Chimeric CD19 antibody mediates cytotoxic activity against leukemic blasts with effector cells from pediatric patients who received T-cell-depleted allografts

Blood. 2004 May 15;103(10):3982-5. doi: 10.1182/blood-2003-05-1735. Epub 2004 Feb 5.

Abstract

Relapse is a major problem after transplantation in children with acute B-lineage leukemias, and new therapies are needed to increase graft-versus-leukemia (GvL) effects without inducing graft-versus-host disease (GvHD). Here, we studied the ability of effector cells recovered from patients after transplantation with positive-selected stem cells from alternative donors to induce antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC). For this purpose, a chimeric CD19 antibody, CD19-4G7chim, was generated. This antibody efficiently mediated ADCC against primary acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) blasts by using purified natural killer (NK) cells from healthy donors or mononuclear cells from patients as effector cells. Increased lysis was obtained after stimulation of effector cells with interleukin-2 (IL-2). ADCC was not prevented by inhibitory effects mediated by HLA class I. We propose that treatment with chimeric CD19 antibodies leading to ADCC by donor-derived NK cells may become a therapeutic option for the post-transplantation treatment of minimal residual B-lineage ALLs.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antibodies / pharmacology*
  • Antibody-Dependent Cell Cytotoxicity / drug effects*
  • Antigens, CD19 / immunology*
  • Child
  • Cytotoxicity Tests, Immunologic
  • Humans
  • Killer Cells, Natural / immunology
  • Killer Cells, Natural / transplantation
  • Lymphocyte Depletion
  • Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation / methods*
  • Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / pathology
  • Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / therapy*
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / biosynthesis
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / pharmacology
  • T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / immunology*
  • Transplantation, Homologous

Substances

  • Antibodies
  • Antigens, CD19
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins