Drug promising in immune system therapy

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute researchers conducted the trial that was designed to determine if the drug bortezomib (Velcadea) could improve immune system recovery in patients receiving stem cell transplants from unrelated, partially matched donors.

The scientists theorized the drug, when added to routine agents, might improve control of graft-versus-host disease -- a common and potentially severe side effect of blood-forming stem cell transplants, in which donor immune cells attack normal patient cells and tissues. The disease is more frequent in patients receiving transplants from mismatched-unrelated donors.

The researchers said their Phase 1 clinical trial involving 23 patients showed the rate of graft-versus-host disease in the bortezomib-based mismatched-unrelated transplants was comparable to that in sirolimus-based matched-related transplants.

"Our results suggest that borezomib is a promising novel immunomodulatory agent in donor stem-cell transplantation," said Dr. John Koreth, who led the study. "A Phase 2 trial is now accruing patients to help determine its ultimate effectiveness."

The findings were presented this week in New Orleans during the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology.

Copyright 2009 by United Press International.