We have been using the Graft versus Host reaction as basis for the development and applications of a very useful animal model with the injection of donor CBA spleen cells applied to 10days old (CBAxC57BL) Hybrid mice. Because of the genetic differences among both isogenic strains; H2k versus H2d, and the incapacity to reject the transplanted spleen cells, this injection triggers a powerful immune reaction in the Host, called Graft versus Host reaction, which is easy to be measured by many methods, among them; the Spleen Index, limphokine pattern, histopathology, etc.,

We use the model to test different treatment candidates intended to be used in the future to treat and/or to avoid the GVH-Disease that occurs as the main severe complication of the Bone Marrow Transplantation which is the main treatment in certain cancer and other situations, and also as consequence of other immunocompetent cell based therapies.

But during the latest years we have been working with the aim to use this model as instrument to measure and evaluate the potency and capacity of vaccine adjuvants to modulate the specific and un-specific immune response.

We have been able to obtain practically a complete suppression of GVH-R in a consistent way, this what we wanted to prove for candidates of immunotherapeutical products to be used in humans!

Do you think would be necessary to add to the therapy also a component to block or silence permanently the immunogenetic difference between donor and host???

Gustavo