Therapy-resistant viral reactivations contribute significantly to mortality after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Adoptive cellular therapy with virus-specific T cells (VST) has shown efficacy in various single-center trials. However, the scalability of this therapy is hampered by laborious production methods. In this study we describe the in-house production of VST in a closed system (CliniMACS Prodigy® system, Miltenyi Biotec). In addition, we report the efficacy in 26 patients with viral disease following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in a retrospective analysis (adenovirus, n=7; cytomegalovirus, n=8; Epstein-Barr virus, n=4; multi-viral, n=7). The production of VST was successful in 100% of cases. The safety profile of VST therapy was favorable (n=2 grade 3 and n=1 grade 4 adverse events; all three were reversible). A response was seen in 20 of 26 patients (77%). Responding patients had a significantly better overall survival than patients who did not respond (P<0.001). Virus-specific symptoms were reduced or resolved in 47% of patients. The overall survival of the whole cohort was 28% after 6 months. This study shows the feasibility of automated VST production and safety of application. The scalability of the CliniMACS Prodigy® device increases the accessibility of VST treatment.

Metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD) is a lysosomal storage disorder primarily affecting the white matter of the nervous system that results from a deficiency of the arylsulfatase A (ARSA). Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are able to secrete ARSA and have shown beneficial effects in MLD patients. In this retrospective analysis, 10 pediatric MLD patients [mesenchymal stem cell group (MSCG)] underwent allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) and received two applications of 2 x 10(6) MSCs/kg bodyweight at day +30 and +60 after HSCT between 2007 and 2018. MSC safety, occurrence of graft-versus-host disease (GvHD), blood ARSA levels, chimerism, cell regeneration and engraftment, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) changes, and the gross motor function were assessed within the first year of HSCT. The long-term data included clinical outcomes and safety aspects of MSCs. Data were compared to a control cohort of seven pediatric MLD patients [control group (CG)] who underwent HSCT only. The application of MSC in pediatric MLD patients after allogeneic HSCT was safe and well tolerated, and long-term potentially MSC-related adverse effects up to 13.5 years after HSCT were not observed. Patients achieved significantly higher ARSA levels (CG: median 1.03 nmol center dot 10(-6) and range 0.41-1.73 | MSCG: median 1.58 nmol center dot 10(-6) and range 0.44-2.6; P < 0.05), as well as significantly higher leukocyte (P < 0.05) and thrombocyte (P < 0.001) levels within 365 days of MSC application compared to CG patients. Statistically significant effects on acute GvHD, regeneration of immune cells, MRI changes, gross motor function, and clinical outcomes were not detected. In conclusion, the application of MSCs in pediatric MLD patients after allogeneic HSCT was safe and well tolerated. The two applications of 2 x 10(6)/kg allogeneic MSCs were followed by improved engraftment and hematopoiesis within the first year after HSCT. Larger, prospective trials are necessary to evaluate the impact of MSC application on engraftment and hematopoietic recovery.

Steroid-refractory graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) is a life-threatening complication after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloHSCT). Alternative treatment options are often insufficient. Several studies have proven the efficacy of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) in the treatment of therapy-refractory acute GvHD in adult and pediatric patients. Long-term data in pediatric patients are scarce. In this retrospective analysis, a total of 25 patients with a median age of 10.6 years (range 0.6-22.1 years) who received bone marrow-derived MSCs after alloHSCT for the treatment of steroid-refractory III and IV GvHD were analyzed. The median observation period of the surviving patients was 9.3 years (1.3-12.7 years) after HSCT. Among the 25 patients, 10 (40.0%) died [relapse (n = 3), multiorgan failure (n = 6), cardiorespiratory failure (n = 1)] at median 0.5 years (0.2-2.3 years) after HSCT. Partial response and complete remission (PR, CR) of the GvHD were achieved in 76.0% and 24.0% of the patients, respectively. Transplant-related mortality was 0% in the patients who achieved CR after MSC treatment and 26.3% for those with PR. A median improvement by one intestinal or liver GvHD stage (range 1-4) could be achieved after MSC application. No potentially MSC-related long-term adverse effects, for example, secondary malignancy, were identified. In conclusion, the intravenous application of allogeneic MSCs was safe and proved effective for the treatment of steroid-refractory GvHD. However, larger, prospective, and randomized trials are needed to evaluate these findings.

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) from haploidentical donors is a viable option for patients lacking HLA-matched donors. Here we report the results of a prospective multicenter phase I/II trial of transplantation of TCRαβ and CD19-depleted peripheral blood stem cells from haploidentical family donors after a reduced-intensity conditioning with fludarabine, thiotepa, and melphalan. Thirty pediatric and 30 adult patients with acute leukemia ( n = 43), myelodysplastic or myeloproliferative syndrome ( n = 6), multiple myeloma ( n = 1), solid tumors ( n = 6), and non-malignant disorders ( n = 4) were enrolled. TCR αβ/CD19-depleted grafts prepared decentrally at six manufacturing sites contained a median of 12.1 × 10 6 CD34 + cells/kg and 14.2 × 10 3 TCRαβ + T-cells/kg. None of the patients developed grade lll/IV acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and only six patients (10%) had grade II acute GVHD. With a median follow-up of 733 days 36/60 patients are alive. The cumulative incidence of non-relapse mortality at day 100, 1 and 2 years after HSCT was 5%, 15%, and 17% for all patients, respectively. Estimated probabilities of overall and disease-free survival at 2 years were 63% and 50%, respectively. Based on these promising results in a high-risk patient cohort, haploidentical HSCT using TCRαβ/CD19-depleted grafts represents a viable treatment option.

Avascular necrosis (AVN) is a severe complication of immunosuppressant therapy or chemotherapy. A beneficial AVN therapy with core decompression (CD) and intraosseous infusion of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) has been described in adult patients, but there are only few data on MSC applications in pediatric and young adult patients (PYAP). Between 2006 and 2015, 14 AVN lesions of 10 PYAP (6 females) with a median age of 16.9 years (range 8.5-25.8 years) received CD and intraosseous application of autologous MSCs. Data of these patients were analyzed regarding efficacy, safety, and feasibility of this procedure as AVN therapy and compared with a control group of 13 AVN lesions of 11 PYAP (5 females) with a median age of 17.9 years (range 13.5-27.5 years) who received CD only. During the follow-up analysis [MSC group: median 3.1 (1.6-5.8) years after CD; CD group: median 2.0 (1.5-8.5) years after CD], relative lesion sizes (as assessed by magnetic resonance imaging) compared with the initial lesion volume, were significantly lower (P < 0.05) in the MSC group (volume reduction to a median of 18.5%) when compared with the CD group (58.0%). One lesion in the MSC group comprised a complete remission. Size progression was not observed in either group. Clinical improvement (pain, mobility) was not significantly different between the two groups. None of the patients experienced treatment-related adverse effects. CD and additional MSC application was regarded safe, effective, feasible, and superior in reducing the lesion size when compared with CD only. Prospective, randomized clinical trials are needed to further evaluate these findings.

Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) is a curative treatment option for hematologic malignancies but relapse remains the most common cause of death. Infusion of donor lymphocytes (DLIs) can induce remission and prolong survival by exerting graft-vs.-leukemia (GVL) effects. However, sufficient tumor control cannot be established in all patients and occurrence of graft-vs.-host disease (GVHD) prevents further dose escalation. Previous data indicate that invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells promote anti-tumor immunity without exacerbating GVHD. In the present study we investigated lysis of leukemic blasts through iNKT cells from donor-derived lymphocytes for leukemia control and found that iNKT cells constitute about 0.12% of cryopreserved donor T cells. Therefore, we established a 2-week cell culture protocol allowing for a robust expansion of iNKT cells from cryopreserved DLIs (DLI-iNKTs) that can be used for further preclinical and clinical applications. Such DLI-iNKTs efficiently lysed leukemia cell lines and primary patient AML blasts ex vivo in a dose- and CD1d-dependent manner. Furthermore, expression of CD1d on target cells was required to release proinflammatory cytokines and proapoptotic effector molecules. Our results suggest that iNKT cells from donor-derived lymphocytes are involved in anti-tumor immunity after allo-HCT and therefore may reduce the risk of relapse and improve progression-free and overall survival.

Graft manipulation is performed to define and to optimize the volume and cellular composition of stem cell sources like apheresis products, bone marrow, or umbilical cord blood.

Donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) is an effective method to establish full donor chimerism or to prevent and treat relapse after allogeneic haematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT). Usually, DLIs are collected from naïve donors as steady-state lymphocytes. When donor lymphocytes are collected during stem cell apheresis, donors are pre-treated with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF). However, the impact of G-CSF stimulation and the resulting composition of DLIs on beneficial anti-leukaemic responses and survival remain elusive. Therefore, we performed a retrospective analysis to evaluate the role of G-CSF-DLIs: 44 patients received either steady-state DLIs or G-CSF-DLIs to prevent and treat relapse or establish full donor chimerism after allo-HCT. The G-CSF-DLI patient cohort showed an improved conversion to full donor chimerism and a lower cumulative incidence of relapse or disease progression without a significantly increased cumulative incidence of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). CD34+ cells, monocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cells and monocytes as well as donor age and the subsequent occurrence of chronic GVHD were identified as risk factors that significantly improve overall survival after DLI administration. In conclusion, our data suggest that administration of G-CSF-DLIs results in graft-versus-leukaemia effects without exacerbating GVHD, therefore, improving survival after DLIs.

Here, we report the case of severe adenoviremia in a 7-year-old boy with highly-resistant, acute leukemia. A combined approach of αβTCR-CD19-depleted stem cell transplantation, enabling immunosuppression-free post-transplant care, and early transfer of adenovirus-specific donor T cells during aplasia resulted in rapid and complete clearance of the treatment-refractory adenoviremia.

Transplantation of peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) from matched unrelated donors (MUD) is still associated with a significant risk for graft vs. host disease (GvHD), especially in pediatric patients receiving grafts from adult donors containing high amounts of T cells. Here, we present long-term follow-up results on 25 pediatric patients, (acute leukemia n = 15, NHL n = 3, CML n = 3, MDS n = 5), transplanted with CD34 or CD133 positively selected PBSC from MUDs supplemented with an add-back of 1 × 107/kg body weight (kgBW) unselected T cells resulting in a median T-cell depletion (TCD) of 1.97 log. A total of 24/25 (96%) patients had primary engraftment. Early T-cell recovery was significantly improved compared to patients receiving CD34-selected grafts without T-cell add-back and similar to patients receiving unmanipulated bone marrow. GvHD incidence was low with 8/4% aGvHD grade II/III, no grade IV and 13% limited cGvHD. In total, 16/25 (64%) patients are alive after a median follow-up of 10 years. Five-year event-free survival (EFS) was 68%, relapse probability 24% and transplantation-related mortality (TRM) 12%. Thus, in PBSC allotransplants from MUD, partial TCD with serotherapy and CSA/MTX prophylaxis, can effectively reduce GvHD without hampering engraftment and immune reconstitution.

Abstract Abstract: Here we report for the first time on long term follow-up data of a cohort of 60 patients who received TCRαβ and CD19 depleted peripheral blood stem cell grafts from haploidentical family donors within a prospective, multi-center, single-arm, phase I/II clinical study (EudraCT No.: 2011-005562-38). As planned, 30 pediatric and 30 adult patients were enrolled in this trial: All patients received a reduced-intensity conditioning regimen consisting of fludarabine (160 mg/m2), thiotepa (10 mg/kg), melphalan (140 mg/m2) and either antithymocyte globulin (Grafalon, 15 or 30 mg/kg, N=53) or 7 Gy total nodal irradiation (N=7). MMF (40 mg/kg/day) was administered as single-agent GVHD prophylaxis until Day 30. Results: Sixty patients with a median age of 18.5 years (range 1-63) were treated. Twenty-five patients had AML, 17 ALL, 6 MDS/MPS and 1 each had multiple myeloma and acute undifferentiated leukemia. Six patients had solid tumors (soft tissue sarcomas and neuroblastomas) and 4 non-malignant disorders (SCID, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome, lysosomal storage disorder and sickle cell anemia). Of the 56 patients with malignant disease, 33 were transplanted in complete (CR), 11 in partial (PR) and 12 in non-remission (NR). Twenty of the 56 patients with malignant diseases received a 2nd or 3rd transplantation within this protocol. In total, 88 depletion procedures were performed with the CliniMACS plus System (Miltenyi Biotec, Germany) at 7 GMP laboratories and resulted in a median T and B cell log depletion of 4.7 (range 3.6-5.3) and 3.4 (range: 2.3-4.5), respectively. The median number of infused CD34+ cells and TCRαβ T cells was 12.4 × 106 /kg BW (range 4.0 - 54.9) and 1.4× 104 /kg BW (range 0.06-6.4), respectively. Engraftment was rapid with a median of 13 (range 9-41) and 15 (11-38) days to reach ANC >500 cell/µl and PLT > 20,000 cells/µl. Nine patients rejected the graft. Eight of them were successfully re-transplanted and 1 patient died. One patient received stem cell boosts from the original donor due to poor graft function. On day 100, peripheral T cell chimerism was completely donor-type in 44 of 47 evaluable patients, and mixed in 3. None of the patients developed grade III/IV aGVHD and only 6 patients (10%) had grade II aGVHD. Of 47 evaluable patients 4 had severe cGVHD (9%), and 6 (13%) and 5 (11%) had moderate and mild cGVHD, respectively. CMV reactivation was seen in 25 (42%) mainly adult patients, and only 1 (2%) patient developed disease. Twenty-one (35%) patients had ADV reactivation and 7 children and 1 adult (13%) developed disease. Only 1 case of EBV disease (encephalitis) occurred (2%). A median of 221 (range 8-1230) CD3+ cells/µl was reached on day 100. The median numbers of CD3/CD4+ and CD3/CD8+ cells at 1 year post transplant were 316 (range 1-1173) and 308 (range 0-2203) /µl. As of July 15 2018, 57 patients have completed the 2 year follow-up, died or discontinued the study resulting in a median follow-up of 706 days (range 18-800). 37 patients (62%) are alive and 23 (38%) died. Relapse was the major cause of death (N=12) followed by ADV infection (N=3), ARDS (N=3) and 1 case each of cardiac arrest, multi organ failure, sepsis due to graft failure and demyelinating neuropathy. Cause of death was not reported in 1 patient. Eight of the 20 patients who received the 2nd or 3rd transplantation are alive; 1 discontinued the study prematurely. Of the 23 patients transplanted in PR or NR, 13 are alive. The Kaplan-Meier estimated probabilities of overall survival, disease-free survival (DFS) were 62% and 53%, respectively. Cumulative incidences of relapse and NRM at 2 years were 34% and 20%, respectively. For those patients with leukemia receiving a first SCT in CR, the overall survival, DFS and relapse rate were 75%, 64% and 20%, respectively. Conclusion: The transplantation of TCRαβ and CD19 depleted haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell grafts was safe and feasible. Decentralized production using the CliniMACS System was feasible and reliably resulted in grafts containing sufficient numbers of stem cells with only minimal numbers of co-infused TCRαβ T cells. None of the patients developed grade III-IV aGVHD and incidence of cGVHD was acceptable. Given the heterogeneous patient cohort with respect to age, disease, remission status and number of previous transplants, the outcome of patients after 2 years follow-up is promising. Disclosures Lang: Miltenyi Biotec: Patents & Royalties, Research Funding. Handgretinger:Miltenyi Biotec: Patents & Royalties: Co-patent holder of TcR alpha/beta depletion technologies, Research Funding. Meisel:Amgen: Consultancy. Mielke:KIADIS Pharma: Speakers Bureau; Miltenyi Biotec: Speakers Bureau; DGHO: Speakers Bureau; EHA: Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Speakers Bureau. Niederwieser:Novartis: Research Funding; Miltenyi: Speakers Bureau. Bader:Neovii: Research Funding; Medac: Patents & Royalties, Research Funding; Riemser: Research Funding; Cellgene: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau. Kuball:Gadeta (www.gadeta.nl): Consultancy, Equity Ownership, Patents & Royalties: on gd T cells and receptors and isolation strategies, Research Funding; Miltenyi Biotec: Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding. Bonig:Miltenyi Biotec GmbH: Honoraria, Research Funding. Karitzky:Miltenyi Biotec GmbH: Employment. Holtkamp:Miltenyi Biotec GmbH: Employment. Malchow:Miltenyi Biotec GmbH: Employment. Siewert:Miltenyi Biotec GmbH: Employment. Biedermann:Miltenyi Biotec GmbH: Employment. Bethge:Neovii GmbH: Honoraria, Research Funding; Miltenyi Biotec GmbH: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding.

Pediatric patients with refractory or relapsed metastatic neuroblastoma (NBL) have a poor prognosis despite autologous stem cell transplantation (SCT). Allogeneic SCT from a haploidentical donor has a remarkable alloreactive effect in patients with leukemia; thus, we evaluated this approach in children with very high risk NBL. We analyzed data from 2 prospective phase 1/11 trials. A total of 26 patients with refractory (n = 5), metastatic relapsed (n = 20), or locally relapsed MYCN-positive (n =1) NBL received a median of 17 x 106/kg T/13 cell-depleted CD34. stem cells with 68 x 10(3)/kg residual T cells and 10(7) x 10(6)/kg natural killer cells. The conditioning regimen comprised melphalan, fludarabine, thiotepa, OKT3, and a short course of mycophenolate mofetil post-transplantation. Engraftment occurred in 96% of the patients. Event-free survival and overall survival at 5 years were 19% and 23%, respectively. No transplantation-related mortality was observed, and the single death was due to progression/subsequent relapse. The median duration of follow-up was 8.1 years. Patients in complete remission before SCT had a significantly better prognosis than those with residual tumor load (P <.01). All patients with progressive disease before so. relapsed within 1 year. Grade 11 and grade III acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) occurred in 31% and 12% of the patients, respectively. Chronic limited and extensive GVHD occurred in 28% and 10%, respectively. Our data indicate that haploidentical SCT is a feasible treatment option that can induce long-term remission in some patients with NBL with tolerable side effects, and may enable the development of further post-transplantation therapeutic strategies based on the donor-derived immune system. (C) 2018 Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation.

Abstract Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is a curative treatment option for hematologic malignancies but relapse remains the most common cause of death. Infusion of donor lymphocytes (DLIs) can induce remission and prolong survival by exerting potent graft-versus-leukemia (GVL) effects. However, sufficient tumor control cannot be established in all patients. We showed previously that invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells promote anti-tumor immunity in murine models of allogeneic HCT without exacerbating graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). We therefore studied iNKT cells in DLIs and investigated how culture-expanded iNKT cells from such DLIs (DLI-iNKTs) could lyse leukemia cells. We analyzed 63 cryopreserved DLI samples by flow cytometry. iNKT cells were identified using the PBS57-loaded CD1d tetramer. Under steady state conditions, iNKT cells represent 0.04% (range, 0.01-0.6) of live donor lymphocytes and need to undergo ex vivo expansion for further experiments and clinical application. We established a two-week protocol resulting in a 300-fold expansion of functional DLI-iNKTs with a purity of 94%. Interestingly, we observed a preferential expansion of CD4+ DLI-iNKTs. This subset turned out to be critical for tolerance induction and prevention of GVHD after allogeneic HCT. For degranulation and leukemia cell lysis assays, culture-expanded DLI-iNKTs were co-cultured with leukemia cells. CD107a as a marker of degranulation and iNKT-cell activity was upregulated on DLI-iNKTs upon engagement with leukemia cells that were subsequently lysed in a dose-dependent manner. We also observed an increased release of cytokines like IFN-γ (85 vs. 7 pg/ml, p=0.04). Moreover, the cytotoxic effects of culture-expanded DLI-iNKTs were CD1d-dependent: blocking the interaction between the MHC-I-like molecule CD1d and the T-cell receptor of DLI-iNKTs abrogated iNKT-cell degranulation and efficient leukemia cell lysis. Our results suggest that iNKT cells from DLIs are involved in anti-tumor immunity after allogeneic HCT and therefore may reduce the risk of relapse and improve progression-free and overall survival. Prior expansion of iNKT cells could promote beneficial effects on tumor control, immune tolerance and overall survival. Disclosures Handgretinger: Miltenyi Biotec: Patents & Royalties: Co-patent holder of TcR alpha/beta depletion technologies, Research Funding. Bethge:Miltenyi Biotec GmbH: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Neovii GmbH: Honoraria, Research Funding.

T and B cell depletion of haploidentical stem cells with CD3/CD19 coated magnetic microbeads prevents from GvHD and allows to coinfuse donor NK cells and other accessory cells. Additional in vivo depletion of the graft by serotherapy is not necessary. Thus, a dosing scheme of ATG is needed, which provides a rejection prophylaxis by depleting lymphocyte subsets of the patients but which does not harm the graft, in particular cotransfused NK cells. We retrospectively analyzed the impact of various Grafalon (anti-human T-lymphocyte immunoglobulin = ATLG; formerly ATG-Fresenius) doses given at day -12 on engraftment rate and on posttransplant immune recovery.

Poor graft function (PGF) is a severe complication of haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) and administration of donor stem cell boosts (SCBs) represents a therapeutic option. We report 50 paediatric patients with PGF who received 61 boosts with CD34+ selected peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) after transplantation from matched unrelated (n = 25) or mismatched related (n = 25) donors. Within 8 weeks, a significant increase in median neutrophil counts (0·6 vs. 1·516 × 109 /l, P < 0·05) and a decrease in red blood cell and platelet transfusion requirement (median frequencies 1 and 7 vs. 0, P < 0·0001 and <0·001), were observed, and 78·8% of patients resolved one or two of their cytopenias. 36·5% had a complete haematological response. Median lymphocyte counts for CD3+ , CD3+ CD4+ , CD19+ and CD56+ increased 8·3-, 14·2-, 22.- and 1·6-fold. The rate of de novo acute graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) grade I-III was only 6% and resolved completely. No GvHD grade IV or chronic GvHD occurred. Patients who responded to SCB displayed a trend toward better overall survival (OS) (P = 0·07). Thus, administration of CD34+ selected SCBs from alternative donors is safe and effective. Further studies are warranted to clarify the impact on immune reconstitution and survival.