There have been significant advances in hematopoietic cell transplantation and cellular therapy in recent years. Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (alloHCT) offers curative treatment for numerous malignant and non-malignant disorders and has evolved into a relatively safe procedure with reduced transplant related mortality. However, graft-versus-host-disease, viral infections and disease relapse remain a significant complication of alloHCT. Recent advances to improve the safety and efficacy of alloHCT have included more refined conditioning regimens, in vivo or in vitro graft engineering, broader donor options including the resurgence of haploidentical donor HCT, and improved supportive care. Moreover, an assortment of novel cell therapies primarily against cancer but also against infections are seeing broader application.
The majority of alloHCT are being performed as curative therapy for pediatric acute leukemias. Relapse remains a leading cause of mortality in patients receiving alloHCT for hematologic malignancies. Exploiting immune reconstitution to enhance graft versus tumor (GvT) effects, while restraining graft versus host disease (GvHD) and controlling viral reactivation remain areas of intense research. HCT is now more widely applied in patients with hemoglobinopathies and bone marrow failure syndromes. Hematopoietic cell therapies most notably chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells but also natural killer (NK), gamma-delta -T cells, cytokine induced killer (CIK) and viral specific T cells have seen significant development in recent years offering salvage and/or preventative treatments to pediatric patients.
This article collection will provide recent advances in the field of pediatric hematopoietic cell transplantation and adoptive cell therapy. We particularly welcome the following themes:
• Cell and gene therapies for sickle cell disease
• T-cell immunotherapy for pediatric brain tumors
• Minor H antigen-specific T cells
• Immune reconstitution post-BMT
• Viral T-cell therapy
• NK cell therapies
• CAR-T cells
• T cell therapies
• Haploidentical BMT for hematologic malignancies
• Haploidentical BMT for neuroblastoma
• Cytokine induced killer cells
• Advances in gamma delta T-cell therapy
• Cell therapies for solid tumors
• HCT for Fanconi anemia
• Mesenchymal stem or stromal cells:
• Are CAR T cells better than antibody or HCT therapy in B-ALL
• Transplants for bone marrow failure syndrome
• BMT for Hemoglobinophathies
• Graft engineering strategies for PBSC transplantation
• Cell therapy to promote tolerance in transplant for non-malignant diseases
• Haploidentical BMT for Aplastic Anemia
• Immune recovery and GvL
• Cord blood transplantation
Dr Patrick Hanley, a Topic Editor for this collection, is a co-founder and serves on the board of directors of Mana Therapeutics, a private biotech company focused on cellular therapy for AML.
There have been significant advances in hematopoietic cell transplantation and cellular therapy in recent years. Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (alloHCT) offers curative treatment for numerous malignant and non-malignant disorders and has evolved into a relatively safe procedure with reduced transplant related mortality. However, graft-versus-host-disease, viral infections and disease relapse remain a significant complication of alloHCT. Recent advances to improve the safety and efficacy of alloHCT have included more refined conditioning regimens, in vivo or in vitro graft engineering, broader donor options including the resurgence of haploidentical donor HCT, and improved supportive care. Moreover, an assortment of novel cell therapies primarily against cancer but also against infections are seeing broader application.
The majority of alloHCT are being performed as curative therapy for pediatric acute leukemias. Relapse remains a leading cause of mortality in patients receiving alloHCT for hematologic malignancies. Exploiting immune reconstitution to enhance graft versus tumor (GvT) effects, while restraining graft versus host disease (GvHD) and controlling viral reactivation remain areas of intense research. HCT is now more widely applied in patients with hemoglobinopathies and bone marrow failure syndromes. Hematopoietic cell therapies most notably chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells but also natural killer (NK), gamma-delta -T cells, cytokine induced killer (CIK) and viral specific T cells have seen significant development in recent years offering salvage and/or preventative treatments to pediatric patients.
This article collection will provide recent advances in the field of pediatric hematopoietic cell transplantation and adoptive cell therapy. We particularly welcome the following themes:
• Cell and gene therapies for sickle cell disease
• T-cell immunotherapy for pediatric brain tumors
• Minor H antigen-specific T cells
• Immune reconstitution post-BMT
• Viral T-cell therapy
• NK cell therapies
• CAR-T cells
• T cell therapies
• Haploidentical BMT for hematologic malignancies
• Haploidentical BMT for neuroblastoma
• Cytokine induced killer cells
• Advances in gamma delta T-cell therapy
• Cell therapies for solid tumors
• HCT for Fanconi anemia
• Mesenchymal stem or stromal cells:
• Are CAR T cells better than antibody or HCT therapy in B-ALL
• Transplants for bone marrow failure syndrome
• BMT for Hemoglobinophathies
• Graft engineering strategies for PBSC transplantation
• Cell therapy to promote tolerance in transplant for non-malignant diseases
• Haploidentical BMT for Aplastic Anemia
• Immune recovery and GvL
• Cord blood transplantation
Dr Patrick Hanley, a Topic Editor for this collection, is a co-founder and serves on the board of directors of Mana Therapeutics, a private biotech company focused on cellular therapy for AML.