Ex-vivo treatment of donor bone marrow with anti-T-cell immunotoxins for prevention of graft-versus-host disease.
Two patients undergoing marrow transplantation for acute lymphocytic leukaemia in third remission received from histocompatible siblings marrow pretreated with a mixture of three anti-T-cell immunotoxins, consisting of murine monoclonal antibodies covalently linked to ricin. This marrow processing effectively eliminated functional T-cell responses while preserving the marrow precursors necessary for sustained haematoimmunopoietic engraftment. No post-transplant immunoprophylaxis was administered. Both patients showed prompt peripheral engraftment and were discharged from hospital within a month of transplantation. No toxic effects or graft-versus-host disease were apparent after the administration of immunotoxin-treated marrow. Ex-vivo immunotoxin pretreatment appears a safe and simple procedure which deserves further clinical testing as a sole method of graft-versus-host disease prophylaxis.
D000293:Adolescent; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology*; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000276:immunology; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006086:Graft vs Host Disease / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D007518:Isoantibodies / Q000008:administration & dosage; D007945:Leukemia, Lymphoid / Q000628:therapy; D008212:Lymphocyte Depletion; D008722:Methods; D012276:Ricin / Q000276:immunology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D007518:Isoantibodies; C035678:anti-Thy antibody; D012276:Ricin