Ex vivo T-cell depletion in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant: past, present and future

The most common cause of post-transplant mortality in patients with hematological malignancy is relapse, followed by GvHD, infections, organ toxicity and second malignancy. Immune-mediated complications such as GvHD continue to be challenging, yet amenable to control through manipulation of the T-cell compartment of the donor graft with subsequent immunomodulation after transplant. However, risk of both relapse and infection increase concomitantly with T-cell depletion (TCD) strategies that impair immune recovery. In this review, we discuss the clinical outcome of current and emerging strategies of TCD in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant that have developed during the modern transplantation era, focusing specifically on ex vivo strategies that target selected T-cell subsets.