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Biomedical subjects

K Ballen

Publications and source records attributed to K Ballen.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2003

High-dose cyclophosphamide, BCNU, and VP-16 (CBV) conditioning before allogeneic stem cell transplantation for patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT) has been shown to be a curative therapy for some patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). Total-body irradiation and high-dose cyclophosphamide combinations are the most established conditioning regimens used in this setting. We examined the efficacy and toxicity of cyclophosphamide, BCNU, and VP-16 (CBV) as a suitable chemotherapy-only regimen for NHL patients. In total, 18 patients, median age 42 years, with NHL were treated with CBV followed by allotransplant. Patients had received a median of two prior chemotherapy regimens. Median times to neutrophil and platelet recovery were 19 and 15 days, respectively. Interstitial pneumonitis occurred in one patient. There have been four relapses after a median follow-up of 39 months. Overall, there were four deaths, one because of relapse. The 2-year estimates of relapse-free and overall survival are 56 and 76%, respectively. CBV is a safe and an effective alternative to TBI-containing regimens before allogeneic SCT for NHL.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Current status of cord blood banking and transplantation in the United States and Europe.

Cord blood (CB) transplantation has expanded the ability of the transplantation community to meet the growing needs of their patients. Clinical data over the last decade show promising results in CB transplantation using blood from related as well as unrelated donors. Basic science continues to look for ways to expand the quality and quantity of CB. CB banks are now established around the world, with major efforts to standardize banking to facilitate regulation, collection, processing, and distribution as a way of providing the highest-quality CB for patient use. This review article discusses the current status of CB transplantation and banking in the United States and Europe.

Blood Banks↗
PubMed2001

Stem cell engraftment strategies.

The donor stem cell phenotype and host microenvironment determine the outcome of a stem cell transplant. In a series of transplant studies in syngeneic male to female or congenic Ly5.1/Ly5.2 models in which hosts have received no or minimal irradiation (100 cGy), evidence overwhelmingly supports the concept that syngeneic engraftment is determined by stem cell competition. These approaches can be extended to H-2 mismatched allogeneic mouse combination when antigen pre-exposure and CD40-CD40 ligand antibody blockage are employed. A human trial in patients with resistant neoplasia infusing pheresed blood with 10(8) CD3 cells/kg showed that tumor responses and complete chimerism occur with very low levels of CD34+ cells/kg and that the extent of previous treatment is a critical factor in determining chimerism. A major feature of transplants is the phenotype of the donor stem cell. This phenotype shows dramatic reversible plasticity involving differentiation, adhesion protein expression, and engraftment with cytokine-induced cell-cycle transit. Homing is probably also plastic. Marked fluctuations in engraftment capacity are also seen at different points in marrow circadian rhythm.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Effect of ex vivo cytokine treatment on human cord blood engraftment in NOD-scid mice.

Umbilical cord blood transplantation is considered an alternative to traditional bone marrow transplantation for patients who do not have matched sibling donors. In this study, we examined the effects of ex vivo treatment of human cord blood cells with cytokine mixtures and assessed the ability of treated cells to engraft in NOD-scid mice. We incubated the cord blood with a four-factor cytokine mixture of interleukin (IL)-3, IL-6, IL-11 and stem cell factor, or with a two-factor cytokine mixture of thrombopoietin and flt-3. Incubation of cord blood for 48 h with either cytokine mixture did not affect progenitor cell number or proliferative potential as measured by the high proliferative potential (HPP) assay. Cytokine-treated cord blood injected into irradiated NOD-scid mice resulted in multilineage human engraftment. Overall, incubation with cytokines resulted in variable levels of engraftment with different cord blood samples. Incubation of cord blood with the four-factor cytokine mixture resulted in increased survival of irradiated NOD-scid recipients. These results demonstrate that short-term ex vivo treatment of human progenitor cells gives variable results on in vivo multipotential capabilities.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Adoptive immunotherapy.

Some of the most dramatic advances in the treatment of cancer have used the immune system in combination with conventional or transplantation chemotherapy. Adoptive immunotherapy has been used for relapses after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation, and it has been particularly effective for chronic myeloid leukemia. Adoptive immunotherapy also has been used for Epstein-Barr virus-related lymphomas developing after allogeneic marrow transplantations. Cellular therapy, including the infusion of tumor-reactive immune cells, has been used to mediate response of established solid tumors. This has been used for therapeutic benefit for renal cell carcinoma, melanoma, lung cancer, and breast cancer. Current research is focusing on reducing the toxicity of these approaches as well as further defining the appropriate target tissue.

Animals↗