Recent Research
Stay up-to-date on the advancing field of HCT with short summaries and links to the most relevant published research.
-
Rapid donor identification improves survival in high-risk first-remission patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia
March 2021John M. Pagel, MD, PhD, Megan Othus, PhD, et al – Barriers to human leukocyte antigen (HLA) typing and cytogenetic testing can significantly impact the overall survival of patients newly diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). In this landmark study, a concerted effort to address those issues and streamline the initiation of donor identification and referral for hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) consultation in early disease state led to a higher CR1 transplantation rate and improved 2-year overall survival.
-
Updated evidence-based guidelines for optimal selection of unrelated donors and cord blood units for HCT
September 2019Dehn J, et al., Blood – A panel of immunogeneticists and other experts in the field of hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) has published updated evidence-based guidelines for the optimal selection of unrelated donors and cord blood units used for transplants.
The updated guidelines make recommendations for both HLA and non-HLA factors to consider in graft selection, including donor availability, donor age, patient sensitivity to HLA antigens, natural killer (NK) cell alloreactivity, and minimum total nucleated cell doses and CD34+ cell doses for cord blood units.
-
New Analysis Determines HLA Match Rates in Be The Match Registry
January 2016Buck K, et al. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant – A new analysis of the Be The Match Registry has determined that 7/8 HLA match rates are >80% for all four of the most frequent patient race/ethnic groups in the United States – White (WH), Hispanic (HIS), Asian/Pacific Islander (AIP), and African American (AFA). -
GVHD Marker Found in HLA-DPB1 Mismatched HCT
September 2015Petersdorf EW, et al. N Engl J Med –In this study of 2,029 transplants reported to CIBMTR (Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research), researchers found that an HLA-DPB1 mismatch is not sufficient by itself to lead to GVHD, but is dependent upon specific DPB1 allele variations in both the donor and the recipient. -
Level of HLA Match Affects Outcomes in Reduced-Intensity HCT
June 2015Verneris MR, et al. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant — This retrospective, large-scale study examined the effect of HLA match on reduced-intensity, unrelated donor transplantation. -
Alternative Donor HCT for Lymphoma Patients Lacking an HLA-Matched Donor
December 2014Bachanova V, et al. Bone Marrow Transplant — Allogeneic HCT using matched unrelated donors, mismatched unrelated donors, and umbilical cord blood (UCB) have comparable survival in patients with lymphoma, according to a large-scale analysis of 1,593 transplants between 2000 and 2010 reported to CIBMTR (Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research). -
High-Resolution HLA-A, -B, -C, -DRB1 Matching Yields Optimal Survival in Unrelated HCT
September 2014Pidala J, et al. Blood — A large-scale study of 8,003 unrelated donor myeloablative transplants between 1999 and 2011 has demonstrated that high-resolution matching at HLA-A, -B, -C, -DRB1 yields optimal survival. -
High Likelihood that Patients Needing Unrelated HCT Will Find Donor on Be The Match Registry
July 2014Gragert L, et al. N Engl J Med — A study of the U.S. marrow and cord blood registry using population-based genetic models for 21 race and ethnic groups has found that, depending on the group, between 66-97% of patients will have a human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-matched or minimally mismatched available adult donor on the Be The Match Registry®. -
Updated Guidelines on HCT Graft Selection
July 2013Spellman SR, et al. Blood - This article presents updated guidelines on the selection of unrelated donors and cord blood units for hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) developed by the NMDP and the CIBMTR (Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research).