cytomegalovirus specific T cells

Cytomegalovirus specific T cells are a form of adoptive cell therapy in which ex vivo expanded or engineered human T lymphocytes with specificity for cytomegalovirus (CMV) antigens are administered to patients. These therapies aim to restore or enhance antiviral immunity in immunocompromised individuals—most commonly recipients of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) or solid organ transplantation (SOT)—who are at high risk for severe or drug-resistant CMV infection. The mechanism involves the direct recognition and killing of CMV-infected host cells by infused CD8+ and/or CD4+ T lymphocytes that target viral proteins such as pp65, IE-1, and others. Approaches include donor-derived, autologous, or third-party allogeneic virus-specific T cell products; some may be further genetically modified with transgenic receptors (TCR-T). Clinical studies have demonstrated safety and efficacy in reducing viral load and controlling refractory infections[1][2][4][5][6].

Other names

CMV-specific T cellsCMV-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytesCMV-TCR-T cellsvirus-specific T cells (VSTs)adoptive transfer of CMV-specific T cells