Bone Marrow Transplant clinical trials at University of California Health

Patients in need of an allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) are at risk of developing graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD). In certain clinical situations, the optimal approach to minimize the risk of GVHD is to perform ex vivo alpha-beta T-cell depletion of the donor cells. However, the CliniMACS® Device is FDA-approved only for a narrow indication. All other uses of ex vivo processed cells must be done under a feasibility study protocol.

The researchers are doing this study to find out whether emapalumab or a combination of fludarabine and dexamethasone are effective in preparing people with a primary immune regulatory disorder (PIRD) and/or an autoinflammatory condition to receive a stem cell transplant. The researchers will look at how well the study treatments reduce inflammation and aid in the engraftment process (the process of donated stem cells traveling to the bone marrow, where they begin to make new immune cells. "Funding Source - FDA OOPD"

Patients are in 2 cohorts: Cohort 1: dexamethasone, methotrexate, ifosfamide, pegaspargase, and etoposide (modified SMILE) chemotherapy regimen alone and pembrolizumab in children, adolescents, and young adults with advanced stage NK lymphoma and leukemia Cohort 2: combining pralatrexate (PRX) (Cycles 1, 2, 4, 6) and brentuximab vedotin (BV) (Cycles 3, 5) to cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and prednisone in children, adolescent, and young adults with advanced peripheral T-cell lymphoma (non-anaplastic large cell lymphoma or non-NK lymphoma/leukemia) . Both groups proceed to allogeneic stem cell transplant with disease response.

This phase III trial compares hematopoietic (stem) cell transplantation (HCT) using mismatched related donors (haploidentical [haplo]) versus matched unrelated donors (MUD) in treating children, adolescents, and young adults with acute leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). HCT is considered standard of care treatment for patients with high-risk acute leukemia and MDS. In HCT, patients are given very high doses of chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy, which is intended to kill cancer cells that may be resistant to more standard doses of chemotherapy; unfortunately, this also destroys the normal cells in the bone marrow, including stem cells. After the treatment, patients must have a healthy supply of stem cells reintroduced or transplanted. The transplanted cells then reestablish the blood cell production process in the bone marrow. The healthy stem cells may come from the blood or bone marrow of a related or unrelated donor. If patients do not have a matched related donor, doctors do not know what the next best donor choice is. This trial may help researchers understand whether a haplo related donor or a MUD HCT for children with acute leukemia or MDS is better or if there is no difference at all.

To perform an receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, define a threshold and quantify the sensitivity and specificity of US SWE for risk stratification of patients into three categories as defined by the European Bone Marrow Transplant (EBMT) adult and pediatric criteria: no sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (SOS), mild to moderate SOS, and severe to very severe SOS. Secondarily, the investigators would also like to quantify the temporal relationship between US SWE changes and SOS diagnosis according to various clinical criteria (Modified Seattle, Baltimore, EBMT consortium).

This study will validate a previously developed pediatric prognostic biomarker algorithm aimed at improving prediction of risk for the later development of chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGvHD) in children and young adults undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant. By developing an early risk stratification of patients into low-, intermediate-, and high-risk for future cGvHD development (based upon their biomarker profile, before the onset of cGvHD), pre-emptive therapies aimed at preventing the onset of cGvHD can be developed based upon an individual's biological risk profile. This study will also continue research into diagnostic biomarkers of cGvHD, and begin work into biomarker models that predict clinical response to cGvHD therapies.

Hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) is an effective but toxic therapy and pulmonary morbidity affects as many as 25% of children receiving transplant. Early pulmonary injury includes diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (DAH), thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) interstitial pneumonitis (IPS) and infection, while later, bronchiolitis obliterans is a complication of chronic GVHD associated with severe morbidity and mortality. Improved diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary complications are urgently needed as survival after HSCT improves, and as HSCT is increasingly used for non-malignant disorders such as sickle cell disease. Currently, there are large and important gaps in the investigator's knowledge regarding incidence, etiology and optimal treatment of pulmonary complications. Moreover, young children unable to perform spirometry are often diagnosed late, and strategies for monitoring therapeutic response are limited. This is a prospective multi-institutional cohort study in pediatric patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloHSCT). Assembly of a large prospective uniformly screened cohort of children receiving HSCT, together with collection of biological samples, will be an effective strategy to identify mechanisms of lung injury, test novel diagnostic strategies for earlier diagnosis, and novel treatments to reduce morbidity and mortality from lung injury after transplant.