Establishing a JCV specific T cell bank for progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy

National Institute Of Neurological Disorders And Stroke

Investigators

Abstract

Over this past fiscal year we have made progress under Aims 1, 2 and 3. Aim 1 has been addressed by leveraging our PML biorepository and a cohort of healthy volunteers. We performed systematic analysis of HLA representation among participants in the NIH PML Natural History Cohort and in a large cohort of healthy volunteers. This work has helped us define the optimal composition of an off-the-shelf JCV VST bank, and identfied possible healthy donor contributors. Under Aim 2, we have continued our analysis of previously-manufactured virus-specific T cells to explore contribution of HLA-alleles to anti-viral activity. This work will aid both in selecting optimal donors for establishment of a JCV bank, as well as in developing an algorithm for optimal matching between patient and VST product. Under Aim 3, we have manufactured several virus-specific T cell products that will contribute toward our third-party bank.