Background
The treatment of hematologic malignancies with allogeneic stem cell transplant is limited by the numbers of allogeneic donors. Umbilical cord blood stem transplants have been an important alternative source of hematopoietic stem cells. However, failure or delayed engraftment remains the critical barrier to the success of the transplants. The rate limiting step is the absolute number of hematopoietic stem cells in the cord blood unit. Despite advances in managing post-transplant complications, the limiting factor is the stem cell dose. Many cord blood units do not have adequate numbers of stem cells to engraft adult patients. Therefore, approaches that increase the effectiveness of a limited number of stem cells significantly increase the cord blood donor pool. Our researchers’ technology will allow for improved and or increased use of cord blood transplantation by providing a booster “graft” consisting of activated T cells from a second cord blood. The rationale for the creation is to increase the number of patients that could receive stem cell transplantation who don’t have an HLA-identical sibling or unrelated matched adult donor in the registry. One will be able to create ATC banks for “booster” grafts for administration with the primary cord blood transplant.
Technology
There is a need for enhancing hematopoietic engraftment after cord blood stem cell transplants and the graft versus lymphoma effect by providing T cell “help” for engraftment and “targeting CD20+” lymphoma with activated T cells armed with anti-CD3 x anti-CD20 bi-specific antibody (CD20Bi). This invention provides use of targeted activated T cells from a second cord blood to help engraftment of the cord blood unit used for transplantation. Our researchers have found that activated T cells from one cord blood can be mixed with a second un-manipulated cord blood used for stem cell transplant and not reject the second cord blood or cause graft versus host disease.
Competitive advantages
- Provides facilitator mediated by cells themselves
- Useful in stem cell transplants, storage diseases, sickle cell, thalassemia and immunodeficiency disorders
- Will enhance engraftment
Patent Pending