Bethesda, MD -- A new discovery in mice may lead to new treatments that could make bone marrow transplants more likely to succeed and to be significantly less dangerous. According to new research findings published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology (https://www.jleukbio.org) Brazilian scientists may have found a way to prevent the immune system from attacking transplant grafts and damaging the host's own cells after a bone marrow transplant.

Specifically, they found that a receptor for a mediator of the inflammatory process, known as platelet activating factor plays a crucial role in the development of graft-versus-host disease. Platelet activating factor receptor appears to contribute to the attraction of immune cells that lead to graft-versus-host disease.