Hematologic Malignancies and Cellular Therapy

Nelson Jen An Chao, MD

Professor of Medicine
Donald D. and Elizabeth G. Cooke Cancer Research Professor
Professor in Immunology
Professor in Pathology
Member of the Duke Cancer Institute
Chief, Division of Cell Therapy in the Department of Medicine
Affiliate of the Regeneration Next Initiative
Campus mail 1146 N Pavilion, Durham, NC 27710
Phone (919) 668-1000
Email address chao0002@mc.duke.edu

My research interests are in two broad areas, clinical hematopoietic stem cell and cord blood transplantation and in the laboratory studies related to graft vs. host disease and immune reconstitution. On the clinical side we are currently conducting approximately 50 different clinical protocols ranging from preparatory regimens, supportive care studies and disease specific protocols. Most of these clinical studies are centered around studies of the sources of stem cells and the methods to improve the long term outcome. There are exploratory protocols for novel therapies such as dendritic cell therapy for several malignancies, antiangiogenesis therapy, graft engineering to prevent graft-versus-host disease and antigen specific T cells or non specific NK cells to prevent relapse. Moreover a strong focus of the program is to develop cord-blood transplantation for adult patients with hematologic malignancies. The laboratory studies center on understanding the immunological events that occur with graft-vs-host disease and methods to prevent this disease. The current efforts focus on understanding murine reconstitution following transplantation, use of a peptide polymer to block MHC class II recognition of minor histocompatibility antigens, use of T cell engineering to prevent graft-versus-host disease at the same time preserving a graft-versus-malignancy effect.

For more information see http://ed-media.mc.duke.edu/BMT.nsf

In Their Words

Education and Training

  • Fellow in Oncology, Medicine, Stanford University, 1985 - 1987
  • Medical Resident, Medicine, Stanford University, 1981 - 1984
  • M.D., Yale University, 1981

Grants

Publications

Richardson, PG, Triplett, BM, Ho, VT, Chao, N, Dignan, FL, Maglio, M, and Mohty, M. "Defibrotide sodium for the treatment of hepatic veno-occlusive disease/sinusoidal obstruction syndrome." Expert review of clinical pharmacology 11, no. 2 (February 2018): 113-124.

PMID
29301447
Full Text

Guo, M, Chao, NJ, Li, J-Y, Rizzieri, DA, Sun, Q-Y, Mohrbacher, A, Krakow, EF, Sun, W-J, Shen, X-L, Zhan, X-R, Wu, D-P, Liu, L, Wang, J, Zhou, M, Yang, L-H, Bao, Y-Y, Dong, Z, Cai, B, Hu, K-X, Yu, C-L, Qiao, J-H, Zuo, H-L, Huang, Y-J, Sung, AD, Qiao, J-X, Liu, Z-Q, Liu, T-Q, Yao, B, Zhao, H-X, Qian, S-X, Liu, W-W, Forés, R, Duarte, RF, Ai, H-S, and Microtransplantation Interest Group, . "HLA-Mismatched Microtransplant in Older Patients Newly Diagnosed With Acute Myeloid Leukemia: Results From the Microtransplantation Interest Group." JAMA oncology 4, no. 1 (January 2018): 54-62.

PMID
28910431
Full Text

Sivaraj, D, Bacon, W, Long, GD, Rizzieri, DA, Horwitz, ME, Sullivan, KM, Kang, Y, Li, Z, Chao, NJ, and Gasparetto, C. "High-dose BCNU/Melphalan conditioning regimen before autologous stem cell transplantation in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma." Bone marrow transplantation 53, no. 1 (January 2018): 34-38.

PMID
29084203
Full Text

Huang, L-W, Bacon, W, Cirrincione, C, Peterson, B, Long, G, Rizzieri, D, Sullivan, KM, Corbet, K, Horwitz, M, Chao, N, Gasparetto, C, and Tuchman, SA. "Efficacy and safety of high-dose chemotherapy with autologous stem cell transplantation in senior versus younger adults with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma." Hematological oncology 35, no. 4 (December 2017): 752-759.

PMID
28105753
Full Text

Huang, W, and Chao, NJ. "Memory T cells: A helpful guard for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation without causing graft-versus-host disease." Hematology/Oncology and Stem Cell Therapy 10, no. 4 (December 2017): 211-219. (Review)

PMID
28636890
Full Text

Sundaramoorthy, P, Wang, Q, Zheng, Z, Jiao, Y, Chen, BJ, Doan, PL, Chao, NJ, and Kang, Y. "Thioredoxin mitigates radiation-induced hematopoietic stem cell injury in mice." Stem Cell Research & Therapy 8, no. 1 (November 15, 2017): 263-null.

PMID
29141658
Full Text

Poe, JC, Jia, W, Su, H, Anand, S, Rose, JJ, Tata, PV, Suthers, AN, Jones, CD, Kuan, PF, Vincent, BG, Serody, JS, Horwitz, ME, Ho, VT, Pavletic, SZ, Hakim, FT, Owzar, K, Zhang, D, Blazar, BR, Siebel, CW, Chao, NJ, Maillard, I, and Sarantopoulos, S. "An aberrant NOTCH2-BCR signaling axis in B cells from patients with chronic GVHD." Blood 130, no. 19 (November 2017): 2131-2145.

PMID
28851699
Full Text

Anand, S, Thomas, S, Corbet, K, Gasparetto, C, Long, GD, Lopez, R, Morris, AK, Rizzieri, DA, Sullivan, KM, Sung, AD, Sarantopoulos, S, Chao, NJ, and Horwitz, ME. "Adult Umbilical Cord Blood Transplantation Using Myeloablative Thiotepa, Total Body Irradiation, and Fludarabine Conditioning." November 2017.

PMID
28729147
Full Text

Racioppi, L, Lento, W, Huang, W, Arvai, S, Doan, PL, Harris, JR, Marcon, F, Nakaya, HI, Liu, Y, and Chao, N. "Calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase kinase 2 regulates hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell regeneration." Cell Death & Disease 8, no. 10 (October 5, 2017): e3076-null.

PMID
28981105
Full Text

Anand, S, Thomas, S, Hyslop, T, Adcock, J, Corbet, K, Gasparetto, C, Lopez, R, Long, GD, Morris, AK, Rizzieri, DA, Sullivan, KM, Sung, AD, Sarantopoulos, S, Chao, NJ, and Horwitz, ME. "Transplantation of Ex Vivo Expanded Umbilical Cord Blood (NiCord) Decreases Early Infection and Hospitalization." Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation : Journal of the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation 23, no. 7 (July 2017): 1151-1157.

PMID
28392378
Full Text

Pages