title: T-cell reconstitution and expansion after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: 'T' it up!
abstract: Adoptive immunotherapy is the isolation and infusion of antigen-specific or nonspecific lymphocytes. Adoptive therapy with T cells may have a role in replacing, repairing, or enhancing immune function damaged by cytotoxic therapies, and rapid lymphocyte recovery may improve outcome after autologous and allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT). Recently, a plethora of information on the basic mechanisms of T-cell biology and regulation of cellular immune responses has emerged, permitting the development of new forms of adoptive cell therapy. Efficient ex vivo culture method for T-cell subsets affords the possibility of adoptive transfer of T cells engineered with enhanced capacity for central memory, effector cytotoxicity, Th1, Th2, veto cell, and T regulatory functions. Studies show that homeostatic T-cell proliferation is important for effective adoptive immunotherapy and pretreatment with chemotherapy may enhance the effects of infused T cells. Replicative senescence, in part due to telomere erosion, likely limits successful adoptive immunotherapy, though it may be possible to maintain T-cell pools by enforced expression of telomerase. Clinical trials now demonstrate that it is possible to enhance immune reconstitution after SCT with cytokines or infusions of ex vivo costimulated expanded T cells. These data all support the premise that adoptive therapy can accelerate reconstitution of cellular immunity with enhanced antitumor effects following SCT.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Hematology-Oncology Division, Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. david.porter@uphs.upenn.edu
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Porter
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: June
mesh_terms: D019264:Adoptive Transfer; D000818:Animals; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation; D006801:Humans; D007156:Immunologic Memory; D016219:Immunotherapy, Adoptive; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000494:pharmacology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D007376:Interleukin-2