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Katia Perruccio,
Pierluigi Bonifazi, Fabiana Topini,
Antonella Tosti,
Silvia Bozza,
Teresa Aloisi,
Alessandra Carotti,
Franco Aversa,
Massimo F Martelli,
Luigina Romani,
Andrea Velardi
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ABSTRACT: We designed a phase I/II clinical study to determine safety and efficacy of thymosin alpha1 (Talpha1) administration in recipients of one HLA haplotype (haploidentical) stem cell transplants for hematologic malignancies. Talpha1 administration did not cause acute or chronic graft versus host disease and was associated with significant improvement in polymorphonuclear (phagocytosis) and dendritic cell (phagocytosis, expression of costimulatory molecules, and cytokine production) functions. It was also associated with increased T-cell counts and earlier appearance of functional pathogen-specific T cell responses (by a sensitive limiting dilution assay that detects frequency of T cells specific for Aspergillus, Candida, CMV, ADV, VZV, HSV, Toxoplasma). Five of six haploidentical transplant recipients who received Talpha1 are alive and disease free at a median follow-up of 10 months after transplantation (range: 5-20). They experienced only a single nonlethal infectious episode and one patient developed fatal immune hemolytic anemia. At this very early stage of the clinical trial, we conclude Talpha1 administration is safe and may impact favorably on immune function. Larger numbers of patients and longer follow-up are, of course, needed to assess its impact on survival.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 04/2010; 1194:153-61. · 3.15 Impact Factor
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Loredana Ruggeri,
Antonella Mancusi,
Marusca Capanni,
Elena Urbani,
Alessandra Carotti,
Teresa Aloisi,
Martin Stern,
Daniela Pende,
Katia Perruccio,
Emanuela Burchielli, Fabiana Topini,
Erika Bianchi,
Franco Aversa,
Massimo F Martelli,
Andrea Velardi
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ABSTRACT: We analyzed 112 patients with high-risk acute myeloid leukemia (61 in complete remission [CR]; 51 in relapse), who received human leukocyte-antigen (HLA)-haploidentical transplants from natural killer (NK) alloreactive (n = 51) or non-NK alloreactive donors (n = 61). NK alloreactive donors possessed HLA class I, killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) ligand(s) which were missing in the recipients, KIR gene(s) for missing self recognition on recipient targets, and alloreactive NK clones against recipient targets. Transplantation from NK-alloreactive donors was associated with a significantly lower relapse rate in patients transplanted in CR (3% versus 47%) (P > .003), better event-free survival in patients transplanted in relapse (34% versus 6%, P = .04) and in remission (67% versus 18%, P = .02), and reduced risk of relapse or death (relative risk versus non-NK-alloreactive donor, 0.48; 95% CI, 0.29-0.78; P > .001). In all patients we tested the "missing ligand" model which pools KIR ligand mismatched transplants and KIR ligand-matched transplants from donors possessing KIR(s) for which neither donor nor recipient have HLA ligand(s). Only transplantation from NK-alloreactive donors is associated with a survival advantage.
Blood 08/2007; 110(1):433-40. · 9.90 Impact Factor
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Katia Perruccio,
Antonella Tosti,
Emanuela Burchielli, Fabiana Topini,
Loredana Ruggeri,
Alessandra Carotti,
Marusca Capanni,
Elena Urbani,
Antonella Mancusi,
Franco Aversa,
Massimo F Martelli,
Luigina Romani,
Andrea Velardi
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ABSTRACT: Aspergillus and cytomegalovirus are major causes of morbidity/mortality after haploidentical hematopoietic transplantation. The high degree of mismatching makes cell immunotherapy impossible as it would result in lethal graft-versus-host disease (GvHD). We generated large numbers of donor T-cell clones specific for Aspergillus or cytomegalovirus antigens. We identified clones potentially responsible for causing GvHD by screening them for cross-reactivity against recipient mononuclear cells. Non-recipient reactive, pathogen-specific clones were infused soon after transplantation. They were CD4+ and produced high levels of interferon-gamma and low levels of interleukin-10. In 46 control transplant recipients who did not receive adoptive therapy, spontaneous pathogen-specific T cells occurred in low frequency 9 to 12 months after transplantation and displayed a non-protective low interferon-gamma/high interleukin-10 production phenotype. In the 35 recipients who received adoptive therapy, one single infusion of donor alloantigen-deleted, pathogen-specific clones in the dose range of 10(5) to 10(6) cells/kg body weight did not cause GvHD and induced high-frequency T-cell responses to pathogens, which exhibited a protective high interferon-gamma/low interleukin-10 production phenotype within 3 weeks of infusion. Frequencies of pathogen-specific T cells remained stable over time, and were associated with control of Aspergillus and cytomegalovirus antigenemia and infectious mortality. This study opens new perspectives for reducing infectious mortality after haploidentical transplantations.
Blood 01/2006; 106(13):4397-406. · 9.90 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: After haploidentical stem cell transplantation immune recovery is inevitably slow and infectious related mortality is about 30-40%. Immune reconstitution could be improved by infusing donor T cells, but the obstacle is graft-versus-host disease. In a mixed lymphocyte reaction, alloantigen-stimulated T cells uptake 4,5-dibromorhodamine methyl ester (TH9402), a compound that is structurally similar to rhodamine. TH9402 preferentially localizes in mitochondria and when exposed to 500- to 600-nm wavelength visible light delivered through the Theralux device (Kiadis Pharma, Amsterdam, The Netherlands), it becomes highly cytotoxic through oxidative damage. This study investigated a range of parameters, and combinations thereof, with the aim of achieving optimal T cell allodepletion and preservation of pathogen-specific responses. We report on 11 clinical scale dry runs which reproducibly yielded the following results. Blood mononuclear cells were stimulated with haploidentical irradiated (20 Gy). Blood mononuclear cells in a mixed lymphocyte reaction. Cells were then incubated with TH9402 and exposed to light delivered through the Theralux device. Optimal conditions for T cell allodepletion emerged as (1) duration of mixed lymphocyte reaction: 24 h; (2) responder cell concentration: 3-5x10(6)/ml; (3) TH9402 concentration: 5 microM; (4) quantity of internalized TH9402, as measured by mean fluorescence intensity (MFI): 20,000-25,000 MFI; (5) energy delivered: 0.1 J/cm(2). Only under these conditions were the frequencies (by limiting dilution analyses) of alloantigen-specific T cells maximally reduced, i.e., 2467+/-639 (mean+/-SD) times, when compared with non-TH9402-treated cells. Pathogen-specific responses to pathogen antigens such as Cytomegalovirus, Adenovirus, Varicella Zoster Virus, Herpes Simplex Virus, Aspergillus fumigatus, Candida albicans, Toxoplasma gondii were retained, although with a 19+/-9.7 times reduction in frequency. This remarkable drop in frequency of alloreactive T cells is expected to allow safe infusion of relatively large numbers of T cells across histocompatibility barriers for adoptive transfer of donor immunity. Consequently, a clinical trial is planned to incorporate infusion of photo-allodepleted donor T cells after haploidentical stem cell transplantation with the aim of decreasing infection-related mortality.
Blood Cells Molecules and Diseases 40(1):76-83. · 2.35 Impact Factor
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Loredana Ruggeri,
Marusca Capanni,
Antonella Mancusi,
Elena Urbani,
Katia Perruccio,
Emanuela Burchielli,
Antonella Tosti, Fabiana Topini,
Franco Aversa,
Massimo F Martelli,
Andrea Velardi
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ABSTRACT: Natural killer (NK) cell-mediated, donor-vs.-recipient alloresponses occur following transplantation of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) haplotype-mismatched hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). NK cell alloreactivity reduced the risk of relapse in acute myeloid leukemia patients while improving engraftment and protecting against graft-vs.-host disease (GvHD). NK cells are primed to kill by several activating receptors. NK killing of autologous cells is prevented because NK cells co-express inhibitory receptors (killer cell Ig-like receptors, KIR) that recognize groups of (self) MHC class I alleles. As KIRs are clonally distributed, the NK population in any individual is constituted of a repertoire with different allospecificities. NK cells in the repertoire mediate alloreactions when the allogeneic targets do not express class I alleles that block them. High resolution molecular HLA typing of recipient and donor, positive identification of donor KIR genes, and in some cases, functional assessment of donor NK clones will identify haploidentical donors who are able to mount donor-vs.-recipient NK alloreactions.
Blood Cells Molecules and Diseases 33(3):216-21. · 2.35 Impact Factor
