Syngeneic adoptive transfer of anti-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-
1)-primed lymphocytes from a vaccinated HIV-seronegative individual to his
HIV-1-infected identical twin
F Bex, P Hermans, S Sprecher, A Achour, R Badjou, C Desgranges, J Cogniaux, P Franchioli, C Vanhulle and A Lachgar
Department of Molecular Biology, University of Brussels, Belgium.
Immunotherapy by adoptive transfer of lymphocytes was attempted in
identical twins, one who was virus-free and the other who was infected with
human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1), at the stage of acquired
immunodeficiency syndrome. The noninfected twin was vaccinated by priming
with a recombinant vaccinia virus expressing the envelope glycoprotein of
one of his brother's viruses and boosting with the same purified gp160
adsorbed on alum. Vaccination elicited major histocompatibility complex
class I-restricted CD8+ cytolytic T lymphocytes specific for HIV-1, but no
antibody response. The diseased brother, a 38-year-old homosexual who had
developed repeated opportunistic infections since 1990 and had a CD4+ count
reduced to practically zero, was treated by infusions of lymphocytes
collected from the vaccinated brother by lymphopheresis. After a first
transfer of the whole lymphocyte population, no changes were observed in
the clinical status and biologic or virologic parameters. A second transfer
was then applied with activation of the cells with purified envelope
glycoprotein before infusion. The outcome of the treatment was an increase
in total lymphocytes, in CD4+ and activated CD8+ DR+ cell counts, and in
proliferative responses to HIV antigens. A marked but transient 3-log
increase in cellular and plasmatic virus loads was also observed after the
second adoptive transfer. These observations will be considered with
attention to improve the future adoptive transfer protocols, especially in
patients with severe CD4+ depletion.
Volume 84,
Issue 10,
pp. 3317-3326,
11/15/1994
Copyright © 1994 by The American Society of Hematology
