King Faisal immunotherapy combats bone marrow transplant relapse

One-third of transplant recipients can suffer from recurrences without this post-operation boost.

King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre (KFSHRC) in Jeddah has manufactured and introduced a post-transplant booster dose for bone marrow transplant patients.

The booster uses an advanced cellular immunotherapy designed to support transplant success and reduce the risk of relapse, KFSHRC said.

The dose was also introduced as relapse after bone marrow transplantation can reach roughly one-third of patients, the research centre added, citing clinical data.

KFSHRC said that patients can now receive post-transplant treatment closer to their homes, as before, they had to travel to Riyadh or outside the Kingdom to receive this type of therapy.

The booster dose is given to the patient intravenously during a short visit, without the need for prolonged hospitalisation. It is prepared from healthy cells collected from the original donor before the transplant, then returned to the patient in carefully measured doses.

The approach boosts immunity and reduces the likelihood of relapse over the longer term.

A patient from Jeddah who had undergone a bone marrow transplant and was at risk of relapse was the first recipient of the KFSHRC dose, the hospital said.