Safety and efficacy of activated transfected killer cells for neutropenic fungal infections.

Background: Invasive fungal infections cause considerable morbidity and mortality in neutropenic patients. White blood cell transfusions are a promising treatment for such infections, but technical barriers have prevented their widespread use.

Methods: To recapitulate white blood cell transfusions, we are developing a cell-based immunotherapy using a phagocytic cell line, HL-60. We sought to stably transfect HL-60 cells with a suicide trap (herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase), to enable purging of the cells when desired, and a bioluminescence marker, to track the cells in vivo in mice.

Results: Transfection was stable despite 20 months of continuous culture or storage in liquid nitrogen. Activation of these transfected cells with retinoic acid and dimethyl sulfamethoxazole enhanced their microbicidal effects. Activated transfected killer (ATAK) cells were completely eliminated after exposure to ganciclovir, confirming function of the suicide trap. ATAK cells improved the survival of neutropenic mice with lethal disseminated candidiasis and inhalational aspergillosis. Bioluminescence and histopathologic analysis confirmed that the cells were purged from surviving mice after ganciclovir treatment. Comprehensive necropsy, histopathology, and metabolomic analysis revealed no toxicity of the cells.

Conclusions: These results lay the groundwork for continued translational development of this promising, novel technology for the treatment of refractory infections in neutropenic hosts.