De novo and quiescent cGVHD are distinguishable in a prognostic biomarker panel

Vollmer L, Habenicht K, Schneider A, Fante M, Mackensen A, Winkler J, Wolff D, Winkler T (2026)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2026

Journal

Frontiers in Immunology Frontiers Research Foundation / Frontiers Media

Book Volume: 17

Article Number: 1760111

DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2026.1760111

Abstract

Chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) remains the most significant long-term complication after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT), despite increasing insights into its pathogenesis. The development of reliable prognostic biomarkers is essential for identifying patients at high risk of developing cGVHD which may benefit from pre-emptive intervention. However, valid biomarkers remain elusive, and cGVHD is typically treated after clinical onset only, when irreversible manifestations such as ocular involvement may already be present. In this exploratory study, we identified ten cytokines and chemokines with potential prognostic value for predicting subsequent cGVHD. Using bead-based multiplex analysis, we assessed serum samples from 60 adult allo-HSCT recipients at day +90 and day +180 post-transplant to identify proteins distinguishing patients who later developed cGVHD from those who remained tolerant. Significant differences were found in the serum levels of BAFF, CCL4, CXCL9, and sRAGE between patients with de novo cGVHD and those without GVHD. In contrast, elevated IL-6, IL-17A, PAI-1, IL-10, CX3CL1, CXCL1, and CCL4 levels were prognostic for quiescent cGVHD compared with patients with resolved acute GVHD only. These findings underscore the biological heterogeneity of cGVHD and the limited value of single-biomarker approaches, emphasizing the need to consider distinct clinical subgroups and prior disease courses in future predictive models.

Authors with CRIS profile

Katharina Habenicht Department of Medicine 5 – Haematology and Oncology Andrea Schneider Lehrstuhl für Genetik Andreas Mackensen Lehrstuhl für Innere Medizin V Julia Winkler Department of Medicine 5 – Haematology and Oncology Thomas Winkler Professur für Genetik

Involved external institutions

Universitätsklinikum Regensburg DE Germany (DE)

How to cite

APA:

Vollmer, L., Habenicht, K., Schneider, A., Fante, M., Mackensen, A., Winkler, J.,... Winkler, T. (2026). De novo and quiescent cGVHD are distinguishable in a prognostic biomarker panel. Frontiers in Immunology, 17. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2026.1760111

MLA:

Vollmer, Lara, et al. "De novo and quiescent cGVHD are distinguishable in a prognostic biomarker panel." Frontiers in Immunology 17 (2026).

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