A research team at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital has presented a new direction for the treatment of acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), which occurs after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is a primary method for treating malignant blood disorders such as leukemia and lymphoma. GVHD is a major post-transplant complication that often occurs in patients who have received this type of transplant, where the transplanted immune cells attack the patient's body, manifesting either acutely or chronically. This can degrade the quality of life and, in severe cases, lead to death.

The research team, led by Professors Jeon Young-woo and Cho Seok-goo, discovered that a protein called BAFF (B-cell activating factor) is involved in the occurrence and progression of GVHD.

BAFF is a protein that helps activate and sustain B cells, which play an important role in protecting the body from infection and disease through the immune system.

The team found that in cases of acute and chronic GVHD, an overexpression of BAFF leads to excessive activation of B cells, which then contributes to the mechanism by which the transplanted immune cells attack the patient's body.

By using a BAFF inhibitor to block this pathway, the team observed that the balance of T cells and B cells was restored, and the symptoms of both acute and chronic GVHD were alleviated.

The team also found that the levels of BAFF were higher in the blood of patients with acute GVHD than in those with chronic GVHD, and that the administration of BAFF inhibitors helped resolve the GVHD.

"This study proves that blocking BAFF is a key point in the prevention and treatment of GVHD, and it will serve as an opportunity to provide a mechanism for additional treatments," Professor Jeon said.

The results of the research were published in Frontiers in Immunology.