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Scientists have generally thought that such cures relied on any virus lurking in the recipient's remaining immune cells -- following chemotherapy -- being unable to infect the donor cells, meaning it can't replicate. "Essentially, the pool of host cells to infect runs dry," says Gaebler.
But the latest case suggests that, instead, cures can be achieved as long as non-resistant donor cells are able to destroy any of the patient's remaining original immune cells before the virus can spread to them, speculates Gaebler. Such immune reactions are often driven by differences in the proteins displayed on the two sets of cells. These make the donor cells recognise residual recipient cells as a threat to eliminate, says Gaebler.
