Basic Research

• Identifying the major barriers to the acquisition of transplant tolerance in a highly immunologically active model of a non-malignant hematologic disease, such as sickle cell
• Identifying how natural killer cells impact the acquisition of transplantation tolerance
• Identifying the major barriers to the acquisition of transplantation tolerance in the non-human primate model
• Identifying the barriers to tolerance that result in GvHD during BMT in a rhesus macaque model
• Cell and biological therapy for cancer and immune ailments
• Exploring the utility of stem cells for regenerative medicine, immune modulation and for delivery of therapeutic proteins for treatment of acquired and hereditary diseases

The Aflac Cancer Center BMT Program is a national leader in primate transplantation research—we are home to the only primate GvHD model in the country.

Basic Researchers

• Jacques Galipeau, Ph.D.
• Leslie S. Kean, M.D., Ph.D.

2011 Publications

• August KJ, Chiang KY, Bostick RM, Flanders WE, Waller EK, Langston A, Worthington-White D, Rowland P, Moore KF, Khoury HJ, and Horan JT. Biomarkers of immune activation to screen for severe, acute GVHD. Bone Marrow Transplant 2011;46:601-604.
• Chu R, Brazauskas R, Kan F, Bashey A, Bredeson C, Camitta B, Chiang KY, Frangoul H, Gale RP, Gee A, George B, Goldman FD, Gross TG, Gupta V, Hale GA, Lsola L, Ispizua AU, Lazarus H, Marsh J, Russell J, Sabloff M, Waller Ek and Eapen M. Comparison of outcomes after transplantation of G-CSF-stimulated bone marrow graft versus bone marrow or peripheral blood grafts from HLA-matched sibling donors for patients with severe aplastic anemia. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant 2011;17:1018-1024.
• Horan J, Logan BR, Agovi M, Lazarus HM, Bacigalupo A, Ballen, KK,  Bredeson CN, Carabasi, MH, Gupta V, Hale GA, Khoury HJ, Juckett MB, Litzow MR, Martino, R, McCarthy PL,  Smith FO, Rizzo JD, and Pasquini MC. Reducing the risk for transplant related mortality after allogeneic hematopoietic cell
  transplantation: How much progress has been made? Journal of Clinical Oncology 2011;29(7):805-13.
• Johnson Z, Eady R, Ahmad S, Agravat S, Morris T, Else J, Lank S, Wiseman R, O’Connor D, Penedo C, Larsen CP, and Kean LS. 2011 Immunogenetic management software:  A new tool for visualization and analysis of complex immunogenetic datasets. Immunogenetics  November 15,2011.  [Epub ahead of print]
• Kean LS, Sen S, Onabajo O, Singh K, Robertson J, Stempora L, Bonafacino AC, Metzger ME, Promislow DEL, Mattapallil JJ, and Donahue, RE.  .  Significant mobilization of both conventional and regulatory T cells with AMD3100. Blood 2011;15;118(25):6580-90.
• Kean LS, Singh K, Blazar BR, and Larsen CP.  Non-human primate transplant models finally evolve:  Detailed immunogenetic analysis creates new models, and strengthens the old. American Journal of Transplantation December 17, 2011. [Epub ahead of print]
• McPherson ME, Hutcherson D, Olson E, Haight AE, Horan J, and Chiang KY. Relationship of targeted busulfan exposure to engraftment in children undergoing myeloablative matched sibling donor bone marrow transplantation for sickle cell disease. Bone Marrow Transplantation. 46(1):27-33, 2011 Jan.
• Page A, Srinivasan S, Singh K, Russell M, Hamby K, Deane T, Sen S, Stempora L, Leopardi F, Price AA, Strobert E, Reimann KA, Kirk AD, Larsen CP, and Kean LS.  CD40 blockade synergizes with CTLA4Ig and sirolimus to produce mixed chimerism in an MHC-defined Rhesus Macaque transplant model. American Journal of Transplantation 2011 Sep 19. [Epub ahead of print]
• Qayed M, Chiang KY, Ricketts R, Alazraki A, Tahvildari A, Haight A, George B, Esiashvili N,and Katzenstein HM.  Tandem stem cell rescue as consolidation therapy for high-risk neuroblastoma. Pediatric Blood Cancer. [Epub 2011 Apr 29. Doi: 10.1002/pbc.23155]
• Sabloff M, Chandy M, Wang Z, Logan BR, Ghavamzadeh A, Li CK, Irfan SM, Bredeson CN, Cowan MJ, Gale RP, Hale GA, Horan J, Hongeng S, Eapen M, and Walters MC. HLA matched sibling bone marrow transplantation for thalassemia. Blood 2011;117(5):1745-50.

2006-2011 publications

Research Collaborations

The Aflac Cancer Center BMT Program conducts leading-edge research in conjunction with the following local, regional and national organizations:

• Emory University School of Medicine
• Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinical Trials Network (BMT CTN)
• Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant Consortium (PBMTC) 
• Children’s Oncology Group (COG)
• New Approaches to Neuroblastoma Therapy (NANT)

  • As a member of NANT, the Aflac Cancer Center is one of 14 universities and children’s hospitals with exclusive access to Phase I and II neuroblastoma clinical trials, many of which involve apheresis and autologous transplant services.