Active clinical trials for "Bone Marrow Failure Disorders"

RATIONALE: Although used primarily to treat malignant disorders of the blood, allogeneic stem cell transplantation can also cure a variety of non-cancerous, inherited or acquired disorders of the blood. Unfortunately, the conventional approach to allogeneic stem cell transplantation is a risky procedure. For some non-cancerous conditions, the risks of this procedure outweigh the potential benefits. This protocol is designed to test a new approach to allogeneic stem cell transplantation. It is hoped that this approach will be better suited for patients with non-cancerous blood and bone marrow disorders.

In this study, the investigators test 2 dose levels of thiotepa (5 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg) added to the backbone of targeted reduced dose IV busulfan, fludarabine and rabbit anti-thymocyte globulin (rATG) to determine the minimum effective dose required for reliable engraftment for subjects undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for non-malignant disease.

Decrease in blood cell counts due to deficient bone marrow function, called bone marrow failure, as well as some lung diseases, called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, can be caused by genetic defects in telomere biology genes, eventually causing telomere erosion. These disorders are collectively termed "telomeropathies". There is evidence that male hormones may improve blood cell counts in marrow failure, and these hormones are able to stimulate telomerase function in hematopoietic cells in vitro. We propose this study to the use of male hormone in patients with aplastic anemia and pulmonary fibrosis associated with defects in telomeres.

RATIONALE: Giving low doses of chemotherapy and antithymocyte globulin before a donor stem cell transplant helps stop the growth of abnormal cells. It may also stop the patient's immune system from rejecting the donor's stem cells. The donated stem cells may replace the patient's immune cells and help destroy any remaining abnormal cells (graft-versus-tumor effect). PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well a donor stem cell transplant works after busulfan, fludarabine, methylprednisolone, and antithymocyte globulin in treating patients with bone marrow failure syndrome.

CD34+ stem cell selection in children, adolescents and young adults receiving partially matched family donor or matched unrelated adult donor allogeneic bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cell transplant will be safe and well tolerated and be associated with a low incidence of serious (Grade III/IV) acute and chronic graft versus host disease (GVHD).

This is a Phase II trial to determine the ability of a reduced intensity conditioning regimen to allow successful engraftment with CD3+ /CD19+ depleted peripheral stem cell grafts from mismatched donors. There are two conditioning regimens depending upon patient diagnosis and age.

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.

T cell depletion utilizing the CliniMACS device will allow more precise, specific and controlled graft engineering of peripheral blood stem cells from unrelated and partially matched related donors without an increase in relapse or graft rejection and grade III or IV acute graft versus host disease (GVHD).

Randomized comparison of cyclophosphamide versus reduced-dose cyclophosphamide plus fludarabine in addition to anti-thymocyte globulin for the conditioning therapy in allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation for bone marrow failure syndrome.

Our primary objective is to determine if it is feasible for SAA patients to be transplanted using non-myeloablative conditioning and post transplantation cyclophosphamide with partially HLA-mismatched donors.