Surprising findings about blood cell mutations bode well for transplant recipients
After an allogeneic stem cell transplant, a recipient’s body faces a daunting task: rebuilding the person’s blood-forming and immune systems from the ground up from a relatively small number of “seed” cells obtained from their donor.
To achieve this, the donated cells must replicate again and again — and again.
It’s a cycle that might put recipients at risk if a new, potentially harmful mutation arises or if a mutation present in the donated cells is reproduced many times over. Researchers from Fred Hutch Cancer Center set out to determine how common such issues are. The results, published in Science Translational Medicine, surprised them.
In this Q&A, lead author Masumi Ueda Oshima, MD, MA, explains the study and its implications. Ueda Oshima is an associate professor in Fred Hutch’s Clinical Research Division. She is also the recipient of two Gabrielle’s Angel Foundation Medical Advisory Board grants from Board Member Dr. Rainer Storb.