Introduction
deficiencies of the hematopoietic system, toxicity, GvHD, Epstein-Barr virus, EBV infections, infection, malignant diseases, latent-, herpesvirus reactivations
CYTOMEGALOVIRUS, GRAFT-VERSUS-HOST DISEASE, COMPLICATION, MALIGNANT DISEASE, INFECTION, EBV INFECTION
Allogeneic stem cell transplantation (aSCT) in the adult patient aims at curing malignant diseases or other deficiencies of the hematopoietic system. Aside from graft-versus-host disease (GvHD), reactivation of latent herpesviruses represents a major complication significantly contributing to morbidity and impairment of quality of life. Due to the immunosuppressive nature of the transplant procedure and due to medical immunosuppression, herpesvirus reactivations are frequent and often require toxic antiviral treatments. Especially cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) impose a considerable risk for treatment success and are therefore monitored in the peripheral blood by PCR post transplant. Available antiviral drugs are effective for CMV, but come at high toxicity for bone marrow, kidney and other organs (The immune response that controls new CMV and EBV infections is dominated by a strong expansion of CD8+ T cells which are reactive to both latent- and lytic-cycle viral antigens and persist after the infection has been cleared (Cellular therapy of both CMV and EBV reactivation after aSCT has been used with convincing results in several studies over the past decades (A key factor in preventing reactivation of CMV and EBV after aSCT are sustained anti-viral T cell responses. However, the Here we present results from a randomized phase I/IIa study utilizing a manufacturing protocol for CMV- and EBV-specific T cell for prevention and pre-emptive treatment of reactivation of both viruses in patient after aSCT (