Clinical Research Directory

Naive T Cell Depletion for Preventing Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease in Children and Young Adults With Blood Cancers Undergoing Donor Stem Cell Transplant

This phase II trial studies how well naive T-cell depletion works in preventing chronic graft-versus-host disease in children and young adults with blood cancers undergoing donor stem cell transplant. Sometimes the transplanted white blood cells from a donor attack the body's normal tissues (called graft versus host disease). Removing a particular type of T cell (naive T cells) from the donor cells before the transplant may stop this from happening.

Hu8F4 in Treating Patients With Advanced Hematologic Malignancies

This phase I trial studies the side effects and best dose of anti-PR1/HLA-A2 monoclonal antibody Hu8F4 (Hu8F4) in treating patients with malignancies related to the blood (hematologic). Monoclonal antibodies, such as Hu8F4, may interfere with the ability of cancer cells to grow and spread.

Azacitidine With or Without Lenalidomide or Vorinostat in Treating Patients With Higher-Risk Myelodysplastic Syndromes or Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia

This randomized phase II/III trial studies how well azacitidine works with or without lenalidomide or vorinostat in treating patients with higher-risk myelodysplastic syndromes or chronic myelomonocytic leukemia. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as azacitidine, work in different ways to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells, stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Lenalidomide may stop the growth of cancer cells by stopping blood flow to the cancer. Vorinostat may stop the growth of cancer cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. It is not yet known whether azacitidine is more effective with or without lenalidomide or vorinostat in treating myelodysplastic syndromes or chronic myelomonocytic leukemia.

Allo HSCT Using RIC and PTCy for Hematological Diseases

This is a Phase II study following subjects proceeding with our Institutional non-myeloablative cyclophosphamide/ fludarabine/total body irradiation (TBI) preparative regimen followed by a related, unrelated, or partially matched family donor stem cell infusion using post-transplant cyclophosphamide (PTCy), sirolimus and MMF GVHD prophylaxis.

Selective Depletion of CD45RA+ T Cells From Allogeneic Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Grafts From HLA-Matched Related and Unrelated Donors in Preventing GVHD

This phase II trial is for patients with acute lymphocytic leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia, myelodysplastic syndrome or chronic myeloid leukemia who have been referred for a peripheral blood stem cell transplantation to treat their cancer. In these transplants, chemotherapy and total-body radiotherapy ('conditioning') are used to kill residual leukemia cells and the patient's normal blood cells, especially immune cells that could reject the donor cells. Following the chemo/radiotherapy, blood stem cells from the donor are infused. These stem cells will grow and eventually replace the patient's original blood system, including red cells that carry oxygen to our tissues, platelets that stop bleeding from damaged vessels, and multiple types of immune-system white blood cells that fight infections. Mature donor immune cells, especially a type of immune cell called T lymphocytes (or T cells) are transferred along with these blood-forming stem cells. T cells are a major part of the curative power of transplantation because they can attack leukemia cells that have survived the chemo/radiation therapy and also help to fight infections after transplantation. However, donor T cells can also attack a patient's healthy tissues in an often-dangerous condition known as Graft-Versus-Host-Disease (GVHD). Drugs that suppress immune cells are used to decrease the severity of GVHD; however, they are incompletely effective and prolonged immunosuppression used to prevent and treat GVHD significantly increases the risk of serious infections. Removing all donor T cells from the transplant graft can prevent GVHD, but doing so also profoundly delays infection-fighting immune reconstitution and eliminates the possibility that donor immune cells will kill residual leukemia cells. Work in animal models found that depleting a type of T cell, called naïve T cells or T cells that have never responded to an infection, can diminish GVHD while at least in part preserving some of the benefits of donor T cells including resistance to infection and the ability to kill leukemia cells. This clinical trial studies how well the selective removal of naïve T cells works in preventing GVHD after peripheral blood stem cell transplants. This study will include patients conditioned with high or medium intensity chemo/radiotherapy who can receive donor grafts from related or unrelated donors.