Washington University in St. Louis (WU)
I am interested in the development of new agents and treatment approaches for patients with myelodysplastic syndromes and acute myeloid leukemia. In conjunction with Drs. John DiPersio and Michael Rettig, we are currently conducting a Phase I/II Study of AMD3100 (plerixafor) in combination with mitoxantrone, etoposide and cytarabine for relapsed or refractory AML. AMD3100 is a CXCR4 antagonist currently under clinical development as a stem cell mobilizing agent for use in hematopoietic transplantation. Preclinical evidence suggests that AMD3100 can disrupt the interaction of leukemic blasts with the bone marrow microenvironment sensitizing these cells to genotoxic stresses such as chemotherapy. This trial is designed as a proof of concept study to determine if AMD3100 “priming” can improve response rates in AML.