A randomised trial of third-party virus-specific T cells in patients with untreated viral infection after an allogeneic stem cell transplantation

After a bone marrow or stem cell transplant, the immune system is temporarily very weak. Two viruses — CMV (cytomegalovirus) and EBV (Epstein-Barr virus) — can reactivate during this period and become dangerous. While antiviral medications exist, they don't always work well enough on their own. This study is testing whether adding a specially prepared infusion of immune cells (called virus-specific T cells, donated from healthy third-party donors) to the standard antiviral treatment helps patients fight these infections more effectively. Participants are randomly assigned to receive either standard treatment alone or standard treatment plus the immune cell infusion. You may be eligible if you have had an allogeneic stem cell transplant within the past six months and have developed a CMV or EBV infection that requires treatment. You must be well enough to participate and not be experiencing severe graft-versus-host disease at the time of the infusion. This trial is running in Australian hospitals and aims to improve outcomes for transplant patients facing these challenging viral infections.