Paul Carpenter

Allogeneic hematologic cell transplant (HCT) is a curative strategy for many life-threatening conditions, however, graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) remains a major, potentially lethal, complication. Dr Carpenter's research interest and direction is aimed toward improving the therapy of graft-versus-host disease. Pre-clinical work and a Phase I clinical trial have so far explored the use of novel humanized anti-CD3 monoclonal antibodies as a means of manipulating pathogenic T cell responses.

Clinical Expertise and Interests include:
1) Acute GVHD
2) Chronic GVHD
3) Long-term follow-up of HCT survivors

1. Histiocytic Disorders of Childhood, Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis and Familial Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis
2. Hematopoeitic Cell Transplantation for Osteopetrosis

Ongoing clinical research endeavours involves exploration of new therapies for the treatment of acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD).

Building on results of pre-clinical studies (Carpenter et al, J. Immunology, 2001) and on the encouraging results of a phase I trial of humanized anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody, visilizumab in steroid-refractory acute GVHD (Carpenter et al, Blood, 2002) two national multicenter trials are currently open. One trial is further exploring the efficacy of visilizumab in acute steroid-refractory GVHD. The other trial aims to determine the safety and preliminary effiacy of visilizumab when administered to patients as initial therapy for severe acute GVHD instead of a standard glucocorticoid therapy.

Based onclinical studies that show that sirolimus is an effective immunosuppressive agent in solid organ transplantation and that sirolimus might facilitate transplantation tolerance, a Phase II trial of sirolimus for patients who have failed first-line (or other) therapies for chronic GVHD is currently underway.