Before receiving a transplant patients undergo radiation and/or chemotherapy both to destroy tumor cells and to eliminate many of the native hematopoietic cells in the bone marrow.

This conditioning provides physical “space” in the bone marrow for the incoming donor cells to occupy as they proliferate and establish a strong-hold, i.e., become engrafted.  There they regenerate a donor-derived immune system composed of all the normal hematopoietic and immune cells.  We are using mouse models to explore the use of antibody drug conjugates alone or in combination with other treatments to establish engraftment without either irradiation or chemotherapy.  Some of these treatments involve the use of proprietary molecules generated by our medicinal chemists. These methodologies will later be used in patient studies at Washington University.

We also collaborate with other academic or industry partners using their proprietary molecules to discern whether they have the potential to open up bone marrow space.