Administration of interleukin-7 increases CD4 T cells in idiopathic CD4 lymphocytopenia

V Sheikh, BO Porter, R DerSimonian… - Blood, The Journal …, 2016 - ashpublications.org
V Sheikh, BO Porter, R DerSimonian, SB Kovacs, WL Thompson, A Perez-Diez, AF Freeman…
Blood, The Journal of the American Society of Hematology, 2016ashpublications.org
Idiopathic CD4 lymphopenia (ICL) is a rare syndrome defined by low CD4 T-cell counts (<
300/µL) without evidence of HIV infection or other known cause of immunodeficiency. ICL
confers an increased risk of opportunistic infections and has no established treatment.
Interleukin-7 (IL-7) is fundamental for thymopoiesis, T-cell homeostasis, and survival of
mature T cells, which provides a rationale for its potential use as an immunotherapeutic
agent for ICL. We performed an open-label phase 1/2A dose-escalation trial of 3 …
Abstract
Idiopathic CD4 lymphopenia (ICL) is a rare syndrome defined by low CD4 T-cell counts (<300/µL) without evidence of HIV infection or other known cause of immunodeficiency. ICL confers an increased risk of opportunistic infections and has no established treatment. Interleukin-7 (IL-7) is fundamental for thymopoiesis, T-cell homeostasis, and survival of mature T cells, which provides a rationale for its potential use as an immunotherapeutic agent for ICL. We performed an open-label phase 1/2A dose-escalation trial of 3 subcutaneous doses of recombinant human IL-7 (rhIL-7) per week in patients with ICL who were at risk of disease progression. The primary objectives of the study were to assess safety and the immunomodulatory effects of rhIL-7 in ICL patients. Injection site reactions were the most frequently reported adverse events. One patient experienced a hypersensitivity reaction and developed non-neutralizing anti-IL-7 antibodies. Patients with autoimmune diseases that required systemic therapy at screening were excluded from the study; however, 1 participant developed systemic lupus erythematosus while on study and was excluded from further rhIL-7 dosing. Quantitatively, rhIL-7 led to an increase in the number of circulating CD4 and CD8 T cells and tissue-resident CD3 T cells in the gut mucosa and bone marrow. Functionally, these T cells were capable of producing cytokines after mitogenic stimulation. rhIL-7 was well tolerated at biologically active doses and may represent a promising therapeutic intervention in ICL. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT00839436.
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