A Multicenter, Phase I Study to Evaluate the Feasibility and Safety of Autologous Cytokine-Induced Killer Cells (CIK_D332) in Combination With Tafasitamab and Lenalidomide in Patients With Relapsed or Refractory Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma

This is a multicentre, Phase I trial of Cytokine Induced Killer-cells (CIK\_D332) in combination with Tafasitamab and Lenalidomide in patients with Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) who have relapsed or are refractory after at least one prior line of therapy including an anti-CD20 drug and are not candidates for high-dose chemotherapy with hematopoietic stem cell auto transplantation or CAR-T therapy. The plasticity of CIK cells allows a simple and immediate modulation of the combined therapeutic strategy through the replacement of the antibody used, without having to resort to genetic modification of the effector cells. Furthermore, thanks to the simultaneous expression of CD3 and CD16 receptors, the choice of the antibody to be used in the combination can fall on both monoclonal antibodies (bound by CD16) and bispecific antibodies (capable of binding and stimulating CD3), significantly expanding the spectrum of therapeutic options and the possibilities of combining these effector cells in anticancer therapy. To demonstrate this potential, expanded CIK cells from healthy donors were combined with obinutuzumab (anti-CD20 mAb), tafasitamab (anti-CD19 mAb), and blinatumomab (anti-CD19 bsAb) in parallel and tested against a large panel of hematologic malignancies. The combination with each of the three antibodies led to a significant increase in the intrinsic cytotoxic activity of CIKs, inducing ADCC activity against all the lines analysed. The resulting activity was comparable to, and in some cases even superior to, cytotoxicity induced by CD19-specific CAR-T cells. CIKs are able to recognize tumour cells in a MHC-independent manner through receptors typical of NK cells, in particular NKG2D, and to induce cell death by means of perforins and granzymes. In addition, thanks to the expression of the CD16 receptor, it is possible to stimulate their antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) activity, increasing their intrinsic antitumor activity \[10\]. The end result of this approach is a lytic activity that combines the intrinsic MHC-independent cytotoxicity of CIKs with antibody-induced ADCC, resulting in enhanced antitumor efficacy. The project aims to provide a \"proof of concept\" in the clinic of a complementary or alternative therapeutic strategy to other anti-tumour immunotherapies, treating patients with relapsed or refractory DLBCL with chemotherapy-free immunotherapy.