Demonstration of Rapid Functional Myeloid Cell Recovery after Infusion of a Universal Donor Ex Vivo Expanded Progenitor Cell Therapy As a Bridging Graft Source

Cord blood transplant (CBT) recipients are known to be at risk for delayed engraftment, resulting in an increased risk of morbidity and mortality post transplant. To overcome delayed engraftment, several groups have developed methods to expand ex vivo cord blood stem/progenitor cells (HSPC) which are under clinical evaluation. The majority of these expansion methods require identification of a patient specific cord blood donor as the source material for expansion, resulting in delays in the time to transplant and inherently carry a risk of product failure. In contrast, we have developed an off-the-shelf, universal donor ex vivo expanded cord blood (CB) derived HSPC product intended for use as a transient graft source which has been demonstrated to significantly reduce the incidence of documented bacterial infections in both transplant and non-transplant settings.^1,2 Donor chimerism studies conducted weekly in the first month post transplant confirm that the initial early (days 0-14) myelomonocytic engraftment is derived largely from our universal donor graft. Herein, we now demonstrate that the these rapidly engrafting myelomonocytic cells generated from the universal donor graft source are mature and functionally intact human myeloid cells that can fight infectious organisms.

CBT recipients enrolled on a phase II myeloablative CBT trial were included in these ancillary studies in which we evaluated the functional capacity of newly generated myeloid cells in peripheral blood. A flow cytometry-based assay which allowed quantitation of both phagocytosis and O₂-dependent killing (oxidative burst) in myeloid cells was used. Strikingly, both monocytes (CD14+) and granulocytes (CD15+) in patients' blood displayed similar frequencies of phagocytosis and O₂-dependent killing of Staphlococcus aureus at day 7 (90.3%±2.2% phagocytosis and 88.9±5.2% O₂-dependent killing n=2) when more than 95% of myeloid cells were from the expanded cell product compared to day 14 (69±13.2% phagocytosis and 94±2% O₂-dependent killing, n=2) when more than 99% of cells were from a non-manipulated CB unit as a result of immunologic rejection by the T cell replete CB unit. These findings provide strong evidence that de novo generated myeloid cells from expanded HSPCs are as functionally competent as myeloid cells de novo generated from non-expanded CB.

To better study the functionional properties of myeloid cells derived in vivo from rapidly repopulating expanded CB HSPCs, we transplanted either 20,000 non-expanded (NE-HSPC) CD34⁺ CB cells or their expanded progeny (E-HSPC) into sub-lethally irradiated NOD-scid IL2rγ^null (NSG) mice. At day 7 after transplantation mice transplanted with E-HSPC showed 40-fold higher human engraftment in the bone marrow than mice transplanted with NE-HSPC (28.3 ± 1% vs 0.7±0.1%, n=3, p<0.001). Remarkably, the monocytes and granulocytes from their bone marrow showed a similar phagocytic potential to that of the monocytes and granulocytes of mice receiving NE-HSPC (60.4±3.2% vs 69.6±3.2%, n=3, p=0.06). Moreover, the frequency of phagocytosis in the myeloid cells isolated from the lungs of mice receiving E-HSPC was 7-fold higher than in the lungs of mice receiving NE-HSPC. It has been well documented that E-HSPC when infused alone, also contribute to long term engraftment in NSG mice, and therefore at 22 weeks after transplantation, the frequency of phagocytosis in monocytes and granulocytes isolated from the bone marrow of mice receiving E-HSPC remained similar to that in the bone marrow of mice receiving NE-HSPC for Staphlococcus aureus (55.1 ±1.9% vs 43.8%±7%, n=5, p=0.15), Escherichia coli (50.8±2% vs 49 ±8.3%, n=5, p=0.83) and Zymosan (43.7%±3 vs 49.9%±9.2%, n=5, p=0.54) indicating the continued generation of functional myeloid cells from long term repopulating cells.

We demonstrate for the first time that ex vivo expanded CB HSPCs rapidly give rise to functional myelomonocytic cells in vivo in patients and immunodeficient mice. This study validates that our universal donor off-the-shelf, expanded CB HSPC cell product is a valuable resource for patients undergoing myeloablative CBT, and further warrants its widespread use in a non-transplant setting as a supportive "myeloid bridge" to mitigate treatment-related morbidity and mortality.

1. Delaney C. et al. Lancet Haematol. 2016 Jul;3(7):e330-9

2. Summers C. et al. Blood 2014 124:3860