HLA-mismatched cord blood transplantation: immunological studies

Two cases of HLA partially matched related cord blood transplantation were reported. The first patient remains healthy more than 4 years after graft. The second patient died from acute GVHD. In the first case, the immune reconstitution was studied over a 2 year period after graft: the alloreactive cytotoxic T-cell precursor (CTLp) frequencies were comparable between the donor and the recipient. Indirect evidence suggested that the resolution of GVHD was not due to a specific deletion of CTLp against the HLA antigens unshared between donor and recipient.