Virotherapy using myxoma virus prevents lethal graft-versus-host disease following xeno-transplantation with primary human hematopoietic stem cells.

ABSTRACT: Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is a potentially lethal clinical complication arising from the transfer of alloreactive T lymphocytes into immunocompromised recipients. Despite conventional methods of T cell depletion, GVHD remains a major challenge in allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant. Here, we demonstrate a novel method of preventing GVHD by ex vivo treatment of primary human hematopoietic cell sources with myxoma virus, a rabbit specific poxvirus currently under development for oncolytic virotherapy. This pretreatment dramatically increases post-transplant survival of immunocompromised mice injected with primary human bone marrow or peripheral blood cells and prevents the expansion of human CD3(+) lymphocytes in major recipient organs. Similar viral treatment also prevents human

SUBMITTER: Bartee E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3419197 | biostudies-literature | 2012

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature