# Virus-specific T cells

Source: https://onco.cc/technologies/virus-specific-t-cells/  
OnCo record `virus-specific-t-cells` (Technology). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

Off-the-shelf T cells from healthy donors that recognise Epstein-Barr virus, used to treat virus-driven lymphomas after transplant; tabelecleucel was approved in Europe in 2022.

## Summary

Some cancers are driven by viruses whose proteins make excellent T-cell targets. Banks of donor T cells selected for Epstein-Barr virus specificity and matched on HLA can be given off the shelf; tabelecleucel (Ebvallo) was approved in the European Union in 2022 for EBV-positive post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease that has failed other treatment. Similar products target cytomegalovirus and adenovirus after transplant, and EBV-directed cells are tested in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

## Fields

- Kind: Technology
- Status: approved
- Last checked: 2026-09-04
- Principle: Donor T cells are expanded against viral antigens, banked by HLA type, and selected for each patient to share at least one restricting allele, then infused without lymphodepletion.
- Since: 2022
- Strengths: Off the shelf with rapid access; Very low toxicity; Approved in Europe
- Limitations: Only virus-associated cancers; HLA matching still required; Not approved in the United States

## Sources

- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabelecleucel
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabelecleucel

## Connected records

- cancers: [Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/dlbcl/), [Nasopharyngeal carcinoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/nasopharyngeal/)
- fronts: [Cell Therapy](https://onco.cc/fronts/cell-therapy/)
- technologies: [Allogeneic (off-the-shelf) cell therapy](https://onco.cc/technologies/allogeneic-cell-therapy/)

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