George B. McDonald

Appointments and Affiliations
 
 
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Clinical Research Division
Gastroenterology/Hepatology Section
Member, Appointed: 1987
 
University of Washington
School of Medicine
Medicine
Gastroenterology
Professor, Appointed: 1987
 Professional Headshot of George B. McDonald

Mailing Address

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
1100 Fairview Avenue N.
P.O. Box 19024
D5-114
Seattle, Washington 98109-1024
United States

General Contact

Phone: (206) 667-6932
Fax: (206) 667-6519

Crohn’s Study Contact

Email: CATS@FHCRC.ORG
Phone: (206) 667-CATS (-2287)
http://studies.fhcrc.org/cats/

Degrees

Fellowship, University of Washington, Gastroenterology, 1975.
Residency, University of Washington, Medicine, 1969.
M.D., Washington University in St. Louis, Medicine, 1967.

Research Interests

Dr. McDonald's research over the last 40 years has been focused on gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary problems in patients with cancer, with an emphasis on complications of and outcomes following hematopoietic cell transplantation. Specific topics have included graft-vs-host disease, sinusoidal obstruction syndrome, viral hepatitis, biliary disease, and infections of the gastrointestinal tract and liver. He formerly directed the Cytokine Analysis Laboratory, a shared resource for investigators at the FHCRC, University of Washington, and Seattle Childrens' Hospital. In collaboration with investigators in the Pharmacology Section, he has examined the pharmacokinetics of chemotherapy drugs used in transplantation, research that has led to methods of limiting toxicity.  In 1998, he published a paper describing patients with both leukemia and Crohn’s Disease whose leukemia was cured by bone marrow transplants for leukemia, but whose Crohn’s Disease also disappeared.  This observation formed the basis for his current research protocol, the Crohn’s Allogeneic Transplant Study (CATS), described below.

Clinical Studies

The Crohn’s Allogeneic Transplant Study is more completely described in the website www.CATS-FHCRC.org.  This protocol will enroll 12 patients whose Crohn’s Disease has failed to respond to any of the known therapies, whose symptoms are persistent or whose disease has returned after intestinal surgery.  This study is partially funded by the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation’s  Medical Research Program, conducted under the auspices of a U.S. Food and Drug Administration Investigational New Drug application, and monitored by a Data Safety and Monitoring Board and by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center’s Institutional Review Office.  

Ongoing clinical research that aims at reducing complications of hematopoietic cell transplantation and improving survival include the following projects: 

  1. Predicting outcomes in patients with severe graft-vs.-host disease involving the intestinal tract following allogeneic transplantation.
  2. Analysis of cytokine and chemokine biomarkers in blood as predictors of outcome in patients with graft-vs.-host disease.
  3. Analysis of the effects of Gilbert Syndrome (a genetic disorder affecting hepatocyte uptake of bilirubin) on transplant outcomes.
  4. Analysis of outcomes of 40-year transplant survivors infected by hepatitis C virus.
  5. Outcome of fibrosing cholestatic hepatitis C after allogeneic transplant.
  6. Effects of ursodiol treatment on biliary microliths after transplant.
  7. Studies of the pathogenesis of renal injury after transplant (Sangeeta Hingorani, PI)—risk factor analyses and studies of cytokines, chemokines, and biomarkers in blood and urine.

Memberships

Alpha Omega Alpha
American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases
American Gastroenterological Association

Previous Positions

1967-1969  Resident in Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
1969-1972  U.S. Air Force Medical Corps, San Vito Dei Normanni A.S., Italy
1972-1975  Senior Fellow, Division of Gastroenterology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
1973-1976  Instructor, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
1976-1980  Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
1980-1987  Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
1983-1984  Visiting Professor, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, U.K.
1983-1987  Associate Member, Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Res. Ctr, Seattle, WA
1988 - 2010   Head, Gastroenterology/Hepatology Section, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Res. Ctr, Seattle, WA

 

Recent Publications

In Press
Rezvani, AR, McCune JS, Storer BE, Batchelder A, Kida A, Deeg HJ, McDonald GB.  In Press.  Cyclophosphamide followed by intravenous targeted busulfan for allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation: pharmacokinetics and clinical outcomes.. Biology of blood and marrow transplantation : journal of the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. Abstract
Hockenbery, DM, Strasser SI, McDonald GB.  In Press.  Gastrointestinal and hepatic complications. Thomas’ Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation.
Larson, AM, McDonald GB.  In Press.  Gastrointestinal and hepatic complications of solid organ and hematopoietic cell transplant. Sleisenger and Fordtran’s Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease: Pathophysiology/Diagnosis/Management.
Benedetti, E, Bruno B, McDonald GB, Paolicchi A, Caracciolo F, Papineschi F, Pelosini M, Campani D, Galimberti S, Petrini M.  In Press.  Prospective qualitative and quantitative non-invasive evaluation of intestinal acute graft-vs-host disease by contrast enhanced ultrasound sonography.. Bone Marrow Transplantation.
2013
Tallman, MS, McDonald GB, Deleve LD, Baer MR, Cook MN, Graepel JG, Kollmer C.  2013.  Incidence of sinusoidal obstruction syndrome following Mylotarg (gemtuzumab ozogamicin): a prospective observational study of 482 patients in routine clinical practice.. International journal of hematology. 97(4):456-64. Abstract
2012
Pulsipher, MA, Skinner R, McDonald GB, Hingorani S, Armenian SH, Cooke KR, Gracia C, Petryk A, Bhatia S, Bunin N et al..  2012.  National Cancer Institute, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute/Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplantation Consortium First International Consensus Conference on Late Effects after Pediatric Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation: The Need for Pediatric-S. Biology of blood and marrow transplantation : journal of the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. 18(3):334-47. Abstract
Kida, A, McDonald GB.  2012.  Gastrointestinal, hepatobiliary, pancreatic, and iron-related diseases in long-term survivors of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation.. Seminars in hematology. 49(1):43-58. Abstract
Yeh, RF, Pawlikowski MA, Blough DK, McDonald GB, O'Donnell PV, Rezvani A, Deeg HJ, McCune JS.  2012.  Accurate Targeting of Daily Intravenous Busulfan with 8-Hour Blood Sampling in Hospitalized Adult Hematopoietic Cell Transplant Recipients.. Biology of blood and marrow transplantation : journal of the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. 18(2):265-272. Abstract
McDonald, GB.  2012.  Graft-versus-host disease. Textbook of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. :873-878.
McDonald, GB.  2012.  Infections of the esophagus and stomach. Textbook of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. :214-218.
2011
Rezvani, AR, Storer BE, Storb R, Mielcarek M, Maloney DG, Sandmaier BM, Martin PJ, McDonald GB.  2011.  Decreased Serum Albumin as a Biomarker for Severe Acute Graft-vs-Host Disease after Reduced-Intensity Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation.. Biology of blood and marrow transplantation : journal of the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. 17(11):1594-1601. Abstract
Nieder, ML, McDonald GB, Kida A, Hingorani SR, Armenian SH, Cooke KR, Pulsipher MA, Baker KS.  2011.  National cancer institute-national heart, lung and blood institute/pediatric blood and marrow transplant consortium first international consensus conference on late effects after pediatric hematopoietic cell transplantation: long-term organ damage and dys. Biology of blood and marrow transplantation : journal of the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. 17(11):1573-84. Abstract
Marro, K, Otto R, Kolokythas O, Shimamura A, Sanders JE, McDonald GB, Friedman SD.  2011.  A simulation-based comparison of two methods for determining relaxation rates from relaxometry images.. Magnetic resonance imaging. 29(4):497-506. Abstract
Lord, JD, Hackman RC, Gooley TA, Wood BL, Moklebust AC, Hockenbery DM, Steinbach G, Ziegler SF, McDonald GB.  2011.  Blood and gastric FOXP3+ T cells are not decreased in human gastric graft-versus-host disease.. Biology of blood and marrow transplantation : journal of the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. 17(4):486-96. Abstract
Sebastián, E, Martín J, McDonald GB, Flores T, Rodríguez A, Blanco A, Vazquez L, de Fuentes I, Caballero MD.  2011.  Cryptosporidium parvum infection vs GVHD after hematopoietic SCT: diagnosis by PCR with resolution of symptoms.. Bone marrow transplantation. 46(4):612-4.
McDonald, GB.  2011.  Hepatic vascular pathology after hematopoietic cell transplantation: Sinusoidal obstruction syndrome, focal nodular hyperplasia, and nodular regenerative hyperplasia. Vascular Liver Disease: Mechanisms and Management. :149-163.
2010
Martin, PJ, McDonald GB.  2010.  Response to Krejci and Mayer. Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation. 16(5):706.
Gooley, TA, Chien JW, Pergam SA, Hingorani SR, Sorror ML, Boeckh MJ, Martin PJ, Sandmaier BM, Marr KA, Appelbaum FR et al..  2010.  Reduced mortality after allogeneic hematopoietic-cell transplantation.. The New England journal of medicine. 363(22):2091-101. Abstract
Lord, JD, Hackman RC, Moklebust A, Thompson JA, Higano CS, Chielens D, Steinbach G, McDonald GB.  2010.  Refractory colitis following anti-CTLA4 antibody therapy: analysis of mucosal FOXP3+ T cells.. Digestive diseases and sciences. 55(5):1396-405. Abstract
Richardson, PG, Soiffer RJ, Antin JH, Uno H, Jin Z, Kurtzberg J, Martin PL, Steinbach G, Murray KF, Vogelsang GB et al..  2010.  Defibrotide for the treatment of severe hepatic veno-occlusive disease and multiorgan failure after stem cell transplantation: a multicenter, randomized, dose-finding trial.. Biology of blood and marrow transplantation : journal of the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. 16(7):1005-17. Abstract
Chien, JW, Sakai M, Gooley TA, Schoch HG, McDonald GB.  2010.  Influence of oral beclomethasone dipropionate on early non-infectious pulmonary outcomes after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation: results from two randomized trials.. Bone marrow transplantation. 45(2):317-24. Abstract
Nash, RA, McDonald GB.  2010.  Crohn disease: remissions but no cure.. Blood. 116(26):5790-1.
McDonald, GB.  2010.  [Treatment algorithm for gastrointestinal graft-versus-host disease].. Methods and findings in experimental and clinical pharmacology. 32 Suppl A:73-7. Abstract
McDonald, GB.  2010.  Hepatobiliary complications of hematopoietic cell transplantation, 40 years on.. Hepatology (Baltimore, Md.). 51(4):1450-60. Abstract
McDonald, GB, Steinbach G.  2010.  Gastrointestinal infections after solid organ or hematopoietic cell transplantation. Transplant Infections. :236-255.