High efficiency transduction of T lymphocytes using rapid expansion methods ("REM")
First Claim
1. A method of genetically transducing a T cell, comprising:
- (a) adding initial isolated T lymphocytes to a culture medium in vitro, said T lymphocytes comprising a T cell receptor complex, wherein said T lymphocytes are isolated by use of an affinity reagent that selects antigen-specific T cells or are isolated by limiting dilution culture of antigen-stimulated T lymphocytes;
(b) adding to the culture medium a disproportionately large number of non-dividing peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) as feeder cells such that the resulting population of cells contains a ratio of at least about 40 PBMC feeder cells for each T lymphocyte in the initial population to be expanded;
(c) activating said T cell receptor complex;
(d) adding a transduction vector to said culture medium;
(e) incubating the culture, thereby producing a population of transduced T lymphocytes which become reversibly quiescent upon withdrawal of exogenous cytokine and are antigen-specific and MHC restricted.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention provides a rapid expansion method (termed "REM"), for quickly generating large numbers of T lymphocytes, including cytolytic and helper T lymphocytes. REM involves culturing the T cells in association with a disproportionately large concentration of nondividing feeder cells, preferably γ-irradiated peripheral blood mononuclear cells ("PBMC") present at an excess of at least 40-fold (relative to the number of target T cells), more preferably at an excess of at least about 200-fold. Cultures grown under REM exhibit dramatically enhanced expansion rates that can be even further elevated by the use of appropriate concentrations of an additional feeder cell, an anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody and IL-2, as described herein. Clonal expansions in the range of 500-fold to 3000-fold can be achieved within a single stimulation cycle of about 10-13 days, which is more than 100-fold more efficient than currently employed methods of culturing human T cell clones. Genetic transduction efficiencies were also enhanced using REM-expanded T lymphocytes. Several examples involving human bone marrow transplant recipients illustrate the effective use of REM-expanded antigen-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes for adoptive immunotherapy in humans.
145 Citations
24 Claims
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1. A method of genetically transducing a T cell, comprising:
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(a) adding initial isolated T lymphocytes to a culture medium in vitro, said T lymphocytes comprising a T cell receptor complex, wherein said T lymphocytes are isolated by use of an affinity reagent that selects antigen-specific T cells or are isolated by limiting dilution culture of antigen-stimulated T lymphocytes; (b) adding to the culture medium a disproportionately large number of non-dividing peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) as feeder cells such that the resulting population of cells contains a ratio of at least about 40 PBMC feeder cells for each T lymphocyte in the initial population to be expanded; (c) activating said T cell receptor complex; (d) adding a transduction vector to said culture medium; (e) incubating the culture, thereby producing a population of transduced T lymphocytes which become reversibly quiescent upon withdrawal of exogenous cytokine and are antigen-specific and MHC restricted. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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Specification