Common chemo drug thwarts graft rejection in bone marrow transplants

Results of a Johns Hopkins study may explain why a chemotherapy drug called cyclophosphamide prevents graft-versus-host (GVHD) disease in people who receive bone marrow transplants. The experiments point to an immune system cell that evades the toxic effects of cyclophosphamide and protects patients from a lethal form of GVHD.The findings, published online in Science Translational Medicine, could pave the way for improvements in preventing GVHD and rejection of transplanted bone marrow and new therapies to prevent or treat a relapse of the underlying cancer after a transplant.
Source: Health News from Medical News Today - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Immune System / Vaccines Source Type: news