The conditioning regimen administered prior to allogeneic transplantation for acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) must be sufficiently immunosuppressive to ensure engraftment, and contributes to the anti-leukaemic impact of the procedure. A broad spectrum of regimens have been studied, varying in their intensity, whether high-dose or reduced intensity, and in the agents used, containing total body irradiation (TBI) plus cyclophosphamide, fludarabine, busulfan and/or anti-thymocyte globulin. Over the past 2 decades, research has influenced the way conditioning regimens are applied. Newer research shows that targeted radiotherapy using an anti-CD45 antibody should be able to reduce toxicity, improve tumour cell kill and thereby improve results.