Transplantation of blood forming stem cells derived from a healthy donor is a powerful tool in the treatment of patients with acute leukemia and other diseases of the bone marrow. However, stem cell transplantations are often complicated by immune reactions of donor cells against healthy tissues of the recipient, referred to as graft versus host disease (GvHD). GvHD can affect any organ and is fatal in 10-20% of transplant recipients. In
transplant survivors, GvHD is the major cause of the poor quality of life that these patients often report. Innate lymphoid cells (ILC) are cells that protect tissues against GvHD. However, transplanted patients often have low numbers of ILC. We have demonstrated that when patients receive a graft with more than average numbers of ILC, their risk to develop GvHD is reduced considerably. We have therefore developed a protocol to generate extra ILC from stem cell transplants. Our goal is to develop ILC as a therapy to prevent GvHD from happening.
Prevention of GvHD will greatly improve the chances of survival of stem cell transplant recipients, and will
significantly impact on the quality of life of transplant survivors.