Interferon gamma release assay has potential in the prediction of chronic graft-versus-host disease in recipients of myeloablative allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation with post-transplantation cyclophosphamide-based graft-versus-host disease prophylaxis.

Background: The rate of immune reconstitution after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) plays the principal role in the development of serious post-transplant complications. However, the post-transplantation course has a significant impact on shaping the immune system of the recipient, per se, thus representing risk factors for subsequent unfavorable outcomes. The predictive power of an interferon gamma (IFNγ) release assay (IGRA) on graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) or hematological relapse in recipients of allo-HSCT treated with post-transplantation cyclophosphamide and the impact of these complications on the restoration of cellular immune responsiveness was evaluated.

Specific immune response to mRNA vaccines against COVID-19 in patients receiving allogeneic stem cell transplantation for myeloid malignancy was altered by immunosuppressive therapy.

Background: Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (allo-HSCT) recipients are at high risk of complications associated with COVID-19 infection due to dysfunction of their immune system. Vaccination can protect from the adverse consequences of COVID-19. However, studies on the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines in HSCT recipients with insufficient post-HSCT immune reconstitution are still scarce.

Non-Mutated Nucleophosmin 1 Is Recognized by the CD8+ T Lymphocytes of an AML Patient after the Transplantation of Hematopoietic Stem Cells from an HLA-Haploidentical Donor.

Nucleophosmin (NPM1, B23) is a multifunctional phosphoprotein expressed in all tissues. The protein is mainly localized in nucleoli. In hematological malignancies, belongs to commonly altered genes.

Pretransplant BK Virus-Specific T-Cell-Mediated Immunity and Serotype Specific Antibodies May Have Utility in Identifying Patients at Risk of BK Virus-Associated Haemorrhagic Cystitis after Allogeneic HSCT.

BK polyomavirus (BKPyV) persists lifelong in renal and urothelial cells with asymptomatic urinary shedding in healthy individuals. In some immunocompromised persons after transplantation of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCT), the BKPyV high-rate replication is associated with haemorrhagic cystitis (HC). We tested whether the status of BKPyV immunity prior to HSCT could provide evidence for the BKPyV tendency to reactivate.

Antigenic competition in the generation of multi-virus-specific cell lines for immunotherapy of human cytomegalovirus, polyomavirus BK, Epstein-Barr virus and adenovirus infection in haematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients.

Adoptive transfer of multivirus-specific T cell lines (MVST) is an advanced tool for immunotherapy of virus infections after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Their preparation includes activation of donor virus-specific T cells by the mixture of oligopeptides derived from immunodominant antigens of several most harmful viruses, i.e.

Chemokine binding protein vCCI attenuates vaccinia virus without affecting the cellular response elicited by immunization with a recombinant vaccinia vector carrying the HPV16 E7 gene.

Viral CC chemokine inhibitor (vCCI) of the clone P13 vaccinia virus (VACV) strain PRAHA lacks eight amino acids in the signal peptide sequence. To study the influence of vCCI on virus biology, a virus with the vCCI gene coding for a prolonged signal sequence was prepared. We found that secreted vCCI attenuated the virus in vivo, and that it correlated with decreased levels of RANTES, eotaxin, TARC, and MDC in the blood in comparison with the parental virus.

Immunization with WT1-derived peptides by tattooing inhibits the growth of TRAMP-C2 prostate tumor in mice.

The expression of the transcription factor encoded by the Wilms tumor gene 1 (WT1) is associated with a variety of human cancers. WT1 protein has been reported to serve as a target antigen for tumor-specific immune responses. We observed that the immunization of mice with peptide vaccines derived from WT1 in a mixture with the CpG adjuvant (ODN 1826) by tattoo administration was superior to subcutaneous delivery of the peptides in combination with CpG formulated with the mineral oil adjuvant or a DNA vaccine or a recombinant vaccinia virus vaccine expressing the truncated WT1 protein.

Attenuation of vaccinia virus by the expression of human Flt3 ligand.

Background: Vaccinia virus, one of the best known members of poxvirus family, has a wide host range both in vivo and in vitro. The expression of Flt3 ligand (FL) by recombinant vaccinia virus (rVACV) highly influenced properties of the virus in dependence on the level of expression.

Results: High production of FL driven by the strong synthetic promoter decreased the growth of rVACV in macrophage cell line J774.

Adjuvant effect of dendritic cells transduced with recombinant vaccinia virus expressing HPV16-E7 is inhibited by co-expression of IL12.

Dendritic cells (DC) enhanced the immunogenicity of recombinant vaccinia viruses (rVV) expressing the E7 protein of HPV16, a tumor-associated antigen (TAA). Immunization with DC transduced by rVV generated from strain Praha or MVA induced better protection against the growth of transplanted TC-1 tumors in C57Bl/6 mice than did immunization with either of these rVVs administered alone by the same route. Interestingly, DC transduced with a double recombinant vaccinia virus expressing E7 protein together with the Th1-polarizing cytokine IL12, which has been shown to enhance the cellular response in several other systems, induced lower anti-tumor immunity than DC transduced with rVV expressing E7 protein alone.

Experimental therapy of HPV16 induced tumors with IL12 expressed by recombinant vaccinia virus in mice.

Recombinant vaccinia viruses derived from strain Praha, clone P13, and strain MVA were used for intratumoral delivery and expression of IL12 genes in tumors induced by HPV16 E6+E7 oncogenes in mice. Intratumoral injection of 10(3) PFU of P13-IL12 virus resulted in an increase of intra-tumoral IL12 on days 6-13, while only low levels of IL12 were found in sera. After the inoculation of 10(6) PFU of MVA-IL12, the same levels of IL12 were found as in animals injected with control virus.