Gene therapy of solid tumors and hematopoietic neoplasms.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to A B Deisseroth.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Allogeneic bone marrow transplantation for advanced hematologic cancer is associated with a high risk of early treatment-related morbidity and mortality. To determine the short-term benefits of allogeneic blood stem cell transplants when compared to bone marrow transplants, we reviewed outcomes of 74 adults with advanced hematologic cancer transplanted from HLA-matched related donors after conditioning with thiotepa, busulfan and cyclophosphamide. There were three cohorts: group 1 received bone marrow transplants with cyclosporine (CsA) and methotrexate (MTX) for GVHD prophylaxis; group 2 received bone marrow transplants with CsA and methylprednisolone (MP); and group 3 received blood stem cells with CsA and MP. All patients received filgrastim post-transplant. Median times (range) to neutrophils > or = 0.5 x 10(9)/l were 17 (8-30), 9 (8-16) and 10 (8-13) days post-transplant, and to platelets > or = 20 x 10(9)/l were 28 (14-100+), 19 (13-100+) and 14 (9-86) days post-transplant for groups 1, 2 and 3, respectively (P < 0.05 only for group 1 vs group 3 for both outcomes). Blood stem cell recipients had the least regimen-related toxicity, fewest early deaths and earliest discharge. There was no significant difference in acute GVHD between the three groups. One hundred and eighty-day survivals (95% CI) were 53% (35-72%), 32% (10-53%), and 68% (49-87%) for groups 1, 2 and 3, respectively (P < 0.05 only for group 2 vs group 3). For allogeneic transplantation, use of blood stem cell grafts has substantial advantages over marrow grafts.
The interferon regulatory factor 1 (IRF-1) is a positive transcriptional regulatory protein which acts in the interferon signal transduction pathway to activate the transcription of the type I interferon genes by binding to the PRDI response element. The aim of this study was to explore the role of IRF-1 in regulating the expression of other interferon-stimulated genes in the interferon signal transduction pathway. A transient transfection assay was used to show that IRF-1 induced the expression of interferon-stimulated genes. The induction was a direct result of IRF-1 binding to the promoters of the interferon-stimulated response element (ISRE). The levels of endogenous mRNA of two interferon-stimulated genes, 6-16 and 9-27, were increased in cells containing increased levels of IRF-1. In addition, IRF-1 activates the expression of IRF-2, a negative regulator of the type I interferon genes themselves. Two sequences were found in the IRF-2 promoter which were the binding sites for IRF-1. Mutations in the oligonucleotide sequences of these sites could abolish the binding of the IRF-1. These data suggested that IRF-1 not only plays an important role in the induction of type I interferon genes, but also in the activation of interferon-stimulated genes.
We have evaluated the use of blood stem cell grafts for rapid hematopoietic recovery and tacrolimus (FK506) as GVHD prophylaxis to reduce early mortality after allogeneic transplantation. Eighty-five adults with advanced leukemia received high-dose thiotepa, busulfan, and cyclophosphamide as a preparative regimen in a prospective Phase II study. All donors were HLA-matched and related. Marrow (BMT) was used for 44 patients and filgrastim-mobilized blood stem cells (SCT) for 41 patients. GVHD prophylaxis consisted of cyclosporine (CsA) or FK506 with methotrexate (MTX) or methylprednisolone (MP). The median time to neutrophil recovery was earlier after SCT than after BMT (day 10 vs. 17, P<0.001), but this was due to the selective use of MTX only in the BMT patients. The risk of grades 2-4 GVHD was lower with FK506 than with CsA (16% vs. 45%, P=0.02) and was the same for SCT recipients as for BMT recipients (33% vs. 34%). Regimen-related toxicity was significantly lower after SCT than after BMT but did not differ between the FK506 and CsA patients. In comparison with those receiving the standard transplant (BMT with CsA and MTX), only the SCT recipients using FK506 and MP had a significantly higher survival at day 180 posttransplant (84% vs. 53%, P=0.014). In multivariate analyses, use of FK506 was associated with a lower risk of treatment-related mortality and a higher survival at day 180, while the diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia was associated with a higher risk of treatment-related mortality. These data suggest that the use of blood stem cell grafts and FK506 can reduce the early mortality after allogeneic transplantation for advanced leukemia.
To formally test the hypothesis that the granulocyte/macrophage colony-forming unit (GM-CFU) cells can contribute to early hematopoietic reconstitution immediately after transplant, the frequency of genetically modified GM-CFU after retroviral vector transduction was measured by a quantitative in situ polymerase chain reaction (PCR), which is specific for the multidrug resistance-1 (MDR-1) vector, and by a quantitative GM-CFU methylcellulose plating assay. The results of this analysis showed no difference between the transduction frequency in the products of two different transduction protocols: "suspension transduction" and "stromal growth factor transduction." However, when an analysis of the frequency of cells positive for the retroviral MDR-1 vector posttransplantation was carried out, 0 of 10 patients transplanted with cells transduced by the suspension method were positive for the vector MDR-1 posttransplant, whereas 5 of 8 patients transplanted with the cells transduced by the stromal growth factor method were positive for the MDR-1 vector transcription unit by in situ or in solution PCR assay (a difference that is significant at the P = 0.0065 level by the Fisher exact test). These data suggest that only very small subsets of the GM-CFU fraction of myeloid cells, if any, contribute to the repopulation of the hematopoietic tissues that occurs following intensive systemic therapy and transplantation of autologous hematopoietic cells.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Thirty adults with leukemia or lymphoma undergoing marrow transplantation from HLA-compatible unrelated donors received tacrolimus (FK506), a new immunosuppressive macrolide lactone, and minidose methotrexate to prevent acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). The group had a median age of 36 years (range 21 to 49 years). Twenty-four patients had advanced disease, and 11 were resistant to conventional therapy. Tacrolimus was administered at 0.03 mg/kg/d intravenously (i.v.) by continuous infusion from day -2, converted to oral at four times the i.v. dose following engraftment, and continued through day 180 posttransplant. Methotrexate 5 mg/m2 was given i.v. on days 1, 3, 6, and 11. All patients engrafted. Grades 2-4 GVHD occurred in 34% (95% CI, 17% to 52%), and grades 3-4 GVHD in 17% (95% CI, 3% to 31%). Mild renal toxicity was common before day 100; 63% of patients had a doubling of creatinine, and 52% had a peak creatinine greater than 2 mg/dL, but only one patient was dialyzed. The median last i.v. dose of tacrolimus was 53% of the scheduled dose, and the median oral dose on day 100 was 41% of that scheduled. Overall survival at 1 year was 47% (95% CI, 27% to 66%). We conclude that tacrolimus can be combined safely with minidose methotrexate, and the combination has substantial activity in preventing acute GVHD after unrelated donor marrow transplantation.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
PURPOSE: To evaluate outcomes and identify prognostic factors in allogeneic bone marrow transplantation in patients with end-stage lymphoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Data were retrospectively analyzed of 64 patients (42 men and 22 women) 18 to 48 years of age with recurrent or refractory lymphoma who underwent allogeneic bone marrow transplantation from matched sibling donors (or in 1 case from a one antigen-mismatched relative) between May 1981 and July 1994. RESULTS: Twelve patients survived free of disease. They were 8 of 15 with low-grade lymphoma (disease-free survival at 2 years 59% +/- 13%); 3 of 25 with lymphoblastic lymphoma (disease-free survival 17% +/- 8%); and 1 of 10 with diffuse small non-cleaved cell lymphoma (disease-free (10% +/- 9%). Survival and disease-free survival of patients with low-grade lymphoma were significantly superior compared to any other subgroup of patients (P <0.01). Only 2 patients with low-grade lymphoma had disease progression (9% +/- 9% actuarial risk at 2 years) as opposed to 5 of 15 with intermediate-grade lymphoma (39% +/- 14%), 9 of 25 with lymphoblastic lymphoma (28% +/- 9%), and 8 of 10 (80% +/- 13%) with diffuse small non-cleaved lymphoma. The actuarial risk for disease progression was significantly lower for patients with low-grade lymphoma than for any other histologic subgroup (P <0.02). It was significantly higher for those with diffuse small non-cleaved cell lymphoma than for other histologic subgroups (P < or = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: Allogeneic bone marrow transplantation is an effective procedure in patients with refractory low-grade lymphoma. It results in long-term remissions and should be considered in younger patients with recurrent disease who have a matched sibling donor. The late recurrence in 1 patient indicates the necessity of continued follow-up. A small fraction of patients with end-stage intermediate- and high-grade lymphoma can obtain prolonged disease-free survival, but recurrence and regimen-related toxicity remain major problems. The results could be improved by the development of conditioning regimens with less toxicity and by the use of bone marrow transplantation earlier in the course of the disease.
The Philadelphia chromosome (Ph) is found in most chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) patients. The bcr-abl oncoprotein (P210 or P185), the product of the fused bcr-abl gene produced by the Ph, is known to be the major factor in initiation and maintenance of the leukemic state in these types of leukemias. The authors have devised a Western blot test to detect and quantitate the bcr-abl oncoprotein in blood and bone marrow cells. The authors analyzed 1,155 peripheral blood samples from CML patients, for which there were same day Ph data, to determine if there was a correlation between bcr-abl protein levels and the percentage of Ph. A ratio of bcr-abl protein (P210 or P185) to normal abl protein (P145), the latter is ubiquitously expressed in all blood cells, has been established as a criterion for quantitating bcr-abl levels. The bcr-abl/abl protein ratio from 399 patient who were 100% Ph-positive had a mean of 2.47 (standard error [SE] of +/- 0.05); no false negatives were detected. A decreasing ratio was found in patients with decreasing percentages of Ph. The relationship between the ratio of bcr-abl/abl proteins to the percentage of Ph-positive cells was nearly linear in 392 patients with Ph percentages between 5% to 95% (r = 0.97, P < .001). For patients in remission with no detectable Ph, the bcr-abl/abl ratio had a mean of 0.01 (SE = 0 +/- 0.00). The level of bcr-abl expression in samples from peripheral blood and bone marrow also were compared. The results indicated that the amount of bcr-abl protein within peripheral blood is usually similar to that in marrow. In conclusion, quantitation of the bcr-abl oncoprotein in peripheral blood cells or marrow cells as measured by a Western blot assay provides reliable data for both diagnosis and monitoring patients with pH-chromosome positive leukemia.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Human interferon-g inducible protein-10 (IP-10), a small basic protein secreted by interferon (INF)-g stimulated keratinocytes, is chemotactic for normal CD4-positive lymphocytes and inhibits early normal and leukemic hemopoietic progenitor proliferation. Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) is an indolent CD4-positive lymphoma characterized by multiple skin relapses before visceral dissemination. We investigated the role of IP-10 in the biology of CTCL by using immunocytochemistry to define IP-10 expression in normal and CTCL skin biopsies. Using purified recombinant (r) IP-10, we generated a rabbit antiserum that recognized and neutralized rIP-10 but did not cross-react with any keratinocyte proteins or any other chemokine. Immunoperoxidase staining of normal epidermis demonstrated that IP-10 was expressed by basal but not by differentiated keratinocytes. The epidermis overlying CTCL lesions was often hyperplastic, IP-10 immunostaining was enhanced compared to normal skin, and extended to the suprabasal keratinocytes in 25 of 26 patients for a frequency of 96%; and 95% confidence interval (CI) of 80% to 100%. However, IP-10 was detectable in the dermal or epidermal lymphoid infiltrates in only three of these 26 patients (12%; 95% Cl, 2% to 39%). Skin clinically free of CTCL demonstrated normal IP-10 immunostaining. In one patient who had matching biopsies performed before and after treatment, IP-10 was initially overexpressed before treatment but was normally expressed when he achieved remission. These results suggest that IP-10 may play a role in the epidermotropism of CTCL. More work is required to determine whether IP-10 stimulates or inhibits CTCL proliferation. A better understanding of the growth controls operating in CTCL may be used to develop curative therapies for this disorder.
Recombinant human interferon-inducible protein-10 (rIP-10) has been recently identified, purified and shown to suppress the multiplication of normal marrow early hemopoietic progenitors. In the present study we investigated the effect of rIP-10 on different normal and acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) progenitor populations. We first studied hematologically normal bone marrow using the delta culture assay, in which marrow low-density cells were incubated in liquid culture with recombinant granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (rGM-CSF) for 1 week, to allow the differentiation of mature progenitors, and thereafter cultured in methylcellulose in the presence of rGM-CSF and recombinant erythropoietin (rEPO). In this assay rIP-10 significantly inhibited the proliferation of normal marrow hemopoietic progenitors in a dose-dependent fashion. However, when fresh normal marrow cells were cultured in methylcellulose without preincubation in liquid culture, rIP-10 did not affect the growth of colony-forming cells. In contrast, when recombinant c-kit ligand (rKL) was added to rGM-CSF and rEPO, an increment in colony numbers was observed that was eliminated by rIP-10. Similar experiments performed with low-density, non-adherent, T cell-depleted AML marrow cells, obtained from 12 untreated adult AML patients, revealed qualitatively similar results: rIP-10 inhibited the proliferation of AML progenitors in the AML delta assay but did not affect the growth of rGM-CSF-responsive AML colony-forming cells when plated in semisolid media in the presence of rGM-CSF. When rKL was added to rGM-CSF during plating in an effort to recruit additional AML progenitor populations, there was an increment in leukemic blast colony numbers that was eliminated by rIP-10. As observed with normal progenitors, the effect of rIP-10 on these AML progenitors was concentration-dependent, statistically significant and reversible with a rIP-10-neutralizing antiserum. To delineate the mechanism of action of rIP-10 we used the thymidine suicide assay and found that rIP-10 significantly reduced the fraction of leukemic progenitors synthesizing DNA. Our data suggest the rIP-10 inhibits the proliferation of (probably immature) AML progenitor populations by reducing the fraction of cells undergoing DNA synthesis. Additional studies are needed to further elucidate the mechanism of this inhibition and to determine the potential clinical benefits of rIP-10 in future therapies for AML.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of unpurged autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) for chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) and its impact on the survival of patients in first and late chronic phase (CML-CP) including those resistant to or unable to tolerate interferon alfa (IFN-alpha) therapy. Between 1982 and 1993, 73 patients with CML who underwent ASCT were evaluated. Twenty-eight patients had signs of transformation, 20 were in second or subsequent CP, 22 had CML-CP and had shown resistance to or were unable to tolerate IFN-alpha therapy, and there had Philadelphia (Ph) chromosome-negative CML. Survival of patients in CML-CP who underwent ASCT was compared to controls who were in first CP receiving INF-a therapy. Patients and controls were matched for age, decade of therapy, response to IFN-alpha therapy (resistance vs toxicity) and the time to ASCT (study group) vs time to resistance (control group). Nine 12% patients failed to achieve hematologic recovery, and five (7%) had early death secondary to toxicity. Twenty-seven (58%) patients who received transplants in advanced-stage CML and 18 (82%) transplanted in CML-CP achieved complete hematologic remission (CHR). The incidence of complete cytogenetic response was 10 and 14%, respectively. The median survival of these two groups of patients was 5 and 34 months, respectively (P < 0.001). However, the survival of patients in CML-CP was not significantly different from controls (34 vs 49 months; P = 0.17). We conclude that unpurged ASCT does not prolong the survival of patients in CML-CP who are resistant to IFN-alpha therapy. Progress in autotransplantation in CML might require innovative approaches to eradicate the leukemic cells from the autologous stem cells prior to transplants.