Hematologic Malignancies
People with certain types of blood cancers who are eligible for a hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) may be able to take part in a clinical trial called ALLOHA.
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In this clinical trial, T cells are first collected from a healthy donor and sent to the laboratory at TScan. Scientists in the laboratory then modify the T cells to help them recognize a specific protein found in the patient’s blood and cancer cells. After about a month, once the T cells are ready, they are frozen and sent back to the hospital so that they can be given to the patient.
Approximately 21 days after patients have undergone HCT, patients will be infused with these engineered donor T cells. Some people will have T cells given to them in one infusion and other people will have T cells given in two separate infusions, about 40 days apart. The number of T cells and number of infusions is based on when the patient joins the ALLOHA clinical trial. Patients are closely followed by their doctor and treatment team to help us understand how their cancer has responded and any potential side effects caused by the HCT and T cell infusion. Patients will be followed as a part of this study for two years after their last T cell infusion.
Not everyone is able to have one of these T cell medicines made for them. To see who may potentially be eligible for this study, patients need to have undergone successful reduced intensity conditioning, a lower dose of chemotherapy or radiation. Additionally, T cells can only recognize the specific target proteins if they are combined with another type of protein called human leukocyte antigen (HLA). All of us have up to six HLA types and they can be identified by testing the blood, spit, or by rubbing a piece of cotton along the inside of the cheek. TScan will do a test to determine both the patient’s and the donor’s HLA types. Patients with an eligible HLA type that is mismatched to the donor’s HLA type may be eligible to participate. This mismatch allows the T cells to mount a response against the patient’s proteins and reduce the risk of disease relapse. For patients who are considering participation in the ALLOHA trial, please talk to your doctor and care team for more details and to ask any additional questions.
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