Adoptive Allogeneic T-Cell Therapy Improves the Clinical Outcome of JC Virus Granule Cell Neuronopathy: A Case Report

Lea Grote-Levi; Nora Möhn; Agnes Bonifacius; Sabine Tischer-Zimmermann; Finja Schweitzer; Nima Mahmoudi; Steffi Silling; Clemens Warnke; Britta Maecker-Kolhoff; Mike P Wattjes; Britta Eiz-Vesper; Günter U Höglinger; Thomas Skripuletz

doi:10.1212/NXI.0000000000200138

Adoptive Allogeneic T-Cell Therapy Improves the Clinical Outcome of JC Virus Granule Cell Neuronopathy: A Case Report

Neurol Neuroimmunol Neuroinflamm. 2023 Jun 29;10(5):e200138. doi: 10.1212/NXI.0000000000200138. Print 2023 Sep.

Affiliations

¹ From the Department of Neurology (L.G.-L., N. Möhn, G.U.H., T.S.); Institute of Transfusion Medicine and Transplant Engineering (A.B., S.T.-Z., B.E.-V.), Hannover Medical School; Department of Neurology (F.S., C.W.), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne; Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology (N. Mahmoudi, M.P.W.), Hannover Medical School; National Reference Center for Papilloma- and Polyomaviruses (S.S.), Institute of Virology, University of Cologne; Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology (B.M.-K.), Hannover Medical School, Germany; and German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) (B.M.-K., B.E.-V.).
² From the Department of Neurology (L.G.-L., N. Möhn, G.U.H., T.S.); Institute of Transfusion Medicine and Transplant Engineering (A.B., S.T.-Z., B.E.-V.), Hannover Medical School; Department of Neurology (F.S., C.W.), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne; Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology (N. Mahmoudi, M.P.W.), Hannover Medical School; National Reference Center for Papilloma- and Polyomaviruses (S.S.), Institute of Virology, University of Cologne; Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology (B.M.-K.), Hannover Medical School, Germany; and German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) (B.M.-K., B.E.-V.). [email protected].

Abstract

Objectives: JC virus granule cell neuronopathy is a potentially fatal otherwise highly disabling disease without an approved therapeutic option. This case report presents the positive record to T-cell therapy in JC virus granule cell neuronopathy.

Methods: The patient represented with subacute cerebellar symptoms. Diagnosis of JC virus granule cell neuronopathy was made because of infratentorially accentuated brain volume atrophy shown by brain MRI and the detection of JC virus DNA in the CSF.

Results: Six doses of virus-specific T cells were administered. Within 12 months after therapy initiation, the patient showed clear clinical benefit with improvement of symptoms, and JC viral DNA load significantly declined.

Discussion: We present the case report of a positive response to T-cell therapy in JC virus granule cell neuronopathy, leading to an improvement of symptoms.

Publication types

Case Reports

MeSH terms

Atrophy
Cell- and Tissue-Based Therapy
Cerebellum
Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation*
Humans
JC Virus*