VL9-TCR engineered T cells

VL9-TCR engineered T cells (VL9-TCR-Ts) are an experimental T-cell receptor-engineered T-cell (TCR-T) therapy designed to target the cytomegalovirus (CMV)-derived VL9 peptide (VMAPRTLLL) presented by the non-classical, functionally monomorphic human leukocyte antigen E (HLA-E) molecule. Developed as a proof-of-concept for universal cellular immunotherapy, these primary CD8+ T cells undergo CRISPR-mediated knockout of endogenous TCR and HLA-E before transduction with the VL9-specific TCR. While designed to target virus-associated malignancies such as HTLV-1+ and EBV+ leukemia and lymphoma, preclinical studies have revealed unexpected cross-reactivity to multiple HLA-E-bound peptides, indicating potential off-tumor activity and safety challenges.

Other names

HLA-E-VL9 TCR-TsHLA-E-VL-9 TCR-TsHLA-E-VL 9 TCR-TsVL9-TCR-T cellsVL-9-TCR-T cellsVL 9-TCR-T cellsVL9-TCR-TsVL-9-TCR-TsVL 9-TCR-Ts