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Immunotherapy in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation – not just a case for effector cells

Bone Marrow Transplantation volume 35, pages S59–S64 (2005)Cite this article

Summary:

The concept that in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloHSCT) the immune system plays a prominent role in the control of leukemic disease is supported by the clinical observation that immunological effector mechanisms contribute to the elimination of leukemic blasts. The failure to induce prolonged remission after alloHSCT has led to resurgent interest in complementing concepts of immune modulation to improve the antileukemic reponse. While the general focus has been placed on manipulation of cytotoxic effector cell populations, we will explore the dual role of leukemia cells as both antigen-presenting and target cells and describe various vaccination strategies to facilitate a protective antileukemic immune response in this setting. In addition, we will introduce mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) as another cell population recently recognized for their immunomodulatory properties. The potential benefits and hazards of MSC-cotransplantation in alloHSCT with regard to the graft versus leukemia (GvL) and the graft versus host (GvH) response will be discussed.

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  1. A Troeger and R Meisel: These authors contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Clinic for Pediatric Oncology, Hematology and Immunology, University Clinic Düsseldorf, Germany

    A Troeger, R Meisel & D Dilloo

  2. Department of Internal Medicine (Cancer Research), West German Cancer Center, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany

    T Moritz

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  1. A Troeger
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  2. R Meisel
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  3. T Moritz
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  4. D Dilloo
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Correspondence to D Dilloo.

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Troeger, A., Meisel, R., Moritz, T. et al. Immunotherapy in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation – not just a case for effector cells. Bone Marrow Transplant 35 (Suppl 1), S59–S64 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bmt.1704849

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