Impact of T cell selection methods in the success of clinical adoptive immunotherapy

Chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy regular regimens used for conditioning of recipients of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (SCT) induce a period of transient profound immunosuppression. The onset of a competent immunological response, such as the appearance of viral-specific T cells, is associated with a lower incidence of viral infections after haematopoietic transplantation. The rapid development of immunodominant peptide virus screening together with advances in the design of genetic and non-genetic viral- and tumoural-specific cellular selection strategies have opened new strategies for cellular immunotherapy in oncologic recipients who are highly sensitive to viral infections. However, the rapid development of cellular immunotherapy in SCT has disclosed the role of the T cell selection method in the modulation of functional cell activity and of in vivo secondary effects triggered following immunotherapy.