The field of transplantation is one of rapid growth and development. The physicians of Texas Transplant Physician Group who practice at Texas Transplant Institute^** (TTI) are committed to medical research and offer clinical trials to patients as a means of improving quality of care now and in the future. We are involved in different clinical trials that explore state-of-the-art therapies for a wide range of diseases.

A clinical trial is a research treatment regimen designed to answer specific questions about new therapies or new ways of using known treatments. Clinical trials are used to determine whether new drugs or treatments are both safe, effective, and demonstrate an improvement over current treatment regimens. 

We engage in independent research as well as participate in national and international clinical trials offered through specific medical centers. All clinical trials have guidelines about which patients are eligible for participation and vary by trial and disease.

We offer clinical trials in all of our transplantation services including Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (Bone Marrow Transplantation).

For a complete list of our current clinical trials, click here.

Research—Collaborative Groups

We are active in the design and implementation of clinical trials on a national and international level as well as in-house trials developed at our institution. Some of these multi-institutional projects include:

• Participant center for the NIH sponsored Clinical Trials Network which is a consortium of stem cell transplant programs devoted to improving the use of hematopoietic stem cells as a therapeutic modality by participation in multi-institutional trials

Research—Registries

The Adult Stem Cell Transplant Program is part of stem cell registries including: 

Center for International Bone Marrow Transplant Registry (CIBMTR)

National Marrow Donor Program

These reports show patient survival and transplant data of bone marrow and umbilical cord blood transplants in the transplant outcomes registry of the C.W. Bill Young Cell Transplantation Program (Program), also called the Stem Cell Therapeutic Outcomes Database. Information in the transplant outcomes registry is used to guide clinical decisions and identify ways to improve transplant outcomes using research from the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research^® (CIBMTR). The transplant outcomes registry is managed under a Federal contract by the CIBMTR.  Collecting data and analyzing outcomes about transplants using cells from related and unrelated (allogeneic) donors and cord blood units are requirements of the Program. Although not required, all available data about transplants using cells from the patient (autologous) are also included in the transplant outcomes registry and these reports. 

Research—Reports

U.S. Patient Survival Report

View patient survival estimates for a disease and the length of time after transplant: 100 days, 1 year, and 3 years. You can also select survival estimates by patient age, patient gender, patient race, or cell source.

U.S. Transplant Data by Center Report

View the number of bone marrow and cord blood transplants performed at a specific transplant center.

U.S. Transplant Data by Disease Report

View the number of bone marrow and cord blood transplants reported for a specific disease. You can also select several combinations of patient age, patient gender, patient race, cell source, and the year when the transplants were performed.

Outcome data after transplant at Texas Transplant Institute^** can be accessed here.

Research—Open Trials

The physicians at Texas Transplant Physician Group who serve patients at Texas Transplant Institute* (TTI) are currently involved in the following types of research projects:

Umbilical Cord Blood Transplantation

Umbilical cord blood is now a source of stem cells for transplant in both pediatric and adult patients. Clinical trials are evaluating the role of transplants with multiple donors to improve or foster recovery of blood counts after transplant, use of reduced intensity chemotherapy regimens to decrease complications from chemotherapy, evaluation of the immune system post-transplant and methods to expand stem cells ex-vivo.

Supportive Care

Clinicians are developing new methods to prevent and treat potentially fatal post-stem cell transplant infections including fungal, viral and bacterial infections.

Stem Cell Collection

Methods of augmenting the number of stem cells collected from donors are also under investigation.

Immune Manipulation

Graft vs. Host Disease continues to be an unyielding condition of post-transplant patients. Multiple studies investigate prevention and treatment of both acute and chronic Graft vs. Host Disease. Studies are also evaluating immune manipulation strategies to stimulate a graft vs. tumor effect. Studies include immune activation with cytokines and cell therapies.

Conditioning Regimen

Different strategies are under investigation to decrease the side effects and anticancer effect of the chemotherapy given prior to transplant.  Clinical trials are offered TTI to improve these pre-transplant treatments.

Disclaimer

The information provided here is for general use only. The final determination of eligibility to participate in any clinical trial requires that the principal investigator or his/her designate make a very patient-specific, case-by-case assessment of multiple criteria that are too numerous to list here. Additional information may be obtained from the contact person listed for the specific trial or by calling 210-575-3841.