Fast and fully automated separation of IFN-gamma secreting CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells

Viral or fungal infections are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the period of immune recovery after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT)^1,2. Adoptively transferred antigen-specific T cells have been shown to restore protective immunity and control established adenovirus (AdV)^3,4,13, cytomegalovirus (CMV)^5,6, and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)^7,8 infections after HSCT in adults as well as in children.

With the CliniMACS® Cytokine Capture System (CCS) (IFN-gamma) virus-specific T cells can be isolated in a fast and easy process.

Utilizing the CliniMACS Prodigy Platform, this method allows the fully automated and reproducible separation of viable antigen-specific CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells, e.g., with specificity for HCMV^9–12, EBV¹⁴, AdV¹⁴, BKV¹⁵ or multivirus-specificity¹⁴. The whole process is facilitated in a closed sterile system and only takes approximately twelve hours.

The CliniMACS Prodigy integrates all critical steps of the CCS workflow from antigen-specific T cell stimulation to labeling of target cells, magnetic isolation and final formulation within twelve hours of total time. Importantly, all cell processing steps are automated ensuring a convenient and highly standardized separation process. 

1. Eligibility test of donor blood

Virus-specific T cells can be enriched based on their secretion of IFN-γ after restimulation with the appropriate antigen by using the CCS. As this technology targets existing virus-specific T cells from donor blood materials (e.g. leukapheresis), it is recommended to validate the eligibility of each blood donor before running the CCS. This can be done, for example, with the help of our special protocol (Blood donor eligibility test, research use only), optimized for this test. The associated Express Mode on a MASCSQuant® Flow Cytometer simplifies the analysis and allows for a fully automated and standardized cell analysis. 

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