The purpose of this study is to use VSTs (virus-specific T cells) from a donor that is a partial HLA (human leukocyte antigen) match with the patient to treat viral infections after an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). These cells may also have value in CAR-T recipients who have received a product that depletes virus specific T cells. The patient must have had a myeloablative or non-myeloablative allogeneic HSCT using either bone marrow, single/double umbilical cord blood, or peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) or CAR T cell product targeting an antigen expressed on virus specific T cells. After a transplant, while the immune system grows back, the patient is at risk for infection. Some viruses can stay in the body for life and are normally controlled by a healthy immune system, but if the immune system is weakened, like after a transplant, they can cause life threatening infections. He/she must have had an infection with one or more of the following viruses -Epstein Barr virus (EBV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), adenovirus (AdV), Human polyomavirus type I (BKV), and human polyomavirus type II (JCV)- that has persisted or recurred despite standard therapy. In this study, the investigators want to use white blood cells that have been trained to treat viral infections. In an earlier study the investigators showed that treatment with such specially trained T cells has been successful when the cells are made from the transplant donor. However as it takes 1-2 months to make the cells, that approach is not practical for patients who already have an infection. In a subsequent study, the investigators were able to create multivirus-specific T cells (VSTs) from the blood of healthy donors and created a bank of these cells. The investigators then successfully used these banked cells to treat virus infections after a stem cell transplant. In this study the investigators have further modified their production method to decrease the potential side effects and the investigators want to find out if they can use these banked VSTs to fight infections caused by the viruses mentioned above.
The virus-specific T cells (VSTs) given to the patient will be thawed and injected into their intravenous line. To prevent an allergic reaction if the patient had a prior reaction to blood products like blood transfusions or platelets, prior to receiving the VSTs he/she may be given diphenhydramine (Benadryl) and acetaminophen (Tylenol). The patient will remain in the clinic for at least one hour after the infusion. If the patient has persistent infection after the first dose, the investigators would discuss this with the patient and allow them to receive additional treatments if there were no complications with prior infusions. These additional treatments might be with cells from the same donor, or if the investigators feel that there is another donor whose cells might be better for the patient, the investigators would use cells from a different donor. This second product will be administered at the same dose level 14 days after the patient's initial infusion, and any additional infusions should be at least 14 days apart. After each VST infusion, the patient will be monitored as described above. After the patient receives the cells the patient's transplant doctor will monitor the levels of the virus the subject is infected with in their blood. The patient will continue to be followed by their doctor(s) after the injection. They will be seen in the clinic by research staff for follow up every week for 6 weeks. To learn more about the way the VSTs are working in the patient's body, up to an extra 30-40 ml (6-8 teaspoons) of blood may be taken before the infusion and at week 1 (optional), 2, 4, and 6. Blood should come from the central intravenous line, and should not require extra needle sticks. Depending on clinical and laboratory response, samples may be collected at additional time points. Any leftover samples of blood may be used to help future research. The specimens may be kept for a long time. These specimens and information about the patient's circumstances may be shared with other cancer researchers. Although there will be a record identifying under what circumstances these specimens were obtained, under all circumstances the patient's identity will be kept confidential. Study Duration: The patient will be on the study for approximately one year after their VST infusion. If the patient receives additional doses of the T cells as described above, the patient will be followed for one year after their last dose of T-cells.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
47
An alternative approach that bypasses the need to grow VSTs for individual patients is to bank closely HLA-matched allogeneic VSTs that could be available as an "off the shelf" product. The HLA-matched VST product is to produce immune activity to CMV, Adv, BK virus and EBV in all recipients. Most recently our group extended this "off the shelf" approach to five viruses using the T cell product manufactured in 10 days. The VSTs were administered to 38 patients with 45 infections in a phase II clinical trial. A single infusion produced a cumulative complete or partial response rate of 92% overall and the following rates by virus: 100% for BKV (n = 16), 94% for CMV (n = 17), 71% for AdV (n = 7), 100% for EBV (n = 2), and 67% for HHV-6 (human herpesvirus) (n = 3).
Houston Methodist Hospital
Houston, Texas, United States
RECRUITINGTexas Children's Hospital
Houston, Texas, United States
RECRUITINGTreatment related adverse events.
The primary objective is to measure the safety of MVSTs based on patients with grades 3-5 non-hematologic adverse events that are at least possibly related to the T cell product.
Time frame: 28 days after the last dose of MVST
Number of patients with acute GvHD.
Patients with acute GvHD grades III-IV, summarized by the proportion of patients with acute GvHD grades III-IV among all safety evaluable patients.
Time frame: 42 days after the last dose of MVST
Antiviral Response.
The antiviral response is defined as the viral load reduction by at least 50% (partial response) or return to the normal level (complete response) for the treated virus (at least one of the 4 virus types: CMV, EBV, adenovirus, and BK virus). The antiviral response rate is defined as the proportion of subjects with a partial or complete response among all response evaluable patients.
Time frame: 42 days following the last treatment of MVST
Number of patients with secondary graft failure.
Secondary graft failure is defined as initial neutrophil engraftment followed by subsequent decline in the ANC to less than 500/mm3 for three consecutive measurements on different days, unresponsive to growth factor therapy and persists for at least 14 days in the absence of a known cause such as relapse.
Time frame: 42 days following the last treatment of MVST
This platform is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional.