Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is a potentially curative treatment option for several hematologic malignancies and other congenital diseases including immunodeficiencies or hemoglobinopathies. When the first allografts were performed, most patients given bone marrow (BM) from donors other than homozygotic twins developed skin, gut, and/or liver injury. This disease was defined by Billingham in 1966 as graft-versushost disease (GVHD). He also described 3 standard tenets for GVHD pathophysiology, which remain valid today even with rapid advances in this area: (1) donor graft must have immune-competent cells, (2) recipient must be incapable of rejecting the graft, and (3) recipient must have tissue antigens not present in the donor.
To read the full article in PDF: