Chimerism-Based Tolerance to Kidney Allografts in Humans: Novel Insights and Future Perspectives

Chronic rejection and immunosuppression-related toxicity severely affect long-term outcomes of kidney transplantation. The induction of transplantation tolerance – the lack of destructive immune responses to a transplanted organ in the absence of immunosuppression – could potentially overcome these limitations. Immune tolerance to kidney allografts from living donors has been successfully achieved in humans through clinical protocols based on chimerism induction with hematopoietic cell transplantation after non-myeloablative conditioning. Notably, two of these protocols have led to immune tolerance in a significant fraction of HLA-mismatched donor-recipient combinations, which represent the large majority of cases in clinical practice. Studies in mice and large animals have been critical in dissecting tolerance mechanisms and in selecting the most promising approaches for human translation. However, there are several key differences in tolerance induction between these models and humans, including the rate of success and stability of donor chimerism, as well as the relative contribution of different mechanisms in inducing donor-specific unresponsiveness. Kidney allograft tolerance achieved through durable full-donor chimerism may be due to central deletion of graft-reactive donor T cells, even though mechanistic data from patient series are lacking. On the other hand, immune tolerance attained with transient mixed chimerism-based protocols initially relies on Treg-mediated suppression, followed by peripheral deletion of donor-reactive recipient T-cell clones under antigenic pressure from the graft. These conclusions were supported by data deriving from novel high-throughput T-cell receptor sequencing approaches that allowed tracking of alloreactive repertoires over time. In this review, we summarize the most important mechanistic studies on tolerance induction with combined kidney-bone marrow transplantation in humans, discussing open issues that still need to be addressed and focusing on techniques developed in recent years to efficiently monitor the alloresponse in tolerance trials. These cutting-edge methods will be instrumental for the development of immune tolerance protocols with improved efficacy and to identify patients amenable to safe immunosuppression withdrawal.

Association of early donor chimerism status with survival outcomes in post allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients of nonmalignant diseases

Objective: To highlight the association of early donor chimerism status at 2nd month with various survival outcomes. Method: The retrospective study was conducted at the Armed Forces Bone Marrow Transplant Centre, Rawalpindi, Pakistan, and comprised patient data from January 2011 to July 2016. Data related to participants who underwent human leukocyte antigen-matched transplants for bone marrow failure syndrome and beta thalassemia major. Short tandem repeat-based polymerase chain reaction was used to assess donor chimerism status. Overall survival, disease-free survival, relapse-free survival, and graft versus host disease-free survival rates were noted. Data was analysed using SPSS 23. Results: Of the 106, 64(60.4%) had bone marrow failure syndrome and 42(39.6%) had beta thalassemia major. The overall median follow-up was 13.53 months (range: 1.81-62.73 months). Early donor chimerism status was associated with overall survival (p=0.02) and disease-free survival (p=0.01). Mixed donor chimerism was less hazardous in terms of overall survival (p=0.04) and disease-free survival (p=0.02). Conclusion: Early mixed donor chimerism contributed to optimal survival in nonmalignant disease. Key Words: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, Nonmalignant diseases, Survival outcome, Conditioning regimen.

Single Agent CD117-Targeted Antibody Drug Conjugate in Combination with Lymphodepleting Antibodies Enables Allogenic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in Mice without Chemotherapy or Radiation

Hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) is a highly effective and potentially curative treatment for malignant and non-malignant blood disorders. However, patient eligibility for this procedure can be limited due to the mortality and morbidity risks associated with current conditioning regimens, including organ toxicity, infertility, and secondary malignancies. We have developed a novel anti-CD117 antibody drug conjugate (ADC) that, in combination with lymphodepleting antibodies, can effectively condition mice to support a full allogeneic (allo) transplant. Specifically, we used a tool anti-mouse (anti-m) CD117-PBD ADC in combination with anti-mCD4 and CD8 depleting antibodies and assessed the ability of the combination to successfully condition in a murine model of allo-HSCT. Our tool ADC, anti-mCD117-PBD, was engineered for rapid clearance to enable a timely HSCT following conditioning. A single dose of 1 mg/kg robustly depleted long-term hematopoietic stem cells (LT-HSC) by 97% compared to PBS controls in C57BL/6 mice. We first evaluated the ability of single doses of 1 and 3 mg/kg anti-mCD117-PBD to condition for transplant in a congenic mouse model (C57BL/6 hosts [CD45.2+] with B6.SJL-Ptprca Pepcb/boyJ donors [CD45.1+]). We then evaluated conditioning with a single dose of 3 mg/kg anti-mCD117-PBD, in combination with 250 μg/mouse anti-mCD4 (GK1.5) and anti-mCD8 (YTS 169.4) antibody, in a fully mismatched allo transplant model (C57BL/6 hosts [CD45.2+] with CByJ.SJL(B6)-ptprca/J donors [CD45.1+]). In both studies, a dose matched non-targeted isotype-PBD (iso-PBD) was used as a negative control, while 9 Gy total body irradiation (TBI) was used as a fully myeloablative positive control. Anti-rat (anti-r) IgG isotype (LTF-2) was used as a negative lymphodepletion control antibody in the allo-HSCT study. Conditioned mice were transplanted with 2e7 whole BM cells. Lymphodepleting antibodies were dosed daily for three consecutive days before transplant. Peripheral blood chimerism was assessed over 16 weeks (congenic model) to 24 weeks (allo model), at which time donor HSC chimerism was evaluated in the terminal bone marrow. In the congenic HSCT model, conditioning recipient mice with a single dose of 3 mg/kg anti-mCD117-PBD enabled robust donor chimerism in the peripheral blood and bone marrow, as well as reconstitution of the T-, B- and myeloid cell compartments, that was comparable to the 9 Gy TBI positive control for myeloablative conditioning. Treatment with the iso-PBD control at 3 mg/kg was not effective at enabling HSC engraftment. In the fully mismatched allo-HSCT model, recipient mice conditioned with 3 mg/kg anti-mCD117-PBD in combination with 250 μg/mouse lymphodepleting anti-mCD4 + anti-mCD8 antibodies enabled full donor chimerism, achieving >90% engraftment by week 12 in the peripheral blood which was sustained through the end of the study at week 24 (Figure 1A). Multilineage reconstitution of immune cell subsets was also observed in this study, with >90% donor chimerism seen in the B cell and myeloid compartments and T cell reconstitution above 75% (Figure 1B-D). There was 99% donor HSC engraftment in the bone marrow at study termination (Figures 1E & F). These results were comparable to the chimerism observed in the 9 Gy TBI positive control mice. Groups conditioned with the non-targeting iso-PBD or anti-rIgG isotype antibody controls did not support donor engraftment in the model. In conclusion, conditioning with 3 mg/kg anti-mCD117-PBD, in combination with lymphodepleting antibodies anti-mCD4 and anti-mCD8, enables complete donor chimerism in a fully mismatched allo-HSCT murine model. This targeted conditioning approach could offer a more favorable risk-benefit profile over currently available conditioning regimens and could extend the curative potential of allo-HSCT to more patients with malignant and non-malignant diseases who otherwise would not be eligible for HSCT. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Lanieri: Magenta Therapeutics: Current Employment, Current holder of stock options in a privately-held company. Lamothe: Magenta Therapeutics: Current Employment, Current holder of stock options in a privately-held company. Bhattarai: Magenta Therapeutics: Current Employment, Current holder of stock options in a privately-held company. Palchaudhuri: Magenta Therapeutics: Current Employment, Current holder of stock options in a privately-held company, Patents & Royalties. Olson: Magenta Therapeutics: Current Employment, Current holder of stock options in a privately-held company.

Peri-Transplant Alemtuzumab Levels Predict Risk of Secondary Graft Failure and Inversely Impact CXCL9 Levels after RIC HCT (A Correlative Biology Study to BMT-CTN 1204 RICHI)

Introduction The BMT-CTN 1204 study for Hemophagocytic Syndromes or Selected Primary Immune Deficiencies (NCT01998633) (RICHI) was a single arm study testing safety and efficacy of reduced intensity conditioning (RIC) with alemtuzumab (1mg/kg), fludarabine (150 mg/m2) and melphalan (140 mg/m2). Survival was favorable compared to historical studies, but patients experienced high rates of mixed chimerism (MC) and ultimate secondary graft failure (GF). Mechanisms for GF are not known. Expansion of recipient T cells and interferon-gamma pathway activation have been proposed as drivers for GF. However, high peri-transplant alemtuzumab levels have been associated with higher risk of MC and eventual secondary GF, suggesting an inverse relationship between GF and immune activation in the context of RIC. In order to elucidate mechanisms of GF for patients on the RICHI study, we systematically evaluated cytokine patterns and alemtuzumab levels and their association with durable engraftment. Methods Serial blood samples were collected, processed, and stored for consenting patients at day -14 (window: day -28 to -14), day -7 (+/- 1 day), day -1 (+/- 1), day +1 (+1 to +3), day +14 (+/- 2), day +28 (+/- 2), day +42 (+/- 3), day +70 (+/- 10), and day +100 (+/- 10). Alemtuzumab levels were measured using a flow cytometric assay as previously described. Comprehensive cytokine analysis was performed for over 100 analytes using the MagPix platform. Primary GF was defined as donor chimerism <5% prior to day +42. Secondary GF was defined as donor chimerism <5% after initial engraftment and/or requirement of donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) or second HCT (with or without conditioning) to manage MC or graft loss. Mixed chimerism (MC) was defined as donor chimerism <95% on at least one occasion. Results Thirty-three patients were included in this study with HLH (n=25), CAEBV (n=3), CGD (n=2), HIGM (n=2), and IPEX (n=1). All patients received bone marrow grafts and 27 (82%) patients had unrelated donors. Twenty-one grafts were 8/8 or 6/6 HLA-matched (64%) and 12 grafts were 7/8 HLA-matched (36%). Among all patients, 1 patient (3%) developed primary GF, 22 (67%) developed mixed chimerism (MC), and 11 patients (33%) developed secondary GF. Survival with sustained engraftment without DLI or second HCT was 40.0%. We first evaluated peripheral blood levels of 100+ cytokines. Analysis revealed significant differences between patients with and without GF as shown in Figure 1A. Notably, on day +14 and +28, patients with secondary GF had significantly lower CXCL9 levels than those without GF. We then estimated the cumulative incidence (CI) of secondary GF among patients with CXCL9 levels above and below the day +14 median level of 2394pg/mL. The CI of secondary GF in patients with a day +14 CXCL9 level ≤2394pg/mL was 73.6% vs 0% in patients with a level >2394pg/mL (p=0.002). The CI of secondary GF in patients with a day +28 CXCL9 level ≤2867pg/mL (day +28 median) was 64.3%, vs 0% in patients with levels >2867pg/mL (p=0.004). We then sought to correlate CXCL9 levels with alemtuzumab exposure, as high alemtuzumab levels would result in more efficient T cell depletion of donor grafts that could lead to lower CXCL9 levels. Indeed, CXCL9 levels inversely correlated with day 0 alemtuzumab levels. Patients with day 0 alemtuzumab levels >0.32µg/mL had lower CXCL9 levels compared to patients with levels ≤0.32µg/mL (Figure 1B). Finally, we examined the impact of alemtuzumab levels on MC and secondary GF. Patients with day 0 alemtuzumab levels ≤0.32µg/mL had a lower CI of MC compared to patients with levels >0.32µg/mL, 14.3% vs 90.9%, respectively (p=0.03). The CI of secondary GF was 0% in patients with day 0 alemtuzumab levels ≤0.32µg/mL compared to 54.3% in patients with levels >0.32µg/mL (p=0.08). Conclusions This study demonstrates a strong relationship between alemtuzumab levels and durable engraftment. Further, interferon gamma activity, as reflected by CXCL9, inversely correlates with peri-transplant alemtuzumab levels in this prospective cohort treated with RIC. Our findings support the paradigm that higher alemtuzumab levels drive efficient T cell depletion of the stem cell product which increases the risk of MC and secondary GF, suggesting that donor T cells promote engraftment via a graft versus hematopoiesis function. Precision alemtuzumab dosing strategies may offer an opportunity to improve outcomes for patients who undergo RIC HCT. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Pulsipher: Adaptive: Research Funding; Equillium: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Jasper Therapeutics: Honoraria. Bollard: Neximmune: Current equity holder in publicly-traded company; Catamaran Bio: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Cabaletta Bio: Current equity holder in publicly-traded company, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Mana Therapeutics: Current equity holder in publicly-traded company, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Patents & Royalties; Cellectis: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Repertoire Immune Medicines: Current equity holder in publicly-traded company; ROCHE: Consultancy, Honoraria; SOBI: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Kean: Regeneron: Research Funding; Bristol Myers Squibb: Patents & Royalties: From clinical trial data, Research Funding; Bluebird Bio: Research Funding; Gilead: Research Funding; Vertex: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy; EMD Serono: Consultancy. Jordan: Sobi: Consultancy. Allen: Sobi: Consultancy. OffLabel Disclosure: Alemtuzumab, humanized monoclonal antibody against CD52, used as part of allogeneic HCT conditioning

Outcomes for Myelofibrosis Patients Following Myeloablative Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation Using the Orca-T Graft from HLA-Matched Related and Unrelated Donors

Background: Allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo SCT) is the only potentially curative therapy for patients with intermediate-2 and high-risk myelofibrosis (MF). Allo SCT for MF has historically been challenging as many patients are transplanted with active or advanced disease and immune reconstitution in MF patients is often hindered by inflammation and bone marrow fibrosis. When compared to non-SCT therapies, MF patients who receive allo SCT achieve long-term survival benefits. However, it comes with an upfront cost of an increased risk of non-relapse mortality in the first year after allo SCT (Gowin K et al, Blood Av 2020). Therefore, there is an unmet need to improve on the early outcomes of transplantation for MF. Methods: We reviewed MF patients who underwent myeloablative allo SCT with Orca-T derived from HLA matched donors on NCT01660607 and NCT04013685. Orca-T is an investigational cellular product comprising stem and immune cells that leverages highly purified donor regulatory T cells to control alloreactive immune responses. Single agent GVHD prophylaxis was administered as tacrolimus or sirolimus. Results: We present outcomes for 7 MF patients with DIPSS risk of int-1 (n=1), int-2 or higher risk MF (n=6) treated with the Orca-T graft and compared this to 6 MF patients who underwent standard of care (SOC) allo SCT at Stanford, between 2017 - 2021 (Table 1). All patients were high or very high-risk based on MIPSS70 plus score v, 2.0. All patients had 10/10 HLA-matched donors, except 1 of 7 Orca-T patients who had 9/10 HLA-matched donor. All but 1 patient in both, Orca-T and SOC, recipients had prior Jakafi exposure. All Orca-T recipients had splenomegaly with spleen size of 16.3 - 23 cm. Engraftment occurred at median of D+13 (range 10-29) and 6 of 7 patients had 100% CD3 donor chimerism at D+100. 1 patient was 90% CD3 donor chimerism at D+100 but achieved 100% CD3 donor chimerism at D+180. All patients had significant marrow fibrosis, MF grade 2 or 3, before allo SCT. Regression of marrow fibrosis to MF grade 0 or 1 was noted by D+ 100 in 7 of 7 Orca-T recipients but only in 1 of 6 SOC patients. Orca-T recipients did not have grade 2-4 acute GVHD and 1 of 7 recipients had extensive chronic GVHD. Tacrolimus was tapered off in 3 of 7 patients at D+180. SOC recipients had 2 of 6 recipients with grade 2-4 acute GVHD, 3 of 6 recipients with extensive chronic GVHD and only 1 recipient was taken off tacrolimus at D+180. There were no deaths in Orca-T recipients and 2 deaths in SOC recipients before D+180, cause of death was acute GVHD and relapse. Finally, when compared to standard allo SCT, Orca-T recipients may have a reduced frequency and severity of infections without significant consequences while the SOC patients had severe and often multiple infections. Conclusion: Our data indicates that Orca-T graft was well tolerated and potentially efficacious in MF patients undergoing allo SCT. We observed early regression of marrow fibrosis at D+100 in all Orca-T recipients. This limited data suggests that Orca-T may afford an early resolution of an inflammatory microenvironment that allows for robust immune reconstitution and potentially lower incidence of serious infections. Orca-T is under continued investigation to reduce early non-relapse mortality for MF. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Gandhi: CareDx Inc: Honoraria; Gamida Cell: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Muffly: Pfizer, Amgen, Jazz, Medexus, Pfizer: Consultancy; Astellas, Jasper, Adaptive, Baxalta: Research Funding; Adaptive: Honoraria, Other: fees for non-CME/CE services: , Research Funding. Shiraz: Kite Pharma-Gilead: Research Funding. Fernhoff: Orca Bio: Current Employment. McClellan: Orca Bio: Current Employment, Current holder of individual stocks in a privately-held company, Current holder of stock options in a privately-held company. Gotlib: Allakos: Consultancy; Cogent Biosciences: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Chair for the Eligibility and Central Response Review Committee, Research Funding; PharmaEssentia: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; BMS: Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Abbvie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Kartos: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Deciphera: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Blueprint Medicines: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Incyte: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Meyer: Triursus Therapeutics: Current holder of stock options in a privately-held company; GigaImmune: Current holder of stock options in a privately-held company; Orca Biosystems: Research Funding; Indee, Jura: Consultancy.

Safety and Preliminary GvHD Mitigation in First in Human Clinical Trial of Apograft in Match Related Stem Cell Transplantation (SCT)

Graft versus host disease (GvHD) is a major frequent adverse event (AE) and the primary cause of morbidity and mortality following allogeneic stem cell transplantation (ASCT). Numerous attempts to reduce incidence and severity of GvHD using a variety of cell selection methods have been employed, but they all suffer from a risk/benefit trade-off where reduction of GvHD-causing cells leads to reduced engraftment and/or reduced graft vs. tumor (GvT) effect. We have previously reported development of a new method for cell selection, which take advantage of cells' differential sensitivity to CD95 receptor mediated apoptosis. This technology enables the differential selection of transplant related immune-toxicity cells (e.g., TH1, TH17, terminally differentiated B cells and antigen presenting cells {APCs}) while maintaining stem and progenitor cells. Thus, selecting the right mix of cells may enable both GvHD reduction and maintenance of the graft's effectiveness. Here we report results of our first in humans clinical trial using this functional cell selection technology (named ApoGraft). This study was an Open-Label Phase 1/2 Pilot, Staggered Four-Cohort Safety and Proof-of-Concept Study of ApoGraft in the Prevention of Acute Graft Versus Host Disease in Match related SCT (NCT02828878). The primary objective of the trial was to demonstrate safety and tolerability of ApoGraft in adult patients with hemato-oncology disorders. The key secondary objective was engraftment and prevention of acute GvHD. Eleven patients were enrolled into this study in 4 sequential cohorts of 3 patients each, except for 2 patients in cohort 4. Enrolled subjects' transplant indications included AML (n=7), ALL (n=1), MDS (n=2) and biphenotypic acute leukemia (n=1). ApoGraft was manufactured ex-vivo from donor mobilized peripheral blood cells (MPBCs) collected via a single apheresis donation that was incubated for 2 hours with FasL protein (10, 25, 50 and 100 ng/ml per cohort), and washed before transplantation to the recipient. Patients were administered with a single ApoGraft treatment. The ApoGraft product median CD34+ yield was 72%, with a median of 4.3x10^6 CD34+ cells/Kg/patient. All patients received GVHD prophylaxis with short-course methotrexate and Cyclosporin A. No AEs or serious AEs (SAEs) were recorded during stem cell infusion. Six months follow-up showed ApoGraft transplantation to be well tolerated with no related AEs or SAEs. Successful engraftment was observed in all subjects within the expected timeframe. Median time to neutrophils or platelets engraftment was 14 days. Lower incidence of grade 2-4 aGvHD was observed in Cohorts 3 and 4 (n=2) as compared to Cohorts 1 and 2 (n=5). None of the higher FasL dose Cohort 3 and Cohort 4 patients had grade 3 and 4 aGvHD compared to 3 patients in cohorts 1 and 2. Over 97% of bone marrow at 28 days post-transplant were of donor origin, indicating full donor chimerism, except for the two MDS patients; one had shown full donor chimerism, which was reduced at day 180 (55%). The other had a donor chimerism of 92% at day 28. None of the patients relapsed during the study period. Four of 6 patients in the 10 and 25 ng/ml cohorts had 7 episodes of CMV viremia, as compared with 1 episode in the 50ng/ml cohort and none in the 100ng/ml cohort. Ten patients survived and were progression-free by study day 180. One MDS patient died during the study due to study unrelated secondary graft failure. Our results show evidence that the ApoGraft product was well tolerated at all FasL doses and demonstrated preliminary signs of GvHD mitigation when the higher ex-vivo doses of FasL (50 and 100 ng/ml) were used. Disclosures Zuckerman: AbbVie: Honoraria; Orgenesis Inc.: Honoraria; Janssen: Honoraria; BioSight Ltd: Honoraria; Novartis: Honoraria; Gilead Sciences: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Cellect Biotechnology: Honoraria. Yehudai-Ofir: Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Gilead Sciences: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Kamar: Cellect Biotheraputics: Consultancy.

HLA-Matched Related Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in Adolescents and Adults with Sickle Cell Disease: Comparison of Myeloablative Versus Non Myeloablative Approaches. Report from the Société Francophone De Greffe De Moelle Et De Thérapie Cellulaire

Introduction Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is a curative therapy for sickle cell disease (SCD) allowing a SCD-free survival over 95% among children with matched HLA-identical donor (Gluckman E. Blood, 2017; Bernaudin F. Haematologica, 2020). In adults, myeloablative HSCT is associated with more graft-versus host disease (GVHD) and higher toxicity (Cappelli B. Haematologica, 2019). More recent approaches using non myeloablative (NMA) conditioning regimen (3 gray (Gy) total body irradiation (TBI) plus alemtuzumab) followed by HLA-identical peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) and post-transplant sirolimus appear safe in adults (Hsieh MM. JAMA, 2014), but incidence of graft failure might be higher than the one reported after myeloablative conditioning (MAC) (Alzahrani M. Br J Haematol, 2021). Here, we compare outcomes after MAC or NMA conditioning regimens in patients over 15 years old transplanted from a matched related donor (MRD). Patients and methods All consecutive patients transplanted for SCD from a MRD from January 2015 to October 2020 were eligible if they were over 15 years old and received a busulfan-based MAC conditioning regimen or a NMA conditioning regimen. Chimerism was studied by analyzing various polymorphisms after polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of DNA obtained from whole blood cells. Rejection was defined as donor chimerism <5%. Event-free survival (EFS) was defined as the probability to be alive with blood donor chimerism over 20%. Results Thirty-four patients were included: 20 in the MAC and 14 in the NMA groups. Median age at transplant was 17 years (range 15-46) without difference between groups. Forty four percent of patients had a history of cerebral vasculopathy, 79% of recurrent vaso-occlusive crises and 76% of acute chest syndrome. ABO major incompatibility was present in 15% of patients. There was no difference in patient characteristics according to the conditioning regimen group except for pre-transplant cerebral vasculopathy, more frequently reported in the MAC group: 70% versus 6% in the NMA group (p<0.001). In the MAC group, conditioning regimen associated busulfan (12.8 mg/kg IV), cyclophosphamide (N=17) or fludarabine (N= 3) and anti-thymoglobulin (ATG, mostly 20mg/kg). Stem cell source was bone marrow and post-transplant immunosuppression combined cyclosporine and mycophenolate or methotrexate. In the NMA group, conditioning regimen associated 3Gy TBI and alemtuzumab (1mg/kg), followed by PBSC and post-transplant sirolimus. All patients engrafted and no secondary graft failure was observed. One MAC group patient died from GVHD. The 2-year overall and EFS were 95% (CI 95%: 85.9-100) in the MAC group (median follow-up of 39 months (range 8-63)) and 100% (CI 95%: 100-100) in the NMA group (median follow-up of 17 months (range 9-39)). Incidence of grade II-IV acute GVHD was 0% in the NMA group versus 20% in the MAC group (p=0.12). Incidence of chronic GVHD was 0% in the NMA group versus 25% in the MAC group (p=0.06). From the 27 patients with follow-up>12 months, 17/17 discontinued immunosuppressive therapy in the MAC group versus 8/10 in the NMA group. Hematopoietic recovery was faster in the NMA group with less platelet and red blood cell units transfused (Table). Throughout the follow-up, median donor chimerism was higher after MAC transplantation than after NMA transplantation: 98% (range 69-100) and 86 % (range 50-97) respectively at 1 year (p=0.017). Donor chimerism remained above 50% throughout the follow-up in all patients except 1 of the NMA group who displayed stable chimerism between 40 and 50%. All patients achieved HbS level close to the one of their donors. There was no difference between the 2 groups regarding occurrence of infections. MAC transplant was more often associated with hypertension, neurological complications, severe mucositis and need of enteral or parenteral nutrition. Moreover, duration of hospitalization was longer in MAC group: 54 days (range 39-192) versus 35 days in the NMA group (range 21-52) (p<0.001) (table). Conclusion In this series of adolescents and adults transplanted for SCD, the survival without SCD was excellent with a faster hematological recovery and a lower toxicity after NMA HSCT. Longer follow-up is required to confirm stable mixed donor chimerism and the cure of SCD after NMA approach. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Joseph: bluebird bio: Consultancy. Boissel: Servier: Consultancy, Honoraria; JAZZ Pharma: Honoraria, Research Funding; Incyte: Honoraria; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; SANOFI: Honoraria; CELGENE: Honoraria; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Honoraria, Research Funding; PFIZER: Consultancy, Honoraria. Pondarré: ADDMEDICA: Honoraria.

Fludarabine–Cyclophosphamide-Based Conditioning with Antithymocyte Globulin Serotherapy is Associated with Durable Engraftment and Manageable Infections in Children with Severe Aplastic Anemia

Severe aplastic anemia (SAA) is a bone marrow failure syndrome that can be treated with hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) or immunosuppressive (IS) therapy. A retrospective cohort of 56 children with SAA undergoing transplantation with fludarabine–cyclophosphamide–ATG-based conditioning (FluCyATG) was analyzed. The endpoints were overall survival (OS), event-free survival (EFS), cumulative incidence (CI) of graft versus host disease (GVHD) and CI of viral replication. Engraftment was achieved in 53/56 patients, and four patients died (two due to fungal infection, and two of neuroinfection). The median time to neutrophil engraftment was 14 days and to platelet engraftment was 16 days, and median donor chimerism was above 98%. The overall incidence of acute GVHD was 41.5%, and that of grade III-IV acute GVHD was 14.3%. Chronic GVHD was diagnosed in 14.2% of children. The probability of 2-year GVHD-free survival was 76.1%. In the univariate analysis, a higher dose of cyclophosphamide and previous IS therapy were significant risk factors for worse overall survival. Episodes of viral replication occurred in 33/56 (58.9%) patients, but did not influence OS. The main advantages of FluCyATG include early engraftment with a very high level of donor chimerism, high overall survival and a low risk of viral replication after HCT.

Donor Chimerism Study by Single Nucleotide Polymorphism using SYBR green based Real Time PCR

Objective: To optimize and evaluate a real time PCR of Single Nucleotide Polymorphism by SYBR Green method for detection of donor chimerism after haematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Methods: This descriptive study was conducted at Genetic Resource Centre (GRC) Lab Rawalpindi from Oct 2017 - Dec 2019. A total of twenty patients of post haematopoietic stem cell transplant with various haematological disorders were studied to see the status of donor chimerism by using SNP real time PCR using SYBR Green method and short tandem repeat PCR. These patients had undergone allogeneic HSCT from HLA-matched sibling donors at Pakistan Institute of Medical Science and Armed Forces Bone Marrow Transplant Centre. Results: Real time PCR using SYBR Green was able to detect significant amount of chimerism in all 20 patients having undergone HSCT. Regarding precision of the real time PCR assay the mean value of donor chimerism was 94.1% (SD 3.96) and by STR PCR it was 95.1% (SD 1.41). The assay was found to be sensitive with a detection limit of <1%. Conclusion: Our results demonstrate that SNP analysis by SYBR Green real time PCR may be used for the evaluation of chimerism status in patients having undergone HSCT with a sensitivity of <1%. Hence donor chimerism by this sensitive method can be used in monitoring of chimerism in post-transplant patients with various haematological disorders. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.37.7.4203 How to cite this:Nayyar A, Ahmed S. Donor Chimerism Study by Single Nucleotide Polymorphism using SYBR green based Real Time PCR. Pak J Med Sci. 2021;37(7):---------. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.37.7.4203 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.