Active clinical trials for "Anemia, Diamond-Blackfan"

This study will provide information needed to develop more effective treatments for patients with Diamond-Blackfan anemia (DBA). Current treatments include steroids, such as prednisone, and blood transfusions. These treatments have potential long-term risk and side effects, including osteoporosis and impaired growth from steroids or iron overload from transfusions. In addition, as patients reach adulthood, they can develop acute leukemia or bone marrow failure. The only cure for DBA is bone marrow transplant, a procedure that itself carries serious risks and is an option for only about 25 percent of patients. DBA is caused by a mutation (error) in a gene that codes for producing red blood cells from stem cells (blood-forming cells produced by the bone marrow). In 5 to 10 years, gene transfer therapy may prove to be an effective treatment for DBA. Before this treatment can be considered, however, more information is needed about DBA patients and how their stem cells function. This study will examine: 1) whether stem cells of patients with DBA respond to G-CSF the same way those of healthy people do. (G-CSF is a drug that causes stem cells to move from the bone marrow to the blood stream, where they can be collected more easily and in larger numbers by a procedure called leukapheresis, described below. If G-CSF does not work well in DBA patients, other collection strategies will have to be explored); and 2) whether the genetic error in DBA can be corrected by gene transfer into patients' stem cells. Patients with Diamond-Blackfan anemia 4 years of age and older who weigh at least 27 pounds and who are dependent on red blood cell transfusions may be eligible for this study. Candidates will have a medical history taken and a physical examination and will be seen by the Clinical Center's Department of Medicine Transfusion for leukapheresis evaluation. They will have a bone marrow aspiration and biopsy to confirm the diagnosis of DBA. For these tests, the hip area is anesthetized and a needle is used to draw bone marrow from the hipbone. If needed, the procedure will be done under sedation. Patients will be given G-CSF by injection under the skin for up to 6 days. Blood and stem cell counts will be measured from a teaspoon of blood drawn each morning. On the morning of the fifth dose, the patient will undergo leukapheresis for collection of stem cells. For this procedure, a large catheter (with a diameter no larger than that of a straw) is placed in an arm vein to allow blood to flow into a cell separator machine. Most children and some adults do not have veins large and strong enough for this tubing, so a large intravenous line called a "central line" is placed into a large vein in the neck or groin. This is done under sedation and with a local anesthetic. While the patient lies on a bed or recliner, whole blood is collected through a catheter in one arm or the central line, the stem cells are separated out by spinning, then the red cells, platelets and plasma are returned through a second catheter in the other arm or a second opening in the central line. The procedure takes about 3 to 5 hours, during which the patient can watch television or videos and have family members at the bedside for company. When the procedure is completed, the patient's participation in the protocol ends. Some of the stem cells collected by leukapheresis will be used for research and some will be frozen and stored for possible future transplantation into the patient, if required.

This study will determine the safety and possibility of giving the amino acid, leucine, in patients with Diamond Blackfan anemia(DBA)who are on dependent on red blood cell transfusions. The leucine is expected to produce a response in patients with DBA to the point where red blood cell production is increased. Red cell transfusions can then be less frequent or possibly discontinued. The investigators will study the side effects, if any, of giving leucine to DBA patients. Leucine levels of leucine will be obtained at baseline and during the study. The drug leucine will be provided in capsule form and taken 3 times a day for a total of 9 months.

This phase II trial studies how well giving fludarabine phosphate, melphalan, and low-dose total-body irradiation (TBI) followed by donor peripheral blood stem cell transplant (PBSCT) works in treating patients with hematologic malignancies. Giving chemotherapy drugs such as fludarabine phosphate and melphalan, and low-dose TBI before a donor PBSCT helps stop the growth of cancer and abnormal cells and helps stop the patient's immune system from rejecting the donor's stem cells. When the healthy stem cells from the donor are infused into the patient they may help the patient's bone marrow make stem cells, red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Sometimes the transplanted cell from a donor can make an immune response against the body's normal cells. Giving tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), and methotrexate after transplant may stop this from happening

This study tests the clinical outcomes of one of two preparative regimens (determined by available donor source) in patients with non-malignant hemoglobinopathies. The researchers hypothesize that these regimens will have a positive effect on post transplant engraftment and the incidence of graft-versus-host-disease. Regimen A2 has replaced Regimen A in this study. Two patients were treated on Regimen A but did not have evidence of initial engraftment thus triggering the stopping rule for that arm of this study.

RATIONALE: Monoclonal antibodies, such as alemtuzumab, can block cancer growth in different ways. Some block the ability of cancer cells to grow and spread. Others find cancer cells and help kill them or carry cancer-killing substances to them. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as fludarabine and busulfan, work in different ways to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. A peripheral stem cell, bone marrow , or umbilical cord blood transplant may be able to replace blood-forming cells that were destroyed by chemotherapy. Sometimes the transplanted cells from a donor can make an immune response against the body's normal cells. Giving cyclosporine together with methotrexate and methylprednisolone may stop this from happening. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well giving alemtuzumab together with fludarabine and busulfan works when given before donor stem cell transplant in treating young patients with hematologic disorders.

The purpose of this clinical trial is to investigate the safety of human placental-derived stem cells (HPDSC) given in conjunction with umbilical cord blood (UCB) stem cells in patients with various malignant or nonmalignant disorders who require a stem cell transplant. Patients will get either full dose (high-intensity) or lower dose (low intensity) chemo- and immunotherapy followed by a stem cell transplantation with UCB and HPDSC.

Due to an overall and disease free survival of 85% to 100%, allogeneic blood or bone marrow stem cell transplantation using an HLA matched sibling donor is the therapy of choice for patients with severe aplastic anemia (SAA). Unfortunately, only about 25% of patients have such a donor. For patients with SAA lacking a matched sibling donor, immunosuppressive therapy is the current treatment of choice. Approximately 70% of these patients have a complete or partial response to immunosuppressive therapy, achieving transfusion independence and/or growth factor independence. For the approximately 30% of patients who do not respond to immunosuppressive therapy or experience recurrence, alternative donor (matched unrelated, partially matched family member) transplantation is a treatment option. However, graft rejection and graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD) are significant barriers to success, decreasing event-free survival to 30% to 50%. This study offers stem cell transplantation using a partially matched family member (haploidentical) donor to those patients with no available HLA-matched sibling or matched unrelated donor. In an attempt to reduce GVHD and regimen-related toxicity while maintaining adequate engraftment, we plan to infuse a highly purified stem cell graft. The Miltenyi Biotec CliniMACS CD3 depletion system will be used to derive a defined allogeneic graft highly enriched for CD34+ hematopoietic cells and depleted of CD3+ T-lymphocytes from G-CSF mobilized, donor-derived peripheral blood stem cells. Patients 21 years of age and younger with refractory cytopenias are also eligible for this protocol as there are no other potentially curative therapies currently available for these conditions. The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the safety of transplantation using a haploidentical donor product engineered to targeted cell counts using the investigational CliniMACS device for patients with refractory severe aplastic anemia (SAA) or refractory cytopenias. The treatment plan would be considered unsafe if we can find this type of procedure is associated with a significantly higher treatment failure rate. Treatment failure is defined as any occurrence of the following events, overall grade III-IV acute GVHD, graft failure or death due to any cause within 100 days after transplant.

This is an open-label, non-randomized, multi-center trial designed to provide expanded access of deferasirox to patients with congenital disorders of red blood cells and chronic iron overload from blood transfusions who cannot adequately be treated with locally approved iron chelators.

The researchers hypothesize that it will be possible to perform unrelated bone marrow or cord blood transplants in a safer manner by using less intensive therapy yet still achieve an acceptable level of donor cell engraftment for non-malignant congenital bone marrow failure disorders.

The goal of this research study is to establish chimerism and avoid graft-versus-host disease in patients with hemoglobinopathies.