WO 2019/046815 Al 07 March 2019 (07.03.2019) W 1P O PCT
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(12) INTERNATIONAL APPLICATION PUBLISHED UNDER THE PATENT COOPERATION TREATY (PCT) (19) World Intellectual Property Organization I International Bureau (10) International Publication Number (43) International Publication Date WO 2019/046815 Al 07 March 2019 (07.03.2019) W 1P O PCT (51) International Patent Classification: OSTERTAG, Eric [US/US]; 4242 Campus Point Court, C12N 15/90 (2006.01) Suite 700, San Diego, California 82121 (US). RICHTER, Maximilian [US/US]; 473 1Kansas Street, San Diego, Cal¬ (21) International Application Number: ifornia 921 16 (US). CRANERT, Stacey Ann [US/US]; PCT/US20 18/049257 7693 Palmilla Dr. Apt. 2103, San Diego, California 92122 (22) International Filing Date: (US). 31 August 2018 (3 1.08.2018) (74) Agent: MILLER, Katherine J. et al.; COOLEY LLP, (25) Filing Language: English 1299 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 700, Washington, District of Columbia 20004 (US). (26) Publication Language: English (81) Designated States (unless otherwise indicated, for every (30) Priority Data: kind of national protection available): AE, AG, AL, AM, 62/552,861 31 August 2017 (3 1.08.2017) US AO, AT, AU, AZ, BA, BB, BG, BH, BN, BR, BW, BY, BZ, 62/558,286 13 September 2017 (13.09.2017) US CA, CH, CL, CN, CO, CR, CU, CZ, DE, DJ, DK, DM, DO, 62/608,546 20 December 2017 (20. 12.2017) US DZ, EC, EE, EG, ES, FI, GB, GD, GE, GH, GM, GT, HN, (71) Applicant: POSEIDA THERAPEUTICS, INC. HR, HU, ID, IL, IN, IR, IS, JO, JP, KE, KG, KH, KN, KP, [US/US]; 4242 Campus Point Court, Suite 700, San Diego, KR, KW, KZ, LA, LC, LK, LR, LS, LU, LY, MA, MD, ME, California 92121 (US). MG, MK, MN, MW, MX, MY, MZ, NA, NG, NI, NO, NZ, OM, PA, PE, PG, PH, PL, PT, QA, RO, RS, RU, RW, SA, (72) Inventors; and SC, SD, SE, SG, SK, SL, SM, ST, SV, SY, TH, TJ, TM, TN, (71) Applicants: SHEDLOCK, Devon [US/US]; 4242 Cam¬ TR, TT, TZ, UA, UG, US, UZ, VC, VN, ZA, ZM, ZW. pus Point Court, Suite 700, San Diego, California 92121 (US). HERMANSON, David [US/US]; 4242 Campus (84) Designated States (unless otherwise indicated, for every Point Court, Suite 700, San Diego, California 92121 (US). kind of regional protection available): ARIPO (BW, GH, (54) Title: TRANSPOSON SYSTEM AND METHODS OF USE Day 1 post EP FIGU RE 1 [ GFP+% M Viability (7'AAD 4D nucleofector Neon Lonza 4D nucieofector Neon eiectroporation system Cell number 1E6 4E6 Transfection volume 2 i ( w l strip) 100ul < Transfection solution P3 kit Solution T Transfection program Severai recommended 2400V/20ms/1 pulse DMA amount g 5ug 00 Eiectroporation technology Polymer electrodes Gold-plated tip © (57) Abstract: Disclosed are methods for the ex-vivo genetic modification of an immune cell comprising delivering to the immune cell, o (a) a nucleic acid or amino acid sequence comprising a sequence encoding a transposase enzyme and (b) a recombinant and nonnaturally o occurring DNA sequence comprising a DNA sequence encoding a transposon. [Continued on nextpage] W O 2019/046815 A l Illlll II lllll lllll lllll llll III III lllll lllll lllll lllll lllll llll llll llll llll GM, KE, LR, LS, MW, MZ, NA, RW, SD, SL, ST, SZ, TZ, UG, ZM, ZW), Eurasian (AM, AZ, BY, KG, KZ, RU, TJ, TM), European (AL, AT, BE, BG, CH, CY, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HR, HU, IE, IS, IT, LT, LU, LV, MC, MK, MT, NL, NO, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SI, SK, SM, TR), OAPI (BF, BJ, CF, CG, CI, CM, GA, GN, GQ, GW, KM, ML, MR, NE, SN, TD, TG). Published: — with international search report (Art. 21(3)) — with sequence listing part of description (Rule 5.2(a)) TRANSPOSON SYSTEM AND METHODS OF USE RELATED APPLICATIONS [01] This application claims the benefit of provisional application USSN 62/552,861, filed August 31, 2017, USSN 62/558,286, filed September 13, 2017 and USSN 62/608,546, filed December 20, 2017, the contents of each of which are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety. INCORPORATION OF SEQUENCE LISTING [02] The contents of the text file named "POTH-029/001WO_SeqList.txt," which was created on August 31, 2018 and is 44,366 KB in size, are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE [03] The present invention is directed to compositions and methods for targeted gene modification. BACKGROUND [04] Ex vivo genetic modification of non-transformed primary human T lymphocytes using non-viral vector-based gene transfer delivery systems has been extremely difficult. As a result, most groups have generally used viral vector-based transduction such as retrovirus, including lentivirus. A number of non-viral methods have been tested and include antibody- targeted liposomes, nanoparticles, aptamer siRNA chimeras, electroporation, nucleofection, lipofection, and peptide transduction. Overall, these approaches have resulted in poor transfection efficiency, direct cell toxicity, or a lack of experimental throughput. [05] The use of plasmid vectors for genetic modification of human lymphocytes has been limited by low efficiency using currently available plasmid transfection systems and by the toxicity that many plasmid transfection reagents have on these cells. There is a long-felt and unmet need for a method of nonviral gene modification in immune cells. SUMMARY [06] When compared with viral transduction of immune cells, such as T lymphocytes, delivery of transgenes via DNA transposons, such as piggyBac and Sleeping Beauty, offers significant advantages in ease of use, ability to delivery much larger cargo, speed to clinic and cost of production. The piggyBac DNA transposon, in particular, offers additional advantages in giving long-term, high-level and stable expression of transgenes, and in being significantly less mutagenic than a retrovirus, being non-oncogenic and being fully reversible. Previous attempts to use DNA transposons to deliver transgenes to T cells have been unsuccessful at generating commercially viable products or manufacturing methods because the previous methods have been inefficient. For example, the poor efficiency demonstrated by previous methods of using DNA transposons to deliver transgenes to T cells has resulted in the need for prolonged expansion ex vivo. Previous unsuccessful attempts by others to solve this problem have all focused on increasing the amount of DNA transposon delivered to the immune cell, which has been a strategy that worked well for non-immune cells. This disclosure demonstrates that increasing the amount of DNA transposon makes the efficiency problem worse in immune cells by increasing DNA-mediated toxicity. To solve this problem, counterintuitively, the methods of the disclosure decrease the amount of DNA delivered to the immune cell. Using the methods of the disclosure, the data provided herein demonstrate not only that decreasing the amount of DNA transposon introduced into the cell increased viability but also that this method increased the percentage of cells that harbored a transposition event, resulting in a viable commercial process and a viable commercial product. Thus, the methods of the disclosure demonstrate success where others have failed. [07] The disclosure provides a nonviral method for the ex-vivo genetic modification of an immune cell or an immune cell precursor comprising delivering to the immune cell or the immune cell precursor, (a) a nucleic acid or amino acid sequence comprising a sequence encoding a transposase enzyme and (b) a recombinant and non-naturally occurring DNA sequence comprising a DNA sequence encoding a transposon. In certain embodiments, the method further comprises the step of stimulating the immune cell or the immune cell precursor with one or more cytokine(s). [08] In certain embodiments of the methods of the disclosure, the sequence encoding a transposase enzyme is an mRNA sequence. The mRNA sequence encoding a transposase enzyme may be produced in vitro. [09] In certain embodiments of the methods of the disclosure, the sequence encoding a transposase enzyme is a DNA sequence. The DNA sequence encoding a transposase enzyme may be produced in vitro. The DNA sequence may be a cDNA sequence. [010] In certain embodiments of the methods of the disclosure, the sequence encoding a transposase enzyme is an amino acid sequence. The amino acid sequence encoding a transposase enzyme may be produced in vitro. A protein Super piggybac transposase (SPB) may be delivered following pre-incubation with transposon DNA. [Oil] In certain embodiments of the methods of the disclosure, the delivering step comprises electroporation or nucleofection of the immune cell or the immune cell precursor. [012] In certain embodiments of the methods of the disclosure, the method further comprises the step of stimulating the immune cell or the immune cell precursor with one or more cytokines. In certain embodiments, the step of stimulating the immune cell or the immune cell precursor with one or more cytokine(s) occurs following the delivering step. Alternatively, or in addition, in certain embodiments, the step of stimulating the immune cell or the immune cell precursor with one or more cytokine(s) occurs prior to the delivering step. In certain embodiments, the one or more cytokine(s) comprise(s) IL-2, IL-21, IL-7 and/or IL- 15. [013] In certain embodiments of the methods of the disclosure, the immune cell or the immune cell precursor is an autologous immune cell or immune cell precursor. The immune cell or immune cell precursor may be a human immune cell, a human immune cell precursor, an autologous immune cell, and/or an autologous immune cell precursor. The immune cell may be derived from a non-autologous source, including, but not limited to a primary cell, a cultured cell or cell line, an embryonic or adult stem cell, an induced pluripotent stem cell or a transdifferentiated cell.