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Updated: Apr 27, 2026
Generation of Multivirus-specific T Cells to Prevent/treat Viral Infections after Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant
Published on: May 27, 2011
Manufacturing of highly functional and specific T cells for adoptive immunotherapy against virus from granulocyte
Lorea Beloki1, Natalia Ramírez1, Eduardo Olavarría2
1Oncohematology Research Group, Navarrabiomed, Miguel Servet Foundation, Pamplona, Spain.
Background Aims:
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) reactivation remains an important risk after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, which can be effectively controlled through adoptive transfer of donor-derived CMV-specific T cells (CMV-T). CMV-T are usually obtained from donor peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) collected before G-CSF mobilization. Despite previous studies that showed impaired T-cell function after granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) mobilization, recent publications suggest that G-CSF-primed PBMCs retain anti-viral function and are a suitable starting material for CMV-T manufacturing. The objective of this study was to assess the feasibility of generating CMV-T from G-CSF-mobilized donors by use of the activation marker CD137 in comparison with conventional non-primed PBMCs.
Methods:
CMV-T were isolated from G-CSF-mobilized and non-mobilized donor PBMCs on the basis of CMVpp65 activation-induced CD137 expression and expanded during 3 weeks. Functional assays were performed to assess antigen-specific activation, cytokine release, cytotoxic activity and proliferation after anti-genic re-stimulation.
Results:
We successfully manufactured highly specific, functional and cytotoxic CMV-T from G-CSF-mobilized donor PBMCs. Their anti-viral function was equivalent to non-mobilized CMV-T, and memory phenotype would suggest their long-term maintenance after adoptive transfer.
Conclusions:
We confirm that the use of an aliquot from G-CSF-mobilized donor samples is suitable for the manufacturing of CMV cellular therapies and thereby abrogates the need for successive donations and ensures the availability for patients with unrelated donors.
