Developing in vitro expanded CD45RA(+) regulatory T cells as an adoptive cell therapy for Crohn's disease

摘要

Background and aim Thymus-derived regulatory T cells (T-regs) mediate dominant peripheral tolerance and treat experimental colitis. Tregs can be expanded from patient blood and were safely used in recent phase 1 studies in graft versus host disease and type 1 diabetes. T-reg cell therapy is also conceptually attractive for Crohn's disease (CD). However, barriers exist to this approach. The stability of T-regs expanded from Crohn's blood is unknown. The potential for adoptively transferred T-regs to express interleukin-17 and exacerbate Crohn's lesions is of concern. Mucosal T cells are resistant to T-reg-mediated suppression in active CD. The capacity for expanded T-regs to home to gut and lymphoid tissue is unknown.