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Multipathogen-specific T cells against viral and fungal infections

Bone Marrow Transplantation volume 56, pages 1445–1448 (2021)Cite this article

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Opportunistic infections constitute major factors of posttransplant morbidity and mortality. While conventional antiviral/antifungal pharmacotherapies are often associated with toxicities and drug resistance, immunotherapy with virus-specific T cells (VSTs), is increasingly gaining ground as an alternative treatment [1]. Notwithstanding the remarkable clinical progress with VSTs, and despite the early promising efficacy of Aspergillus fumigatus (AF)-specific T cells (Asp-STs) in a single clinical trial up to date [2], the development of fungal-specific T cells has been limited by lengthy, labor-intense, and costly procedures. We have recently shown the feasibility of generating clinical doses of Asp-STs, by a rapid, minimally complex, and GMP-compliant approach [3].

However, treatment modalities restoring/boosting antigen-specific immunity against both viruses and fungi are lacking. Such a need has been clearly demonstrated in a recent trial, where VST’s administration effectively controlled viral infection/disease in 8/9 patients, from whom, however, two died from IA [4].

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Fig. 1: mp-STs: characteristics and in vivo safety and efficacy.

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Funding

Funding for this project was provided by institutional resources and in part by an EHA Research Grant award granted by the European Hematology Association.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Gene and Cell Therapy Center, Hematology Department, Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation Unit, “George Papanikolaou” Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece

    Anastasia Papadopoulou, Kiriakos Koukoulias, Maria Alvanou, Anastasios Kouimtzidis, Evangelia Athanasiou, Nikolaos Savvopoulos, Eleni Siotou, Achilles Anagnostopoulos & Evangelia Yannaki

  2. Department of Genetics, Development and Molecular Biology, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece

    Kiriakos Koukoulias, Anastasios Kouimtzidis & Nikolaos Savvopoulos

  3. First Department of Microbiology, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece

    Anthi-Marina Markantonatou & Timoleon-Achilleas Vyzantiadis

  4. Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    Evangelia Yannaki

Authors
  1. Anastasia Papadopoulou
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  2. Kiriakos Koukoulias
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  8. Eleni Siotou
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  10. Achilles Anagnostopoulos
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  11. Evangelia Yannaki
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Contributions

Conceptualization, AP and EY; methodology, AP, KK, MA, AK, EA, NS, and ES; investigation, AP, KK, MA, AK, EA, NS, AMM, ES, TAV, and EY; writing—original draft, AP and EY; writing—review and editing, AP and EY; funding acquisition, AP, AA, and EY; resources, AA and EY; supervision, AA and EY.

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Correspondence to Evangelia Yannaki.

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Papadopoulou, A., Koukoulias, K., Alvanou, M. et al. Multipathogen-specific T cells against viral and fungal infections. Bone Marrow Transplant 56, 1445–1448 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41409-020-01210-9

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