# Inhibiting B-cell-mediated Immunosuppression to Enhance the Immunotherapy Efficacy in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

## TL;DR

This study explores how B-cell depletion or TIM-1 targeting can improve immunotherapy effectiveness in liver cancer by overcoming resistance mechanisms.

## Contribution

The study reveals that B cells contribute to resistance in immunotherapy and STING agonism, and that targeting B cells or TIM-1 enhances treatment outcomes in hepatocellular carcinoma.

## Key findings

- B-cell depletion combined with immunotherapy or STING agonism significantly improved survival in HCC models.
- STING agonism promoted tertiary lymphoid structures and had anti-metastatic effects not seen with ICB.
- Combining STING agonism with TIM-1 blockade enhanced B-cell antigen presentation and CD8+ T-cell activity.

## Abstract

Immunotherapy is efficacious in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but the benefits are limited to a minority of patients. Most HCC patients show resistance to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB). Agonists of the stimulator of interferon genes (STING), potent immune stimulators, showed limited effectiveness. Using preclinical models, we studied the mechanisms of resistance to ICB and STING agonism.

Murine HCA-1 and RIL-175 HCCs were orthotopically grown in mice with underlying liver fibrosis, to mimic the presentation of human HCC. Established tumors were treated with a STING agonist (BMS-986301) or anti-PD1 ICB, and mice were followed to evaluate safety and efficacy, as well as the mechanisms of treatment resistance by RNA sequencing, flow cytometry, and immunofluorescence, B-cell depletion and T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain 1 (TIM-1) ICB.

Unbiased analyses of transcriptomic data from murine HCC tissues from ICB-treated mice showed an increased abundance of intratumoral CD8+ T cells and B cells. STING agonism alone showed efficacy in the ICB-responsive RIL-175 HCC model but more limited efficacy in the ICB-resistant HCA-1 model. STING agonism increased circulating IL-10 and intratumoral infiltration by B-cells, including TIM-1+ B cells, and promoted the formation of tertiary lymphoid structure (TLS)-like structures, especially in the peritumoral areas. Strikingly, adding B cell depletion to ICB or STING agonism treatment significantly increased survival. Interestingly, unlike ICB, STING agonism also had a pronounced anti-metastatic activity. In addition, the combination of STING agonism and TIM-1 blockade augmented B cell differentiation and antigen presentation in vitro and improved the anti-tumor effects in murine HCC in vivo. This approach decreased the number of TIM-1+ B cells in the tumor and shifted B cells to higher expression of CD86 and MHC class II, enhancing the antigen presentation capability and further boosting the antitumor efficacy of CD8+ cytotoxic T cells.

Our findings demonstrate that B cells are associated with ICB- and STING-mediated therapy resistance, and that depleting B-cells or targeting TIM-1 enhances both innate and acquired therapeutic efficacy in HCC.