Bone Marrow or Stem Cell Infusion for Thalassemia (THALLO Trial)

Patients have severe beta-thalassemia or one of the thalassemia variants. Thalassemia is a hereditary disease in which the bone marrow produces abnormal red blood cells that have a shorter life span than normal red blood cells. Because of that, the patient has chronically low red blood cell numbers (anemia) and need regular blood transfusions to help the patient feel better and to help prevent damage to important organs such as the heart. The following treatments are currently available to patients: lifelong blood transfusions and drugs that help remove iron from the body, and long-term antibiotics to prevent infections. These treatments are difficult for patients to take, and do not stop the effects of the disease. Currently, the only treatment that may cure thalassemia is bone marrow or blood stem cell transplantation. Special blood or bone marrow cells from a healthy person might allow the bone marrow to create healthy cells, which will replace the abnormal red blood cells of thalassemia. There is a lot of experience using special blood or bone marrow cells from a healthy brother or sister who is the same HLA (immune) type. For patients who do not have such a donor in the family, an unrelated volunteer donor can be used. It is important for the patient to realize that this kind of transplant can have more problems than a transplant from a brother or sister. Because we do not know the long-term effects of this treatment and because this type of transplant has not been used often for people with thalassemia, this is a research study. We hope, but cannot promise, that the transplanted marrow/stem cells will produce healthy cells and the patient will no longer have severe thalassemia.