GvHD Hub

The GvHD Hub spoke with Andrew Harris, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, US. We asked, What are the challenges involved in enrolling pediatric patients in cGvHD clinical trials?During this interview, Harris discusses key barriers to enrolling pediatric patients with chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGvHD) in clinical trials, including the limited number of specialist centers with expertise in managing pediatric cGvHD and the resulting need for some children and their families to travel considerable distances to participating sites. He also highlights how the rarity of cGvHD in children may make it difficult to identify eligible patients for clinical trials.Intended for healthcare professionals. This educational resource is independently supported by Sanofi. All content is developed by SES in collaboration with an expert steering committee. Funders are allowed no influence.

The GvHD Hub spoke with Steven Pavletic, Bethesda, US. We asked, What are the key barriers to patient participation in cGvHD clinical trials? During this interview, Pavletic discusses key factors that may impact patient participation in chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGvHD) clinical trials, including the practical and emotional demands associated with trial involvement, as well as concerns regarding treatment-emergent adverse events and potential long-term effects of investigational therapies. He highlights the importance of empowering patients and involving them in decisions about their care, with clear communication helping to ensure that patients are well informed and have realistic expectations about trial participation. Intended for healthcare professionals. This educational resource is independently supported by Sanofi. All content is developed by SES in collaboration with an expert steering committee. Funders are allowed no influence.

The GvHD Hub spoke with Corey Cutler, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, US. We asked, What approaches could improve recruitment and retention in cGvHD clinical trials? During this interview, Cutler discusses strategies to promote recruitment and retention of patients in chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGvHD) clinical trials. He highlights the importance of broad eligibility criteria, as well as opportunities for patients to participate in both therapeutic and non-therapeutic cGvHD research. He also emphasizes the need to consider the patient perspective when designing trials, including the time, travel, and assessment burden associated with participation. Intended for healthcare professionals. This educational resource is independently supported by Sanofi. All content is developed by SES in collaboration with an expert steering committee. Funders are allowed no influence.

During the GvHD Hub Steering Committee Meeting in July 2026, key opinion leaders met to discuss how extracorporeal photophoresis (ECP) is used in clinical practice for the treatment of pediatric graft-versus-host disease (GvHD), including benefits and challenges associated with its use. The meeting opened with a presentation from Andrew Harris, and featured a panel discussion with Mohamad Mohty, Corey Cutler, Hildegard Greinix, and Daniel Wolff.  During his presentation, Harris explained that, beyond first-line steroid therapy, the management of GvHD relies on a range of second-line treatment options, noting there are limited data and guidance specific to pediatric patients. Among these, ECP – an immunomodulatory leukapheresis-based therapy – is increasingly being incorporated into clinical practice as a second-line or later treatment. However, its use in pediatric patients remains variable, with no standardized approach. Harris presented a case from his practice involving a 3-year-old patient who developed acute GvHD following transplantation and was treated with ECP. He also discussed the practical and logistical considerations associated with ECP and explored how micro-ECP may overcome some of the challenges limiting ECP use in pediatric patients.  This educational activity is independently supported by Therakos. All content is developed by the steering committee in collaboration with SES. Funders are allowed no influence  

During the 8th International Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease Symposium, the GvHD Hub held a symposium on May 22, 2026, titled Evolving treatment strategies in SR‑cGvHD: Optimizing patient selection across current and emerging therapies. Here, we share a presentation by Corey Cutler, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, US, describing the impact of clinical manifestations on treatment selection in steroid-refractory chronic graft-versus-host disease (SR-cGvHD). Cutler provides an overview of the inflammatory and fibrotic mechanisms underlying cGvHD, including the roles of the JAK1/2, ROCK2, and CSF-1R signaling pathways. He outlines the heterogeneous, organ-specific responses observed with targeted therapies and highlights that treatment selection may be informed by consideration of expected organ-specific responses and disease phenotype, with growing efforts to target the underlying biological mechanisms of cGvHD.  This educational resource is independently supported by Sanofi. All content is developed by SES in collaboration with an expert steering committee. Funders are allowed no influence

During the 8th International Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease Symposium, the GvHD Hub held a symposium on May 22, 2026, titled Evolving treatment strategies in SR‑cGvHD: Optimizing patient selection across current and emerging therapies. Here, we share a presentation by Zinaida Perić, Rijeka, HR, outlining emerging treatment strategies for SR-cGvHD. Perić highlights the growing shift toward targeted approaches that directly address the inflammation and fibrosis associated with cGvHD. She reviews the latest clinical data for several novel agents and combination approaches under evaluation for the treatment of SR-cGvHD, while emphasizing the need for larger-scale studies to confirm clinical benefit. This educational resource is independently supported by Sanofi. All content is developed by SES in collaboration with an expert steering committee. Funders are allowed no influence.

During the 8th International Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease Symposium, the GvHD Hub held a symposium on May 22, 2026, titled Evolving treatment strategies in SR‑cGvHD: Optimizing patient selection across current and emerging therapies. The symposium closed with a panel discussion that included questions from the audience. The panelists, Zinaida Perić, Daniel Wolff, and Corey Cutler, shared their perspectives on several key topics, including applying learnings from the treatment of other diseases, and the role of combination therapy in cGvHD. This educational resource is independently supported by Sanofi. All content is developed by SES in collaboration with an expert steering committee. Funders are allowed no influence.

The GvHD Hub spoke with Corey Cutler, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, US. We asked, How do you approach later-line sequencing in cGvHD in your clinical practice?  Cutler discusses his approach to selecting second-line and subsequent therapies for patients with cGvHD. He explains that, in his practice, treatment selection is guided primarily by FDA approval status and toxicity profiles, while organ involvement plays a more limited, context-dependent role. He highlights patient comorbidities and practical considerations, such as route of administration and dosing frequency, as additional factors that may influence therapy selection. This educational resource is independently supported by Sanofi. All content is developed by SES in collaboration with an expert steering committee. Funders are allowed no influence.