Presently, patients are advised to use medicines that weaken their entire immune systems when it comes to preventing the rejection of newly transplanted organs and cells. These potentially life-saving treatment options may, paradoxically, leave those administered with them susceptible to life-endangering complications. But, not any more. Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine and the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center have able to discover that the fundamental behind trigger of the immune system in context to an attack transplanted cells in the very first place.

From News-Medical.Net:

The UNC study has identified a subset of cells – named TH17 cells – that can bring about the condition. Until now, without a clear understanding of the disease, clinicians have had little choice but to treat transplant patients with toxic regimens of steroids and immunosuppressive drugs.

“Our hope is that uncovering the mechanisms that cause graft-versus-host disease will allow for treatments that specifically target its causes and do not have the harmful side effects of traditional immunosuppressive therapy,” said study lead author Jonathan S. Serody, M.D., a member of the Lineberger Center and the Elizabeth Thomas Professor of Medicine, Microbiology and Immunology at UNC. The results of the study appeared in the Feb. 5, 2009, issue of Blood , the journal of the American Society of Hematology.

Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is a serious complication of transplants that occurs when the donor’s marrow (graft) produces immune cells that attack multiple organs of the recipient (host), typically the skin, gastrointestinal tract and liver.

Serody predicted that there would be a number of drugs coming out in the coming five years to treat immune-based skin diseases and research on that TH17 branch has already sparked interest of many pharmaceutical companies.