A natural enzyme derived from human blood plasma showed potential in significantly reducing the effects of graft-vs.-host disease, a common and deadly side effect of lifesaving bone marrow transplants.
Researchers from the Comprehensive Cancer Center looked at the drug alpha-1-antitrypsin, which is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in people who have a genetic mutation that makes them deficient in a certain enzyme. This drug has been used in many of these patients over extended periods of time and is known to cause minimal side effects.
More important, there are no known reports of increased susceptibility to infections. This is key for people with graft-vs.-host disease, where existing treatment options tend to suppress the immune system, putting patients at risk of infection. Graft-vs.-host disease is a major complication of bone marrow transplants using marrow from a donor, called an allogeneic transplant. This often-deadly side effect is what makes the procedure so risky.
The study appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Additional U-M authors are senior study author Dr. Pavan Reddy, lead study author Dr. Isao Tawara, Yaping Sun, Tomomi Toubai, Rebecca Evers and Evelyn Nieves.
