Plasma Donations for Treating COVID-19 (Convalescent Plasma)
Atlanta Blood Services is collecting convalescent plasma donations from individuals who have had a lab-confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 and have fully recovered from a COVID-19 infection. Through our apheresis and blood donor program managed by Atlanta Blood Services. This plasma will be used as an investigational treatment for patients currently fighting the coronavirus disease.
Closer Look: Northside Hospital Tests Convalescent Plasma Donation As A New Potential Treatment For COVID-19
Domenico Piccininni, an Atlanta resident and COVID-19 survivor shares his journey to recovery. Then, Dr. Kent Holland, medical director of the Blood and Marrow Transplant Program at Northside Hospital, shares how Mr. Piccininni’s plasma could help other COVID-19 patients.
Plasma therapy could be ‘liquid gold’ for COVID-19 treatment
Domenico Piccininni is alive. It shouldn’t be taken lightly. The 50-year-old DeKalb County resident’s health was in question several weeks ago. He had COVID-19.
About two weeks ago, Piccininni walked into Northside Hospital to give some of his blood plasma for researchers to use as potential treatment for COVID-19 patients. The donation is his opportunity to help.
To learn more visit the AJC website for the full story.
Covid-19 Patient Recovers with Convalescent Plasma Infusion at Northside Hospital
Stephen Feldman fell ill with Covid-19 and received an infusion with convalescent plasma from a person who recovered from Covid-19. Mr. Feldman spoke with Atlanta’s CBS46 to thank the Northside Hospital staff and Atlanta Blood Services for their outstanding medical care during his recent Covid-19 hospitalization.
COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma Donor Appears in a Recent New York Times Article
Meg Chamberlin, who lives in New York City, traveled to Atlanta Blood Services (ABS) to donate COVID-19 convalescent plasma.
Her experience was featured in a recent New York Times article, Will You Help Save My Brother?: The Scramble to Find Covid-19 Plasma Donors.
We thank Meg, and all COVID-19 convalescent plasma donors, who are making a difference for patients who are battling COVID-19.
Please view Meg’s COVID-19 convalescent donor plasma experience.
Dr. Kent Holland and a COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma Donor Interviewed by HealthDay, an E-Publication
Domenico Piccininni is one of the hundreds of thousands of people who have had a COVID-19 infection and recovered after a bit of misery, but with no lasting complications. What sets him apart from many other survivors is that Piccininni is trying to help people who now have more severe COVID-19 infections.
To learn more visit the Health Day website for the full story.
Atlanta Blood Services COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma Donor Interviewed on Fox News
Fox News’ Bill Hemmer interviewed Mike Dowdle, an Atlanta Blood Services COVID-19 convalescent plasma donor, on April 9, 2020. The interview discussed; how recovered COVID-19 individuals have developed antibodies to the virus in their blood, how these antibodies may help treat a patient with severe COVID-19 infection, described the convalescent plasma donation process, and why Mr. Dowdle donated his plasma.
If you would like to become a COVID-19 convalescent plasma donor (at no expense to you) or would like additional information, please contact Atlanta Blood Services at 404-477-1298, 404-477-1299, absinfo@bmtga.com or atlantabloodservices.com.
Dr. Kent Holland Appears on Atlanta’s WABE’s Closer Look
with Rose Scott to Discuss Blood Donation During COVID-19
Blood donation collection centers in right here in Georgia and across the nation are urging healthy people to donate blood.
Dr. H. Kent Holland is a Northside Hospital Leukemia Program physician. He also serves as the Medical Director of Atlanta Blood Services and Medical Director of the Blood and Marrow Transplant Program at Northside Hospital. He joined “Closer Look” to discuss the critical need for blood donation products during the COVID-19 pandemic.
To listen to the full audio of the show, please click here.
Atlanta Fox 5 Interviews Dr. Kent Holland
New COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma Treatment
On Atlanta’s Fox 5, Dr. Holland explains how donated plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients may help newly infected COVID-19 patients recover quickly. Dr. Holland explains when someone is infected with a virus like COVID-19, patients produce antibodies that can neutralize the virus.
In collaboration with the Georgia Department of Public Health, the NSH BMT Collection Facility, Atlanta Blood Services, is setting up a system to collect plasma from COVID-19 survivors and then their plasma will be infused into patients hospitalized with COVID-19. Donating plasma is similar to donating blood and one donation of plasma could help two or three newly infected patients.
To watch the clip from the show, please click here.
Keith Guernsey Appears on Eleven Alive’s Morning Rush
Our NH BMT patient, Keith Guernsey, who received an autologous transplant for Multiple Myeloma, was featured on a recent Eleven Alive Morning Rush TV broadcast. Mr. Guernsey spoke of his appreciation and gratitude to the NSH and BMTGA doctors and nurses who cared for him during and after his transplant.
Mr. Guernsey is also a MyelomaCrowd, www.myelomacrowd.org, coach. His story, How a Cancer Diagnosis Saved His Life can be viewed here.
For the 10th Consecutive Year, NSH BMT Program’s Survival Outcomes Among the Nation’s Best
NSH-BMT ranks in the top 20 percent of transplant programs in the country in terms of volume of allogeneic transplants performed. According to the data, the one-year survival rate of transplant patients at Northside is 79.4 percent, which exceeds the survival expected for the hospital. For more information, please click Survival Data and review Survival Brochure (PDF).
For the Sixth Consecutive Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT) Re-inspection Cycle, the NSH BMT Clinical Transplant Program Receives a Perfect Score
Melissa Horowitz, RN, Manager of Cellular Therapy and Leukemia Program, and Ashlee Holbein, RN, FACT/QI Coordinator
In November 2018, NSH clinical BMT team underwent a FACT inspection, which occurs every three years. 2018 was the first year FACT required transplant centers to undergo Immune Effector Cells (IEC) accreditation. The new IEC policies apply to immune effector cells used to modulate an immune response for therapeutic intent, such as dendritic cells, natural killer cells, T cells, and B cells. IEC includes chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-T cells) and therapeutic vaccines.
The inspection team complimented NSH BMT’s physician oversight, trained team members, organizational structure, superior survival outcomes, and programmatic commitment to excellent patient care and awarded the program a perfect FACT Inspection score. We want to congratulate our NSH-BMT clinical transplant team members for this distinguished honor.
Dr. Melhem Solh’s Leukemia Clinical Research Study, Treatment With FLAG+ / -Ida Induction Regimen May Result In Better Outcomes For Patients With NCCN AML Compared With 7+3, Analysis Indicates was E-Published in the March 5, 2020 Edition of the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s (ASCO) Cancer in the News.
Cancer Therapy Advisor (3/4, Bennett) reports “patents with non-favorable National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) risk acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) had better outcomes when treated with FLAG+ / -Ida (fludarabine, high dose cytarabine and granulocyte-colony stimulating factor with or without idarubicin) as the induction regimen compared with 7+3 (cytarabine + anthracycline), showed a retrospective analysis recently published in Leukemia Research.” The analysis showed “that a significantly higher proportion of patients who received FLAG+ / -Ida went into remission after 1 induction course compared with 7+3.” Moreover, “clinical outcomes were also better for patients who received FLAG+ / -Ida, with these patients having significantly higher 3-year overall survival...and disease-free survival rates...after remission compared with 7+3.”
Cancer in the News is written and distributed by the editors of BulletinHealthcare.
Early Referral to a Combined Leukemia/Transplant Program Improves Outcomes for Older Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) Patients
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is generally a disease of older adults. The median age at diagnosis is 68 years, with patients diagnosed most frequently between ages 65 and 74 years. For younger AML patients, current treatment guidelines recommend intensive chemotherapy (IC) with an anthracycline and cytarabine in order to achieve remission induction. This is followed by curative-intent post-remission therapy, which can vary from chemotherapy alone for favorable-risk AML to allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) for poor-risk patients.
To read this article and the full Winter 2020 issue, please click here:
Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR) Highlights Program’s Clinical Research Study, Outcomes of Haploidentical vs Matched Sibling Transplantation for Acute Myeloid Leukemia in First Complete Remission
As a pioneer in the field of haploidential transplantation, we are honored to have CIBMTR share with the public our ground breaking clinical research trial results. This study was one of three selected during the third quarter 2019 by the Consumer Advocacy Committee.
To read this article, please visit the following links:
CIBMTR Study Summaries for Patients page
Northside Hospital Cancer Institute is a Certified Kymriah ® and Yescarta® Commercial CAR T-Cell Therapy Treatment Center
Northside Hospital Cancer Institute, a nationally recognized treatment center for leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, blood and marrow transplant, is now an authorized Kymriah ®, tisagenlecleucel, CAR T-cell treatment center. Please click Press Release for additional information.
Kymriah ®, is a CD19-directed genetically modified autologous T cell immunotherapy to treat adult patients with two types of blood-derived cancers:
- Patients up to the age of twenty-five with a diagnosis of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) that is refractory or in a second or greater relapse.
- Adult patients with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma after two or more lines of systemic therapy including diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) not otherwise specified, high grade B-cell lymphoma and DLBCL arising from follicular lymphoma.
Yescarta®, axicabtagene ciloleucel, a CD19-directed genetically modified autologous T cell immunotherapy used for the following indication:
- First-ever FDA-approved CAR T cell therapy for adult patients with certain types of non-Hodgkin-lymphoma (NHL) who have relapsed or refractory disease after receiving two or more types of treatment.
To refer a CAR T-cell patient, please call 404-255-1930. For more information about CAR T-cell therapy, please click Immunotherapy Program at Northside.
Are Most Eligible or Ineligible for CAR T-cell Therapy?
Busting Marrow Myths will dispel, educate and empower patients, families and health care professionals. Check out all seven episodes providing answers, inspiration, resources and coping skills sure to make a difference.
To listen to this podcast, featuring Dr. H Kent Holland of Northside Hospital, please click here:
Congratulation to the NSH-BMT Program
Successful BMT CTN Grant Renewal 2017 – 2023
NSH-BMT program achieved BMT CTN Core Center Grant renewal funding for years 2017 - 2023. Past performance, current application, and PI leadership contributed to the grant renewal. NSH-BMT applied as a consortium with University of Miami and Levine Cancer Institute. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) provide BMT CTN research grant funding.
Achieving this award is a validation of the efforts of each person in the program, the support of the administration, and leadership of the BMTGA physicians. For further information, please read Press Release.
Advances in Immunotherapy for Cancer: Novel Phase 1 Clinical Research Trial Open for Enrollment
Advances in Immunotherapy for Cancer: Novel Phase I Clinical Research Trial Open for Enrollment
Advances in Immunotherapy for Cancer: Novel Phase I Clinical Research Trial Open for Enrollment
Advances in Immunotherapy for Cancer: Novel Phase I Clinical Research Trial Open for Enrollment
Advances in Immunotherapy for Cancer: Novel Phase I Clinical Research Trial Open for Enrollment
Advances in Immunotherapy for Cancer: Novel Phase I Clinical Research Trial Open for Enrollment
Advances in Immunotherapy for Cancer: Novel Phase I Clinical Research Trial Open for Enrollment
Blood Donations are Essential for Every NSH Blood and Marrow Transplant, Leukemia and Immunotherapy Patient
Marti Hand was diagnosed with chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) in April 2016 and received treatment at NSH Blood & Marrow Transplant program. Two and a half years and countless blood transfusions later, she is cancer free and thankful to the many strangers who donated blood to help her in her cancer fight. She shares her story today as a call to action for others to donate blood, supporting cancer fighters like her. View the full story here.
To learn more about blood donation and sign up to donate, visit atlantabloodservices.com
Post- Blood and Marrow Transplant Immunization Schedule- What You Need to Know
After blood and marrow transplant, patients will need to be re-immunized with all childhood vaccinations due to their new immune systems being immature and vulnerable to diseases/infections. It is recommended that post-transplant patients begin their vaccination schedule six months after transplant unless clinically contraindicated. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC), recommends the following:
- Inactivated influenza vaccine should be administered beginning at least 6 months after HCT and annually thereafter for the life of the patient.
- Sequential administration of 3 doses of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine is recommended, beginning 3-6 months after the transplant, followed by a dose of PPSV.
- A 3-dose regimen of Hib vaccine should be administered beginning 6 months after transplant; at least 1 month should separate the doses.
- MMR vaccine should be administered 24 months after transplant if the HCT recipient is immunocompetent.
- If a decision is made to vaccinate with varicella vaccine, the vaccine should be administered a minimum of 24 months after transplantation if the HCT recipient is presumed to be immunocompetent.
Please click here to view the NSH-BMT post-transplant vaccination schedule recommended for both autologous and allogeneic transplant recipients. For more specific information, see Tomblyn M, Chiller T, Einsele H, et al. Guidelines for Preventing Infectious Complications among Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation Recipients: A Global Perspective [1.9MB, 96 pages]. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant 15:1143-1238;2009 or visit http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines.
