Neutrophil Extracellular Trap Formation in Patients Undergoing Bone Marrow Transplant

August 9, 2016 updated by: University of Utah
This is a prospective observational study to determine the point after bone marrow transplant in adults and children at which the neutrophils derived from the transplanted stem cells are competent to form functional neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). Furthermore, given the importance of platelet function for NET formation, we also plan to examine platelet activation and function as well as the platelet transcriptome using the same clinical samples.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Detailed Description

Background and Introduction

The role of the human polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) in the acute inflammatory response is well documented. PMNs play a fundamental role in the innate immune response and are rapidly recruited to areas of injury or inflammation where they participate in bacterial phagocytosis and killing. Disorders associated with a deficiency or impairment of PMN function (neutropenia, chronic granulomatous disease (CGD), leukocyte adhesion deficiency) predispose to infections with bacteria and fungi. Regulation of this potent component of the acute inflammatory response is imperative to prevent overwhelming infections often associated with morbidity and mortality.

Recently, neutrophils isolated from healthy adult donors were shown to undergo programmed cell death distinct from apoptosis and necrosis to form neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). NETs are extensive lattices of extracellular DNA and chromatin decorated with anti-microbial proteins and degradative enzymes such as myeloperoxidase and neutrophil elastase (NE). NETs effect extracellular killing of bacteria and fungi. The laboratory of Christian Yost, MD recently characterized impaired NET formation as a novel innate immune deficiency of human newborn infants and showed that PMNs isolated from the cord blood of newborn infants, both term and preterm, demonstrated impaired NET formation and extracellular bacterial killing as compared to PMNs isolated from healthy adults. However, the timing for developmental maturation of newborn infant PMN NET formation remains unknown.

Stem cells for bone marrow transplants originate from cord blood, peripheral stem cells, or bone marrow stem cells. Regardless of the source of these stem cells, patients receiving a bone marrow transplant are essentially building a new immune system, as if they were a newborn baby. Immune system reconstitution is a continuous process whose components can take up to 1 to 2 years to fully recover. Severe infections in bone marrow transplant patients occur and may be associated with deficient PMN NET formation by way of impaired extracellular bacterial containment and killing. We hypothesize that the increased risk of infection attributed to bone marrow transplant recipients results, in part, from deficient PMN NET formation by the nascent, post-engraftment immune system which is molecularly and functionally similar to that of a newborn baby. We plan to determine the point after transplant at which the neutrophils derived from the transplanted stem cells are competent to form functional NETs. Furthermore, given the importance of platelet function for NET formation, we also plan to examine platelet activation and function as well as the platelet transcriptome using the same clinical samples.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

23

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

    • Utah
      • Salt Lake City, Utah, United States, 84132
        • University of Utah
      • Salt Lake City, Utah, United States, 84112
        • Huntsman Cancer Institute
      • Salt Lake City, Utah, United States, 84113
        • Primary Children's Medical Center

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Patients who are undergoing bone marrow transplant, as well as patients who have completed a bone marrow transplant within the previous year at Huntsman Cancer Institute and Primary Children's Medical Center will be identified as possible participants.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Within one year of bone marrow transplant
  • Informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • No specific exclusion criteria

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Post bone marrow transplant
Patients who are undergoing bone marrow transplant, as well as patients who have completed a bone marrow transplant within the previous year.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Post-engraftment maturation of NET formation
Time Frame: 1 year
The time to post-engraftment maturation of NET formation capability in PMNs isolated from pediatric and adult patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation will be measured by serial blood sampling/analysis over the course of a year after transplant.
1 year

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Post-engraftment platelet function
Time Frame: 1 year
Post-engraftment platelet function, transcriptome, and their potential influence on NET formation by PMNs will be measured by serial blood sampling/analysis over the course of a year after transplant.
1 year

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Christian Yost, MD, University of Utah

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

June 1, 2012

Primary Completion (Actual)

March 1, 2014

Study Completion (Actual)

July 1, 2016

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

November 22, 2012

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 22, 2012

First Posted (Estimate)

November 28, 2012

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

August 11, 2016

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 9, 2016

Last Verified

July 1, 2016

More Information

Terms related to this study

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Clinical Trials on Bone Marrow Transplant

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