Immune reconstitution after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: time to T up the thymus

MS Chaudhry, E Velardi, F Malard… - The Journal of …, 2017 - journals.aai.org
MS Chaudhry, E Velardi, F Malard, MRM van den Brink
The Journal of Immunology, 2017journals.aai.org
The success of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, a key treatment for many
disorders, is intertwined with T cell immune reconstitution. The thymus plays a key role post
allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in the generation of a broad but self-
tolerant T cell repertoire, but it is exquisitely sensitive to a range of insults during the
transplant period, including conditioning regimens, corticosteroids, infections, and graft-
versus-host disease. Although endogenous thymic repair is possible it is often suboptimal …
Abstract
The success of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, a key treatment for many disorders, is intertwined with T cell immune reconstitution. The thymus plays a key role post allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in the generation of a broad but self-tolerant T cell repertoire, but it is exquisitely sensitive to a range of insults during the transplant period, including conditioning regimens, corticosteroids, infections, and graft-versus-host disease. Although endogenous thymic repair is possible it is often suboptimal, and there is a need to develop exogenous strategies to help regenerate the thymus. Therapies currently in clinical trials in the transplant setting include keratinocyte growth factor, cytokines (IL-7 and IL-22), and hormonal modulation including sex steroid inhibition and growth hormone administration. Such regenerative strategies may ultimately enable the thymus to play as prominent a role after transplant as it once did in early childhood, allowing a more complete restoration of the T cell compartment.
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