Lymphocyte Profiles and Activation Status in Patients With Graft-Versus-Host Disease

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To explore and assess changes in subsets and activation status of B-, T,-, and natural
killer (NK) lymphocytes in peripheral blood following allogeneic stem cell transplant and
how they may be associated with clinical events with an ultimate future goal of conducting a
larger successor study to identify potential therapeutic targets based on its findings.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To assess the feasibility of obtaining and comparing patients with chronic
graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) with time-matched stem cell transplant (SCT) patients
without cGVHD and identify logistical challenges with obtaining and processing samples in
each of the subgroups of interest for these analyses.

II. To assess and explore differences in lymphocyte subsets (B-, T-, and NK) between those
with vs. without cGVHD.

III. To assess and explore differences in cytokines in patients with cGVHD vs. those
without.

IV. To describe lymphocyte subsets and activation and explore how these may be related to
specific clinical manifestations of cGVHD.

OUTLINE:

Blood samples are analyzed for activation status of B lymphocytes, T lymphocytes, and NK
lymphocytes via flow cytometry, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), enzyme-linked
immunosorbent spot (ELISPOT), immunoblot, and microarray assays.

Inclusion Criteria:

- Allogeneic SCT groups: Patients who have received stem cell transplantation at The
Ohio State University are eligible and who are at or beyond day +75 following
allogeneic SCT regardless of previous diagnosis of acute or chronic graft-versus-host
disease (GVHD)

- Autologous SCT group: Patients who have received an autologous stem cell transplant
at The Ohio State University and who have achieved platelet and neutrophil
engraftment