Rapid ex vivo expansion of highly enriched human invariant natural killer T cells via single antigenic stimulation for cell therapy to prevent graft-versus-host disease.

Background Aims: CD1d-restricted invariant natural killer (iNK) T cells are rare regulatory T cells that may contribute to the immune-regulation in allogeneic stem cell transplantation (ASCT). Here, we sought to develop an effective strategy to expand human iNK T cells for use in cell therapy to prevent graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) in ASCT.

Methods: Human iNK T cells were first enriched from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) using magnetic-activated cell sorting separation, then co-cultured with dendritic cells in the presence of agonist glycolipids, alpha-galactosylceramide, for 2 weeks.