Active clinical trials for "Graft vs Host Disease"

Allogenic haemopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) is the treatment for many malignant and non-malignant hematologic disorders. Acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) is a serious life-threatening complication after allo-HSCT. The outcome for patients with aGVHD is poor and overall survival is low. Acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), as the major complication of allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation(PBSCT), limits the application of this curative therapy. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent stem cells, which are able to modulate immune response in vitro and in vivo, and have possibilities of treating diseases caused by immune dysregulation such as aGVHD. MSCs obtained from umbilical cord (UC) have similar immunosuppressive properties as bone marrow-MSCs. In addition, UC-derived MSCs can be used for off-the-shelf use and are obtained without any harm to donors than bone marrow-MSCs. Therefore, the investigators designed this study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of UC-derived MSCs in patients with aGVHD.

Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease (cGvHD) is a potentially lethal disorder. A variety of second line immunosuppressive agents have been investigated but no optimal treatment has emerged. There is therefore a need for novel treatment strategies. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) exhibit immunomodulatory properties and a recent pilot study suggests a response rate of 70% in steroid- refractory patients. In the present randomized study the efficacy and safety of MSC treatment will be further studied in patients with cGvHD.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate safety and efficacy using decidual stromal cell therapy for graft versus host disease after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. The hypothesis to be tested is that the cells are safe to infuse and that they have a positive clinical effect.

Now it is commonly accepted that MSC produce an immune-tolerant environment in different settings. It has been shown (mainly for BM-MSC) that MSC can down-regulate T cells activation. This characteristic of BM derived MSC already has clinical implications and shows their potent effectiveness both in prophylaxis and treatment of resistant GvHD. Ongoing clinical trials of use bone marrow MSC for treatment of steroid resistant GvHD are successfully run on and some bone marrow donor registries included BM-MSC as a material for donation. According to our preclinical studies MSC from cells from marrow, placenta, umbilical cord vessels demonstrate similar pronounced immunosuppressive effect both with autologous and allogeneic lymphocytes. Our preliminary clinical experience shows that BM-MSC is an effective tool for treatment of steroid resistant GVHD. Present study aimed to demonstrate if human UC-MSC has in vivo immunosuppressive effect and can be used for GVHD treatment

The purpose of this research study is to evaluate the safety and feasibility of extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) in the treatment of steroid-refractory acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) in children.

The effect of haematopoietic growth factors on neutrophil recovery after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation is well recognized. Recent laboratory studies demonstrated that these cytokines may also modify T-cell and dendritic cell function, but whether the effect is strong enough to alter the risk of graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) is unclear. The aim of this randomised study is to determine the effect of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor [G-CSF] (Neupogen; filgrastim) on the risk of acute GvHD after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation.

OBJECTIVES: I. Determine the effect of supplementation with donor T-cell depleted, CD34+ peripheral blood stem cells on durable engraftment and incidence of graft-versus-host disease in patients with aplastic anemia undergoing allogeneic bone marrow transplantation.

Graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD) is a major complication following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) which may cause acute life-threatening morbidity or chronic disabilities. Although corticosteroid, the primary agent to treat GVHD, may be effective for some patients, outcomes of those who are refractory to corticosteroid are dismal. Secondary agents can be used for steroid-refractory cases; however, their efficacy is variable and usually limited. The quality of life issue of chronic GVHD is especially important for pediatric survivors who have longer life expectancy than adults. Many in-vitro and in-vivo data support immunoregulatory properties of mesenchymal stem cells(MSCs)and possibilities of treating diseases caused by immune dysregulation such as GVHD. Recent data revealed that bone marrow-derived MSCs were very useful to treat steroid-refractory acute GVHD, which led to improved overall survival compared with controls. More recently, a number of reports suggest MSCs may also be useful in treating chronic GVHD as well as acute GVHD. It has been also reported that third party MSCs are also useful as well as those from autologous or HLA-matched donors. The investigator recently demonstrated that MSCs obtained from umbilical cord blood (UCB) have similar immunosuppressive properties as bone marrow-MSCs. UCB-MSCs can be obtained without doing any harm to donors that it may be more appropriate source of MSCs than bone marrow for off-the-shelf use. However, little is known about the safety and efficacy of UCB-MSCs in treating GVHD. Therefore, the investigator designed this study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of UCB-MSCs in treating pediatric patients with steroid-refractory acute or chronic GVHD.

This phase II trial studies how well a fecal microbiota transplant with or without total gut decontamination works in preventing graft versus host disease in patients exposed to broad-spectrum antibiotics. Fecal microbiota transplantation is the administration by enema of fecal matter (stool) that includes helpful bacteria from a normal, healthy donor. Total gut decontamination uses antibiotics to remove/reduce the amount of bacteria in the digestive system. It is not yet known if a fecal microbiota transplant with or without total gut decontamination works better in preventing graft versus host disease compared to standard immunosuppressive therapies (therapies that lower the normal function of the immune system).

Extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) is a worldwide recognized treatment of acute and chronic mild to moderate graft versus host disease (GVHD), in second or further line of treatment. Contrary to immunosuppressive drugs, ECP is not associated with side effects such as opportunistic infections, and is not associated with a higher frequency of relapse of the initial hematological disease. High intensity of ECP regimen (1 to 3 sessions per week, in case of chronic or acute GVHD) seems to be correlated to a higher efficacy. However, high intensity of ECP treatment is often difficult to sustain, because of frequent logistical problems to perform aphereses, such as venous access failure, infections of central line, deep blood cytopenias that require many transfusions before performing aphereses. Merlin et al. first described the feasibility of white blood cells cryopreservation before UVA irradiation, in vitro, then in vivo. We also recently reported the feasibility and efficacy of cryopreserved ECP in a series of 20 patients (adults and children), with acute and chronic GVHD, who had recurrent contraindications to aphereses, that prevented the realization of an intensive program of ECP. No adverse events occurred, and efficacy seemed to be similar to "classical" ECP (35% of complete overall response, and 40% of partial response). White blood cells (WBC) were divided after collection on Optia or Cellex apheresis machines: one was immediately treated with 8-MOP (methoxsalen) and ultraviolet A (UVA) irradiation, while the other was cryopreserved, and further (a few days later) thawed, sensitized with 8-MOP and irradiated before injection to the patient. The aim of this study is to analyze this method in a prospective way, with complete biological data collection, of apoptosis, cytokines release etc…, necessary to the full description of cryopreservation of white blood cells before their irradiation and reinjection to the patient. We will propose this technique of cryopreservation to every patient with an indication of ECP for acute or chronic GVHD in Nancy Hospital for 18 months.