To uncover the intricate, chemotherapy-induced spatiotemporal remodeling of the tumor microenvironment, we conducted integrative spatial and molecular characterization of 97 high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSC) samples collected before and after chemotherapy. Using single-cell and spatial analyses, we identify increasingly versatile immune cell states, which form spatiotemporally dynamic microcommunities at the tumor-stroma interface. We demonstrate that chemotherapy triggers spatial redistribution and exhaustion of CD8+ T cells due to prolonged antigen presentation by macrophages, both within interconnected myeloid networks termed "Myelonets" and at the tumor stroma interface. Single-cell and spatial transcriptomics identifies prominent TIGIT-NECTIN2 ligand-receptor interactions induced by chemotherapy. Using a functional patient-derived immuno-oncology platform, we show that CD8+T-cell activity can be boosted by combining immune checkpoint blockade with chemotherapy. Our discovery of chemotherapy-induced myeloid-driven spatial T-cell exhaustion paves the way for novel immunotherapeutic strategies to unleash CD8+ T-cell-mediated anti-tumor immunity in HGSC.
Chemotherapy induces myeloid-driven spatial T-cell exhaustion in ovarian cancer
(1) Launonen IM (2) Erkan EP (3) Niemiec I (4) Junquera A (5) Hincapi-Otero M (6) Afenteva D (7) Liang Z (8) Salko M (9) Szabo A (10) Perez-Villatoro F (11) Falco MM (12) Li Y (13) Micoli G (14) Nagaraj A (15) Haltia UM (16) Kahelin E (17) Oikkonen J (18) Hynninen J (19) Virtanen A (20) Nirmal AJ (21) Vallius T (22) Hautaniemi S (23) Sorger P (24) Vhrautio A (25) Frkkil A
