Managing leukapheresis in adult and pediatric patients eligible for chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy: suggestions from an Italian Expert Panel.

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy relies on T cells engineered to target specific tumor antigens such as CD-19 in B-cell malignancies. In this setting, the commercially available products have offered a potential long-term cure for both pediatric and adult patients. Yet manufacturing CAR T cells is a cumbersome, multistep process, the success of which strictly depends on the characteristics of the starting material, i.

Increased production of soluble HLA-G molecules in stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells following extracorporeal photopheresis: is it a mechanism involved in the therapeutic effect of the procedure?

We hypothesized that the effects of extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) are mediated by induction of immunosuppressive cytokines like IL-10, which enhances synthesis of HLA-G molecules. HLA-G products are expressed by CD14+ peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and play an important role in inhibition of cell mediated immunity. ECP induces apoptosis in lymphocytes but not in CD14+ cells.

Caspase-9 is the upstream caspase activated by 8-methoxypsoralen and ultraviolet-A radiation treatment of Jurkat T leukemia cells and normal T lymphocytes.

Background And Objectives: A combination of 8-methoxypsoralen and ultraviolet-A radiation (PUVA) is used for the treatment of T cell-mediated disorders, including chronic graft-versus-host disease. The mechanisms of action of this therapy, referred to as extracorporeal phototherapy, have not been fully elucidated. PUVA is known to induce apoptosis in T lymphocytes collected by apheresis, however scarce information is available concerning the apoptotic pathways activated by PUVA.