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New strategies that augment T cell responses are required to broaden the therapeutic arsenal against cancer. CD96, TIGIT, and CD226 are receptors that bind to a communal ligand, CD155, and transduce either inhibitory or activating signals. The function of TIGIT and CD226 is established, whereas the role of CD96 remains ambiguous. Using a panel of engineered antibodies, we discovered that the T cell stimulatory activity of anti-CD96 antibodies requires antibody cross-linking and is potentiated by Fc$\gamma$ receptors. Thus, soluble Fc silent" anti-CD96 antibodies failed to stimulate human T cells whereas the same antibodies were stimulatory after coating onto plastic surfaces. Remarkably the activity of soluble anti-CD96 antibodies was reinstated by engineering the Fc domain to a human IgG1 isotype and it was dependent on antibody trans-cross-linking by Fc$\gamma$RI. In contrast neither human IgG2 nor variants with increased Fc$\gamma$ receptor IIB binding possessed stimulatory activity. Anti-CD96 antibodies acted directly on T cells and augmented gene expression networks associated with T cell activation leading to proliferation cytokine secretion and resistance to Treg suppression. Furthermore CD96 expression correlated with survival in HPV+ head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and its cross-linking activated tumor-infiltrating T cells thus highlighting the potential of anti-CD96 antibodies in cancer immunotherapy."

The engineering of autologous patient T cells for adoptive cell therapies has revolutionized the treatment of several types of cancer1. However, further improvements are needed to increase response and cure rates. CRISPR-based loss-of-function screens have been limited to negative regulators of T cell functions2-4 and raise safety concerns owing to the permanent modification of the genome. Here we identify positive regulators of T cell?functions through overexpression of around 12,000 barcoded human open reading frames (ORFs). The top-ranked genes increased the proliferation and activation of primary human CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and their secretion of key cytokines such as interleukin-2 and interferon-$\gamma$. In addition, we developed the single-cell genomics method OverCITE-seq for high-throughput quantification of the transcriptome and surface antigens in ORF-engineered T cells. The top-ranked ORF-lymphotoxin-$\beta$ receptor (LTBR)-is typically expressed in myeloid cells but absent in lymphocytes. When overexpressed in T cells, LTBR induced profound transcriptional and epigenomic remodelling, leading to increased T cell effector functions and resistance to exhaustion in chronic stimulation settings through constitutive activation of the canonical NF-$\kappa$B pathway. LTBR and other highly ranked genes improved the antigen-specific responses of chimeric antigen receptor T cells and ?? T cells, highlighting their potential for future cancer-agnostic therapies5. Our results provide several strategies for improving next-generation T cell therapies by the induction of synthetic cell programmes.

RNA-targeting CRISPR-Cas13 proteins have recently emerged as a powerful platform to modulate gene expression outcomes. However, protein and CRISPR RNA (crRNA) delivery in human cells can be challenging with rapid crRNA degradation yielding transient knockdown. Here we compare several chemical RNA modifications at different positions to identify synthetic crRNAs that improve RNA targeting efficiency and half-life in human cells. We show that co-delivery of modified crRNAs and recombinant Cas13 enzyme in ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complexes can alter gene expression in primary CD4+ and CD8+ T?cells. This system represents a robust and efficient method to modulate transcripts without genetic manipulation.