B lymphocyte-directed immunotherapy promotes long-term islet allograft survival in nonhuman primates.
We found that an induction immunotherapy regimen consisting of rabbit anti-thymocyte globulin (Thymoglobulin) and the monoclonal antibody to CD20 rituximab (Rituxan) promoted long-term islet allograft survival in cynomolgus macaques maintained on rapamycin monotherapy. B lymphocyte reconstitution after rituximab-mediated depletion was characterized by a preponderance of immature and transitional cells, whose persistence was associated with long-term islet allograft survival. Development of donor-specific alloantibodies was abrogated only in the setting of continued rapamycin monotherapy.
Liu
Chengyang
C
Department of Surgery, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA.
Noorchashm
Hooman
H
Sutter
Jennifer A
JA
Naji
Mina
M
Prak
Eline Luning
EL
Boyer
Jean
J
Green
Taryn
T
Rickels
Michael R
MR
Tomaszewski
John E
JE
Koeberlein
Brigitte
B
Wang
Zhonglin
Z
Paessler
Michelle E
ME
Velidedeoglu
Ergun
E
Rostami
Susan Y
SY
Yu
Ming
M
Barker
Clyde F
CF
Naji
Ali
A
D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D058846:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived; D000961:Antilymphocyte Serum; D016175:B-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000276:immunology; D006085:Graft Survival / Q000276:immunology*; D016233:Immunotherapy, Active / Q000379:methods; D016381:Islets of Langerhans Transplantation / Q000276:immunology*; D008212:Lymphocyte Depletion; D008252:Macaca fascicularis; D000069283:Rituximab; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D058846:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived; D000961:Antilymphocyte Serum; D000069283:Rituximab; C512542:thymoglobulin