METHODS FOR IN VIVO EXPANSION OF CD8+ T CELLS AND PREVENTION OR TREATMENT OF GVHD

摘要

Disclosed herein are methods of preventing and treating acute GVHD and chronic GVHD after hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT), as well as methods of in vivo augmenting expansion of donor CD8+ T cells in the lymphoid tissues in vivo after HCT and methods of augmenting recipient tissue expression of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1, or B7H1) after HCT. The methods entail administering one or more doses of an effective amount of a therapeutic agent to a recipient simultaneously, immediately before, or immediately after HCT to temporarily deplete CD4+ T cells or to reduce serum IL-2. Some examples include an anti-CD4 antibody or an anti-CD4-meditope-immunotoxin, an anti-IL-2 antibody, an agent blocking IL-2R, and/or a PD-L1-Ig. One or more additional therapeutic agents such as IFN- can be administered.