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Viral-specific adoptive immunotherapy after allo-SCT: the role of multimer-based selection strategies

Bone Marrow Transplantation volume 48, pages 1265–1270 (2013)Cite this article

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Abstract

Recipients of hematopoietic SCT undergo a period of profound immunosuppression due to the chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy used for the conditioning and to the graft versus host reaction. SCT patients are highly susceptible to the development of viral infections such as CMV or EBV. The achievement of a competent immunological response, such as viral-specific T cells, is associated with a lower incidence of viral infections. Methods for direct identification of antigen-specific T cells have been based on the functional characteristics of these T cells. Techniques such as proliferation and ELISPOT assays, intracellular cytokine staining and IFN-γ capture have been used to quantitate and obtain viral-specific T cells. Multimers are composed of several MHC molecules loaded with immunodominant peptides joined to a fluorescent molecule, which signal can be quantified by a flow cytometer. Multimer technology together with recent advances in flow cytometry, have facilitated the monitoring and selection of antigen-specific T cells without the need for in vitro cultures and manipulation. This has resulted in a better characterization of the function and phenotype of the different subpopulations of T cells involved in the immune recovery post allogeneic SCT. It is becoming a distinct possibility to isolate individual antigen-specific T cells, without long-term culture techniques, and potentially use them as adoptive immunotherapy in the SCT setting.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by a research grant (PI10/00136) from the Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias del Instituto de Salud Carlos III.

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  1. Hemato-Oncology Research Group, Biomedical Research Center, Pamplona, Spain

    N Ramírez & E Olavarría

  2. Department of Hematology, BMT Unit, Complejo Hospitalario de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain

    E Olavarría

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Correspondence to E Olavarría.

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Ramírez, N., Olavarría, E. Viral-specific adoptive immunotherapy after allo-SCT: the role of multimer-based selection strategies. Bone Marrow Transplant 48, 1265–1270 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/bmt.2012.262

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