multi-virus-specific T cells

Multi-virus-specific T cells (mVSTs) are an off-the-shelf, non-engineered allogeneic T-cell therapy platform developed by researchers at City of Hope. These cells are expanded from healthy donors who are seropositive for specific viruses, such as cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). By utilizing memory-derived T cells that exhibit central and effector memory phenotypes, the platform provides a functional, bankable T-cell source with a minimal risk of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). In therapeutic applications, these mVSTs serve as effector cells that can be redirected to target malignancies—such as multiple myeloma and lymphoma—through the use of bispecific T-cell engagers (BiTEs) targeting antigens like BCMA, CD19, or CD20. This approach is designed to overcome T-cell dysfunction and exhaustion often observed in cancer patients by providing a robust, healthy donor-derived immune response.

Other names

healthy donor-derived multi-virus-specific T cellsmVSTs