Allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT) is the only curative treatment option for many haematological malignancies. Adenovirus (Ad) infections are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality post SCT. Lack of effective anti-viral treatment for Ad disease has led to the development of adoptive immunotherapy of Ad-specific T-cells as a promising therapeutic option for patients in this setting. The aim of this project was to establish preclinical criteria for the development of a clinical trial comparing two T-cell enrichment methods- multimer selection and cytokine secretion selection to enrich Ad-specific T-cells for the purposes of adoptive transfer directly without the need for in vitro culture.
Eight pHLA tetramers containing HLA class I restricted Ad epitopes were generated and their ability to identify and enrich Ad-specific T-cells investigated. HLA A*01 TDL tetramer consistently detected T-cells in all (13/13) healthy adult donors screened. Frequency and enrichement of Ad-specific T-cells by cytokine secretion and selection was also investigated. Despite the low frequency of Ad-specific T-cells, clinical grade enrichment was feasible by both methods. T-cells selected by both methods were then characterised for homing and proliferative potential. Ad-specific T-cells identified by either method had a high proliferative potential, possessed a novel minimally differentiated memory phenotype, were cytotoxic towards Ad species responsible for infections in SCT recipients and capable of limiting virus replication. In conclusion, Ad-specific T-cells enriched by multimer selection or cytokine secretion selection are suitable for adoptive transfer to patients with Ad infection following HSCT. Both methods also allow the monitoring of Ad-specific immune reconstitution after adoptive transfer
