Patients Sought for Trial of Adoptive Immunotherapy

CHICAGO—Researchers from three midwestern centers are seeking patients with leukemia, lymphoma, or multiple myeloma who have relapsed after an allogeneic stem cell transplant for a new trial of adoptive immunotherapy.

The concept of the study is that lymphocyte infusions from the original donor may induce remission. However, this approach may also be complicated by graft-versus-host disease (GVHD).

The researchers will attempt remission induction by infusion of IL-2 activated lymphocytes transduced with the herpes simplex thymidine kinase (HSTK) gene. If severe GVHD occurs, the infused lymphocytes will be killed by adminis-tration of the prodrug ganciclovir (Cytogene).

Any patient with a hematologic malignancy that relapses after an allogeneic transplant is a candidate for the trial.

For referral of patients to the trial, please contact Richard Burt, MD (312-908-5400) or Ann Traynor, MD (312-908-1609) at Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago; William Drobyski, MD, or William Burns, MD, at the Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee (414-257-5452); or Charles Link, MD, at the Human Gene Therapy Research Institute, Des Moines, Iowa (513-241-8790).