Peptide-major histocompatibility complex (pMHC) presenting viral antigens from CMV, EBV, Adv, HHV-6, BKV, JCV, and HPIV-3 (Multi-viral pMHC complexes)

This target consists of peptide-major histocompatibility complexes (pMHC) displayed on the surface of cells infected with a specific set of opportunistic viruses: Cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), Adenovirus (Adv), Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6), BK virus (BKV), JC virus (JCV), and Human parainfluenza-3 (HPIV-3). These complexes are formed when viral proteins are proteolytically processed into short peptides and loaded onto HLA molecules for presentation to the immune system. In healthy individuals, these pMHC complexes are recognized by endogenous T cells to maintain viral latency; however, in immunocompromised patients (such as hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients), viral reactivation can lead to severe morbidity and mortality. Therapeutic intervention involves the use of multi-virus-specific T cells (VSTs), such as Posoleucel, which are engineered or selected to recognize these specific pMHC targets. Upon binding, the VSTs exert direct cytotoxic effects on the infected cells, effectively reducing viral load and preventing clinical disease progression across multiple viral pathogens simultaneously.

Other names

Viral peptide-MHC complexesMulti-virus-specific T-cell targetsHLA-restricted viral antigenspMHC complexes for CMV, EBV, Adv, HHV-6, BKV, JCV, and HPIV-3

Adoptive transfer of multi-virus-specific T cells (VSTs) that utilize their native T-cell receptors (TCRs) to recognize and bind specific viral peptides presented by MHC molecules on the surface of infected cells, leading to targeted cytotoxic killing and viral clearance.