Rapidly Expanded EBV-Specific T Cells for the Treatment of Refractory EBV Reactivation and EBV-Related Lymphoproliferative Disorders

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Latent Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) can lead to lymphoma, especially in immunocompromised patients with limited treatment options.
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A phase I/II trial evaluated virus-specific T cells (VSTs) for treating EBV-related lymphoma in 9 patients, showing promising results.
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Six out of nine patients achieved or maintained complete responses, resulting in an overall response rate of 67%.
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VSTs were well tolerated, with no serious treatment-related adverse events reported during the study.
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The study supports the development of EBV-specific T cell therapies, particularly for transplant recipients facing refractory EBV reactivation.

Open Forum Infectious Diseases

by Lorne Schweitzer, Stéphanie Thiant, Cynthia Thérien, Martin Giroux, Sylvie Lachance, Isabelle Fleury, Julie Orio, Cédric Carli, Gabrielle Boudreau, Julien Patenaude, Camille Tremblay-Laganière, Lynne Senécal, Simon F Dufresne, Luigina Mollica, Suzon Collette, Guy Sauvageau, Thomas Kiss, Sandra Cohen, Léa Bernard, Nadia Bambace, Olivier Veilleux, Imran Ahmad, Jean Roy, Lambert Busque, Michel Duval, Henrique Bittencourt, Pierre Teira, Caroline Lamarche, Denis-Claude Roy, Jean-Sébastien Delisle
January 20, 2026

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