A team from UCLA has discovered a novel method to stimulate the immune system to destroy cells infected with cytomegalovirus (CMV), a dangerous infection for people with weakened immune systems.
They engineered antibodies that recruit the body's T‑cells to attack the virus‑infected cells. This approach could benefit individuals such as organ‑transplant recipients, patients with AIDS, and infants at risk of CMV‑related deafness.
Dr. Otto Yang, professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases and of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine, said the findings open an alternative to current drug therapies, which are costly and often produce serious side effects.
"This represents a new way to harness the immune system against CMV and could create treatment options for transplant patients, people with AIDS, and children facing serious infection risks," Yang added.
The results appear in the journal Science Advances.
CMV remains a lifelong infection that is usually controlled by a healthy immune system. Existing drugs for prevention and treatment can cause bone marrow suppression, kidney damage, and other serious complications, and viral resistance can develop.
Adoptive transfer of virus‑specific T‑cells has shown the importance of T‑cell immunity, but the process is slow and limits its use in urgent situations. The same restriction applies to chimeric antigen receptor (CAR‑T) therapy.
To accelerate treatment, the UCLA investigators developed T‑cell redirecting bispecific antibodies (TRBAs). These antibodies act as a bridge between CD3ε on CD8+ T‑cells (cytotoxic T lymphocytes) and a viral protein on CMV‑infected cells, clustering the T‑cells around the target and killing it.
"If a commercial partner sees potential, these antibodies could move into clinical trials," Yang said.