P23
Scalable generation and tailored design of human iPSC-derived macrophages for novel immunotherapies
M Ackermann¹ A Rafiei Hashtchin¹ M Schinke¹ G Meyer¹ L Bach¹ ⁴ M Hetzel¹ F Manstein¹ B Fehlhaber¹ H Kempf¹ ³ A Schambach¹ ² R Zweigerdt¹ G Hansen¹ D Viemann¹ ⁵ A Munder¹ ⁶ N Lachmann¹ ⁶
1:Hannover Medical School; 2:Harvard Medical School; 3:Novo Nordisk; 4:Universitätsklinikum Bonn; 5:University Hospital Würzburg; 6:German Center for Lung Research (DZL, BREATH)
Macrophages possess a unique potential to initiate and modulate immune reactions. Therefore, seminal immunotherapies which apply (genetically-modified) macrophages in a plethora of disease entities such as cirrhosis, infections, chronic inflammation or cancer are currently explored. To meet the growing demand of therapeutically active macrophages for cell-based immunotherapies, the robust production and tailored design of specific macrophage subsets from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) represents a promising strategy. Here, we demonstrate the continuous production of standardized, highly pure CD45+CD11b+CD14+CD163+ iPSC-derived macrophages (iMonoMac) in scalable quantities using industry compatible bioreactors. To tailor the iMonoMac cell product further to the therapeutic application, we first enhanced the anti-microbial function of macrophages, by pre-loading of the cells with the antibiotics Gentamicin and Levofloxacin. Interestingly, Gentamicin remained intracellular in the iMonoMac for >24 hours, hinting to a direct role in the enhanced intracellular killing. In contrast, Levofloxacin was released from iMonoMac into the medium, suggesting a possibility to utilize preloaded iMonoMac as a carrier to deliver drugs to the site of infection in addition to the intrinsic antimicrobial potential of the cell. Next, we utilized polarization with different cytokines to imprint pro- or anti-inflammatory phenotypes in the iMonoMac, as demonstrated by changes in surface marker profile, cytokine secretion or gene expression. Of note, these M1- or M2-iMonoMac maintain key characteristics of their activation profile upon a secondary inflammatory stimulus. We here provide the tailored design of iMonoMac, which can be used for various cell-based immunotherapies and future applications in the field of regenerative medicine.
