The schedule of ATR inhibitor AZD6738 can potentiate or abolish antitumor immune responses to radiotherapy

Inhibitors of the DNA damage signaling kinase ATR increase tumor cell killing by chemotherapies that target DNA replication forks but also kill rapidly proliferating immune cells including activated T cells. Nevertheless, ATR inhibitor (ATRi) and radiotherapy (RT) can be combined to generate CD8(+) T cell–dependent antitumor responses in mouse models. To determine the optimal schedule of ATRi and RT, we determined the impact of short-course versus prolonged daily treatment with AZD6738 (ATRi) on responses to RT (days 1–2). Short-course ATRi (days 1–3) plus RT caused expansion of tumor antigen–specific, effector CD8(+) T cells in the tumor-draining lymph node (DLN) at 1 week after RT. This was preceded by acute decreases in proliferating tumor-infiltrating and peripheral T cells and a rapid proliferative rebound after ATRi cessation, increased inflammatory signaling (IFN-β, chemokines, particularly CXCL10) in tumors, and an accumulation of inflammatory cells in the DLN. In contrast, prolonged ATRi (days 1–9) prevented the expansion of tumor antigen–specific, effector CD8(+) T cells in the DLN, and entirely abolished the therapeutic benefit of short-course ATRi with RT and anti–PD-L1. Our data argue that ATRi cessation is essential to allow CD8(+) T cell responses to both RT and immune checkpoint inhibitors.