title: Targeting EBV's Achilles' heel with antigen-specific T cells.
abstract: Evaluation of: Icheva V, Kayser S, Wolff D et al. Adoptive transfer of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) nuclear antigen 1-specific T cells as treatment for EBV reactivation and lymphoproliferative disorders after allogeneic stem-cell transplantation. J. Clin. Oncol. 31(1), 39-48 (2013). Adoptive transfer of donor-derived EBV-specific T cells is an effective strategy for the prevention and treatment of EBV-associated post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease (PTLD). However, the time-consuming process of EBV-specific T-cell generation using standard protocols has limited their broader use. Ex vivo IFN-γ capture assay is an attractive alternative for the rapid isolation of EBV-specific T cells. In the present study, Icheva et al. employ this method to rapidly isolate clinical-grade T cells that are specific for EBNA1. Adoptive transfer of EBNA1-specific T cells was safe and resulted in clinical benefit in 7 out of 10 patients with EBV-viremia and/or PTLD. Thus, T-cell therapy targeting a single EBV antigen, EBNA1, which is critical for EBV episome maintenance, may be sufficient for EBV-PTLD therapy in hematopoietic stem cells transplantation recipients.
authors.affiliation: Center for Cell & Gene Therapy, Texas Children's Hospital, The Methodist Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, 1102 Bates Street, Suite 1770, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
authors.forename: Mamta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kalra
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gottschalk
references.citation: J Immunother. 2010 Nov-Dec;33(9):983-90
references.pmid: 20948438
references.citation: Blood. 2010 Feb 4;115(5):925-35
references.pmid: 19880495
references.citation: Cancer Res. 2012 Mar 1;72(5):1116-25
references.pmid: 22282657
references.citation: J Exp Med. 2004 May 17;199(10):1301-4
references.pmid: 15148332
references.citation: Mol Ther. 2009 Sep;17(9):1616-25
references.pmid: 19584818
references.citation: Blood. 2010 Nov 18;116(20):4360-7
references.pmid: 20625005
references.citation: Int J Cancer. 2009 Apr 1;124(7):1721-6
references.pmid: 19089927
references.citation: Blood. 2007 Oct 15;110(8):2838-45
references.pmid: 17609424
references.citation: Annu Rev Immunol. 2007;25:587-617
references.pmid: 17378764
references.citation: J Clin Oncol. 2013 Jan 1;31(1):39-48
references.pmid: 23169501
references.citation: Viruses. 2012 Sep;4(9):1537-47
references.pmid: 23170171
references.citation: Lancet. 1995 Jan 7;345(8941):9-13
references.pmid: 7799740
references.citation: Lancet Oncol. 2012 Feb;13(2):196-206
references.pmid: 22173060
references.citation: J Immunother. 2008 Feb-Mar;31(2):199-206
references.pmid: 18481389
references.citation: Blood. 2011 Jul 28;118(4):1121-31
references.pmid: 21642594
references.citation: N Engl J Med. 1994 Apr 28;330(17):1185-91
references.pmid: 8093146
references.citation: J Clin Oncol. 2010 Feb 20;28(6):1038-46
references.pmid: 20085936
references.citation: Blood. 2007 Aug 15;110(4):1123-31
references.pmid: 17468341
references.citation: Annu Rev Med. 2005;56:29-44
references.pmid: 15660500
references.citation: J Clin Oncol. 2008 Nov 10;26(32):5233-9
references.pmid: 18809613