Epigenomics in Hematopoietic Transplantation: Novel Treatment Strategies

Abstract

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is a high risk but curative treatment option for leukemia, myelodysplasia and other hematological malignancies. After high dose radio- or chemo-therapy, recipient‘s hematopoiesis is replaced by a new immunosystem and residual malignant cells are eliminated by the graft-versus-leukemia reaction. The benefit of this immunological effect is limited by the most frequent complication of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: graft-versus-host disease. In addition to their well-known anti-tumor activity, epigenetic drugs mediate immunotolerance without reducing alloreactivity or even enhance graft-versus-leukemia effect without inducing graft-versus-host disease by regulating cytokine release, increasing the circulating number of regulatory T cells and interacting with natural killer cells. We focus on the use of epigenetic drugs in the allogeneic transplantation setting in relation to their anti-tumor and immunomodulatory potential.

KEYWORDS::

• allogeneic hematopoietic transplantation
• alloreactivity
• conditioning regimen
• epigenetic regulation
• graft-versus-host disease
• graft-versus-leukemia effect
• immunotolerance
• regulatory T cells

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.