Quantitative assessment of T-cell repertoire recovery after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

A limited T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation can be associated with poor clinical outcomes and greater susceptibility to infections. Jeroen van Heijst and colleagues have combined 5′ RACE PCR with deep sequencing technology to provide a reproducible and quantitative measure of the recovery of TCR diversity during the first year of transplantation with three commonly used stem cell sources in patients with various hematologic malignancies.