T-cell vaccination

T-cell vaccination (TCV) is an autologous cell therapy platform designed to modulate the immune system, primarily for the treatment of autoimmune diseases and certain viral infections. The process involves isolating a patient's own pathogenic or autoreactive T cells, expanding them in vitro, and attenuating them—typically via gamma irradiation or chemical fixation (e.g., glutaraldehyde)—to render them non-pathogenic while maintaining their immunogenicity. When re-administered to the patient, these attenuated cells act as a vaccine, triggering an anti-idiotypic immune response. This response involves the generation of regulatory T cells (specifically CD8+ Tregs) that recognize the unique T-cell receptors (TCRs) of the vaccine cells presented via MHC class Ib molecules (HLA-E in humans, Qa-1 in mice). These regulatory cells then specifically suppress or eliminate the endogenous population of pathogenic T cells bearing the same TCR. TCV has been investigated for Multiple Sclerosis (targeting myelin-reactive T cells), Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, and HIV (targeting CD4-reactive T cells), offering a highly specific treatment modality that avoids general immunosuppression.

Brand names

Tcelna

Other names

TCVAutologous T-cell vaccinationT-cell vaccine