Am. Marmont et Dw. Vanbekkum, STEM-CELL TRANSPLANTATION FOR SEVERE AUTOIMMUNE-DISEASES - NEW PROPOSALS BUT STILL UNANSWERED QUESTIONS, Bone marrow transplantation, 16(4), 1995, pp. 497-498
An extensive series of experimental investigations has shown that both
inherited and induced autoimmune diseases in laboratory animals may b
e transferred and, conversely, cured by stem cell transplantation. In
man, the evidence is mainly anecdotal, originating both from the trans
mission of autoimmune conditions following allogeneic BMT from carrier
donors to non-autoimmune recipients transplant-requiring diseases, an
d from the resolution of autoimmune diseases (mainly rheumatoid arthri
tis) of the recipients after allogeneic BMT from healthy donors. Will
it be possible to cure severe autoimmune diseases with powerfully immu
nosuppressive conditioning regimens followed by the administration of
hematopoietic stem cells? If the reconstitution of a naive immune syst
em is necessary, allogeneic stem cells will be necessary, but the proc
edure is still saddled with its attending problems, with TRM in the fo
reground. When utilizing autologous stem cells in conjunction with TCD
the patients' tolerance will be significantly better, but remissions
are to be anticipated rather than cures. However, some special manipul
ations may be expected to ameliorate results in those selected autoimm
une patients not or badly responding to conventional immunosuppressive
therapy, for whom this type of treatment can be offered.