The Role of BCL2 Expression in Donor Lymphocytes During GVHD Development
Bejarano-Garcia JA, Nufer M, Palacios-Barea J, et al. BCL2-Overexpression in Donor Lymphocytes Reduces the Risk of Graft-Versus-Host Disease. Blood Advances. 2026; (doi: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2025017700).
Donor T cells that overexpress the protein BCL2, including those enriched after steroid exposure, protect against graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). Based on observations in mouse models, researchers found that high expression of BCL2 does not impede graft-versus-leukemia but does reduce the risk of developing GVHD and the likelihood of acute manifestations of the disease. Inhibition of BCL2 with venetoclax appears to have the opposite effect. Based on the findings, BCL2 inhibitors should be used judiciously after allo-HSCT.