Long-term lymphoid progenitors independently sustain naïve T and NK cell production in humans

Abstract

Our mathematical model of integration site data in clinical gene therapy supported the existence of long-term lymphoid progenitors capable of surviving independently from hematopoietic stem cells. To date, no experimental setting has been available to validate this prediction. We here report evidence of a population of lymphoid progenitors capable of independently maintaining T and NK cell production for 15 years in humans. The gene therapy patients of this study lack vector-positive myeloid/B cells indicating absence of engineered stem cells but retain gene marking in both T and NK. Decades after treatment, we can still detect and analyse transduced naïve T cells whose production is likely maintained by a population of long-term lymphoid progenitors. By tracking insertional clonal markers overtime, we suggest that these progenitors can support both T and NK cell production. Identification of these long-term lymphoid progenitors could be utilised for the development of next generation gene- and cancer-immunotherapies.

Gene therapy (GT) using haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) provides an opportunity to trace cell fates in humans, in vivo. Here the authors present evidence in GT patients for a long term lymphoid progenitor population, surviving and maintaining de novo T and NK cell production for years, independently from HSCs.