Graft-versus-host disease successfully prevented
Allogeneic (meaning from a donor) hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is a curative therapy for cancers of the blood and lymph system, including leukemia and lymphoma. It works by introducing healthy immune cells, or T cells, that eliminate tumor cells and prevent the cancer from relapsing. Unfortunately, the same donor T cells can also attack the healthy tissue of the recipient's body such as gut, liver, lung, and skin, leading to induction of graft- (T cell) versus-host (recipient's body) disease, or GVHD. Symptoms can be mild to severe and often include mouth ulcers, gastrointestinal distress, and rashes. "Currently, immunosuppressive drugs have been used to prevent GVHD, but immune-suppressants also subdue the anti-cancer effects of the donor T cells, potentially resulting in cancer relapse, in addition to other side effects such as an increased risk of infection," explains Zeng. "Therefore, prevention of GVHD while preserving anti-cancer effects rem...