Browsing by Author "Griffith, Linda M."

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    National Institutes of Health Consensus Development Project on Criteria for Clinical Trials in Chronic Graft-Versus-Host Disease: III. The 2014 Biomarker Working Group Report
    (Elsevier B.V., 2015-05) Paczesny, Sophie; Hakim, Frances T.; Pidala, Joseph; Cooke, Kenneth; Lathrop, Julia; Griffith, Linda M.; Hansen, John; Jagasia, Madan; Miklos, David; Pavletic, Steven; Parkman, Robertson; Russek-Cohen, Estelle; Flowers, Mary E.D.; Lee, Stephanie; Martin, Paul; Vogelsang, Georgia; Walton, Marc; Schultz, Kirk R.; Department of Pediatrics, IU School of Medicine
    Biology-based markers to confirm or aid in the diagnosis or prognosis of chronic GVHD after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) or monitor its progression are critically needed to facilitate evaluation of new therapies. Biomarkers have been defined as any characteristic that is objectively measured and evaluated as an indicator of a normal biological or pathogenic process, a pharmacologic response to a therapeutic intervention. Applications of biomarkers in chronic GVHD clinical trials or patient management include: a) diagnosis and assessment of chronic GVHD disease activity, including distinguishing irreversible damage from continued disease activity, b) prognostic risk to develop chronic GVHD, and c) prediction of response to therapy. Sample collection for chronic GVHD biomarkers studies should be well-documented following established quality control guidelines for sample acquisition, processing, preservation and testing, at intervals that are both calendar- and event-driven. The consistent therapeutic treatment of subjects and standardized documentation needed to support biomarker studies are most likely to be provided in prospective clinical trials. To date, no chronic GVHD biomarkers have been qualified for utilization in clinical applications. Since our previous chronic GVHD Biomarkers Working Group report in 2005, an increasing number of chronic GVHD candidate biomarkers are available for further investigation. This paper provides a four-part framework for biomarker investigations: identification, verification, qualification, and application with terminology based on Food and Drug Administration and European Medicines Agency guidelines.
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    National Institutes of Health Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation Late Effects Initiative: The Immune Dysregulation and Pathobiology Working Group Report
    (Elsevier, 2017-06) Gea-Banacloche, Juan; Komanduri, Krishna; Carpenter, Paul; Paczesny, Sophie; Sarantopoulos, Stefanie; Young, Jo-Anne; El Kassar, Nahed; Le, Robert Q.; Schultz, Kirk; Griffith, Linda M.; Savani, Bipin; Wingard, John R.; Medicine, School of Medicine
    Immune reconstitution after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) beyond 1 year is not completely understood. Many transplant recipients who are free of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and not receiving any immunosuppression more than 1 year after transplantation seem to be able to mount appropriate immune responses to common pathogens and respond adequately to immunizations. However, 2 large registry studies over the last 2 decades seem to indicate that infection is a significant cause of late mortality in some patients, even in the absence of concomitant GVHD. Research on this topic is particularly challenging for several reasons. First, there are not enough long-term follow-up clinics able to measure even basic immune parameters late after HCT. Second, the correlation between laboratory measurements of immune function and infections is not well known. Third, accurate documentation of infectious episodes is notoriously difficult. Finally, it is unclear what measures can be implemented to improve the immune response in a clinically relevant way. A combination of long-term multicenter prospective studies that collect detailed infectious data and store samples as well as a national or multinational registry of clinically significant infections (eg, vaccine-preventable severe infections, opportunistic infections) could begin to address our knowledge gaps. Obtaining samples for laboratory evaluation of the immune system should be both calendar and eventdriven. Attention to detail and standardization of practices regarding prophylaxis, diagnosis, and definitions of infections would be of paramount importance to obtain clean reliable data. Laboratory studies should specifically address the neogenesis, maturation, and exhaustion of the adaptive immune system and, in particular, how these are influenced by persistent alloreactivity, inflammation, and viral infection. Ideally, some of these long-term prospective studies would collect information on long-term changes in the gut microbiome and their influence on immunity. Regarding enhancement of immune function, prospective measurement of the response to vaccines late after HCT in a variety of clinical settings should be undertaken to better understand the benefits as well as the limitations of immunizations. The role of intravenous immunoglobulin is still not well defined, and studies to address it should be encouraged.