Research and Innovation

Backed by a wealth of laboratory and clinical studies, our transplantation program is home to some of the most innovative research in the field.

• Our clinicians and scientists are at the forefront of translating important research findings to clinical practice, generating new avenues of treatment and techniques to improve patient outcomes and reduce complications.
• Our patients benefit from a growing number of clinical trials evaluating new techniques and therapies through the combined resources of our partner organizations within Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center, one of the largest cancer research centers in the world.
• We offer patients access to promising conventional and innovative therapies through participation in national and institutional clinical trials.
• Our clinical trials are approved and monitored by the Harvard Cancer Center Institutional Review Board (IRB) and the Office for the Protection of Research Subjects (OPRS).

Innovation

We are committed to refining our research and treatment techniques with every patient we treat. Our goal is to increase access and applicability of stem cell transplantation, while making it safer and more effective.

Major advances since program inception include:

• Developing new drugs to prevent or treat graft-versus-host disease (GVHD);
• Creating programs to maximize engraftment and disease control and minimize toxicity in allogeneic transplantation following non-myeloablative chemotherapy;
• Harnessing the graft-versus-leukemia (GVL) effect to reduce the risk of relapse after transplant;
• Using double cord blood transplant to increase treatment options for patients without suitable donors;
• Developing cancer vaccine strategies for use in conjunction with transplant to stimulate GVL and minimize disease relapse;
• Detecting and quantitating minimal residual disease to assess disease status after transplant;
• Developing methods of graft engineering to improve outcomes after transplant;
• Identifying a better understanding of the mechanisms behind acute and chronic GVHD, resulting in new and effective therapies to reduce or prevent complications;
• Using post-transplant vaccine therapy to prevent infection; and
• Developing strategies to assess and improve quality of life post-transplant.