Simultaneous diagnosis of CLL and CML in a single patient with evidence for two different cell clones

Poster (2013, January 25)

Combination of Regulatory T Cells Injection with Rapamycin for Treatment of Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease

Conference (2013)

Rapamycin prevents experimental sclerodermatous chronic graft-versus-host disease in mice

Conference (2012)

Background: The most widely used mice model of chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGvHD) is an MHC-matched bone marrow transplantation model of sclerodermatous cGvHD. A limitation of that model is that ... [more ▼]

Background: The most widely used mice model of chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGvHD) is an MHC-matched bone marrow transplantation model of sclerodermatous cGvHD. A limitation of that model is that mortality is relatively low, making difficult to study the impact of potentially therapeutic compounds. Aims: To develop a more severe model of cGVHD and to assess the impact of Rapamycin administration in that model. Results: Lethally irradiated Balb/C mice were injected with 10x106 bone marrow cells and 70x106 splenocytes from B10.D2 donor mice. Twenty-one days later, all mice developed cGvHD. For the severe model, donor B10.D2 mice were injected with 0.5x106 splenocytes from Balb/C twenty-one days before transplantation. All mice from the severe model (n=8) died a median of 32 days while 3 of 7 mice in the classical model survived beyond day 52. Mean survival was decreased in the severe model compared to the classical model (32 days versus 37 days; p=0.0185). Recipient mice in the severe group experienced higher weight loss, hair loss and skin fi brosis. Numbers of T lymphocytes (231.9 ± 151.4 versus 951 ± 532.8; p=0.0032) and CD4+ T cells (63.25 ± 41.93 versus 135.0 ± 14.39; p=0.0018) per microliter of blood at day 21 were lower in the severe group than in the classical model. Moreover, number of regulatory T cells (Tregs) was decreased in the severe model (1.250 ± 0.8864 versus 8.000 ± 6.753; p=0.0151). We then investigated whether rapamycin administration could prevent GVHD in the severe model. All (n=8) mice treated with PBS (placebo) died a median of 32 days after transplantation, while 6 of 8 mice given 1 mg/kg/day i.p. rapamycin survived beyond day 52 (p=0.0012). Number of Tregs/μl was higher at day 21 in rapamycin-treated mice than in mice given PBS (2.000±1.195 versus 1.250±0.8864; p=0.0796). Moreover, number of naïve CD4+T (10.00±4.192 versus 30.25±5.185; p= 0.0089) and effector memory T cells (EMT) (30.67±3.180 versus 67.33±7.881; p= 0.0125) were higher in rapamycin mice. Finally, proliferation of EMT (assessed by fl ow cytometry using Ki-67) was higher in PBS than in rapamycin mice (45.28%±4.084 versus 31.90%± 2.003; p=0.0474). Conclusion: We have developed a mice model of severe cGVHD. Interestingly, rapamycin prevented death from cGVHD in that model, perhaps through in vivo expansion of Treg. [less ▲]

Adaptation of a Murine Chronic GVH Model to Study Graft versus Myeloma Effect after Allogeneic Transplantation

in Belgian Journal of Hematology (2012), Abstracts book(Supplement of 27th General Meeting of the Belgian Hematological Society), 16

Panhypopituitarism and diabetus insipidus in a patient with primary central nervous system lymphoma

in Leukemia & Lymphoma (2012), 53(12), 2515-16

Biological aspects of angiogenesis in multiple myeloma.

in International Journal of Hematology (2011), 94(6), 505-18

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a hematological malignancy characterized by the aberrant expansion of malignant plasma cells within the bone marrow (BM). One of the hallmarks of this disease is the close ... [more ▼]

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a hematological malignancy characterized by the aberrant expansion of malignant plasma cells within the bone marrow (BM). One of the hallmarks of this disease is the close interaction between myeloma cells and neighboring cells within the BM. Angiogenesis, through the activation of endothelial cells, plays an essential role in MM biology. In the current review, we describe the angiogenesis process in MM by identifying the interacting cells, the pro- and anti-angiogenic cytokines modulated, and the extracellular matrix degrading proteases liable to participate in the pathophysiology. Finally, we highlight the impact of hypoxia (through hypoxia-inducible factor-1) and constitutive activation of nuclear factor-κB in this tumor-induced neo-vascularization. [less ▲]

Diffuse xanthomatosis as a presenting feature of multiple myeloma.

in European Journal of Haematology (2010), 84

The effects of forodesine in murine and human multiple myeloma cells

in Advances in Hematology (2010)

Thymosin Beta 4 has tumor suppressive effects and its decreased expression results in poor prognosis and decreased survival in multiple myeloma

in Haematologica (2010), 95(1), 163-167

Unraveling the biology of MM disease: cancer stem cells, acquired intracellular changes and interactions with the surrounding micro-environment.

in Bulletin du Cancer (2008), 95(3), 301-13