Claudio Brunstein, M.D., Ph.D., prinicipal investigator of the study, is a member of the Cancer Center's Transplant Biology and Therapy Research Program.

University of Minnesota researchers have initiated a groundbreaking clinical trial to determine the optimal dose and safety of specialized immune cells called T regulatory cells (T-regs) to decrease the risk of immune reactions common in patients undergoing blood and marrow transplantation.

This is the first human clinical trial in the world that uses T-regs derived from umbilical cord blood.

"Toward our quest of making transplants even safer for adults and children with leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and other blood and marrow disorders, we are exploring the possibility of using T-regs to enhance the rate of blood and marrow recovery and reduce the risks of graft-versus-host disease, a complication that affects more than 60 percent of patients," said Claudio Brunstein, M.D., principal investigator of the study.

Ultimately, researchers hope the experimental therapy will improve overall survival rates for blood cancer patients as well as offer a potential new treatment for autoimmune diseases, such as type I diabetes and multiple sclerosis.

Read the Academic Health Center news release for more information.