Anti-CD45-mediated cytoreduction to facilitate allogeneic stem cell transplantation.
The CD45 antigen is present on all cells of the hematopoietic lineage. Using a murine model,we have determined whether a lytic CD45 monoclonal antibody can produce persistent aplasia and whether it could facilitate syngeneic or allogeneic stem cell engraftment. After its systemic administration,we found saturating quantities of the antibody on all cells expressing the CD45 antigen,both in marrow and in lymphoid organs. All leukocyte subsets in peripheral blood were markedly diminished during or soon after anti-CD45 treatment,but only the effect on the lymphoid compartment was sustained. In contrast to the prolonged depletion of T and B lymphocytes from the thymus and spleen,peripheral blood neutrophils began to recover within 24 hours after the first anti-CD45 injection and marrow progenitor cells were spared from destruction,despite being coated with saturating quantities of anti-CD45. Given the transient effects of the monoclonal antibody on myelopoiesis and the more persistent effects on lymphopoiesis,we asked whether this agent could contribute to donor hematopoietic engraftment following nonmyeloablative transplantation. Treatment with anti-CD45 alone did not enhance syngeneic engraftment,consistent with its inability to destroy progenitor cells and permit competitive repopulation with syngeneic donor stem cells. By contrast,the combination of anti-CD45 and an otherwise inactive dose of total-body irradiation allowed engraftment of H2 fully allogeneic donor stem cells. We attribute this result to the recipient immunosuppression produced by depletion of CD45(+) lymphocytes. Monoclonal antibodies of this type may therefore have an adjunctive role in nonmyeloablative conditioning regimens for allogeneic stem cell transplantation.
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Effects of MLN518, a dual FLT3 and KIT inhibitor, on normal and malignant hematopoiesis.
Internal tandem duplications (ITDs) of the FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) receptor tyrosine kinase are found in approximately 30% of patients with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) and are associated with a poor prognosis. FLT3 ITD mutations result in constitutive kinase activation and are thought to be pathogenetically relevant,implicating FLT3 as a plausible therapeutic target. MLN518 (formerly CT53518) is a small molecule inhibitor of the FLT3,KIT,and platelet-derived growth-factor receptor (PDGFR) tyrosine kinases with significant activity in murine models of FLT3 ITD-positive leukemia. Given the importance of FLT3 and KIT for normal hematopoietic progenitor cells,we analyzed the effect of MLN518 on murine hematopoiesis under steady-state conditions,after chemotherapy-induced myelosuppression,and during bone marrow transplantation. In these assays,we show that MLN518 has mild toxicity toward normal hematopoiesis at concentrations that are effective in treating FLT3 ITD-positive leukemia in mice. We also demonstrate that MLN518 preferentially inhibits the growth of blast colonies from FLT3 ITD-positive compared with ITD-negative patients with AML,at concentrations that do not significantly affect colony formation by normal human progenitor cells. In analogy to imatinib mesylate in BCR-ABL-positive acute leukemia,MLN518-induced remissions may not be durable. Our studies provide the basis for integrating this compound into chemotherapy and transplantation protocols.
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