Adoptive γδ T cell therapy controls cytomegalovirus infection in preclinical transplantation models
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: γδ T cells show promise for anti-tumoral therapies but have yet to be evaluated to treat infectious diseases. In this preclinical study, we assess a Vδ1 + γδ T cell-based adoptive cell therapy, named Delta One T cells, to treat cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in high-risk transplant recipients. Even when expanded from CMV-naïve healthy donors, Delta One T cells efficiently control CMV dissemination in vitro. CMV recognition is independent of the γδTCR but requires LFA-1 co-stimulation. In an in vivo model, adoptive transfer of mouse γδ T cells recapitulating Delta One T cell features protects mice against lethal murine CMV infection. Importantly, CMV-reactive Delta One T cells can be successfully generated from kidney transplant recipients undergoing refractory CMV infections and maintain their functionality in the presence of immunosuppressive drugs. These findings broaden the scope of γδ T cell therapies to infectious diseases and uncover a universal adoptive T cell therapy to treat refractory CMV infections. Gamma delta T cells as a therapeutic strategy have shown great promise in a range of contexts. Here the authors explore the use of a gamma delta T cell therapy in experimental models of cytomegalovirus infection.
Source: Nature Communications
Authors: Gabriel Marsères, Coline Gentil, Claire Tinevez, Maxime Courant, Anaïs Cosentino, Selma Cornillot-Clément, Victor Bigot, Vincent Pitard, Atika Zouine, Julien Izotte, Isabelle Garrigue, Valérie Prouzet-Mauleon, Béatrice Turcq, Dany Anglicheau, Edouard Forcade, Hannah Kaminski, Bruno Silva-Santos, Pierre Merville, Myriam Capone, Julie Déchanet-Merville, Lionel Couzi
Institutions: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université de Bordeaux, Inserm, Immunology from Concept and Experiments to Translation, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Bordeaux, TBM-Core, Hôpital Necker-Enfants Malades, Assistance Publique – Hôpitaux de Paris, Gulbenkian Institute for Molecular Medicine
Language: English
Subfield: Epidemiology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $6,990
OpenAlex ID: W7130040482