{"entity":{"id":"virus-specific-t-cells","kind":"technology","name":"Virus-specific T cells","aka":[],"tldr":"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.","status":"approved","asOf":"2026-09-04","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabelecleucel","links":[{"label":"Wikipedia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabelecleucel"}],"tags":[],"related":[],"cancers":["dlbcl","nasopharyngeal"],"sections":["cell-therapy"],"technologies":["allogeneic-cell-therapy"],"targets":[],"drugs":[],"companies":[],"institutions":[],"pathways":[],"terms":[],"trials":[],"people":[],"bottlenecks":[],"keyPapers":[],"journals":[],"notes":[],"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.","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"],"since":2022},"route":"/technologies/virus-specific-t-cells/","neighbours":{"cancer":[{"id":"dlbcl","kind":"cancer","name":"Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma","route":"/cancers/dlbcl/"},{"id":"nasopharyngeal","kind":"cancer","name":"Nasopharyngeal carcinoma","route":"/cancers/nasopharyngeal/"}],"section":[{"id":"cell-therapy","kind":"section","name":"Cell Therapy","route":"/fronts/cell-therapy/"}],"technology":[{"id":"allogeneic-cell-therapy","kind":"technology","name":"Allogeneic (off-the-shelf) cell therapy","route":"/technologies/allogeneic-cell-therapy/"}]}}