Preventing Graft-versus-host Disease Disease After Bone Marrow Transplant -- Without Toxicity

... Most patients undergoing bone-marrow transplant must receive powerful chemotherapy drugs to suppress their immune system and prevent their bodies from rejecting the donated cells. New research shows that this chemotherapy increases the risk for graft-versus-host disease -- but also suggests that this risk can be reduced by replacing a natural antibiotic that's depleted when patients undergo chemotherapy. A multicenter study led by Children's Hospital Boston and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is about to test this idea. ...