Immunotherapy using cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL)

摘要

A method of treating a patient with a disease wherein the patient contains diseased cells which cells contain, or are associated with, an abnormal molecule or an abnormally elevated amount of a molecule and which cells are capable of presenting at least part of said molecule on their surface by an HLA class I (or equivalent) molecule, the method comprising administering to the patient a therapeutically effective amount of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) which recognize at least part of said molecule when presented by an HLA class I (or equivalent) molecule on the surface of a cell characterized in that the cytotoxic T lymphocytes are not derived from the patient with a disease. Preferably, the CTL are derived from an individual which individual does not carry the HLA class I (or equivalent) molecule type which, in the patient, presents at least part of said abnormal molecule, or molecule abnormally elevated, contained in or associated with the disease cells of said patient.