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Belbachir S, Abraham A, Sharma A, Prockop S, DeZern AE, Bonfim C, Bidgoli A, Li J, Ruggeri A, Bertaina A, Boelens JJ, Purtill D. Engineering the best transplant outcome for high-risk acute myeloid leukemia: the donor, the graft and beyond. Cytotherapy 2024; 26:546-555. [PMID: 38054912 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcyt.2023.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023]
Abstract
Allogeneic hemopoietic cell transplantation remains the goal of therapy for high-risk acute myeloid leukemia (AML). However, treatment failure in the form of leukemia relapse or severe graft-versus-host disease remains a critical area of unmet need. Recently, significant progress has been made in the cell therapy-based interventions both before and after transplant. In this review, the Stem Cell Engineering Committee of the International Society for Cell and Gene Therapy summarizes the literature regarding the identification of high risk in AML, treatment approaches before transplant, optimal transplant platforms and measures that may be taken after transplant to ideally prevent, or, if need be, treat AML relapse. Although some strategies remain in the early phases of clinical investigation, they are built on progress in pre-clinical research and cellular engineering techniques that are already improving outcomes for children and adults with high-risk malignancies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Safia Belbachir
- Haematology Department, Fiona Stanley Hospital, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Allistair Abraham
- Center for Cancer and Immunology Research, CETI, Children's National Hospital, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Akshay Sharma
- Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
| | - Susan Prockop
- Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Boston, Massachusetts USA
| | - Amy E DeZern
- Bone Marrow Failure and MDS Program, John Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Carmem Bonfim
- Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplantation Division/Instituto de Pesquisa Pele Pequeno Principe Research/Faculdades Pequeno Príncipe, Curitiba, Brazil
| | - Alan Bidgoli
- Division of Blood and Marrow Transplantation, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Aflac Blood and Cancer Disorders Center, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Jinjing Li
- Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | | | - Alice Bertaina
- Division of Hematology, Oncology, Stem Cell Transplantation and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Jaap Jan Boelens
- Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapies, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Duncan Purtill
- Haematology Department, Fiona Stanley Hospital, Perth, Western Australia, Australia; PathWest Laboratory Medicine, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
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Barbarito G, Hiroshima L, Oppizzi L, Saini G, Kristovich K, Klein O, Hosszu K, Boehlke K, Gupta A, Mcavoy D, Shyr D, Boelens JJ, Bertaina A. Model-Based Antithymocyte Globulin in αβhaplo-Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Facilitates Engraftment, Expedites T Cell Recovery, and Mitigates the Risk of Acute Graft-versus-Host Disease. Transplant Cell Ther 2024:S2666-6367(24)00412-3. [PMID: 38768907 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtct.2024.05.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2024] [Revised: 05/06/2024] [Accepted: 05/13/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
In αβ T-cell/CD19 B-cell depleted hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (αβhaplo-HSCT) recipients, antithymocyte globulin (ATG; Thymoglobulin) is used for preventing graft rejection and graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). The optimal dosing remains to be established, however. Here we present the first comparative analysis of 3 different ATG dosing strategies and their impact on immune reconstitution and GVHD. Our study aimed to evaluate the effects of 3 distinct dosing strategies of ATG on engraftment success, αβ+ and γδ+ T cell immune reconstitution, and the incidence and severity of acute GVHD in recipients of αβhaplo-HSCT. This comparative analysis included 3 cohorts of pediatric patients with malignant (n = 36) or nonmalignant (n = 8) disease. Cohorts 1 and 2 were given fixed ATG doses, whereas cohort 3 received doses via a new nomogram, based on absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) and body weight (BW). Cohort 3 showed a 0% incidence of day 100 grade II-IV acute GVHD, compared to 48% in cohort 1 and 27% in cohort 2. Furthermore, cohort 3 (the ALC/BW-based cohort) had a significant increase in CD4+ and CD8+ naïve T cells by day 90 (P = .04 and .03, respectively). Additionally, we found that the reconstitution and maturation of γδ+ T cells post-HSCT was not impacted across all 3 cohorts. Cumulative ATG exposure in all cohorts was lower than previously reported in T cell-replete settings, with a lower pre-HSCT exposure (<40 AU*day/mL) correlating with engraftment failure (P = .007). Conversely, a post-HSCT ATG exposure of 10 to 15 AU*day/mL was optimal for improving day 100 CD4+ (P = .058) and CD8+ (P = .03) immune reconstitution without increasing the risk of relapse or nonrelapse mortality. This study represents the first comparative analysis of ATG exposure in αβhaplo-HSCT recipients. Our findings indicate that (1) a 1- to 2-fold ATG to ATLG bioequivalence is more effective than previously established standards, and (2) ATG exposure post-HSCT does not adversely affect γδ+ T cell immune reconstitution. Furthermore, a model-based ATG dosing strategy effectively reduces graft rejection and day 100 acute GVHD while also promoting early CD4+/CD8+ immune reconstitution. These insights suggest that further optimization, including more distal administration of higher ATG doses within an ALC/BW-based strategy, will yield even greater improvements in outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Barbarito
- Division of Hematology, Oncology, Stem Cell Transplantation, and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Lyndsie Hiroshima
- Division of Hematology, Oncology, Stem Cell Transplantation, and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Linda Oppizzi
- Division of Hematology, Oncology, Stem Cell Transplantation, and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Gopin Saini
- Division of Hematology, Oncology, Stem Cell Transplantation, and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Karen Kristovich
- Division of Hematology, Oncology, Stem Cell Transplantation, and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Orly Klein
- Division of Hematology, Oncology, Stem Cell Transplantation, and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Kinga Hosszu
- MSK Kids, Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Service, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York; Immune Discovery and Monitoring Service, Department of Pediatrics and Pathology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
| | - Kylan Boehlke
- Division of Hematology, Oncology, Stem Cell Transplantation, and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Aditi Gupta
- Division of Hematology, Oncology, Stem Cell Transplantation, and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Devin Mcavoy
- MSK Kids, Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Service, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York; Immune Discovery and Monitoring Service, Department of Pediatrics and Pathology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
| | - David Shyr
- Division of Hematology, Oncology, Stem Cell Transplantation, and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Jaap Jan Boelens
- MSK Kids, Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Service, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York; Immune Discovery and Monitoring Service, Department of Pediatrics and Pathology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
| | - Alice Bertaina
- Division of Hematology, Oncology, Stem Cell Transplantation, and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California.
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Justus JLP, Beltrame MP, de Azambuja AP, Schluga YC, Martins EA, Rocha MTL, Rodrigues AM, Loth G, Lima ACM, Bonfim C. Immune recovery and the role of recent thymic emigrated T lymphocytes after pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Cytotherapy 2024:S1465-3249(24)00685-6. [PMID: 38762804 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcyt.2024.04.073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2023] [Revised: 04/23/2024] [Accepted: 04/26/2024] [Indexed: 05/20/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AIMS Adequate re-establishment of thymopoiesis is critical for long-term immune reconstitution after hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT), potentially impacting patient survival rates. This study aimed to evaluate immune reconstitution in pediatric HCT recipients by quantifying recent thymic emigrants (RTEs), specifically CD3+CD31+CD45RA+ cells. METHODS We conducted a retrospective analysis of 186 pediatric patients transplanted between 2013 and 2020, undergoing their first allogeneic HCT, who were alive in the first 100 days after transplantation with immune recovery evaluation at three time points: day 100, day 180 and day 360 after HCT. We analyzed the distribution of peripheral blood subsets of T, B and natural killer lymphocytes and assessed the impact of underlying disease, HCT type, stem cell source, recipient age, conditioning regimen, graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) occurrence and cytomegalovirus (CMV) reactivation on immune recovery. RESULTS At day 100, patients under 10 years exhibited higher RTE CD4+ and CD8+CD31+CD45RA+ counts compared with older patients (5.3 versus 2.2 cells/µL, P = 0.022 and 48 versus 72.8 cells/µL, P = 0.049, respectively). Patients with haploidentical HCT had lower RTE CD4+ counts compared with those with unrelated or related donors (2.4 versus 4.4 versus 7.9 cells/µL, P = 0.024). Administration of rabbit anti-thymocyte globulin negatively impacted RTE CD4+ production (median, 6.5 versus 2.4 cells/µL, P = 0.007). At day 180, the presence of GVHD had a negative influence on RTE production (11.7 versus 56.8 cells/µL, P < 0.001), particularly higher-grade acute GVHD (without, 56.8 cells/µL, grade 1-2, 28.1 cells/µL, grade 3-4, 6.0 cells/µL, P < 0.001). Patients with CMV reactivation had higher CD8+CD31+CD45RA+ compared with those without reactivation (median, 204.6 versus 100.2 cells/µL, P = 0.022). At day 360, no variables significantly affected RTE recovery. Overall survival at 5-year follow-up was 87.7%, with a median of 1170 days (range, 122-3316). Multivariate analysis showed that age >10 years (P = 0.038), negative CMV donor serology (P = 0.0029) and acute GVHD (P = 0.0026) had a negative impact on survival. CONCLUSIONS This study highlights variations in RTE production based on patient age, donor type and immunosuppression regimen employed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Lillian Pimentel Justus
- Flow Cytometry Laboratory, Clinics Hospital, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil; Post-Graduation Program in Children and Adolescent Health, Clinics Hospital, Federal University of Parana, Curitiba, Brazil.
| | - Miriam P Beltrame
- Flow Cytometry Laboratory, Clinics Hospital, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil; Post-Graduation Program in Children and Adolescent Health, Clinics Hospital, Federal University of Parana, Curitiba, Brazil
| | - Ana Paula de Azambuja
- Flow Cytometry Laboratory, Clinics Hospital, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil
| | - Yara C Schluga
- Flow Cytometry Laboratory, Clinics Hospital, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil
| | - Edna A Martins
- Flow Cytometry Laboratory, Clinics Hospital, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil
| | | | - Adriana Mello Rodrigues
- Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplantation Division, Clinics Hospital, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil
| | - Gisele Loth
- Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplantation Division, Clinics Hospital, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil
| | | | - Carmem Bonfim
- Post-Graduation Program in Children and Adolescent Health, Clinics Hospital, Federal University of Parana, Curitiba, Brazil; Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplantation Division, Hospital Pequeno Príncipe, Curitiba, Brazil
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Pei XY, Huang XJ. The role of immune reconstitution in relapse after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Expert Rev Clin Immunol 2024; 20:513-524. [PMID: 38599237 DOI: 10.1080/1744666x.2023.2299728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Leukemia relapse following stem cell transplantation remains a significant barrier to long-term remission. Timely and balanced immune recovery after transplantation is crucial for preventing leukemia relapse. AREAS COVERED After an extensive literature search of PubMed and Web of Science through October 2023, we provide an overview of the dynamics of immune reconstitution and its role in controlling leukemia relapse. We also discuss strategies to promote immune reconstitution and reduce disease recurrence following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. EXPERT OPINION Immune reconstitution after transplantation has substantial potential to prevent relapse and might predict disease recurrence and prognosis. High dimensional cytometry, multi-omics, and T cell repertoire analysis allow for a more comprehensive and detailed understanding of the immune system's dynamics post-transplantation, and contribute to the identification of rare immune cell subsets or potential biomarkers associated with successful immune reconstitution or increased risk of complications. Strategies to enhance the immune system, such as adoptive immunotherapy and cytokine-based therapy, have great potential for reducing leukemia relapse after transplantation. Future research directions should focus on refining patient selection for these therapies, implementing appropriate and timely treatment, investigating combination approaches to maximize therapeutic outcomes, and achieving a robust graft-versus-leukemia (GVL) effect while minimizing graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) for optimal results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xu-Ying Pei
- National Clinical Research Center for Hematologic Disease, Beijing Key Laboratory of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation, Peking University People's Hospital, Peking University Institute of Hematology, Beijing, China
| | - Xiao-Jun Huang
- National Clinical Research Center for Hematologic Disease, Beijing Key Laboratory of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation, Peking University People's Hospital, Peking University Institute of Hematology, Beijing, China
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, China
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