Purpose Chimeric antigen receptor modified T cells (CAR-T) have demonstrated encouraging results in early-phase clinical trials. Successful adaptation of CAR-T technology for CEA-expressing adenocarcinoma liver metastases (LM), a major cause of death in patients with gastrointestinal cancers, has yet to be achieved. We sought to test intrahepatic delivery of anti-CEA CAR-T through percutaneous hepatic artery infusions (HAI). Experimental Design We conducted a phase I trial to test HAI of CAR-T in patients with CEA+ LM. Six patients completed the protocol, and 3 received anti-CEA CAR-T HAIs alone in dose-escalation fashion (108, 109, and 1010 cells). We treated an additional 3 patients with the maximum planned CAR-T HAI dose (1010 cells X 3) along with systemic IL2 support. Results Four patients had more than 10 LM and patients received a mean of 2.5 lines of conventional systemic therapy prior to enrollment. No patient suffered a grade 3 or 4 adverse event related to the CAR-T HAIs. One patient remains alive with stable disease at 23 months following CAR-T HAI and 5 patients died of progressive disease. Among the patients in the cohort that received systemic IL2 support, CEA levels decreased 37% (range 19–48%) from baseline. Biopsies demonstrated an increase in LM necrosis or fibrosis in 4 of 6 patients. Elevated serum IFNγ levels correlated with IL2 administration and CEA decreases. Conclusions We have demonstrated the safety of anti-CEA CAR-T HAIs with encouraging signals of clinical activity in a heavily pre-treated population with large tumor burdens. Further clinical testing of CAR-T HAIs for LM is warranted.

Stem cell transplantation represents a critical approach for the treatment of many malignant and non-malignant diseases. The foundation for these approaches is the ability to cryopreserve marrow cells for future use. This technique is routinely employed in all autologous settings and is critical for cord blood transplantation. A variety of cryopreservatives have been used with multiple freezing and thawing techniques as outlined in the later chapters. Freezing efficiency has been proven repeatedly and the ability of long-term stored marrow to repopulate has been established. Standard approaches outlined here are used in many labs as the field continues to evolve. Am. J. Hematol. 82:463-472, 2007. V V C 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Hospitalized patients frequently have considerable volumes of blood removed for diagnostic testing which could lead to the development of hospital-acquired anemia. Low hemoglobin levels during hospitalization may result in significant morbidity for patients with underlying cardiorespiratory and other illnesses. We performed a retrospective study and data was collected using a chart review facilitated through an electronic medical record. A total of 479 patients who were not anemic during admission were included in analysis. In our study, we investigated the incidence of HAA and found that, between admission and discharge, 65% of patients dropped their hemoglobin by 1.0 g/dL or more, and 49% of patients developed anemia. We also found that the decrease in hemoglobin between admission and discharge did not differ significantly with smaller phlebotomy tubes. In multivariate analysis, we found that patients with longer hospitalization and those with lower BMI are at higher risk of developing HAA. In conclusion, our study confirms that hospital-acquired anemia is common. More aggressive strategies such as reducing the frequency of blood draws and expanding the use of smaller volume tubes for other laboratory panels may be helpful in reducing the incidence of HAA during hospitalization.