Beyond conventional adoptive T-cell therapy.

Cavazzana M., Paillet J., Fandi A., Moirangthem RD., Heimendinger P., Magrin E., Oster S., Zuklys S., Devillier R., Huynh A., Piemontese S., Ciceri F., Tassi E., Noviello M., Bonini C., Holländer G., Gluckman E., Soheili T-S., Bauquet A., Negre O.

Reconstitution of the T-cell compartment is essential in the treatment of several immune disorders. Similarly, individuals with hematologic malignancies who are undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation experience prolonged T-cell deficiencies, which increase their risk of infections and relapses. Various strategies for addressing T-cell deficiencies are based on adoptive T-cell therapies. However, challenges related to specificity, safety, scalability, and manufacturing have yet to be overcome. Human T lymphoid progenitor-based immunotherapy might be a valuable, complementary approach for increasing the effectiveness of current treatments for T-cell deficiencies. We have developed a feeder-free culture system that leverages a human DLL4-Fc fusion protein (Notch ligand) to generate human T lymphoid progenitors from CD34+ hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells within 7 days. The cell product, called ProTcell, is composed mainly of cells expressing CD7, chemokine receptor proteins (eg, CCR9), and adhesion molecules (eg, L-selectin). After injection in NSG mice, ProTcell can differentiate and be educated in the thymus to generate simple positive T cells. Here, we summarize the current state of preclinical and clinical research using this approach, highlighting its potential advantages and current limitations for immune reconstitution therapies.

DOI

10.1016/j.jaci.2025.08.004

Type

Journal article

Publication Date

2025-10-01T00:00:00+00:00

Volume

156

Pages

867 - 877

Total pages

10

Keywords

DLL4, Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, T lymphocyte, T-cell progenitor, immune reconstitution, lymphopoiesis, thymus, Humans, Animals, Immunotherapy, Adoptive, T-Lymphocytes, Mice, Hematopoietic Stem Cells, Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

Permalink More information Close