Mismatched Donor Cells to Treat Acute Myeloid Leukemia (ATAC-AML-01 Trial)

The purpose of this study is to assess the safety and efficacy of infusing immune cells from a donor as treatment for patients with acute myeloid leukemia that is resistant to chemotherapy or who have experienced relapse. Unlike standard bone marrow or stem cell transplantation which uses donors who are well 'matched' to the patient, this study uses donors whose immune cells are not compatible with the patient. With standard stem cell or bone marrow transplantation, the well-matched immune cells will attack the leukemia but they also attack the patient's organs (a situation called graft-versus-host disease, which can persist in the long term). Our hypothesis is that the mismatched donor cells will fight the leukemia but will then be eliminated from the patient's body, so long-term side effects like graft-versus-host disease should not occur.