Discarded Bone Marrow for Hematology Research

The hemoglobinopathies (e.g. sickle cell disease (SCD) and thalassemia) are devastating inherited anemias that shorten and reduce quality of life. The only current curative therapy for SCD is bone marrow transplantation. However, many patients lack access to suitable donors for transplant. Alternative treatments based on gene therapy, gene editing and novel drugs are currently being developed and show great promise for hemoglobinopathies. Gene therapy and gene editing are especially appealing because they eliminate both the need for donors and the potentially devastating side effects of Graft-versus-Host Disease because they take advantage of the patients own cells. In gene therapy approaches, hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) are collected from a patient and then treated to 'correct' or 'replace' the disease-causing mutation. However, much work remains to develop optimal gene therapy and gene editing protocols, as well as better understand the inherent biology of HSPCs in patients with hemoglobinopathies. Researchers at St. Jude want to learn how to best manipulate HSPCs from hemoglobinopathy patients with gene therapy and gene editing technologies to achieve optimal gene correction and/or replacement, as well as optimal engraftment of 'corrected' HSPCs after transplantation. St. Jude researchers also seek to test candidate drugs on SCD HSPCs that might ameliorate the symptoms of SCD. Finally, St. Jude researchers seek to thoroughly characterize the basic biology and function of HSPCs isolated from hemoglobinopathy patients. Bone marrow-containing bone samples that are typically discarded during orthopedic surgery will be saved from hemoglobinopathy patients, as well as non- hemoglobinopathy patients, undergoing these surgeries. These samples will be shipped to the St. Jude Hematology Department for experimental research aimed at addressing the primary and secondary objectives of this protocol.