLEWIGYINPSRGYTNYNQKFKDKATLTTDKSSSTAYMQLSSLTSEDSAVYYCARYYDDHYCLDYWGQGTTLTVSSVEGGSGGSGGSGGSGGVDDIQLTQSPAIMSASPGEKVTMTCRASSSVSYMNWYQQKSGTSPKRWIYDTSKVASGVPYRFSGSGSGTSYSLTISSMEAEDAATYYCQQWSSNPLTFGAGTKLELK (SEQ ID NO: 64)

[0372] 2173 (anti-EGFRvIII) scFv (amino acids 526-771 of SEQ ID NO:61) EIQLVQSGAEVKKPGESLRISCKGSGFNIEDYYIHWVRQMPGKGLEWMGRIDPENDETKYGPIFQGHVTISADTSINTVYLQWSSLKASDTAMYYCAFRGGVYWGQGTTVTVSSGGGGSGGGGSGGGGSGGGSDVVMTQSPDSLAVSLGERATINCKSSQSLLDSDGKTYLNWLQQKPGQPPKRLISLVSKLDSGVPDRFSGSGSGTDFTLTISSLQAEDVAVYYCWQGTHFPGTFGGGTKVEIK (SEQ ID NO: 65)

[0373] CD8 hinge / TM (amino acids 772-840 of SEQ ID NO:61) TTTPAPRPPTPAPTIASQPLSLRPEACRPAAGGAVHTRGLDFACDIYIWAPLAGTCGVLLLSLVITLYC (SEQ ID NO: 66)

[0374] 4-1BB ICD (amino acids 841-882 of SEQ ID NO:61) KRGRKKLLYIFKQPFMRPVQTTQEEDGCSCRFPEEEEGGCEL (SEQ ID NO: 67)

[0375] CD3ζ (amino acids 883-994 of SEQ ID NO:61) RVKFSRSADAPAYQQGQNQLYNELNLGRREEYDVLDKRRGRDPEMGGKPRRKNPQEGLYNELQKDKMAEAYSEIGMKGERRRGKGHDGLYQGLSTATKDTYDALHMQALPPR (SEQ ID NO: 68)

[0376] Construct 10-CD8 signal sequence-anti-GARP scFv(HL)-CD8 hinge / TM-4-1BB ICD-CD3ζ (SEQ ID NO:69), comprising CD8 signal sequence (amino acids 1-21 of SEQ ID NO:69; SEQ ID NO:70), anti-GARP scFv(HL) (amino acids 22-274 of SEQ ID NO:69; SEQ ID NO:71), CD8 hinge / TM (amino acids 275-343 of SEQ ID NO:69; SEQ ID NO:72), 4-1BB ICD (amino acids 344-385 of SEQ ID NO:69; SEQ ID NO:73), CD3ζ (amino acids 386-497 of SEQ ID NO:69; SEQ ID NO:74) MALPVTALLLPLALLLHAARPEVQLVQPGAELRNSGASVKVSCKASGYRFTSYYIDWVRQAPGQGLEWMGRIDPEDGGTKYAQKFQGRVTFTADTSTSTAYVELSSLRSEDTAVYYCARNEWETVV VGDLMYEYEYWGQGTQVTVSSGGGGSGGGGSGGGGSGGGGSDIQMTQSPSSLSASLGDRVTITCQASQSISSYLAWYQQKPGQAPNILIYGASRLKTGVPSRFSGSGSGTSFTLTISGLEAEDAGTY YCQQYASVPVTFGQGTKVELKTTTPAPRPPTTPAPTIASQPLSLRPEACRPAAGGAVHTRGLDFACDIYIWAPLAGTCGVLLLSLVITLYCKRGRKKLLYIFKQPFMRPVQTTQEEDGCSCRFPEEEEGGCELRVKFSRSADAPAYQQGQNQLYNELNLGRREEYDVLDKRRGRDPEMGGKPRRKNPQEGLYNELQKDKMAEAYSEIGMKGERRRGKGHDGLYQGLSTATKDTYDALHMQALPPR (SEQ ID NO: 69)

[0377] CD8 signal sequence (amino acids 1-21 of SEQ ID NO:69) MALPVTALLLPLALLLHAARP (SEQ ID NO: 70)

[0378] Anti-GARP scFv(HL) (amino acids 22-274 of SEQ ID NO:69) EVQLVQPGAELRNSGASVKVSCKASGYRFTSYYIDWVRQAPGQGLEWMGRIDPEDGGTKYAQKFQGRVTFTADTSTSTAYVELSSLRSEDTAVYYCARNEWETVVVGDLMYEYEYWGQGTQVTVSSGGGGSGGGGSGGGGSGGGGSDIQMTQSPSSLSASLGDRVTITCQASQSISSYLAWYQQKPGQAPNILIYGASRLKTGVPSRFSGSGSGTSFTLTISGLEAEDAGTYYCQQYASVPVTFGQGTKVELK (SEQ ID NO: 71)

[0379] CD8 hinge / TM (amino acids 275-343 of SEQ ID NO:69) TTTPAPRPPTPAPTIASQPLSLRPEACRPAAGGAVHTRGLDFACDIYIWAPLAGTCGVLLLSLVITLYC (SEQ ID NO: 72)

[0380] 4-1BB ICD (amino acids 344-385 of SEQ ID NO:69) KRGRKKLLYIFKQPFMRPVQTTQEEDGCSCRFPEEEEGGCEL (SEQ ID NO: 73)

[0381] CD3ζ (amino acids 386-497 of SEQ ID NO:69) RVKFSRSADAPAYQQGQNQLYNELNLGRREEYDVLDKRRGRDPEMGGKPRRKNPQEGLYNELQKDKMAEAYSEIGMKGERRRGKGHDGLYQGLSTATKDTYDALHMQALPPR (SEQ ID NO: 74)

[0382] Construct 11-CD8 signal sequence-anti-GARP scFv(LH)-CD8 hinge / TM-4-1BB ICD-CD3ζ (SEQ ID NO:75), comprising CD8 signal sequence (amino acids 1-21 of SEQ ID NO:75; SEQ ID NO:76), anti-GARP scFv(LH) (amino acids 22-274 of SEQ ID NO:75; SEQ ID NO:77), CD8 hinge / TM (amino acids 275-343 of SEQ ID NO:75; SEQ ID NO:78), 4-1BB ICD (amino acids 344-385 of SEQ ID NO:75; SEQ ID NO:79), CD3ζ (amino acids 386-497 of SEQ ID NO:75; SEQ ID NO:80) MALPVTALLLPLALLLHAARPDIQMTQSPSSLSASLGDRVTITCQASQSISSYLAWYQQKPGQAPNILIYGASRLKTGVPSRFSGSGSGTSFTLTISGLEAEDAGTYYCQQYASVPVTFGQGTKVE LKGGGGSGGGGSGGGGSGGGGSEVQLVQPGAELRNSGASVKVSCKASGYRFTSYYIDWVRQAPGQGLEWMGRIDPEDGGTKYAQKFQGRVTFTADTSTSTAYVELSSLRSEDTAVYYCARNEWETVV VGDLMYEYEYWGQGTQVTVSSTTTPAPRPPTPAPTIASQPLSLRPEACRPAAGGAVHTRGLDFACDIYIWAPLAGTCGVLLLSLVITLYCKRGRKKLLYIFKQPFMRPVQTTQEEDGCSCRFPEEEEGGCELRVKFSRSADAPAYQQGQNQLYNELNLGRREEYDVLDKRRGRDPEMGGKPRRKNPQEGLYNELQKDKMAEAYSEIGMKGERRRGKGHDGLYQGLSTATKDTYDALHMQALPPR (SEQ ID NO: 75)

[0383] CD8 signal sequence (amino acids 1-21 of SEQ ID NO:75) MALPVTALLLPLALLLHAARP (SEQ ID NO: 76)

[0384] Anti-GARP scFv(LH) (amino acids 22-274 of SEQ ID NO:75) DIQMTQSPSSLSASLGDRVTITCQASQSISSYLAWYQQKPGQAPNILIYGASRLKTGVPSRFSGSGSGTSFTLTISGLEAEDAGTYYCQQYASVPVTFGQGTKVELKGGGGSGGGGSGGGGSGGGGSEVQLVQPGAELRNSGASVKVSCKASGYRFTSYYIDWVRQAPGQGLEWMGRIDPEDGGTKYAQKFQGRVTFTADTSTSTAYVELSSLRSEDTAVYYCARNEWETVVVGDLMYEYEYWGQGTQVTVSS (SEQ ID NO: 77)

[0385] CD8 hinge / TM (amino acids 275-343 of SEQ ID NO:75) TTTPAPRPPTPAPTIASQPLSLRPEACRPAAGGAVHTRGLDFACDIYIWAPLAGTCGVLLLSLVITLYC (SEQ ID NO: 78)

[0386] 4-1BB ICD (amino acids 344-385 of SEQ ID NO:75) KRGRKKLLYIFKQPFMRPVQTTQEEDGCSCRFPEEEEGGCEL (SEQ ID NO: 79)

[0387] CD3ζ (amino acids 386-497 of SEQ ID NO:75) RVKFSRSADAPAYQQGQNQLYNELNLGRREEYDVLDKRRGRDPEMGGKPRRKNPQEGLYNELQKDKMAEAYSEIGMKGERRRGKGHDGLYQGLSTATKDTYDALHMQALPPR (SEQ ID NO: 80)

[0388] TIFF2025032089000006.tif110160TIFF2025032089000007.tif118160

[0389] Construct 12 (Tandem CAR)-IL-13zetakine-linker-EGFRvIII scFv-CD8hinge / TM-4-1BB ICD-CD3ζ (SEQ ID NO:100), comprising IL-13zetakine (SEQ ID NO:101 (amino acids 1-112 of SEQ ID NO:100)); linker (SEQ ID NO:102 (amino acids 113-132 of SEQ ID NO:100)); EGFRvIII scFv (SEQ ID NO:103 (amino acids 133-378 of SEQ ID NO:100)); CD8hinge / TM (SEQ ID NO:104 (amino acids 379-447 of SEQ ID NO:100)); 4-1BB ICD (SEQ ID NO:105 (amino acids 448-489 of SEQ ID NO:100)); and CD3ζ (SEQ ID NO:106 (amino acids 490-601 of SEQ ID NO:100)). (Sequence number: 100)

[0390] IL-13 zetakine (amino acids 1-112 of SEQ ID NO:100) GPVPPSTALRYLIEELVNITQNQKAPLCNGSMVWSINLTAGMYCAALESLINVSGCSAIEKTQRMLSGFCPHKVSAGQFSSLHVRDTKIEVAQFVKDLLLHLKKLFREGRFN (SEQ ID NO: 101)

[0391] Linker (amino acids 113-132 of SEQ ID NO:100) GGGGSGGGGSGGGGSGGGGS (SEQ ID NO: 102)

[0392] Anti-EGFRvIII scFv (amino acids 133-378 of SEQ ID NO:100) EIQLVQSGAEVKKPGESLRISCKGSGFNIEDYYIHWVRQMPGKGLEWMGRIDPENDETKYGPIFQGHVTISADTSINTVYLQWSSLKASDTAMYYCAFRGGVYWGQGTTVTVSSGGGGSGGGGSGGGGSGGGSDVVMTQSPDSLAVSLGERATINCKSSQSLLDSDGKTYLNWLQQKPGQPPKRLISLVSKLDSGVPDRFSGSGSGTDFTLTISSLQAEDVAVYYCWQGTHFPGTFGGGTKVEIK (SEQ ID NO: 103)

[0393] CD8 hinge / TM (amino acids 379-447 of SEQ ID NO:100) TTTPAPRPPTPAPTIASQPLSLRPEACRPAAGGAVHTRGLDFACDIYIWAPLAGTCGVLLLSLVITLYC (SEQ ID NO: 104)

[0394] 4-1BBICD (amino acids 448-489 of SEQ ID NO:100) KRGRKKLLYIFKQPFMRPVQTTQEEDGCSCRFPEEEEGGCEL (SEQ ID NO: 105)

[0395] CD3ζ (amino acids 490-601 of SEQ ID NO:100) RVKFSRSADAPAYQQGQNQLYNELNLGRREEYDVLDKRRGRDPEMGGKPRRKNPQEGLYNELQKDKMAEAYSEIGMKGERRRGKGHDGLYQGLSTATKDTYDALHMQALPPR (SEQ ID NO: 106)

[0396] Further sequences described herein are as follows: TIFF2025032089000008.tif236170

[0397] Some embodiments of the technology described herein may be defined according to any of the following numbered paragraphs: 1. (a) a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) polypeptide comprising an extracellular domain comprising a first antigen-binding domain that binds a first antigen and a second antigen-binding domain that binds a second antigen; (b) a bispecific T cell engager (BiTE), which binds to a target antigen and a T cell antigen; Immune cells engineered to express 2. The immune cell of paragraph 1, wherein the CAR polypeptide comprises a transmembrane domain and an intracellular signaling domain. 3. The immune cell of paragraph 1 or 2, wherein the CAR polypeptide further comprises one or more costimulatory domains. 4. The immune cell of any one of paragraphs 1 to 3, wherein the first and second antigens are glioblastoma antigens. 5. The immune cell of any one of paragraphs 1-4, wherein the first and second antigens are independently selected from epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), epidermal growth factor receptor variant III (EGFRvIII), CD19, CD79b, CD37, prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA), prostate stem cell antigen (PSCA), interleukin-13 receptor alpha 2 (IL-13Rα2), ephrin type A receptor 1 (EphA1), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), mesothelin, mucin 1, cell surface associated (MUC1), or mucin 16, cell surface associated (MUC16). 6. The immune cell of any one of paragraphs 1 to 5, wherein the first antigen-binding domain and / or the second antigen-binding domain comprises an antigen-binding fragment of an antibody. 7. The immune cell of paragraph 6, wherein the antigen-binding fragment of the antibody comprises a single domain antibody or a single chain variable fragment (scFv). 8. The immune cell of any one of paragraphs 1 to 7, wherein the first antigen-binding domain and / or the second antigen-binding domain comprises a ligand for the first and / or second antigen. 9. The immune cell of any one of paragraphs 1 to 8, wherein the extracellular domain does not include a linker between the first antigen-binding domain and the second antigen-binding domain. 10. The immune cell of any one of paragraphs 1 to 8, wherein the first antigen-binding domain is linked to the second antigen-binding domain by a linker. 11. The immune cell of paragraph 10, wherein the linker comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 90% sequence identity to the linker of SEQ ID NO: 102, 107, 108, 109, or 110. 12. The immune cell of any one of paragraphs 2 to 11, wherein the transmembrane domain comprises a hinge / transmembrane domain. 13. The immune cell of paragraph 12, wherein the hinge / transmembrane domain comprises the hinge / transmembrane domain of an immunoglobulin-like protein, CD28, CD8, or 4-1BB. 14. The immune cell of paragraph 12 or 13, comprising a hinge / transmembrane domain of CD8, wherein the transmembrane domain optionally comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 4, 10, 16, 22, 28, 37, 46, 58, 66, 72, 78, or 104, or an amino acid sequence having at least 90% sequence identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 4, 10, 16, 22, 28, 37, 46, 58, 66, 72, 78, or 104. 15. The immune cell of any one of paragraphs 2 to 14, wherein the intracellular signaling domain comprises an intracellular signaling domain of TCRζ, FcRγ, FcRβ, CD3γ, CD3θ, CD3ε, CD3η, CD3ζ, CD22, CD79a, CD79b, or CD66d. 16. The immune cell of paragraph 15, comprising an intracellular signaling domain of CD3zeta, wherein the intracellular signaling domain optionally comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 39, 48, 60, 68, 74, 80, or 106, or an amino acid sequence having at least 90% sequence identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 39, 48, 60, 68, 74, 80, or 106. 17. The immune cell of any one of paragraphs 3 to 16, wherein the costimulatory domain comprises a costimulatory domain of 4-1BB, CD27, CD28, or OX-40. 18. The immune cell of paragraph 17, comprising a costimulatory domain of 4-1BB, wherein the costimulatory domain may comprise an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:5, 11, 17, 23, 29, 38, 47, 59, 67, 73, 79, or 105, or an amino acid sequence having at least 90% sequence identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:5, 11, 17, 23, 29, 38, 47, 59, 67, 73, 79, or 105. 19. The immune cell of any one of paragraphs 1 to 18, wherein the first antigen-binding domain comprises an IL-13Rα2-binding domain. 20. The immune cell of any one of paragraphs 1 to 19, wherein the second antigen-binding domain comprises an EGFRvIII-binding domain. 21. The immune cell of paragraph 19 or 20, wherein the IL-13Rα2 binding domain comprises an anti-IL-13Rα2 scFv or a ligand of IL-13Rα2. 22. The immune cell of paragraph 21, wherein the ligand for IL-13Rα2 comprises IL-13 or IL-13 zetakine, or an antigen-binding fragment thereof. 23. The immune cell of any one of paragraphs 19 to 22, wherein the IL-13Rα2-binding domain comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 90% sequence identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:101. 24. The immune cell of paragraph 23, wherein the IL-13Rα2 binding domain comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:101. 25. The immune cell of any one of paragraphs 20 to 24, wherein the EGFRvIII binding domain comprises an antigen-binding fragment of an antibody. 26. The immune cell of any one of paragraphs 20 to 25, wherein the EGFRvIII binding domain comprises an anti-EGFRvIII scFv. 27. The immune cell of paragraph 26, wherein the anti-EGFRvIII scFv comprises a heavy chain variable domain (VH) comprising an amino acid sequence having at least 90% sequence identity with the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 111 or 113 and / or a light chain variable domain (VL) comprising an amino acid sequence having at least 90% sequence identity with the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 112 or 114. 28. The immune cell of paragraph 27, wherein the VH comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 111 or 113 and / or the VL comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 112 or 114. 29. The immune cell of any one of paragraphs 20 to 28, wherein the EGFRvIII binding domain comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 90% sequence identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:103. 30. The immune cell of paragraph 29, wherein the EGFRvIII binding domain comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:103. 31. The immune cell of any one of paragraphs 1 to 30, wherein the CAR polypeptide comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 90% sequence identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:100. 32. The immune cell of paragraph 31, wherein the CAR polypeptide comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:100. 33. (i) a CAR polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence having at least 90% sequence identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 100; (ii) a BiTE that binds to a target antigen and a T cell antigen; Immune cells engineered to express 34. (i) a CAR polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 100; (ii) a BiTE that binds to a target antigen and a T cell antigen; Immune cells engineered to express 35. The immune cell of any one of paragraphs 1 to 34, wherein the target antigen is a glioblastoma-associated antigen selected from one of EGFR, EGFRvIII, CD19, CD79b, CD37, PSMA, PSCA, IL-13Rα2, EphA1, HER2, mesothelin, MUC1, or MUC16. 36. The immune cell of any one of paragraphs 1 to 35, wherein the T cell antigen is CD3. 37. The immune cell of any one of paragraphs 1 to 36, wherein the target antigen is EGFR and the T cell antigen is CD3. 38. The immune cell of any of paragraphs 1 to 37, wherein the BiTE comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 90% sequence identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 98 or 99. 39. The immune cell of paragraph 38, wherein the BiTE comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 98 or 99. 40. The immune cell of any one of paragraphs 1 to 39, wherein the immune cell is a T cell or a natural killer (NK) cell. 41. The immune cell of any one of paragraphs 1 to 40, wherein the immune cell is a human cell. 42. A polynucleotide encoding the CAR polypeptide and BiTE of any one of paragraphs 1 to 41. 43. The polynucleotide of paragraph 42, wherein the polynucleotide comprises a CAR polypeptide coding sequence and a BiTE coding sequence, wherein the CAR polypeptide coding sequence and the BiTE coding sequence are separated by a ribosomal skipping moiety. 44. The polynucleotide of paragraph 42 or 43, wherein the CAR polypeptide and / or BiTE is expressed under a constitutive promoter. 45. The polynucleotide of paragraph 44, wherein the constitutive promoter comprises the elongation factor 1 alpha (EF1α) promoter. 46. ​​The polynucleotide of paragraph 42 or 43, wherein the CAR polypeptide and / or BiTE is expressed under an inducible promoter. 47. The polynucleotide of paragraph 46, wherein the inducible promoter is inducible by T cell receptor (TCR) or CAR signaling. 48. The p...

Claims

1. (a) a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) polypeptide comprising an extracellular domain comprising a first antigen-binding domain that binds a first antigen and a second antigen-binding domain that binds a second antigen; (b) a bispecific T cell engager (BiTE), the BiTE binding to a target antigen and a T cell antigen; Immune cells engineered to express

2. The immune cell of claim 1 , wherein the CAR polypeptide comprises a transmembrane domain and an intracellular signaling domain.

3. The immune cell of claim 1, wherein the CAR polypeptide further comprises one or more costimulatory domains.

4. The immune cell of claim 1 , wherein the first and second antigens are glioblastoma antigens.

5. 2. The immune cell of claim 1, wherein the first and second antigens are independently selected from epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), epidermal growth factor receptor variant III (EGFRvIII), CD19, CD79b, CD37, prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA), prostate stem cell antigen (PSCA), interleukin 13 receptor alpha 2 (IL-13Rα2), ephrin type A receptor 1 (EphA1), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), mesothelin, mucin 1, cell surface associated (MUC1), or mucin 16, cell surface associated (MUC16).

6. The immune cell of claim 1 , wherein the first antigen-binding domain and / or the second antigen-binding domain comprises an antigen-binding fragment of an antibody.

7. The immune cell of claim 6, wherein the antigen-binding fragment of the antibody comprises a single domain antibody or a single chain variable fragment (scFv).

8. The immune cell of claim 1 , wherein the first antigen-binding domain and / or the second antigen-binding domain comprises a ligand for the first and / or second antigen.

9. The immune cell of claim 1, wherein the extracellular domain does not include a linker between the first antigen-binding domain and the second antigen-binding domain.

10. The immune cell of claim 1 , wherein the first antigen-binding domain is linked to the second antigen-binding domain by a linker.

11. The immune cell of claim 10, wherein the linker comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 90% sequence identity to the linker of SEQ ID NO: 102, 107, 108, 109, or 110.

12. The immune cell of claim 2 , wherein the transmembrane domain comprises a hinge / transmembrane domain.

13. The immune cell of claim 12, wherein the hinge / transmembrane domain comprises the hinge / transmembrane domain of an immunoglobulin-like protein, CD28, CD8, or 4-1BB.

14. The immune cell of claim 12, comprising a hinge / transmembrane domain of CD8, optionally comprising an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 4, 10, 16, 22, 28, 37, 46, 58, 66, 72, 78, or 104, or an amino acid sequence having at least 90% sequence identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 4, 10, 16, 22, 28, 37, 46, 58, 66, 72, 78, or 104.

15. The immune cell of claim 2, wherein the intracellular signaling domain comprises an intracellular signaling domain of TCRζ, FcRγ, FcRβ, CD3γ, CD3θ, CD3ε, CD3η, CD3ζ, CD22, CD79a, CD79b, or CD66d.

16. The immune cell of claim 15, comprising an intracellular signaling domain of CD3ζ, wherein the intracellular signaling domain may comprise an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 39, 48, 60, 68, 74, 80, or 106, or an amino acid sequence having at least 90% sequence identity to an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 39, 48, 60, 68, 74, 80, or 106.

17. The immune cell of claim 3, wherein the costimulatory domain comprises a costimulatory domain of 4-1BB, CD27, CD28, or OX-40.

18. The immune cell of claim 17, comprising a costimulatory domain of 4-1BB, optionally comprising an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 5, 11, 17, 23, 29, 38, 47, 59, 67, 73, 79, or 105, or an amino acid sequence having at least 90% sequence identity to an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 5, 11, 17, 23, 29, 38, 47, 59, 67, 73, 79, or 105.

19. The immune cell of claim 1, wherein the first antigen-binding domain comprises an IL-13Rα2-binding domain.

20. The immune cell of claim 1 , wherein the second antigen-binding domain comprises an EGFRvIII binding domain.

21. The immune cell of claim 19, wherein the IL-13Rα2 binding domain comprises an anti-IL-13Rα2 scFv or a ligand of IL-13Rα2.

22. The immune cell of claim 21, wherein the ligand for IL-13Rα2 comprises IL-13 or IL-13 zetakine, or an antigen-binding fragment thereof.

23. The immune cell of claim 19, wherein the IL-13Rα2 binding domain comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 90% sequence identity with the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:

101.

24. The immune cell of claim 23, wherein the IL-13Rα2 binding domain comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:

101.

25. The immune cell of claim 20 , wherein the EGFRvIII binding domain comprises an antigen-binding fragment of an antibody.

26. The immune cell of claim 20, wherein the EGFRvIII binding domain comprises an anti-EGFRvIII scFv.

27. The immune cell of claim 26, wherein the anti-EGFRvIII scFv comprises a heavy chain variable domain (VH) comprising an amino acid sequence having at least 90% sequence identity with the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 111 or 113, and / or a light chain variable domain (VL) comprising an amino acid sequence having at least 90% sequence identity with the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 112 or 114.

28. The immune cell of claim 27, wherein the VH comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 111 or 113 and / or the VL comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 112 or 114.

29. The immune cell of claim 20, wherein the EGFRvIII binding domain comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 90% sequence identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:

103.

30. The immune cell of claim 29, wherein the EGFRvIII binding domain comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:

103.

31. The immune cell of claim 1, wherein the CAR polypeptide comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 90% sequence identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:

100.

32. The immune cell of claim 31 , wherein the CAR polypeptide comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:

100.

33. (i) a CAR polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence having at least 90% sequence identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 100; (ii) a BiTE that binds to a target antigen and a T cell antigen; Immune cells engineered to express

34. (i) a CAR polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 100; (ii) a BiTE that binds to a target antigen and a T cell antigen; Immune cells engineered to express

35. 35. The immune cell of claim 1, 33, or 34, wherein the target antigen is a glioblastoma associated antigen selected from one of EGFR, EGFRvIII, CD19, CD79b, CD37, PSMA, PSCA, IL-13Rα2, EphA1, HER2, mesothelin, MUC1, or MUC16.

36. 35. The immune cell of claim 1, 33, or 34, wherein the T cell antigen is CD3.

37. 35. The immune cell of claim 1, 33, or 34, wherein the target antigen is EGFR and the T cell antigen is CD3.

38. The immune cell of claim 1, 33, or 34, wherein the BiTE comprises an amino acid sequence having at least 90% sequence identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 98 or 99.

39. The immune cell of claim 38, wherein the BiTE comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 98 or 99.

40. 35. The immune cell of claim 1, 33, or 34, wherein the immune cell is a T or natural killer (NK) cell.

41. 35. The immune cell of claim 1, 33, or 34, wherein the immune cell is a human cell.

42. A polynucleotide encoding the CAR polypeptide and BiTE of claim 1, 33, or 34.

43. 43. The polynucleotide of claim 42, wherein the polynucleotide comprises a CAR polypeptide coding sequence and a BiTE coding sequence, wherein the CAR polypeptide coding sequence and the BiTE coding sequence are separated by a ribosomal skipping moiety.

44. 43. The polynucleotide of claim 42, wherein the CAR polypeptide and / or the BiTE is expressed under a constitutive promoter.

45. 45. The polynucleotide of claim 44, wherein the constitutive promoter comprises the elongation factor 1 alpha (EF1α) promoter.

46. 43. The polynucleotide of claim 42, wherein the CAR polypeptide and / or the BiTE is expressed under an inducible promoter.

47. 47. The polynucleotide of claim 46, wherein the inducible promoter is inducible by T cell receptor (TCR) or CAR signaling.

48. 48. The polynucleotide of claim 47, wherein the inducible promoter comprises a nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) response element.

49. The polynucleotide of claim 42, wherein the CAR polypeptide and the BiTE are each expressed under a constitutive promoter.

50. 43. The polynucleotide of claim 42, wherein the CAR polypeptide is expressed under a constitutive promoter and the BiTE is expressed under an inducible promoter.

51. 43. The polynucleotide of claim 42, further comprising a suicide gene.

52. 43. The polynucleotide of claim 42, further comprising a sequence encoding one or more signal sequences.

53. A vector comprising the polynucleotide of claim 42.

54. The vector of claim 53, wherein the vector is a lentiviral vector.

55. 35. A pharmaceutical composition comprising the immune cells of claim 1, 33, or 34.

56. 35. A method of treating cancer in a subject in need of treatment comprising administering to the subject an immune cell, or a pharmaceutical composition thereof, according to claim 1, 33 or 34.

57. 57. The method of claim 56, wherein the cancer is glioblastoma, lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, lymphoma, or myeloma, optionally comprising expressing one or more of the group consisting of EGFR, EGFRvIII, CD19, CD79b, CD37, PSMA, PSCA, IL-13Rα2, EphA1, HER2, mesothelin, MUC1, and MUC16.

58. 58. The method of claim 57, wherein the glioblastoma comprises cells that express one or more of the group consisting of IL-13Rα2, EGFRvIII, EGFR, HER2, mesothelin, and EphA1.

59. 58. The method of claim 57, wherein the glioblastoma comprises cells with reduced EGFRvIII expression.

60. (i) a CAR polypeptide comprising an EGFR binding domain, said CAR polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence having at least 90% sequence identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 117; (ii) an anti-GARP camelid comprising an amino acid sequence having at least 90% sequence identity with the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:25; Immune cells engineered to express

61. (i) a CAR polypeptide comprising an EGFRvIII binding domain, said CAR polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence having at least 90% sequence identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 115 or 116; (ii) A BiTE that binds to EGFR and CD3, comprising an amino acid sequence having at least 90% sequence identity with the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 98 or 99. Immune cells engineered to express

62. A polynucleotide encoding the CAR polypeptide of claim 60 and an anti-GARP camellia.

63. A polynucleotide encoding the CAR polypeptide and BiTE of claim 61.

64. 64. The polynucleotide of claim 62 or 63, further comprising a suicide gene.

65. 64. The polynucleotide of claim 62 or 63, further comprising a sequence encoding one or more signal sequences.

66. 64. A vector comprising the polynucleotide of claim 62 or 63.

67. The vector of claim 66, wherein the vector is a lentiviral vector.

68. 62. A pharmaceutical composition comprising an immune cell according to claim 60 or 61.

69. 16. A method of treating glioblastoma with reduced EGFRvIII expression in a subject, comprising administering to the subject: (i) a CAR polypeptide comprising an extracellular EGFRvIII binding domain; and (ii) an immune cell engineered to express a BiTE, wherein the immune cell is optionally selected from the immune cell of any one of claims 1, 33, 34, 60, and 61.

70. 16. A method of preventing or reducing immunosuppression in a tumor microenvironment of a subject, comprising administering to a subject an immune cell comprising: (i) a CAR comprising an extracellular target binding domain; and (ii) a BiTE, wherein the immune cell is optionally selected from the immune cell of any one of claims 1, 33, 34, 60, and 61.

71. 16. A method of preventing or reducing T cell exhaustion in a tumor microenvironment of a subject, comprising administering to a subject an immune cell comprising: (i) a CAR comprising an extracellular target binding domain; and (ii) a BiTE, wherein the immune cell is optionally selected from the immune cell of any one of claims 1, 33, 34, 60, and 61.

72. 16. A method of treating a cancer having heterologous antigen expression in a subject, comprising administering to the subject an immune cell comprising: (i) a CAR comprising an extracellular target binding domain; and (ii) a BiTE, wherein the immune cell is optionally selected from the immune cell of any one of claims 1, 33, 34, 60, and 61.

73. 73. The method of claim 72, wherein the cancer is glioblastoma, prostate cancer, lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, lymphoma, or myeloma.

74. 73. The method of claim 72, wherein the cancer comprises cells that express one or more of the group consisting of EGFR, EGFRvIII, CD19, PSMA, PSCA, IL-13Rα2, EphA1, Her2, mesothelin, MUC1, and MUC16.

75. A CAR T cell comprising a heterologous nucleic acid molecule, the heterologous nucleic acid molecule comprising: (a) a first polynucleotide encoding a CAR comprising an extracellular antigen-binding domain, a transmembrane domain, and an intracellular signaling domain; (b) a second polynucleotide encoding a therapeutic agent. A CAR T cell comprising:

76. 76. The CAR T cell of claim 75, wherein the therapeutic agent comprises an antibody reagent.

77. 77. The CAR T cell of claim 76, wherein the antibody reagent comprises a single chain antibody or a single domain antibody.

78. 77. The CAR T cell of claim 76, wherein the antibody reagent comprises a bispecific antibody reagent.

79. 79. The CAR T cell of claim 78, wherein the bispecific antibody reagent comprises a BiTE.

80. 78. The CAR T cell of claim 77, wherein the single domain antibody comprises a camelid antibody.

81. 76. The CAR T cell of claim 75, wherein the therapeutic agent comprises a cytokine.

82. 76. The CAR T cell of claim 75, wherein the CAR and therapeutic agent are generated as separate CAR and therapeutic agent molecules.

83. 83. The CAR T cell of claim 82, wherein the CAR T cell comprises a ribosome skipping moiety between the first polynucleotide encoding the CAR and the second polynucleotide encoding a therapeutic agent.

84. 84. The CAR T cell of claim 83, wherein the ribosome skipping moiety comprises a 2A peptide.

85. 85. The CAR T cell of claim 84, wherein the 2A peptide comprises P2A or T2A.

86. 76. The CAR T cell of claim 75, wherein the CAR and therapeutic agent are each constitutively expressed.

87. 76. The CAR T cell of claim 75, wherein expression of the CAR and therapeutic agent is driven by the EF1 alpha promoter.

88. 76. The CAR T cell of claim 75, wherein the therapeutic agent is expressed under the control of an inducible promoter, optionally inducible by T cell receptor or CAR signaling.

89. The CAR T cell of claim 88, wherein the inducible promoter comprises a NFAT promoter.

90. 76. The CAR T cell of claim 75, wherein the CAR is expressed under the control of a constitutive promoter and the therapeutic agent is expressed under the control of an inducible promoter that is optionally inducible by T cell receptor or CAR signaling.

91. 76. The CAR T cell of claim 75, wherein the CAR further comprises one or more costimulatory domains.

92. 76. The CAR T cell of claim 75, wherein the antigen binding domain of the CAR comprises an antibody, a single chain antibody, a single domain antibody, or a ligand.

93. 76. The CAR T cell of claim 75, wherein the transmembrane domain comprises a hinge / transmembrane domain.

94. 94. The CAR T cell of claim 93, wherein the hinge / transmembrane domain comprises the hinge / transmembrane domain of an immunoglobulin-like protein, CD28, CD8, or 4-1BB.

95. 76. The CAR T cell of claim 75, wherein the transmembrane domain of the CAR comprises a CD8 hinge / transmembrane domain, optionally comprising the sequence of any one of SEQ ID NOs: 4, 10, 16, 22, 28, 37, 46, 58, 66, 72, 78, and 104, or a variant thereof.

96. 76. The CAR T cell of claim 75, wherein the intracellular signaling domain comprises an intracellular signaling domain of TCRζ, FcRγ, FcRβ, CD3γ, CD3θ, CD3ε, CD3η, CD3ζ, CD22, CD79a, CD79b, or CD66d.

97. 76. The CAR T cell of claim 75, wherein the intracellular signaling domain comprises a CD3ζ intracellular signaling domain, optionally comprising the sequence of any one of SEQ ID NOs: 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 39, 48, 60, 68, 74, 80, and 106, or a variant thereof.

98. The CAR T cell of claim 91, wherein the costimulatory domain comprises a costimulatory domain of 4-1BB, CD27, CD28, or OX-40.

99. 92. The CAR T cell of claim 91, comprising a 4-1BB costimulatory domain, wherein the costimulatory domain optionally comprises the sequence of any one of SEQ ID NOs: 5, 11, 17, 23, 29, 38, 47, 59, 67, 73, 79, and 105, or a variant thereof.

100. 76. The CAR T cell of claim 75, wherein the CAR antigen binding domain binds to a tumor-associated antigen or a Treg-associated antigen.

101. 81. The CAR T cell of claim 80, wherein the camelid antibody binds to a tumor-associated antigen or a Treg-associated antigen.

102. 80. The CAR T cell of claim 79, wherein the BiTE binds (i) a tumor-associated antigen or a Treg-associated antigen, and (ii) a T cell antigen.

103. 103. The CAR T cell of any one of claims 100 to 102, wherein the tumor associated antigen is a solid tumor associated antigen.

104. 104. The CAR T cell of claim 103, wherein the tumor associated antigen comprises EGFRvIII, EGFR, CD19, PSMA, PSCA, IL-13Rα2, EphA1, Her2, mesothelin, MUC1, or MUC16, and optionally the CAR antigen binding domain or therapeutic agent comprises a sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 21, 27, 33, 36, 42, 45, 51, 55, 57, 63, 65, 103, and variants thereof.

105. 103. The CAR T cell of any one of claims 100-102, wherein the Treg associated antigen is selected from the group consisting of repeat-dominant glycoprotein A (GARP), latency-associated peptide (LAP), CD25, and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4), and optionally the CAR antigen binding domain or therapeutic agent comprises a sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 3, 9, 15, 25, 71, 77, and variants thereof.

106. A CAR polypeptide comprising an extracellular antigen-binding domain, a transmembrane domain, and an intracellular signaling domain; wherein the antigen-binding domain binds to a Treg-associated antigen.

107. The CAR polypeptide of claim 106, wherein the Treg-associated antigen is selected from the group consisting of GARP, LAP, CD25, and CTLA-4.

108. The CAR polypeptide of claim 106, wherein the CAR further comprises one or more costimulatory domains.

109. The CAR polypeptide of claim 106, wherein the Treg-associated antigen is GARP or LAP.

110. The antigen-binding domain of the CAR is (a) a heavy chain variable domain (VH) comprising three complementarity determining regions CDR-H1, CDR-H2, and CDR-H3, wherein CDR-H1 comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:81, or an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:81 with not more than one, two or three amino acid substitutions; CDR-H2 comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:82, or an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:82 with not more than one, two or three amino acid substitutions; and CDR-H3 comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:83, or an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:83 with not more than one, two or three amino acid substitutions; and / or (b) a light chain variable domain (VL) comprising three complementarity determining regions CDR-L1, CDR-L2, and CDR-L3, wherein CDR-L1 comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:84, or an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:84 with not more than one, two, or three amino acid substitutions; CDR-L2 comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:85, or an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:85 with not more than one, two, or three amino acid substitutions; and CDR-L3 comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:86, or an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:86 with not more than one, two, or three amino acid substitutions. The CAR polypeptide of claim 106, comprising:

111. The CAR polypeptide of claim 110, wherein the VH comprises an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 87, or an amino acid sequence having at least 90% sequence identity with the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 87, and / or the VL comprises an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 88, or an amino acid sequence having at least 90% sequence identity with the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:

88.

112. The antigen-binding domain of the CAR is (a) a heavy chain variable domain (VH) comprising three complementarity determining regions CDR-H1, CDR-H2, and CDR-H3, wherein CDR-H1 comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:89, or an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:89 with not more than one, two or three amino acid substitutions; CDR-H2 comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:90, or an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:90 with not more than one, two or three amino acid substitutions; and CDR-H3 comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:91, or an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:91 with not more than one, two or three amino acid substitutions; and / or (b) a light chain variable domain (VL) comprising three complementarity determining regions CDR-L1, CDR-L2, and CDR-L3, wherein CDR-L1 comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:92, or an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:92 with not more than one, two, or three amino acid substitutions; CDR-L2 comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:93, or an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:93 with not more than one, two, or three amino acid substitutions; and CDR-L3 comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:94, or an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:94 with not more than one, two, or three amino acid substitutions. The CAR polypeptide of claim 106, comprising:

113. The CAR polypeptide of claim 112, wherein the VH comprises an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 95, or an amino acid sequence having at least 90% sequence identity with the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 95, and / or the VL comprises an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 96, or an amino acid sequence having at least 90% sequence identity with the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:

96.

114. The CAR polypeptide of claim 110 or 112, wherein the VH is N-terminal to the VL.

115. The CAR polypeptide of claim 110 or 112, wherein the VL is N-terminal to the VH.

116. 107. The CAR polypeptide of claim 106, wherein the antigen binding domain of the CAR comprises an scFv or a single domain antibody, optionally comprising a sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 3, 9, 15, 25, 71, 77, and variants thereof.

117. The CAR polypeptide of claim 106, wherein the transmembrane domain comprises a hinge / transmembrane domain.

118. The CAR polypeptide of claim 117, wherein the hinge / transmembrane domain comprises the hinge / transmembrane domain of an immunoglobulin-like protein, CD28, CD8, or 4-1BB.

119. 107. The CAR polypeptide of claim 106, comprising a CD8 hinge / transmembrane domain, wherein the transmembrane domain of the CAR may comprise the sequence of any one of SEQ ID NOs: 4, 10, 16, 22, 28, 37, 46, 58, 66, 72, 78, and 104, or a variant thereof.

120. The CAR polypeptide of claim 106, wherein the intracellular signaling domain comprises an intracellular signaling domain of TCRζ, FcRγ, FcRβ, CD3γ, CD3θ, CD3ε, CD3η, CD3ζ, CD22, CD79a, CD79b, or CD66d.

121. 107. The CAR polypeptide of claim 106, comprising a CD3ζ intracellular signaling domain, wherein the intracellular signaling domain optionally comprises the sequence of any one of SEQ ID NOs: 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 39, 48, 60, 68, 74, 80, and 106, or a variant thereof.

122. The CAR polypeptide of claim 108, wherein the costimulatory domain comprises a costimulatory domain of 4-1BB, CD27, CD28, or OX-40.

123. The CAR polypeptide of claim 108, comprising a 4-1BB costimulatory domain, wherein the costimulatory domain optionally comprises the sequence of any one of SEQ ID NOs: 5, 11, 17, 23, 29, 38, 47, 59, 67, 73, 79, and 105, or a variant thereof.

124. A CAR polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence having at least 90% sequence identity to any one of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NO: 26, SEQ ID NO: 35, SEQ ID NO: 44, SEQ ID NO: 53, SEQ ID NO: 61, SEQ ID NO: 19, SEQ ID NO: 1, SEQ ID NO: 7, SEQ ID NO: 13, SEQ ID NO: 69, SEQ ID NO: 75, and SEQ ID NO:

100.

125. The CAR polypeptide of claim 124, comprising any one of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NO:26, SEQ ID NO:35, SEQ ID NO:44, SEQ ID NO:53, SEQ ID NO:61, SEQ ID NO:19, SEQ ID NO:1, SEQ ID NO:7, SEQ ID NO:13, SEQ ID NO:69, SEQ ID NO:75, and SEQ ID NO:

100.

126. 107. A nucleic acid molecule encoding (i) a CAR polypeptide, or (ii) a polyprotein comprising a CAR polypeptide and a therapeutic agent according to claim 75 or 106.

127. 127. The nucleic acid molecule of claim 126, further comprising a suicide gene.

128. 127. The nucleic acid molecule of claim 126, further comprising a sequence encoding a signal sequence.

129. A vector comprising the nucleic acid molecule of claim 126.

130. The vector of claim 129, wherein the vector is a lentiviral vector.

131. 107. A polypeptide comprising a CAR polypeptide or a polyprotein comprising a CAR polypeptide and a therapeutic agent according to claim 75 or 106.

132. An immune cell comprising the CAR polypeptide of claim 106.

133. The immune cell of claim 132, wherein the immune cell is a T or NK cell.

134. The immune cell of claim 132, wherein the immune cell is a human cell.

135. 107. A pharmaceutical composition comprising one or more CAR T cells, nucleic acid molecules, CAR polypeptides, polyproteins, or immune cells of claim 75 or 106.

136. 137. A method of treating a patient having cancer comprising administering to the patient the pharmaceutical composition of claim 135.

137. The method of claim 136, wherein systemic toxicity is reduced by targeting the tumor microenvironment.

138. 137. The method of claim 136, wherein the cancer is characterized by the presence of one or more solid tumors.

139. The method of claim 136, wherein the cancer is characterized by tumor-infiltrating Tregs.

140. 137. The method of claim 136, wherein the cancer is glioblastoma.

141. 1. A method of treating a patient having cancer comprising administering to the patient a CAR T cell product genetically engineered to secrete a tumor toxic antibody or cytokine, thereby directing cancer toxicity locally to the tumor microenvironment, thereby reducing systemic toxicity.

142. 142. The method of claim 141, wherein the CAR T cells are genetically modified to deliver to the tumor microenvironment an antibody against CTLA4, CD25, GARP, LAP, IL-15, CSF1R, or EGFR, EGFRvIII, CD19, CD79b, CD37, PSMA, PSCA, IL-13Rα2, EphA1, Her2, mesothelin, MUC1, or MUC16, or a bispecific antibody.

143. The method of claim 142, wherein the bispecific antibody is a BiTE against EGFR and CD3.

144. 1. A method of delivering a therapeutic agent to a tissue or organ of a patient to treat a disease or condition, comprising administering to said patient a CAR T cell that has been genetically modified to secrete a therapeutic antibody, toxin, or drug, which therapeutic antibody, toxin, or drug is not itself able to enter or penetrate the tissue or organ.

145. 145. The method of claim 144, wherein the tissue or organ is in the nervous system.

146. 146. The method of claim 145, wherein the nervous system is the central nervous system.

147. 147. The method of claim 146, wherein the central nervous system is the brain.

148. 145. The method of claim 144, wherein the disease or condition is cancer.

149. 149. The method of claim 148, wherein the cancer is glioblastoma, prostate cancer, lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, lymphoma, or myeloma.

150. 145. The method of claim 144, wherein the therapeutic antibody is anti-EGFR or anti-EGFRvIII.

151. 76. A method of treating glioblastoma with reduced EGFRvIII expression in a subject, comprising administering to the subject: (i) a CAR polypeptide comprising an extracellular EGFRvIII binding domain; and (ii) a CAR T cell engineered to express a BiTE, wherein the CAR T cell is optionally the CAR T cell of claim 75.

152. 76. A method of preventing or reducing immunosuppression in a tumor microenvironment of a subject, comprising administering to the subject: (i) a CAR polypeptide comprising an extracellular target binding domain; and (ii) a CAR T cell engineered to express a BiTE, wherein the CAR T cell is optionally a CAR T cell of claim 75.

153. 76. A method of preventing or reducing T cell exhaustion in a tumor microenvironment of a subject, comprising administering to a subject: (i) a CAR polypeptide comprising an extracellular target binding domain; and (ii) a CAR T cell engineered to express a BiTE, wherein the CAR T cell is optionally a CAR T cell of claim 75.

154. 76. A method of treating a cancer having heterologous antigen expression in a subject, comprising administering to the subject: (i) a CAR polypeptide comprising an extracellular target binding domain; and (ii) a CAR T cell engineered to express a BiTE, wherein the CAR T cell is optionally the CAR T cell of claim 75.

155. 155. The method of claim 154, wherein the cancer is glioblastoma, prostate cancer, lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, lymphoma, or myeloma.

156. 155. The method of claim 154, wherein the cancer comprises cells that express one or more of EGFR, EGFRvIII, CD19, PSMA, PSCA, IL-13Rα2, EphA1, Her2, mesothelin, MUC1, and MUC16.

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