Genetically modified anti-third party central memory T cells and use of same in immunotherapy

1. A method of generating an isolated cell having a central memory T-lymphocyte (Tcm) phenotype and expressing a cell surface receptor comprising a heterologous T cell receptor signaling module, said cell being tolerance-inducing cell and capable of homing to the lymph nodes following transplantation, the method comprising transducing a cell having a Tcm phenotype with a polynucleotide encoding a cell surface receptor comprising a T cell receptor signaling module and an extracellular domain directed against a disease antigen, wherein said cell having said Tcm phenotype is generated by a method comprising:

(a) contacting peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) with a third party antigen or antigens in the presence of IL-21 so as to allow enrichment of antigen reactive cells; and

(b) culturing said cells resulting from step (a) in the presence of IL-21, IL-15 and IL-7 so as to allow proliferation of anti-third party cells comprising said Tcm phenotype.

2. A method of generating an isolated cell having a central memory T-lymphocyte (Tcm) phenotype and expressing a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR), said cell being tolerance-inducing cell and capable of homing to the lymph nodes following transplantation, the method comprising transducing a cell having a Tcm phenotype with a polynucleotide encoding a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) comprising an extracellular domain directed against a disease antigen, wherein said cell having said Tcm phenotype is generated by a method comprising:

(a) contacting peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) with a third party antigen or antigens in the presence of IL-21 so as to allow enrichment of antigen reactive cells; and

(b) culturing said cells resulting from step (a) in the presence of IL-21, IL-15 and IL-7 so as to allow proliferation of anti-third party cells comprising said Tcm phenotype.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said method is effected ex-vivo.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said polynucleotide encodes for a transgenic T cell receptor (tg-TCR) or a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR).

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein said cell surface receptor comprises a transgenic T cell receptor (tg-TCR) or a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR).

6. The method of claim 2 , wherein said CAR comprises an antigen binding domain being an antibody or an antigen-binding fragment.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the antigen-binding fragment is a Fab or a scFv.

8. The method of claim 2 , wherein said CAR comprises a CD3ζ.

9. The method of claim 2 , wherein said CAR comprises at least one co-stimulatory domain selected from the group consisting of CD28, CD134/OX40, CD137/4-1BB, Lck, ICOS and DAP10.

10. The method of claim 2 , wherein said CAR comprises at least two co-stimulatory domains selected from the group consisting of CD28, CD134/OX40, CD137/4-1BB, Lck, ICOS and DAP10.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein said cell surface receptor binds an antigen selected from the group consisting of a tumor antigen, a viral antigen, a bacterial antigen, a fungal antigen, a protozoa antigen, a parasite antigen, an allergic antigen and an autoimmune antigen.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein:

said tumor antigen is associated with a solid tumor; or

said tumor antigen is associated with a hematologic malignancy; or

said tumor antigen is selected from the group consisting of CD19, CD20, CD22, ROR1, mesothelin, CD33/IL3Ra, c-Met, PSMA, Glycolipid F77, EGFRvIII, Her2, GD2, gp100, p53, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), MART-1,Telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT), Claudin-6, Receptor tyrosine-protein kinase extracellular domain (ErbB2-ECD), Receptor tyrosine-protein kinase intracellular domain (ErbB2-ICD), Histone H1.2, Histone H4, Tyrosinase, alphafetoprotein (AFP), MAGE A3, AIM-2a, AFP, ART-4, CLCA2, Cyp-B, EphA2, hTERT, iCE, FGF-5, G250, GnT-V, HST-2 (FGF-6), Livin (ML-IAP), MUC1, MUC2, PRAME, PSMA, P15, RAGE, RU1, RU2, SART-1, SART-3, SART-2, SOX10, Survivin, Survivin-2Bg, TRG, Neo-PAP, CAMEL and NY-ESO-1; or

said viral antigen is of a virus selected from the group consisting of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (TAX), influenza virus, herpes virus, papilloma virus, hepatitis viruses, ebola virus, human T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV), rubella virus, measles virus, rabies virus, lymphocytic choriomeningitis (LCM), rotavirus, mumps virus, adenovirus, BK polyomavirus (BKV), and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV).

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein said cell is further genetically modified to repress expression of at least one endogenous immunological checkpoint gene in said cell.

14. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

(c) separating said cells resulting from step (b) into single cell suspensions; or

selecting for activated cells following step (a) and prior to step (b).

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein said Tcm phenotype comprise a CD3 + , CD8 + , CD62L + , CD45RA − , CD45RO + signature, and optionally wherein at least 50% of the isolated cells are CD3+CD8+ cells of which at least 50% have said signature.

16. A method of treating a disease in a subject in need thereof, the method comprising administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of the population of cells generated according to the method of claim 1 , thereby treating the subject.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the disease is selected from the group consisting of a malignant disease, a viral disease, a bacterial disease, a fungal disease, a protozoa disease, a parasite disease, an allergic disease and an autoimmune disease.

18. The method of claim 16 , further comprising conditioning the subject under sublethal, lethal or supralethal conditioning protocol prior to said administering.