Fig. 1

Overview of methods for identification and evaluation of T cells using peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Using the NetMHCpan 4.1 platform, potential cytomegalovirus (CMV) and varicella-zoster virus (VZV) peptide-MHC (pMHC) complexes will be predicted corresponding to the most frequent HLA haplotypes amongst participants. The pMHC complexes will be combined in a DNA-barcoded patient-specific pMHC multimer. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) will be examined for the presence of pMHC multimer-binding T cells and sorted using flow cytometry to examine their antigen recognition profile, as well as their expression of phenotypic cell surface markers. The reactive T cells may be further examined for their frequency, T cell receptor sequence, and potential for ex vivo expansion