Doctoral scholarship from the German José Carreras Leukemia Foundation
Project to improve the success rates of stem cell transplants
13. September 2024
The German José Carreras Leukemia Foundation (DJCLS) and the German Society for Hematology and Medical Oncology (DGHO) have been awarding the José Carreras-DGHO doctoral scholarship since 2014 to promote research into new therapies for leukemia and related malignant blood and bone marrow diseases. Lea Gammel, a doctoral student at the Clinic and Polyclinic for Internal Medicine III at the University Hospital Regensburg (UKR), has been awarded one of these coveted scholarships. The scholarship is endowed with 12,400 euros.
Allogeneic stem cell transplantation has become an important therapeutic option for the treatment of diseases of the blood and lymphatic system, such as leukemia and lymphoma. The most serious side effect of this intervention is still the so-called “graft-versus-host disease” (GvHD). This involves the donor's immune cells attacking the patient's organs. The liver, skin and intestines are most frequently affected by this rejection reaction. In its acute form, GvHD is responsible for around a third of transplant-related mortality and in its chronic form, GvHD also leads to severe impairment of the patient's health and quality of life. Until now, attempts have been made to prevent the disease by administering immunosuppressive drugs, but these are associated with a number of undesirable side effects.
“In order to better prevent or treat GvHD in the future, we are researching a subgroup of human immune cells known as regulatory T cells. Their task is to control other immunocompetent cells in order to prevent excessive immune reactions, for example in autoimmune diseases. We genetically modify these cells so that they specifically prevent the unwanted attacks of the donor cells against their new host body, and thus GvHD,” explains Lea Gammel, doctoral student at the Department of Internal Medicine III at the UKR, about her research project.
However, not all regulatory T cells are equally suitable for this purpose, as some of them quickly lose their functionality after contact with target molecules, so-called antigens. As part of our research, the differences between the cell subtypes are to be characterized more precisely in order to gain important insights into their therapeutic use. “Our aim is to test such cells in clinical trials in order to be able to prevent GvHD more effectively and safely in the future and thus increase the success rates of allogeneic stem cell transplants,” summarizes Lea Gammel.
Prof. Dr. Matthias Edinger, Deputy Director of the Clinic and Polyclinic for Internal Medicine III of the UKR, the award winner Lea Gammel and PD Dr. Petra Hoffmann, head of the working group ©Franziska Holten/UKR
Information/Contact
Matthias Dettenhofer
Pressereferent
Universitätsklinikum Regensburg
Tel: +49 (0)941 944 31580
E-Mail: matthias.dettenhofer@ukr.de
