Immunology of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloSCT) is a potentially curative therapy for many hematologic and immunologic diseases. The therapeutic efficacy of allogeneic stem cell transplantation is mainly based on the alloreactive immune response of the graft against the host tumors. However, the graft-versus-host process can be viewed as a double-edged sword since it is responsible for both the beneficial graft-versus-tumor (GVT) effect and the deleterious graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). During the past two decades, intensive research in immunology have shed light on the physiopathology of alloSCT and are the basis on novel pharmacological and immunotherapeutic approaches aimed to dissociate GVHD from GVT effect. They are summarized in this article.