Cell therapy could improve bone marrow transplant safety

FINDINGSUCLA researchers report a step forward in the development of an “off-the-shelf” cell therapy that could reduce the severity of graft-versus-host disease in people receiving donor bone marrow transplants for the treatment of blood cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma.The method utilizes rare and powerful immune cells called invariant natural killer T, or iNKT, cells, which can reduce and delay the transplanted cells ’ attacks on healthy tissue without compromising these cells’ cancer-fighting abilities. The iNKT cells are produced from blood-forming stem cells obtained from donated umbilical cord blood and could potentially be produced in large quantities, stored for extended periods and safely used to trea t patients without the need for immune system compatibility.BACKGROUNDA bone marrow transplant, also known as a stem cell transplant, is a procedure in which healthy blood-forming stem cells are transplanted into a person ’s body to help treat disease. There are two types of bone marrow transplants: autologous, which use a person’s own cells, and allogeneic, which use cells from a healthy donor (usually a family member).Allogeneic bone marrow transplants are a common treatment for people with blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma. After an allogeneic transplant, donor cells kill cancer cells while helping to restore the production of healthy blood and immune cells. Any transplant that involves cells or tissue from a donor carries the risk of graft-ve...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news