Targeted Rho-associated kinase 2 inhibition suppresses murine and human chronic GVHD through a Stat3-dependent mechanism.

Chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) remains a major complication following allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT). The discovery of novel therapeutics is dependent on assessment in preclinical murine models of cGVHD. Rho-associated kinase 2 (ROCK2) recently was shown to be implicated in regulation of interleukin-21 (IL-21) and IL-17 secretion in mice and humans.

Ibrutinib treatment ameliorates murine chronic graft-versus-host disease.

Chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) is a life-threatening impediment to allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, and current therapies do not completely prevent and/or treat cGVHD. CD4+ T cells and B cells mediate cGVHD; therefore, targeting these populations may inhibit cGVHD pathogenesis. Ibrutinib is an FDA-approved irreversible inhibitor of Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) and IL-2 inducible T cell kinase (ITK) that targets Th2 cells and B cells and produces durable remissions in B cell malignancies with minimal toxicity.