Study Title

Selection of Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Donors Based on KIR and HLA Genotypes

Summary

This study tests whether adding certain genetic factors to the process of picking a stem cell donor can decrease the chances that the patient's leukemia will come back after bone marrow transplantation. Stem cell donors are "matched" based on genes called human leukocyte antigens (HLA). Currently, donors are selected largely on the basis of HLA gene typing alone. There is published data to show that donors with specific other genes called killer immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR) may protect AML patients from having their leukemia return after a transplant. In this study, the best HLA matched donors will be tested for the KIR genes. If there are more than one donor available, a recommendation will be provided to study doctors as to which donors have potentially favorable KIR genes. The study doctors may or may not choose to use this donor for transplant or not based on his/her own judgment. Transplant care will not change otherwise as a result of this study. This study is being done to demonstrate that AML patients who have donors with specific KIR and HLA genes will have a better outcome following transplant.

Objective

Primary: To determine if risk for relapse is lowered among patients with KIR advantageous donors.