Ann Leen, PhD, from Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, US, provides an overview of virus-specific T cells from how they were first developed to the advances that have been made to date. Dr Leen describes how virus-specific T cell were first developed to target Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and cytomegalovirus (CMV), which are problematic in immunocompromised individuals. She further explains why virus-specific T cells are important for patients who are immunocompromised and how the spectrum of viruses that can be targeted, has been expanded to include adenoviruses, the BK virus, and human herpesvirus 6. According to Dr Leen, one of the main new developments in this area has been around how the cells are adminstered as this has broadened the applicability of this therapy.
Recorded at the 42nd Annual Meeting of the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) in Valencia, Spain.