Koen van Besien, M.D.

Stem Cell Transplantation -GVHD - Clinical and Translational aspects of Tumor immunology and Transplant Immunology

Research Summary

Dr. van Besien is conducting clinical and translational studies in allogeneic transplantation. This includes the study of novel conditioning regimens with improved efficacy against hematologic malignancies as well as innovative immunotherapy approaches in allogeneic transplant. This research is conducted in the setting of matched sibling, unrelated donor and cord blood transplantation. In the lymphoma program his interest focuses on novel strategies in autologous and allogeneic transplantation.

Selected Papers

Devine SM, Hoffman R, Verma A, Shah R, Bradlow BA, Stock W, Maynard V, Jessop E, Peace D, Huml M, Thomason D, Chen YH, van Besien K. (2002). Allogeneic blood stem cell transplantation follwing reduced intensity conditioning is effective therapy for older patients with myelofibrosis with myeloid metaplasia. Blood, 99, 2255-2258, 2002.

Devine SM, Jahagirdar B, van Besien K. (2002). Reduced duration of cytopenias following melphalan conditioning and autografting for multiple myeloma.(letter) Blood 99, 4251-4252.

Verma A, Deb DK, Sassano A, Kambhampati S, Wickrema A, Uddin S, Mohindru M, van Besien K, Platanias LC. (2002). Cutting edge: Activation of the p38 Map kinase signaling pathway mediates cytokine-induced hematopoietic suppression in aplastic anemia. J Immunol. 168:5984-8.

G-Amlak M, Uddin S, Mahmud D, Damacela I, Lavelle D, Ahmed M, van Besien K, Wickrema A. (2002). Regulation of myeloma cell growth through Akt/Gsk3/forkhead signaling pathway. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 297:760.

Ravandi F, van Besien K. (2003). Case report: clinical activity of Arsenic in Burkitt-like lymphoma. Leukemia 17, 271.

Levine JE, Harris RE, Loberiza FR Jr, Armitage JO, Vose JM, van Besien K, Lazarus HM, Horowitz MM, Bashey A, Bolwell BJ, Burns LJ, Cairo MS, Champlin RE, Freytes CO, Gibson J, Goldstein SC, Laughlin MJ, Lister J, Marks DI, Maziarz RT, Miller AM, Milone GA, Pavlovsky S, Pecora AL, Rizzo JD, Schiller G, Schouten HC, Zhang MJ. (2003). Lymphoma Study Writing Committee, International Bone Marrow Transplant Registry and Autologous Blood and Marrow Transplant Registry.Allogeneic bone marrow transplants are associated with fewer relapses but higher treatment related mortality than autologous bone marrow transplants for lymphoblastic lymphoma. Blood, 101, 2476-2482.

Vandenberghe E, Ruiz de Elvira C, Loberiza FR, Conde E, Lopez-Guillermo A, Gisselbrecht F, Guilhot F, Vose JM, van Besien K, Rizzo JD, Weisenburger DD, Isaacson P, Horowitz MM, Goldstone AH, Lazarus HM, Schmitz N. (2003). Outcome of autologous transplantation for Mantle Cell Lymphoma (MCL): a study by the EBMT and ABMT registries. British Journal of Hematology, 120(5): 793-800.

Verma A, Devine S, Morrow M, Chen YH, Mihalov M, Peace D, Stock W, Pursell K, Wickrema A, Yassine M, Jessop E, van Besien K. (2003). Low Incidence of CMV Reactivation after Allogeneic Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation. The role of pre-transplant Acyclovir and post-transplant ganciclovir. Bone Marrow Transplantation, 31,813-816.

van Besien K, Devine S, Wickrema A, Jessop E, Amin K, Yassine M, Maynard V, Stock W, Peace D, Ravandi F, Chen YH, Cheung T, Vijayakumar S, Hoffman R, Sosman J. (2003). Safety and long-term outcome of fludarabine-thiotepa-TBI Conditioning for allogeneic transplantation. A Prospective study of 30 Patients with Hematologic Malignancies. Bone Marrow Transplantation, 32 (1), 9-13.

Bierman PJ, Sweetenham JW, Loberiza FR Jr, Taghipour G, Lazarus HM, Rizzo JD, Schmitz N, van Besien K, Vose JM, Horowitz M, Goldstone A. (2003). Lymphoma Working Committee of the International Bone Marrow Transplant Registry and the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. Syngeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation for non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma: a comparison with allogeneic and autologous transplantation. J Clin Oncol 21: 3744-3753. (e-pub 9/2003)

van Besien K, Devine S, Wickrema A, Jessop E, Amin K, Yassine M, Maynard V, Stock W, Peace D, Ravandi F, Chen YH, Hoffman R, Sossman J. (2003). Regimen related toxicity of fludarabine-melphalan conditioning: a prospective study of 31 patients with advanced hematologic malignancies. Bone Marrow Transplantation, 32 (5): 471-476.

de Lima M, Ravandi F, Shahjahan M, Andersson B, Couriel D, Donato M, Khouri I, Gajewski J, van Besien K, Champlin R, Giralt S, Kantarjian H. (2003). Long-term follow-up of a study of high-dose decitabine, busulfan and cyclophosphamide, and allogeneic transplantation for the treatment of leukemias Cancer 97:1242-7.

Baron BW, van Besien K, Hoffman PC, Kohn OF, Rossof AH, Baron JM. (2003). Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura following cephalosporin administration – a possible relationship. Transfusion, 43:1317-21.

van Besien K, Loberiza FR Jr, Bajorunaite R, Armitage JO, Bashey A, Burns LJ, Freytes CO, Gibson J, Horowitz MM, Inwards DJ, Marks DI, Martino R, Maziarz RT, Molina A, Pavlovsky S, Pecora AL, Schouten HC, Shea TC, Lazarus HM, Rizzo JD, Vose JM. (2003).:Autologous vs allogeneic transplantation for follicular lymphoma: report from the IBMTR and ABMTR. Blood 102: 3521-3529. (epub 7/2003)

van Besien, K. (2003). Transplantation for myelofibrosis. Yes! But for whom? (Editorial). Blood 102: 3857.

Vose JM,Rizzo D, Wu JT, Armitage JO, Bashey A, Burns L, Christiansen NP, Freytes CO, Gale RP, Gibson J, Giralt SA, Herzig RA,Lemaistre CF, Mccarthy, PL, Nimer SD, Petersen FB, Schenkein DP, Wiernik PH, Wiley JM, Loberiza FR, Lazarus HM, van Besien K, Horowitz M. (2004). Autologous Transplantation For Diffuse Aggressive Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma In First Relapse or Second Remission Biol. Blood Marrow Transpl. 10:116-127.

van Besien K, Mehra R, Wadehra N, Stock W, Khouri I,Giralt S, Devine S, Wickrema A, Peace D, Sosman J, Gajewski J, Champlin R. (2004). Phase II Study Of Auto Transplant With Interleukin-2 Incubated PBSC And Post-Transplant Interleukin-2 In Relapsed or Refractory non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation 10:386-394.

van Besien K, Smith S, Anastasi J, Larson R, Thirman M, Odenike T, Stock W. (2004) Irreversible Myelosuppression after Fludarabine-Melphalan conditioning. Observations in Patients with Graft Rejection. Blood 103: 4373-4374.

Popat U, Hosing C, Saliba RM, Anderlini P, van Besien K, Przepiorka D, Khouri IF, Gajewski J, Claxton D, Giralt S, Rodriguez M, Romaguera J, Hagemeister F, Ha C, Cox J, Cabanillas F, Andersson BS, Champlin RE. (2004). Prognostic factors for disease progression after high-dose chemotherapy and autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for recurrent or refractory Hodgkin's lymphoma. Bone Marrow Transplantation 33:1015-1033.

Freytes CO, Loberiza FR, Rizzo JD, Bashey A, Bredeson CN, Cairo MS, Gale RP, Horowitz MM, Klumpp TR, Martino R, McCarthy PL, Molina A, Pavlovsky S, Pecora AL, Serna DS, Tsai T, Zhang MJ, Vose JM, Lazarus HM, van Besien K. (2004). Lymphoma Working Committee of the International Bone Marrow Transplant Registry.Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in patients who relapse after autologous stem cell transplantation for lymphoma: A report of the international bone marrow transplant registry. Blood, 104:3797-803. Epub 2004 Dec 1

van Besien K. (2004). Autologous transplantation for newly diagnosed follicular lymphoma: cure at last or not yet? (commentary “Inside Blood”) Blood, 104: 2613-2614

Artz AS, van Besien K, Zimmerman T, Gajewski TF, Rini BI, Hu HS, Stadler WM, Vogelzang NJ. (2004). Long term follow-up of non-myeloblative allogeneic stem cell transplantation for renal cell carcinoma: the University of Chicago experience. BMT, Nov 15 (e-pub ahead of print)

van Besien K, Artz A, Stock W. (2005). Unrelated donor transplantation over the age of 55. Are we merely getting (b)older?(commentary). Leukemia 19: 31-33.

Scarpace S, Hahn T, Roy H, Brown K, Paplham P, Chanan-Khan A, van Besien K,McCarthy Jr P. (2005). Arterial thrombosis in four patients treated with thalidomide. Leuk Lymphoma. 46(2):239-42.

Roszkowski JJ, Yee C, van Besien K, and Nishimura MI: Simultaneous generation of CD8+ and CD4+ melanoma reactive T cells by retroviral mediated transfer of a single TCR. Cancer Research, (In Press)