Preclinical analysis shows iNKT cell transfer improves cytokine production for graft versus host disease prevention, indicating its promise for clinical use.
Key Points
To assess the feasibility of expanding iNKT cells for a Phase I clinical trial aimed at GVHD prevention after HSCT.
Isolated PBMCs were enriched for iNKT cells using antibody-conjugated magnetic beads.
Enriched iNKT cells were co-cultured with α-GalCer and IL-2 for 14 days.
Post-expansion purity and IL-4 secretion were measured following culture and stimulation.
11 of 15 donors achieved >90% post-expansion purity.
A positive correlation was found between starting iNKT cell purity and post-expansion cell counts.
Cryopreservation methods showed reduced cell loss and retained IL-4 secretion capacity.