Anti third party central memory T cells, methods of producing same and use of same in transplantation and disease treatment

1. An in vitro method of generating a modified population of cells comprising:

(a) contacting peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) with one or more third party antigens in a culture medium deprived of cytokines for at least 2 days thereby eliminating graft-versus-host (GVH) reactive cells, wherein said third party antigens are selected from a group consisting of third party cells, a cell antigen, a viral antigen, a bacterial antigen, a protein extract, a purified protein and a synthetic peptide presented by autologous presenting cells, non-autologous presenting cells or on an artificial vehicle, allogeneic stimulatory cells, cells purified from peripheral blood lymphocytes, spleen or lymph nodes, cytokine-mobilized PBLs and in vitro expanded antigen-presenting dendritic cells (APC); and

(b) culturing cells produced by step (a) in the presence of IL-15 in a culture medium free of said third party antigens for at least 14 days, wherein the modified cell population produced by step (b) has a central memory T-lymphocyte (Tcm) phenotype comprising a CD8+, CD62L+, CD45RA−, CD45RO+ signature and is free of GVH reactive cells, and wherein at least 50% of said modified cell population has said signature, is tolerance-inducing, and is capable of homing to lymph nodes following transplantation.

2. A method of treating a human subject in need of a cell or tissue transplantation, the method comprising:

(a) transplanting a cell or tissue transplant into the human subject; and

(b) administering to the human subject a therapeutically effective amount of the modified population of cells produced by the method of claim 1 , thereby treating the human subject.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein said modified population of cells are administered prior to, concomitantly with, or following said cell or tissue transplant.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein said cell or tissue transplant is derived from a donor selected from the group consisting of an Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) identical allogeneic donor, an HLA non-identical allogeneic donor and a xenogeneic donor.

5. The method of claim 2 , further comprising conditioning the human subject under sublethal, lethal or supralethal conditions prior to said transplanting.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein step (b) further comprises culturing said cells in the presence of IL-7 and/or IL-21.

7. A method of treating a human subject in need of a cell or tissue transplantation, the method comprising:

(a) transplanting a cell or tissue transplant into the human subject; and

(b) administering to the human subject a therapeutically effective amount of the modified population of cells produced by the method of claim 6 , thereby treating the human subject.

8. The method of claim 2 , wherein said cell or tissue transplant is syngeneic with the human subject.

9. The method of claim 2 , wherein said cell or tissue transplant comprises immature hematopoietic cells.

10. The method of claim 2 , wherein said cell or tissue transplant is selected from the group consisting of a liver, a pancreas, a spleen, a kidney, a heart, a lung, a skin, an intestine and a lymphoid/hematopoietic tissue or organ.

11. The method of claim 2 , wherein said cell or tissue transplant comprises a co-transplantation of several organs.

12. The method of claim 2 , wherein said cell or tissue transplant and said modified population of cells are derived from the same donor.

13. The method of claim 2 , wherein said cell or tissue transplant is syngeneic with the human subject and said modified population of cells are non-syngeneic with the human subject.

14. The method of claim 2 , wherein said cell or tissue transplant is syngeneic with the human subject and said modified population of cells are syngeneic with the human subject.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein said peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) are non-syngeneic with the human subject.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein said non-syngeneic peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) are allogeneic with respect to the human subject.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein said non-syngeneic peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) are xenogeneic with respect to the human subject.

18. A method of treating a human subject in need of a cell or tissue transplantation, the method comprising:

(a) transplanting a cell or tissue transplant into the human subject; and

(b) administering to the human subject a therapeutically effective amount of the modified population of cells produced by the method of claim 1 , wherein said cell or tissue transplant and said modified population of cells are derived from the same donor and wherein said donor is an allogeneic donor, thereby treating the human subject.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein said cell or tissue transplant comprises immature hematopoietic cells.

20. The method of claim 18 , wherein said cell or tissue transplant is selected from the group consisting of a liver, a pancreas, a spleen, a kidney, a heart, a lung, a skin, an intestine and a lymphoid/hematopoietic tissue or organ.

21. A method of treating a human subject in need of a cell or tissue transplantation, the method comprising:

(a) transplanting a cell or tissue transplant into the human subject, wherein said cell or tissue transplant comprises co-transplantation of immature hematopoietic cells and a kidney; and

(b) administering to the human subject a therapeutically effective amount of the modified population of cells produced by the method of claim 1 , wherein said cell or tissue transplant and said modified population of cells are derived from the same donor and wherein said donor is an allogeneic donor, thereby treating the human subject.

22. The method of claim 21 , wherein said modified population of cells are administered prior to, concomitantly with, or following said cell or tissue transplant.