T Cells Expanded in the WAVE Bioreactor™ 2/10 System Maintain a Healthy Phenotype

T cell immunotherapy often requires the expansion of a small select starting population in vitro. To achieve therapeutic doses, this population is required to undergo multiple and rapid rounds of replication. Rapid T cell expansion raises the possibility of inducing senescence or an aged phenotype, both of which are detrimental to the recipient patient. The WAVE BioreactorTM System is often used for the final expansion phase before patient infusion and we have analysed the aging characteristics of T cells that have undergone this process. We found that these cells retain a memory phenotype, do not express markers of senescence nor show signs of DNA damage. We conclude that the WAVETM bioreactor is an effective mechanism for the rapid expansion of T cells without compromising cell health.