α-1 antitrysin DAMPens GVHD

Abstract

In this issue of Blood, Brennan et al report that a noninfectious damage-associated molecular pattern (DAMP), heparan sulfate (HS),1 aggravates graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and that this enhanced severity can be dampened by administration of serine protease inhibitor α-1 antitrysin (AAT).2.