Ex Vivo Expansion and Th1/Tc1 Maturation of Umbilical Cord Blood T Cells by CD3/CD28 Costimulation

One major limitation of UCBT is the lack of donor cells available for posttransplantation donor leukocyte infusions (DLI) to boost immunity or induce graft-versus-leukemia (GVL) activity. Starting from a ∼5% fraction of a UCB graft, we report the feasibility and biological characteristics of ex vivo expansion of frozen/thawed CB T cells by anti-CD3 and anti-CD28 antibody–coated Dynal beads in the presence of interleukin (IL)-2. We postulated that while undergoing expansion, UCB T cells may mature toward a Th1/Tc1 phenotype and acquire the potential for cytotoxicity. Whereas an almost 2-log expansion also led to the acquisition of IL-12Rα and an increase in Th1 characteristics, postexpansion lymphocytes produced less interferon-γ, tumor necrosis factor-α, and granzyme B; stored almost no perforin; and lacked cytotoxicity against allogeneic targets. Collectively, these suggest relative safety from acute/hyperacute graft-versus-host disease. CD8+ T cells expanded preferentially, whereas a higher rate of apoptosis in CD4+ T cells also promoted an inverted CD4/CD8 ratio. Most expanded T cells retained expression of CD27, CD28, and L-selectin but down-regulated CCR-7. In summary, UCB T cell proliferation sustained by CD3/CD28 co-stimulatory beads and IL-2 can lead to clinically relevant doses of DLI from a very small fraction of the UCB graft, although future strategies to reduce apoptosis may enhance their clinical potential.