Abstract
Interventions for influenza virus infections are essential to minimize the worldwide annual morbidity, mortality, and economic loss caused by this highly contagious respiratory pathogen. Establishment of universal, long-lasting protection against epidemic and pandemic strains of the virus can potentially eradicate the necessity of annual reformulation and readministration of low-efficacious seasonal vaccines, increasing pandemic preparedness. The protective potential of Type 1 T helper (TH1)-polarized memory CD4+ T cells against Influenza A virus (IAV) infection and generation of secondary memory populations following viral clearance are well-characterized. To assess the potential of CD4+ T memory cells as a candidate for adoptive immunotherapy, here we validated and optimized cryopreserved IAV-specific memory CD4+ T cell-mediated protection against infection and evaluated their potential for subsequent memory formation. Donor-derived in vitro-generated memory CD4+ T cells were transferred into IAV-infected naïve mice following cryopreservation of these cells for 6-12 months and overnight activation with gamma-chain cytokines, interleukin (IL)-7 and IL-7+IL-2. Results showed that cytokine-cultured cryopreserved memory CD4+ T cells, compared to their non-cultured counterparts, controlled viral titer in the lung at the peak infection phase, decreased morbidity, expedited recovery, and formed increased secondary memory cells in the lung, the primary site of infection, including lung tissue-resident memory (TRM) CD4+ T cells. Phenotypic and functional analysis confirmed that donor-derived secondary memory CD4+ T cells retain a TH1-phenotype and produce cytokines associated with protection against IAV. These observations support that the protectiveness and memory-forming potential of host- and/or donor-derived memory CD4? T cells can be preserved and harnessed for future use. This T-cell based adoptive immunotherapy addresses some of the current challenges of available preventative and therapeutic options, such as low vaccine efficacy, availability of only early treatment drugs, lack of immunity against pandemic strains and effective memory cell generation.
Notes
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Graduation Date
2020
Semester
Summer
Advisor
Strutt, Tara
Degree
Master of Science (M.S.)
College
College of Medicine
Department
Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences
Degree Program
Biotechnology
Format
application/pdf
Identifier
CFE0008570; DP0024246
URL
https://purls.library.ucf.edu/go/DP0024246
Language
English
Release Date
February 2026
Length of Campus-only Access
5 years
Access Status
Masters Thesis (Campus-only Access)
STARS Citation
Alam, Fahmida, "Optimization of Cryopreserved Memory CD4 T Cell Mediated Protection against Lethal Influenza A Virus Infection in Mice" (2020). Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023. 599.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd2020/599
Restricted to the UCF community until February 2026; it will then be open access.