Patent ID: 7270810

Claim:
A method of preventing or decreasing graft rejection in a human recipient of a transplant which is derived from a donor which is allogeneic with respect to the recipient, the method comprising: (a) conditioning the recipient under lethal or sublethal conditions; (b) transplanting the transplant into the recipient; and (c) administering to the recipient a dose of a cell preparation, wherein said cell preparation comprises non-alloreactive anti-third party cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTLs), does not comprise lymphocytes capable of developing into anti-recipient CTLs, and does not substantially comprise CD4+ cells and/or CD56+ cells, and wherein said cell preparation is generated by a method which comprises: (i) directing peripheral blood lymphocytes derived from the donor against a third party antigen or antigens, wherein said third party antigen or antigens are allogeneic cells, thereby generating third party antigen-treated lymphocytes which comprise anti-third party CTLs; (ii) substantially depleting said peripheral blood lymphocytes derived from the donor of CD4+ cells and/or CD56+ cells; and (iii) substantially depleting, by deprivation of exogenous IL-2, said third party antigen-treated lymphocytes of T-lymphocytes capable of developing into anti-recipient CTLs, thereby preventing or decreasing graft rejection in the recipient of the transplant.