Effect of transfer factor on myelosuppression and related morbidity induced by chemotherapy in acute leukaemias

Dialyzable Leukocyte Extract (Transferon™) Administration in Sepsis: Experience from a Single Referral Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

Immunomodulatory agents have been proposed as therapeutic candidates to improve outcomes in sepsis. Transferon™, a dialyzable leukocyte extract (DLE), has been supported in Mexico as an immunomodulatory adjuvant in anti-infectious therapy. Here we present a retrospective study describing the experience of a referral pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) with Transferon™ in sepsis. We studied clinical and laboratory data from 123 patients with sepsis (15 in the DLE group and 108 in the control group) that were admitted to PICU during the period between January 2010 and December 2016. Transferon™ DLE use was associated with lower C reactive protein (CRP), increase in total lymphocyte counts (TLC), and decrease in total neutrophil count (TNC) 72 hours after Transferon™ DLE administration. The control group did not present any significant difference in CRP values and had lower TLC after 72 hours of admission. There was no difference in PICU length of stay between control and Transferon™ DLE group. Transferon™ DLE administration was associated with a higher survival rate at the end of PICU stay. This study shows a possible immunomodulatory effect of Transferon™ on pediatric sepsis patients.

Batch-to-batch reproducibility of Transferon™

Human dialyzable leukocyte extracts (DLEs) are heterogeneous mixtures of low-molecular-weight peptides that modulate immune responses in various diseases. Due their complexity, standardized methods to identify their physicochemical properties and determine that production batches are biologically active must be established. We aimed to develop and validate a size exclusion ultra performance chromatographic (SE-UPLC) method to characterize Transferon™, a DLE that is produced under good manufacturing practices (GMPs). We analyzed an internal human DLE standard and 10 representative batches of Transferon™, all of which had a chromatographic profile characterized by 8 main peaks and a molecular weight range between 17.0 and 0.2kDa. There was high homogeneity between batches with regard to retention times and area percentages, varying by less than 0.2% and 30%, respectively, and the control chart was within 3 standard deviations. To analyze the biological activity of the batches, we studied the ability of Transferon™ to stimulate IFN-γ production in vitro. Transferon™ consistently induced IFN-γ production in Jurkat cells, demonstrating that this method can be included as a quality control step in releasing Transferon™ batches. Because all analyzed batches complied with the quality attributes that were evaluated, we conclude that the DLE Transferon™ is produced with high homogeneity.