HSV-Tk engineered donor lymphocytes

Donor lymphocytes engineered to express the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (HSV-TK) gene are used as a form of adoptive cellular immunotherapy, particularly in the context of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). The HSV-TK serves as a suicide gene, making transduced lymphocytes selectively sensitive to ganciclovir, which can be administered to eliminate these cells in the event of graft-versus-host disease (GvHD). This approach aims to enhance graft-versus-leukemia (GvL) effects and immune reconstitution after transplantation, while providing an on-demand mechanism to control severe alloreactivity and GvHD. These engineered cells have been investigated primarily for preventing relapse and improving immune reconstitution in patients with high-risk hematologic malignancies following haploidentical stem cell transplantation. The therapy is under advanced clinical evaluation and is not a conventional pharmaceutical product, but an individualized cell therapy manufactured for each patient[1][2][3][4].

Brand names

Zalmoxis

Other names

HSV-TK suicide gene-modified lymphocytesHSV-TK-transduced donor lymphocytesHSV-TK engineered lymphocytesTK-cells