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Cellular engineering and therapy in combination with cord blood allografting in pediatric recipients

Bone Marrow Transplantation volume 51, pages 27–33 (2016)Cite this article

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Abstract

Cord blood (CB) transplantation is an alternate source of human hematopoietic progenitor cells for allogeneic stem cell transplantation in children and adolescents with both malignant and nonmalignant diseases. Current limitations included delay in hematopoietic reconstitution, increased incidence of primary graft failure and slow cellular immunoreconstitution. These limitations lead to a significant increase in primary graft failure, infectious complications and increased transplant-related mortality. There is a number of experimental approaches currently under investigation including cellular engineering to circumvent these limitations. In this review, we summarize the recent findings of utilizing ex vivo CB expansion with Notch1 ligand Delta 1, mesenchymal progenitor cells, the use of human placenta-derived stem cells and CB-derived natural killer cells. Early and preliminary results suggest some of these experimental cellular strategies may in part ameliorate the incidence of primary graft failure, delays in hematopoietic reconstitution and/or slowness in cellular immune reconstitution following unrelated CB transplantation.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Erin Morris RN for her expert assistance in the preparation of this manuscript. This review represents an overview of the 7th Plenary session at the New Frontiers in Pediatric Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation presentation at the ASPHO/PBMTC meeting in Miami in May 2014. This research is supported by grants from the NCI (#1R13CA177155-01), NHLBI (#5U10HL069254-13), Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation, Children’s Cancer Fund, NMDP Foundation and St Baldrick’s Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital at Westchester Medical Center, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, USA,

    M S Cairo

  2. Department of Medicine, Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital at Westchester Medical Center, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, USA,

    M S Cairo

  3. Department of Pathology, Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital at Westchester Medical Center, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, USA,

    M S Cairo

  4. Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital at Westchester Medical Center, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, USA,

    M S Cairo

  5. Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital at Westchester Medical Center, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, USA

    M S Cairo

  6. Department of Pediatrics, Cell Therapy Section, MD Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas, Houston, TX, USA

    N Tarek & D A Lee

  7. Department of Pediatrics, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    C Delaney

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  1. M S Cairo
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Correspondence to M S Cairo.

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Competing interests

DAL has financial or ownership interest relating to ex vivo expansion of NK cells in Intrexon Corporation, Ziopharm Oncology and Cyto-Sen Therapeutics. The remaining authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Cairo, M., Tarek, N., Lee, D. et al. Cellular engineering and therapy in combination with cord blood allografting in pediatric recipients. Bone Marrow Transplant 51, 27–33 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/bmt.2015.196

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