Helping blood stem cells take hold after a bone marrow transplant
Mechanisms of hematopoietic stem cell engraftment
The team plans to boost a surface protein on donor blood stem cells so they survive and grow better in people getting half-matched (haploidentical) transplants.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Illinois at Chicago NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chicago, UNITED STATES) |
| Project ID | NIH-11311799 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
From my perspective as a patient, the researchers are studying how donor blood-forming stem cells avoid being cleared by the body's innate immune cells after transplant, with a focus on a molecule called VCAM1 that acts like a "don't-eat-me" signal. They will alter VCAM1 levels on stem cells and follow graft survival and immune cell behavior in lab and transplant models to see what helps acceptance. The work uses laboratory experiments and transplant models to measure how innate immune cells respond and whether manipulating VCAM1 improves engraftment. Their goal is to find approaches that could eventually be tested in people who need half-matched donor transplants.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People who need an allogeneic bone marrow or stem cell transplant but do not have a fully HLA-matched donor and are considering a haploidentical (half-matched) transplant.
Not a fit: Patients not undergoing allogeneic or haploidentical transplants—such as those receiving autologous transplants or treated for non-hematologic diseases—are unlikely to benefit directly from this work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could raise the success rate of haploidentical bone marrow transplants and reduce the need for heavy immune-suppressing drugs.
How similar studies have performed: Related "don't-eat-me" immune approaches (for example targeting CD47) have shown promise, but using VCAM1 to promote haploidentical engraftment is a newer idea that has been mainly tested in preclinical settings and not yet proven in humans.
Where this research is happening
Chicago, UNITED STATES
- University of Illinois at Chicago — Chicago, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Pinho, Sandra — University of Illinois at Chicago
- Study coordinator: Pinho, Sandra
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.