Paired crossover study of two plateletpheresis systems concerning platelet product quality and donor comfort.

Background: Two plateletpheresis cell separator systems were compared in a paired crossover study with respect to the product quality, the number of platelet (PLT) units per donation, and the donor comfort.

Study Design And Methods: Forty-four female and 47 male donors were distributed to three body weight groups. Double PLT units with 6 x 10(11) PLTs were collected from three Fenwal Amicus Crescendo (AC) and three CaridianBCT Trima Accel (TA) machines.

Vaccination strategy to target lysyl oxidase-like 4 in dendritic cell based immunotherapy for head and neck cancer.

Overexpression of lysyl oxidase (LOX) is associated with the invasive potential of metastatic breast and head and neck cancer (HNC) cells and reduced metastasis-free and overall survival. Recently, we have demonstrated up-regulation of a new member of the LOX family, lysyl oxidase-like 4 (LOXL4), in invasive HNC revealed a significant correlation between LOXL4 expression and local lymph node metastases and higher tumour stages. The objective of this study was to examine whether cellular LOXL4 may provide an effective target for cell-meditated immunotherapy in invasive tumours associated with LOXL4 overexpression.

Cryopreservation of cellular products in a closed-bag system with an incorporated dimethyl sulfoxide-resistant sterile filter outside of cleanroom facilities.

Background: Manipulations, for example, cryopreservation, of cellular therapeutics carried out in an open system must be performed in a class A environment with surrounding class B environment. To avoid cleanroom facilities, a new closed-bag system with an incorporated dimethyl sulfoxide-resistant sterile filter for cryopreservation of cellular products was evaluated at two different centers.

Study Design And Methods: A total of 44 different products (22 buffy coats [BCs] and 22 leukapheresis [LK] products) were split and cryopreserved in parallel in cleanroom facilities (Method I) and with the closed system on the bench of a "normal" laboratory (Method II).

Generation of cytotoxic responses in mice and human individuals against hematological malignancies using survivin-RNA-transfected dendritic cells.

Survivin is a member of the inhibitors of apoptosis family and is overexpressed in many types of human cancers, making it an attractive target for T cell-based immunotherapeutic strategies. Recently, HLA-A2-binding peptides derived from the survivin protein were identified as capable of inducing specific T cell responses in cancer patients. Here we demonstrate that human survivin-specific CTLs generated from PBMC by stimulation with autologous dendritic cells transfected with survivin-RNA were cytotoxic for a range of hemopoietic malignant cell lines and primary tumor cells isolated from patients with acute myeloid leukemia.

[Prevention of HLA antibody formation in patients with hemato-oncologic diseases by using leukocyte depleted blood preparations].

Objective: To determine the effect of transfusion therapy with leukocyte-depleted platelet concentrates in comparison to transfusion support with standard platelet concentrates on the frequency of HLA alloimmunization in hematologic-oncologic patients.

Design: Prospective randomized study.

Setting: Institute for Transfusion Medicine and Immunohematology at a University Hospital.