Vascularized bone marrow transplantation (VBMT): induction of stable mixed T-cell chimerism and transplantation tolerance in unmodified recipients.

In this preliminary report, our model of VBMT across a semiallogeneic barrier consistently brings about antigen-specific host tolerance with absence of GVHD in the majority of recipients. No immunologic or radiologic intervention was utilized. These results emphasized a potentially important mechanism for low-level stable mixed lymphoid chimerism (SMLC) in tolerance induction, independent of immune suppressive effects due to irradiation or immunopharmacologic intervention.