The Human T cell Bank, part of COI, has a diverse collection of antigen-specific CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cell clones and lines which were derived from various tissue origins and targeting over a hundred viral and cancer epitopes. These resources are readily available for use in exploratory and validation studies.

We first isolated antigen-specific T cell through ex vivo peptide-MHC Class I/II multimer staining, or through cytokine production, expression of activation markers and proliferation after antigen-stimulation. These antigen-specific T cells were subsequently expanded in vitro as either individual clones or bulk lines for T cell receptor sequencing and functional analysis, including evaluating functional avidity, cytokine profile, expression of inhibitory/co-stimulatory, and anti-viral or anti-tumor activities. For each T cell clone, we obtained comprehensive information, including HLA restriction, recognized epitope, the full-length paired sequences of TCR alpha and beta chains, functional characteristics, and the expression profile of surface molecules.

Over the past decades, we have generated and characterised CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cell clones specific to emerging viruses such as influenza, SARS-CoV-2, and Mpox, as well as persistently infecting viruses including HIV, HBV, HCV, CMV, and EBV. Additionally, we have collected T cell clones targeting tumor-associated viral antigens, such as LMP1/2 from EBV, E6 and E7 from HPV, and S antigens from HBV. Furthermore,our cancer-specific T cells, derived from blood and tissue samples, target a range of Cancer Testis Antigens (CTAs) and Tumor-Associated Antigens (TAAs). These cells have been isolated from patients with various cancers, including melanoma, breast cancer, and lung cancer.

The human T cell bank, supported by Dong’s group, collaborates closely with both internal and external partners, offering technical guidance and supplying materials such as T cells and TCRs for a wide range of studies. Please contact us if you need technical support or would like to collaborate with us.

Example of recent publications using the antigen-specific T cell clones from our bank:

• Abd Hamid M. et al, (2024) Nature Immunology. Unconventional human CD61 pairing with CD103 promotes TCR signaling and antigen-specific T cell cytotoxicity
• Abd Hamid et al., 2020. Self-Maintaining CD103(+) Cancer-Specific T Cells Are Highly Energetic with Rapid Cytotoxic and Effector Responses. Cancer Immunol Res 8:203-216.
• Saliba et al., 2019 Composition and structure of synaptic ectosomes exporting antigen receptor linked to functional CD40 ligand from helper T cells. Elife 8:
• Dushek et al., 2011  Antigen potency and maximal efficacy reveal a mechanism of efficient T cell activation. Sci Signal 4:ra39.