Adoptive immunotherapy with antiviral T cells: Methods and results. / Inmunoterapia adoptiva con linfocitos antivirales: métodos y resultados.

Viral infections and reactivations are one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality in patients who undergo allogeneic haematopoietic progenitor cell transplantation. Adoptive immunotherapy with virus-specific Tcells (from donor to patient) has shown efficacy in the antiviral treatment of patients who have undergone transplantation and whose immune system has not yet been reconstituted. Currently, and according to the requirements of the corresponding agencies that regulate the production of these advanced personalised therapies, the production and application of these cell products are being optimised in such a way that they comply with good manufacturing practice standards and are safe and effective for treating patients. To facilitate their implementation, we need to understand the foundations of producing and using virus-specific Tcells. This study reviews the evolution of the methodology for producing antiviral Tcells and the studies that support their therapeutic efficacy. The study covers up to the current production platforms, whose commercialisation has begun in Spain. These platforms will help obtain virus-specific Tcells and chimeric antigen receptor Tcells, among others, in a completely automated manner and under good manufacturing practice conditions. The implementation of these new methodologies in the Spanish healthcare system will undoubtedly facilitate patients' access to a new repertoire of advanced therapies.

Disrupting LXRα phosphorylation promotes FoxM1 expression and modulates atherosclerosis by inducing macrophage proliferation.

Macrophages are key immune cells for the initiation and development of atherosclerotic lesions. However, the macrophage regulatory nodes that determine how lesions progress in response to dietary challenges are not fully understood. Liver X receptors (LXRs) are sterol-regulated transcription factors that play a central role in atherosclerosis by integrating cholesterol homeostasis and immunity. LXR pharmacological activation elicits a robust antiatherosclerotic transcriptional program in macrophages that can be affected by LXRα S196 phosphorylation in vitro. To investigate the impact of these transcriptional changes in atherosclerosis development, we have generated mice carrying a Ser-to-Ala mutation in myeloid cells in the LDL receptor (LDLR)-deficient atherosclerotic background (M-S196ALdlr-KO). M-S196ALdlr-KO mice fed a high-fat diet exhibit increased atherosclerotic plaque burden and lesions with smaller necrotic cores and thinner fibrous caps. These diet-induced phenotypic changes are consistent with a reprogramed macrophage transcriptome promoted by LXRα-S196A during atherosclerosis development. Remarkably, expression of several proliferation-promoting factors, including the protooncogene FoxM1 and its targets, is induced by LXRα-S196A. This is consistent with increased proliferation of plaque-resident cells in M-S196ALdlr-KO mice. Moreover, disrupted LXRα phosphorylation increases expression of phagocytic molecules, resulting in increased apoptotic cell removal by macrophages, explaining the reduced necrotic cores. Finally, the macrophage transcriptome promoted by LXRα-S196A under dietary perturbation is markedly distinct from that revealed by LXR ligand activation, highlighting the singularity of this posttranslational modification. Overall, our findings demonstrate that LXRα phosphorylation at S196 is an important determinant of atherosclerotic plaque development through selective changes in gene transcription that affect multiple pathways.

Analysis of hematopoietic recovery after autologous transplantation as method of quality control for long-term progenitor cell cryopreservation.

Hematopoietic precursor cells (HPC) are able to restore hematopoiesis after high-dose chemotherapy and their cryopreservation is routinely employed prior to the autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (AHCT). Although previous studies showed feasibility of long-term HPC storage, concerns remain about possible negative effects on their potency. To study the effects of long-term cryopreservation, we compared time to neutrophil and platelet recovery in 50 patients receiving two AHCT for multiple myeloma at least 2 years apart between 2006 and 2016, using HPC obtained from one mobilization and collection attempt before the first transplant. This product was divided into equivalent fractions allowing a minimum of 2 × 106 CD34+ cells/kg recipient's weight. One fraction was used for the first transplant after median storage of 60 days (range, 17-165) and another fraction was used after median storage of 1448 days (range, 849-3510) at the second AHCT. Neutrophil recovery occurred at 14 days (median; range, 11-21) after the first and 13 days (10-20) after the second AHCT. Platelets recovered at a median of 16 days after both procedures. Considering other factors, such as disease status, conditioning and HPC dose, this single institution data demonstrated no reduction in the potency of HPC after long-term storage.