Cellular immunotherapy for viral infection in solid organ transplant recipients
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Abstract
Defects in immune containment of persistent viral infections
are associated with an increased frequency and severity of
viral diseases. Initial investigation in the animal model, and,
more recently, the first trials in humans indicate that adoptive
transfer of relatively small numbers of the relevant
antigen-specific T cells can restore protective immunity and
control established viral infection in the immunosuppressed
host. Current efforts of antiviral cellular immunotherapy in solid
organ transplant recipients focus on developing strategies to
activate autologous virus-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes from
virus-seropositive and, more importantly, virus-seronegative
patients, and optimizing T-cell infusion protocols