The protein elafin may be a good indicator of graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD) in patients who underwent an allogeneic stem cell transplant. These findings were published recently in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

Stem cell transplantation is the preferred treatment plan for multiple myeloma patients under the age of 65. When patients cannot produce enough of their own healthy stem cells for an autologous transplant, they undergo an allogeneic transplant, in which they receive stem cells from a donor.

A common complication of allogeneic stem cell transplantation, graft-versus-host disease, occurs when the body’s immune …