CD19-zeta chimeric antigen receptor-modified donor-derived EBV-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes

CD19-zeta chimeric antigen receptor-modified donor-derived EBV-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CD19-zeta CAR EBV-CTLs) is an investigational cell-based gene therapy developed by University College London (UCL). It consists of donor-derived Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) that have been genetically modified via retroviral transduction to express a first-generation CD19-zeta chimeric antigen receptor (CAR). The active biological component is the engineered T cell population itself, which is dual-specific: it retains its endogenous EBV-specific T cell receptor (TCR) for in vivo proliferation and persistence, while the introduced CD19-zeta CAR redirects cytotoxic activity against CD19-expressing malignant B cells. The biological target is the CD19 antigen expressed on precursor B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) blasts. This therapy has no conventional brand name, as it is a research-stage compound. It was evaluated in a Phase 1 completed single-group clinical study assessing the feasibility, safety, and in vivo persistence of the cells in pediatric patients with high-risk or relapsed precursor B-cell ALL following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). The modality is a cell and gene therapy (adoptive T cell therapy / CAR-T cell therapy). A key design rationale is that using EBV-specific T cells as the CAR vehicle leverages the endogenous TCR for antigen-driven proliferation (via EBV stimulation or vaccination), potentially improving persistence while avoiding graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), cytokine release syndrome (CRS), and neurotoxicity — risks associated with conventional second-generation CAR-T approaches.

Other names

CD19-zeta CAR EBV-CTLsCD-19-zeta CAR EBV-CTLsCD 19-zeta CAR EBV-CTLsCD19-zeta CAR EBV-specific CTLsCD-19-zeta CAR EBV-specific CTLsCD 19-zeta CAR EBV-specific CTLsCD19-zeta-transduced EBV-CTLCD-19-zeta-transduced EBV-CTLCD 19-zeta-transduced EBV-CTLCD19-zeta-transduced donor-derived EBV-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytesCD-19-zeta-transduced donor-derived EBV-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytesCD 19-zeta-transduced donor-derived EBV-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes