Research Award Renewed
for Work with T Regulatory Cells

The recipient of a new investigator award from ASBMT and Astellas has submitted a mid-project progress report on his pre-clinical research with human T regulatory cells. 

Jing-Zhou Hou, MD, PhD, at the Hillman Cancer Center at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (previously at the Division of Blood and Marrow Transplantation of Stanford University School of Medicine) is conducting research funded in part by an ASBMT/Astellas New Investigator Award.

Dr. Hou’s group has been studying the molecular mechanisms and potential clinical uses of CD4+CD25+ T-regulatory cells (Tregs).   Results in mouse models of hematopoietic cell transplantation suggest that Tregs play a critical role in controlling GVHD and stem cell engraftment while preserving graft-versus-tumor activity.

The research has focused on developing approaches to obtain highly purified human CD4+CD25+ Tregs.  By sorting for cells that express FoxP3 – a major transcription factor associated with Treg function – Dr. Hou has isolated a set of cells that suppresses alloreactive CD4 T cell proliferation by nearly 100%.   Further studies using additional cell markers have achieving a high yield of highly purified CD4+CD25+ Tregs that suppress allogeneic proliferation in an in vitro mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) assay.

The next step is to develop a strategy for using human Tregs in clinical trials of allogeneic or haploidentical stem cell proliferation.  So far, Dr. Hou’s protocol has shown high recovery of highly purified Tregs that suppress proliferation of stimulated allogeneic CD4 T cells.

Based on his progress to date, the $25,000-per-year award for Dr. Hou’s research has been renewed for a second year.