Scholars@Duke
Stefanie Sarantopoulos

Stefanie Sarantopoulos

Chief of Hematologic Malignancies and Cellular Therapy
Medicine, Hematologic Malignancies and Cellular Therapy
stefanie.sarantopoulos@duke.edu
Duke Blood Cancer Center 2400 Pratt St., Suite 5000, Box 3961, Durham, NC 27705
2400 Pratt Street Floor 5, Box 3961, Durham, NC 27710

Selected Publications

A More MAGICal Alogrithm in Acute GVHD.

Journal Article Transplant Cell Ther · April 2024 Full text Link to item Cite

Financial Toxicity and Quality of Life in Patients Undergoing Stem-Cell Transplant Evaluation: A Single-Center Analysis.

Journal Article JCO Oncol Pract · March 2024 PURPOSE: We investigated the prevalence of financial toxicity in a population undergoing hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) evaluation and measured its impact on post-transplant clinical and health-related quality-of-life outcomes. MATERIALS AND METH ... Full text Link to item Cite

Patient-reported treatment response in chronic graft-versus-host disease.

Journal Article Haematologica · January 1, 2024 Chronic graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) treatment response is assessed using National Institutes of Health (NIH) Consensus Criteria in clinical trials, and by clinician assessment in routine practice. Patient-reported treatment response is central to the ... Full text Link to item Cite

Chronic GvHD NIH Consensus Project Biology Task Force: evolving path to personalized treatment of chronic GvHD.

Journal Article Blood Adv · September 12, 2023 Chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGvHD) remains a prominent barrier to allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantion as the leading cause of nonrelapse mortality and significant morbidity. Tremendous progress has been achieved in both the understandin ... Full text Link to item Cite

Single-cell landscape analysis unravels molecular programming of the human B cell compartment in chronic GVHD.

Journal Article JCI Insight · June 8, 2023 Alloreactivity can drive autoimmune syndromes. After allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HCT), chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD), a B cell-associated autoimmune-like syndrome, commonly occurs. Because donor-derived B cells cont ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Meibomian Gland Dysfunction: A Route of Ocular Graft-Versus-Host Disease Progression That Drives a Vicious Cycle of Ocular Surface Inflammatory Damage.

Journal Article Am J Ophthalmol · March 2023 PURPOSE: To investigate the role of aggressive meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) in the immune pathogenesis of ocular graft-vs-host disease (GVHD). METHODS: In mice, an allogeneic GVHD model was established by transferring bone marrow (BM) and purified spl ... Full text Link to item Cite

A Phase I Trial of SYK Inhibition with Fostamatinib in the Prevention and Treatment of Chronic Graft-Versus-Host Disease.

Journal Article Transplant Cell Ther · March 2023 Despite the exciting advancement of novel therapies, chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) remains the most common cause of non-relapse mortality after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT). Frontline treatment of cGVHD involves syst ... Full text Link to item Cite

Geriatric Assessment Reveals Actionable Impairments in Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Candidates Age 18 to 80 Years.

Journal Article Transplant Cell Ther · August 2022 Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) is a potentially curative treatment for both malignant and nonmalignant hematologic diseases; however, reported rates of treatment-related mortality approach 30%. Outcomes are worse in patients who b ... Full text Link to item Cite

Toward a Better Understanding of the Atypical Features of Chronic Graft-Versus-Host Disease: A Report from the 2020 National Institutes of Health Consensus Project Task Force.

Journal Article Transplant Cell Ther · August 2022 Alloreactive and autoimmune responses after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation can occur in nonclassical chronic graft-versus-host disease (chronic GVHD) tissues and organ systems or manifest in atypical ways in classical organs commonly affecte ... Full text Link to item Cite

Home-Based Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation in the United States.

Journal Article Transplantation and cellular therapy · April 2022 Patients undergoing allogeneic (allo) and autologous (auto) hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) require extensive hospitalizations or daily clinic visits for the duration of their transplantation. Home HCT, wherein patients live at home and providers ... Full text Cite

Cognitive impairment in candidates for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Conference Bone Marrow Transplant · January 2022 Hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) is an increasingly common and curative treatment strategy to improve survival among individuals with malignant and nonmalignant diseases, with over one million HCTs having been performed worldwide. Neurocognitive dysfunc ... Full text Link to item Cite

Alphavirus Replicon Particle Vaccine Breaks B Cell Tolerance and Rapidly Induces IgG to Murine Hematolymphoid Tumor Associated Antigens.

Journal Article Front Immunol · 2022 De novo immune responses to myeloid and other blood-borne tumors are notably limited and ineffective, making our ability to promote immune responses with vaccines a major challenge. While focus has been largely on cytotoxic cell-mediated tumor eradication, ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

National Institutes of Health Consensus Development Project on Criteria for Clinical Trials in Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease: IV. The 2020 Highly morbid forms report.

Journal Article Transplant Cell Ther · October 2021 Chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) can be associated with significant morbidity, in part because of nonreversible fibrosis, which impacts physical functioning (eye, skin, lung manifestations) and mortality (lung, gastrointestinal manifestations). Pro ... Full text Link to item Cite

Female Sex Is Associated with Improved Long-Term Survival Following Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation.

Journal Article Transplant Cell Ther · September 2021 Life expectancy for long-term survivors of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloHSCT), defined as those living ≥5 years post-transplantation, is significantly lower compared with that of the age-matched general population despite a relat ... Full text Link to item Cite

National Institutes of Health Consensus Development Project on Criteria for Clinical Trials in Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease: III. The 2020 Treatment of Chronic GVHD Report.

Journal Article Transplant Cell Ther · September 2021 Positive results from recent clinical trials have significantly expanded current therapeutic options for patients with chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). However, new insights into the associations between clinical characteristics of chronic GVHD, p ... Full text Link to item Cite

National Institutes of Health Consensus Development Project on Criteria for Clinical Trials in Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease: IIb. The 2020 Preemptive Therapy Working Group Report.

Journal Article Transplant Cell Ther · August 2021 Chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) commonly occurs after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) despite standard prophylactic immune suppression. Intensified universal prophylaxis approaches are effective but risk possible overtreatment ... Full text Link to item Cite

Decreased Mortality in 1-Year Survivors of Umbilical Cord Blood Transplant vs. Matched Related or Matched Unrelated Donor Transplant in Patients with Hematologic Malignancies.

Journal Article Transplant Cell Ther · August 2021 Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) has the potential to cure hematologic malignancies but is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Although deaths during the first year after transplantation are often attributable to tr ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

National Institutes of Health Consensus Development Project on Criteria for Clinical Trials in Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease: IIa. The 2020 Clinical Implementation and Early Diagnosis Working Group Report.

Journal Article Transplant Cell Ther · July 2021 Recognition of the earliest signs and symptoms of chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) that lead to severe manifestations remains a challenge. The standardization provided by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) 2005 and 2014 consensus projects has ... Full text Link to item Cite

National Institutes of Health Consensus Development Project on Criteria for Clinical Trials in Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease: I. The 2020 Etiology and Prevention Working Group Report.

Journal Article Transplant Cell Ther · June 2021 Preventing chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) remains challenging because the unique cellular and molecular pathways that incite chronic GVHD are poorly understood. One major point of intervention for potential prevention of chronic GVHD occurs at th ... Full text Link to item Cite

BAFF promotes heightened BCR responsiveness and manifestations of chronic GVHD after allogeneic stem cell transplantation.

Journal Article Blood · May 6, 2021 Patients with chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) have increased B cell-activating factor (BAFF) levels, but whether BAFF promotes disease after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (allo-BMT) remains unknown. In a major histocompatibility complex- ... Full text Link to item Cite

Selective ERBB2 and BCL2 Inhibition Is Synergistic for Mitochondrial-Mediated Apoptosis in MDS and AML Cells.

Journal Article Mol Cancer Res · May 2021 The ERBB2 proto-oncogene is associated with an aggressive phenotype in breast cancer. Its role in hematologic malignancies is incompletely defined, in part because ERBB2 is not readily detected on the surface of cancer cells. We demonstrate that truncated ... Full text Link to item Cite

Chlorhexidine Gluconate Bathing Reduces the Incidence of Bloodstream Infections in Adults Undergoing Inpatient Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation.

Journal Article Transplantation and cellular therapy · March 2021 Bloodstream infections (BSIs) occur in 20% to 45% of inpatient autologous and allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) patients. Daily bathing with the antiseptic chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) has been shown to reduce the incidence of BSIs in critica ... Full text Cite

Assessing the Feasibility of a Novel mHealth App in Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Patients.

Journal Article Transplant Cell Ther · February 2021 Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) is a curative treatment option for patients with hematologic conditions but presents many complications that must be managed as a complex, chronic condition. Mobile health applications (mHealth apps) may permit ... Full text Link to item Cite

Phase I dose escalation study of naive T-cell depleted donor lymphocyte infusion following allogeneic stem cell transplantation.

Journal Article Bone Marrow Transplant · January 2021 Prophylactic donor lymphocyte infusions (DLI) are used to augment post-transplant immune recovery to reduce both infectious complications and disease recurrence. Preclinical studies implicate the naive T-cell subset as the primary driver of graft-versus-ho ... Full text Link to item Cite

A phase 2 trial of the somatostatin analog pasireotide to prevent GI toxicity and acute GVHD in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant.

Journal Article PLoS One · 2021 BACKGROUND: Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) is an often curative intent treatment, however it is associated with significant gastrointestinal (GI) toxicity and treatment related mortality. Graft-versus-host disease is a significant ... Full text Link to item Cite

Clinical and Neuroimaging Correlates of Post-Transplant Delirium.

Journal Article Biol Blood Marrow Transplant · December 2020 Delirium is common among adults undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT), although the clinical and neuroimaging correlates of post-HCT delirium have not been adequately delineated. We therefore examined the frequency of delirium and neuroi ... Full text Link to item Cite

Morphologic Leukemia-Free State in Acute Myeloid Leukemia Is Sufficient for Successful Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant

Conference Blood · November 5, 2020 Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) improves survival in patients with relapsed or high risk acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Complete remission (CR) is typically a pre-requisite for transplantation, though many do not achieve a formal CR. ... Full text Cite

Pre-transplant hepatic steatosis (fatty liver) is associated with chronic graft-vs-host disease but not mortality.

Journal Article PLoS One · 2020 Allogeneic-HCT (allo-HCT), while potentially curative, can result in significant complications including graft versus host disease (GVHD). Prior studies suggest that metabolic syndrome may be one risk factor for GVHD. We hypothesized that hepatic steatosis ... Full text Link to item Cite

Evaluation of the Oral SYK Inhibitor Fostamatinib in Patients after Allogeneic Transplantation for Chronic Graft-Versus-Host Disease

Conference Blood · November 13, 2019 Our group previously showed that B cells signal aberrantly through the B cell receptor (BCR) in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HCT) patients with active chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD). Preclinical mouse studies have demon ... Full text Cite

Pre-Transplant Hepatic Steatosis (fatty liver) Predicts Chronic Graft-Vs-Host Disease but Does Not Affect Mortality

Conference Blood · November 13, 2019 Introduction: Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (allo-HCT) remains the only curative treatment for many hematologic conditions. However, significant mortality risk and risk of severe graft-vs-host disease (GvHD) limit its usefulness. So ... Full text Cite

Geriatric Assessment Identifies Impairments in Younger Candidates for Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

Conference Blood · November 13, 2019 Introduction: Geriatric assessment (GA) is a multidimensional evaluation of patient health and function that may detect impairments not identified as part of routine care, predict treatment-related morbidity and mortality, and inform treatment plan ... Full text Cite

Interrater Reliability of Clinical Grading Measures for Cutaneous Chronic Graft-vs-Host Disease.

Journal Article JAMA Dermatol · July 1, 2019 IMPORTANCE: Cutaneous chronic graft-vs-host disease (cGVHD) is common after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant and is often associated with poor patient outcomes. A reliable and practical method for assessing disease severity and response to the ... Full text Link to item Cite

B cells in chronic graft-versus-host disease.

Journal Article Hum Immunol · June 2019 Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloHCT) is the definitive therapy for numerous otherwise incurable hematologic malignancies and non-malignant diseases. The genetic disparity between donor and recipient both underpins therapeutic effect ... Full text Link to item Cite

Autologous Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation for Treatment-Refractory Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis: Position Statement from the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation.

Journal Article Biol Blood Marrow Transplant · May 2019 Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, disabling, immune-mediated, demyelinating and degenerative disease of the central nervous system. Approved disease-modifying therapies may be incompletely effective in some patients with highly active relapsing disease ... Full text Link to item Cite

How I treat refractory chronic graft-versus-host disease.

Journal Article Blood · March 14, 2019 Approximately 35% to 50% of patients otherwise cured of hematologic malignancies after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation will develop the pleomorphic autoimmune-like syndrome known as chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD). Since in 200 ... Full text Link to item Cite

Employment, Insurance, and Financial Experiences of Patients with Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease in North America.

Conference Biol Blood Marrow Transplant · March 2019 Understanding the socioeconomic impact of chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) on affected patients is essential to help improve their overall well-being. Using data from the Chronic GVHD Consortium, we describe the insurance, employment, and financial ... Full text Link to item Cite

Notch signaling mediated by Delta-like ligands 1 and 4 controls the pathogenesis of chronic GVHD in mice.

Journal Article Blood · November 15, 2018 Chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) is a major complication of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) and remains an area of unmet clinical need with few treatment options available. Notch blockade prevents acute GVHD in multiple mo ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

A phase II/III randomized, multicenter trial of prednisone/sirolimus versus prednisone/ sirolimus/calcineurin inhibitor for the treatment of chronic graft-versus-host disease: BMT CTN 0801.

Journal Article Haematologica · November 2018 Initial therapy of chronic graft-versus-host disease is prednisone ± a calcineurin-inhibitor, but most patients respond inadequately. In a randomized, adaptive, phase II/III, multicenter trial we studied whether prednisone/sirolimus or prednisone/sirolimus ... Full text Link to item Cite

SYK inhibitor entospletinib prevents ocular and skin GVHD in mice.

Journal Article JCI Insight · October 4, 2018 Featured Publication Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is a major complication of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT). The tyrosine kinase SYK contributes to both acute and chronic GVHD development, making it an attractive target for GVHD prevention. Entospletinib (EN ... Full text Link to item Cite

Systemic Sclerosis as an Indication for Autologous Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation: Position Statement from the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation.

Journal Article Biol Blood Marrow Transplant · October 2018 Systemic sclerosis is a progressive inflammatory disease that is frequently fatal and has limited treatment options. High-dose chemotherapy with autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (AHCT) has been evaluated as treatment for this disease in observ ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Impaired bone marrow B-cell development in mice with a bronchiolitis obliterans model of cGVHD.

Journal Article Blood Adv · September 25, 2018 Chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) causes significant morbidity and mortality in patients after allogeneic bone marrow (BM) or stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT). Recent work has indicated that both T and B lymphocytes play an important role in th ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Design and Patient Characteristics of the Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease Response Measures Validation Study.

Journal Article Biol Blood Marrow Transplant · August 2018 In 2014, the National Institutes of Health sponsored the second Consensus Development Project on Criteria for Clinical Trials in Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease (GVHD). The purpose was to update recommendations about key elements of chronic GVHD research ... Full text Link to item Cite

Biomarkers in chronic graft-versus-host disease: quo vadis?

Journal Article Bone Marrow Transplant · July 2018 Biomarkers are increasingly used for diagnosis and treatment of transplant-related complications including the first biomarker-driven interventional trials of acute graft-versus-host disease (GvHD). In contrast, the development of biomarkers of chronic GvH ... Full text Link to item Cite

B-cell targeting in chronic graft-versus-host disease.

Journal Article Blood · March 29, 2018 Over the last decade, our understanding of the pathophysiology of chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) has improved considerably. In this spotlight, we discuss emerging insights into the pathophysiology of cGVHD with a focus on B cells. First, we summ ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease: A Long Road Ahead.

Journal Article Biol Blood Marrow Transplant · March 2018 Full text Link to item Cite

Allogeneic Stem-Cell Transplantation - A T-Cell Balancing ACT.

Journal Article N Engl J Med · February 1, 2018 Featured Publication Full text Link to item Cite

An aberrant NOTCH2-BCR signaling axis in B cells from patients with chronic GVHD.

Journal Article Blood · November 9, 2017 Featured Publication B-cell receptor (BCR)-activated B cells contribute to pathogenesis in chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD), a condition manifested by both B-cell autoreactivity and immune deficiency. We hypothesized that constitutive BCR activation precluded function ... Full text Link to item Cite

Adult Umbilical Cord Blood Transplantation Using Myeloablative Thiotepa, Total Body Irradiation, and Fludarabine Conditioning.

Conference Biol Blood Marrow Transplant · November 2017 Treatment-related mortality (TRM) remains elevated in adult patients undergoing umbilical cord blood transplantation (UCBT), including an early rise in TRM suggestive of excessive toxicity associated with the standard myeloablative total body irradiation ( ... Full text Link to item Cite

Transplantation of Ex Vivo Expanded Umbilical Cord Blood (NiCord) Decreases Early Infection and Hospitalization.

Journal Article Biol Blood Marrow Transplant · July 2017 Delayed hematopoietic recovery contributes to increased infection risk following umbilical cord blood (UCB) transplantation. In a Phase 1 study, adult recipients of UCB stem cells cultured ex vivo for 3 weeks with nicotinamide (NiCord) had earlier median n ... Full text Link to item Cite

B-cell activating factor (BAFF) plasma level at the time of chronic GvHD diagnosis is a potential predictor of non-relapse mortality.

Journal Article Bone Marrow Transplant · July 2017 Biological markers for risk stratification of chronic GvHD (cGvHD) could improve the care of patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Increased plasma levels of B-cell activating factor (BAFF), chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand ... Full text Link to item Cite

National Institutes of Health Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation Late Effects Initiative: The Immune Dysregulation and Pathobiology Working Group Report.

Journal Article Biol Blood Marrow Transplant · June 2017 Immune reconstitution after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) beyond 1 year is not completely understood. Many transplant recipients who are free of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and not receiving any immunosuppression more than 1 year after ... Full text Link to item Cite

The Biology of Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease: A Task Force Report from the National Institutes of Health Consensus Development Project on Criteria for Clinical Trials in Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease.

Journal Article Biol Blood Marrow Transplant · February 2017 Chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is the leading cause of late, nonrelapse mortality and disability in allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation recipients and a major obstacle to improving outcomes. The biology of chronic GVHD remains enigmatic ... Full text Link to item Cite

Outcomes of Maintenance Therapy with Bortezomib after Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation for Patients with Multiple Myeloma.

Journal Article Biol Blood Marrow Transplant · February 2017 Comprehensive recommendations for maintenance therapy after autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) for patients with multiple myeloma (MM) have yet to be defined. Bortezomib has been utilized as maintenance therapy after ASCT, but data attesting to th ... Full text Link to item Cite

TLR7/TLR9- and B Cell Receptor-Signaling Crosstalk: Promotion of Potentially Dangerous B Cells.

Journal Article Front Immunol · 2017 Featured Publication B cells are capable of receptor-mediated responses to foreign antigens. Recognition of microbial-derived nucleic acid (NA) by toll-like receptors (TLRs) 7 and 9 in B cells has been substantiated. Endogenous NA released from damaged or dying cells can also ... Full text Link to item Cite

Recipient-Derived BAFF and Alloantigen Synergistically Activate B Cells in Murine Chronic Gvhd

Conference Blood · December 2, 2016 AbstractIncreased B cell-activating factor (BAFF) and aberrant B cell survival and activation are associated with chronic graft versus host disease (cGVHD) in patients. Whether excessive BAFF production has ... Full text Cite

Adult Umbilical Cord Blood Transplantation Using Myeloablative Total Body Irradiation, Fludarabine, and Thiotepa Conditioning

Conference Blood · December 2, 2016 AbstractIntroduction: Umbilical cord blood (UCB) extends the curative potential of stem cell transplantation to adult patients without a suitable donor. The most commonly used myeloablative preparative regim ... Full text Cite

All-Trans Retinoic Acid (ATRA) Targets IRF4 Deficient, NOTCH2-Activated B Cells from Chronic Gvhd Patients

Conference Blood · December 2, 2016 AbstractAllogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT)-related immune pathology severely limits patient (Pt) survival, largely due to infections. Chronic graft versus host disease (cGVHD) Pts are p ... Full text Cite

Plerixafor (a CXCR4 antagonist) following myeloablative allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation enhances hematopoietic recovery.

Journal Article J Hematol Oncol · August 17, 2016 BACKGROUND: The binding of CXCR4 with its ligand (stromal-derived factor-1) maintains hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) in a quiescent state. We hypothesized that blocking CXCR4/SDF-1 interaction after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSC ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Rad18 confers hematopoietic progenitor cell DNA damage tolerance independently of the Fanconi Anemia pathway in vivo.

Journal Article Nucleic Acids Res · May 19, 2016 In cultured cancer cells the E3 ubiquitin ligase Rad18 activates Trans-Lesion Synthesis (TLS) and the Fanconi Anemia (FA) pathway. However, physiological roles of Rad18 in DNA damage tolerance and carcinogenesis are unknown and were investigated here. Prim ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Antibodies are back for thymic attack in cGVHD.

Journal Article Blood · May 5, 2016 In this issue of Blood, Jin et al uncover how antibodies contribute to B- and T-cell pathology in sclerodermatous chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD). ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

A Randomized Phase II Crossover Study of Imatinib or Rituximab for Cutaneous Sclerosis after Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation.

Journal Article Clin Cancer Res · January 15, 2016 PURPOSE: Cutaneous sclerosis occurs in 20% of patients with chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and can compromise mobility and quality of life. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We conducted a prospective, multicenter, randomized, two-arm phase II crossover trial ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Phase I/II Trial of Dose-Escalated Busulfan Delivered by Prolonged Continuous Infusion in Allogeneic Transplant Patients.

Journal Article Biol Blood Marrow Transplant · December 2015 Intensive chemotherapy or chemotherapy plus irradiation and allogeneic stem cell transplantation can be curative for patients with hematologic diseases. Reduced-intensity transplants can also achieve cure and result in less treatment-related mortality but ... Full text Link to item Cite

Targeting Syk-activated B cells in murine and human chronic graft-versus-host disease.

Journal Article Blood · June 25, 2015 Novel therapies for chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) are needed. Aberrant B-cell activation has been demonstrated in mice and humans with cGVHD. Having previously found that human cGVHD B cells are activated and primed for survival, we sought to f ... Full text Link to item Cite

Imatinib mesylate for the treatment of steroid-refractory sclerotic-type cutaneous chronic graft-versus-host disease.

Journal Article Biology of blood and marrow transplantation : journal of the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation · June 2015 Sclerotic skin manifestations of chronic graft-versus-host disease (ScGVHD) lead to significant morbidity, including functional disability from joint range of motion (ROM) restriction. No superior second-line therapy has been established for steroid-refrac ... Full text Cite

Aberrant B-cell homeostasis in chronic GVHD.

Journal Article Blood · March 12, 2015 Recent studies have compelled further interest in the potential pathological role of B cells in chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD). In patients with cGVHD, B cells are activated and primed for survival via B-cell activating factor and B-cell recepto ... Full text Link to item Cite

Peptide/MHC tetramer-based sorting of CD8⁺ T cells to a leukemia antigen yields clonotypes drawn nonspecifically from an underlying restricted repertoire.

Journal Article Cancer immunology research · March 2015 Testing of T cell-based cancer therapeutics often involves measuring cancer antigen-specific T-cell populations with the assumption that they arise from in vivo clonal expansion. This analysis, using peptide/MHC tetramers, is often ambiguous. From a leukem ... Full text Cite

Reprint of: B cells in chronic graft-versus-host disease.

Journal Article Biol Blood Marrow Transplant · February 2015 Chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) continues to be a common complication of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Unlike acute graft-versus-host disease, which is mediated almost entirely by donor T cells, the immune pathology of cGVHD ... Full text Link to item Cite

B cells in chronic graft-versus-host disease.

Journal Article Biol Blood Marrow Transplant · January 2015 Chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) continues to be a common complication of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Unlike acute graft-versus-host disease, which is mediated almost entirely by donor T cells, the immune pathology of cGVHD ... Full text Link to item Cite

Increased T follicular helper cells and germinal center B cells are required for cGVHD and bronchiolitis obliterans.

Journal Article Blood · June 2014 Chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Having shown that germinal center (GC) formation and immunoglobulin deposition are required for multiorgan sys ... Full text Cite

Post-transplantation B cell activating factor and B cell recovery before onset of chronic graft-versus-host disease.

Journal Article Biol Blood Marrow Transplant · May 2014 Excessive levels of B cell activating factor (BAFF) are found in patients with active chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD). In mice, BAFF has been shown to be essential for B cell recovery after myeloablation. To assess how BAFF levels relate to trans ... Full text Link to item Cite

Increased BCR responsiveness in B cells from patients with chronic GVHD.

Journal Article Blood · March 27, 2014 Although B cells have emerged as important contributors to chronic graft-versus-host-disease (cGVHD) pathogenesis, the mechanisms responsible for their sustained activation remain unknown. We previously showed that patients with cGVHD have significantly in ... Full text Link to item Cite

BAFF-ling autoantibodies.

Journal Article J Clin Invest · December 2013 There is emerging evidence that autoantibodies directed against cytokines modulate the severity of autoimmune disease. Identification of cytokine-targeted autoantibodies in patients can be informative for diagnosis and predicting clinical outcome. In this ... Full text Link to item Cite

Rituximab prophylaxis prevents corticosteroid-requiring chronic GVHD after allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation: results of a phase 2 trial.

Journal Article Blood · August 2013 B cells are implicated in the pathophysiology of chronic graft-vs-host disease (GVHD), and phase 2 trials suggest that B cell depletion can treat established chronic GVHD. We hypothesized that posttransplantation B cell depletion could prevent the occurren ... Full text Cite

Effectiveness of etoposide chemomobilization in lymphoma patients undergoing auto-SCT.

Journal Article Bone Marrow Transplant · June 2013 The effectiveness of stem cell mobilization with G-CSF in lymphoma patients is suboptimal. We reviewed our institutional experience using chemomobilization with etoposide (VP-16; 375 mg/m(2) on days +1 and +2) and G-CSF (5 μg/kg twice daily from day +3 thr ... Full text Link to item Cite

Feasibility and Prognostic Value of VO2peak in Patients Undergoing Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation (HCT)

Conference Blood · November 16, 2012 AbstractAbstract 4152Background:Peak oxygen consumption (VO2peak, in mL/kg*min) is assessed by cardio ... Full text Cite

Feasibility of Daily and Weekly Symptom and Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) Surveillance in Patients Receiving Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation (HCT)

Conference Blood · November 16, 2012 AbstractAbstract 4471Background:Patient-Reported Outcome (PRO) measures help clinicians and researche ... Full text Cite

B cells from patients with chronic GVHD are activated and primed for survival via BAFF-mediated pathways.

Journal Article Blood · September 20, 2012 Recent data reveal an important role for B cells in the pathogenesis of chronic GVHD (cGVHD). Patients with cGVHD have delayed B-cell reconstitution and elevated BAFF to B-cell ratios compared to patients without cGVHD. The mechanisms promoting and sustain ... Full text Link to item Cite

Bone marrow B cell precursor number after allogeneic stem cell transplantation and GVHD development.

Journal Article Biology of blood and marrow transplantation : journal of the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation · June 2012 Patients without chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) have robust B cell reconstitution and are able to maintain B cell homeostasis after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). To determine whether B lymphopoiesis differs before cG ... Full text Cite

Clinical applications for biomarkers of acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease.

Journal Article Biol Blood Marrow Transplant · January 2012 Acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD, cGVHD) are serious complications of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation. The complex pathophysiology of these disease processes is associated with immune system activation, the release of cytoki ... Full text Link to item Cite

Combined CD4 T-cell and antibody response to human minor histocompatibility antigen DBY after allogeneic stem-cell transplantation.

Journal Article Transplantation · August 15, 2011 BACKGROUND: Antibody responses to HY antigens in male recipients are frequent after transplantation of stem cells from female donors (Miklos et al., Blood 2005; 105: 2973; Miklos et al., Blood 2004; 103: 353). However, evidence that this B-cell immunity is ... Full text Link to item Cite

Effector CD4+ T cells, the cytokines they generate, and GVHD: something old and something new.

Journal Article Blood · March 2011 GVHD is a syndrome that results from minor and major histocompatibility complex incompatibilities between the donor and recipient. More than 50 years after its initial description, the pathophysiology of GVHD remains poorly understood. Nonetheless, donor T ... Full text Cite

Recovery of B-cell homeostasis after rituximab in chronic graft-versus-host disease.

Journal Article Blood · February 17, 2011 Investigation of the effects of rituximab (anti-CD20) on B-cell-activating factor of the tumor necrosis factor family (BAFF) and B cells would better define the significance of B-cell homeostasis in chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) pathophysiology ... Full text Link to item Cite

Common minor histocompatibility antigen discovery based upon patient clinical outcomes and genomic data.

Journal Article PLoS One · 2011 BACKGROUND: Minor histocompatibility antigens (mHA) mediate much of the graft vs. leukemia (GvL) effect and graft vs. host disease (GvHD) in patients who undergo allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT). Therapeutic decision making and treatments based u ... Full text Link to item Cite

Diverse patterns of T-cell response against multiple newly identified human Y chromosome-encoded minor histocompatibility epitopes.

Journal Article Clin Cancer Res · March 1, 2010 PURPOSE: Donor T cells respond to minor histocompatibility antigens (mHA), resulting in both graft-versus-host disease and graft versus leukemia after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Because relatively few mHAs are known, we developed a ... Full text Link to item Cite

Biologic activity of irradiated, autologous, GM-CSF-secreting leukemia cell vaccines early after allogeneic stem cell transplantation.

Journal Article Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · September 2009 Through an immune-mediated graft-versus-leukemia effect, allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) affords durable clinical benefits for many patients with hematologic malignancies. Nonetheless, subjects with high-risk acute myeloid leukemi ... Full text Cite

Altered B-cell homeostasis and excess BAFF in human chronic graft-versus-host disease.

Journal Article Blood · April 2009 Chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) causes significant morbidity and mortality in patients otherwise cured of malignancy after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). The presence of alloantibodies and high plasma B cell-activating factor (BA ... Full text Cite

Concerted potent humoral immune responses to autoantigens are associated with tumor destruction and favorable clinical outcomes without autoimmunity.

Journal Article Clin Cancer Res · June 15, 2008 PURPOSE: The therapeutic importance of immune responses against single versus multiple antigens is poorly understood. There also remains insufficient understanding whether responses to one subset of antigens are more significant than another. Autoantibodie ... Full text Link to item Cite

High levels of B-cell activating factor in patients with active chronic graft-versus-host disease.

Journal Article Clin Cancer Res · October 15, 2007 PURPOSE: Recent studies suggest that donor B cells as well as T cells contribute to immune pathology in patients with chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). B-cell activating factor (BAFF) promotes survival and differentiation of activated B cells. Thus ... Full text Link to item Cite

Qa-1 restriction of CD8+ suppressor T cells.

Journal Article J Clin Invest · November 2004 There is increasing evidence that the immune response can be inhibited by several T cell subsets, including NK T cells, CD25+CD4+ T cells, and a subpopulation of CD8+ T cells. Animal model studies of multiple sclerosis have suggested an important role for ... Full text Link to item Cite

Recombinant polyclonal antibody libraries.

Journal Article Comb Chem High Throughput Screen · June 2000 We describe a technology for generating recombinant polyclonal antibody libraries (PCALs) that enables the creation and perpetuation of standardized mixtures of polyclonal whole antibodies specific for a multiantigen (or polyantigen). Therefore, this techn ... Full text Link to item Cite

Generation of a polyclonal fab phage display library to the human breast carcinoma cell line BT-20.

Journal Article Comb Chem High Throughput Screen · February 2000 We have previously described a vector system for generating recombinant polyclonal antibody libraries. This system uses bidirectional phagemid and mammalian expression vectors to facilitate mass transfer of selected variable light and variable heavy (VL-VH ... Full text Link to item Cite

Generation of a polyclonal Fab phage display library to the protozoan parasite Cryptosporidium parvum.

Journal Article Comb Chem High Throughput Screen · December 1999 We had developed a technology for creation of recombinant polyclonal antibody libraries, standardized perpetual mixtures of polyclonal whole antibodies for which the genes are available and can be altered as desired. We report here the first phase of gener ... Link to item Cite

A bidirectional phage display vector for the selection and mass transfer of polyclonal antibody libraries.

Journal Article J Immunol Methods · January 1, 1999 An approach to the creation of antigen-specific polyclonal libraries of intact antibodies is presented. A polyclonal library of Fab antibody fragments would be expressed using a phage display vector, and selected for reactivity with an antigen or group of ... Full text Link to item Cite

A method for linking VL and VH region genes that allows bulk transfer between vectors for use in generating polyclonal IgG libraries.

Journal Article J Immunol · June 1, 1994 Libraries of Ab fragments have been produced by others from light and heavy chain cDNAs derived from populations of B lymphocytes and expressed in bacteria. However, such libraries have not been transferred to eukaryotic expression vectors to generate poly ... Link to item Cite

Cloned endothelium derived from autoimmune vascular disease retain structural and functional characteristics of normal endothelial cells.

Journal Article Exp Cell Res · March 1992 MRL/1pr mice demonstrate anatomic specificity in their development of vasculitis including the small- and medium-sized muscular arteries of the mesentery. To define the functional role of endothelium in vasculitis, we have cloned endothelial cells derived ... Full text Link to item Cite