Bay Biosciences provides high quality, clinical grade, FFPE  tissue blocks with matched cryogenically preserved sera (serum), plasma, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) biofluid samples from patients diagnosed with graft versus host disease (GvHD).

Moreover, the serum, plasma and PBMCs are processed from graft versus host disease (GvHD) patient’s peripheral whole-blood using customized collection and processing protocols.

Moreover, the biopsy tissue and matched bio-fluid samples are collected from unique patients diagnosed with graft versus host disease (GvHD) and are provided to a valued pharmaceutical customer for research, discovery and drug development.

 

Graft versus host disease (GvHD) Overview

Graft versus host disease (GvHD) is a potentially a serious condition that might occur after an allogenic transplant. In GvHD, the donated bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cells view the recipient’s body as foreign, and the donated cells/bone marrow attack the body.

GVHD occurs when the donor’s T cells (the graft) view the patient’s healthy cells (the host) as foreign, and attack and damage them. Graft-versus-host disease can be mild, moderate or severe. In some cases, it can be a serious complication and life-threatening.

Before a transplant, tissue and cells from possible donors are checked to see how closely they match the recipient. GVHD is less likely to occur, or symptoms will be milder, when the match is close.

According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine the chance of GVHD is around 35% to 45% when the donor and recipient are related. And around 60% to 80% when the donor and recipient are not related.

Bone marrow and stem cell and transplant

A stem cell or bone marrow transplant from another person is called a donor or an allogeneic transplant.

Stem cell and bone marrow transplants are treatments that use very high doses of chemotherapy, sometimes with radiotherapy. The high dose treatment can kill cancer cells but it also kills off the stem cells in the bone marrow that produce the blood cells.

So after the high dose treatment stem cells or bone marrow are given from a donor through a drip. The donor stem cells make their way into the bone marrow and start to produce blood cells again.

How Graft versus host disease (GvHD) develops

GvHD means the graft reacts against the host. The graft is the marrow or stem cells from the donor. The host is the person having the transplant. 

GvHD develops when particular types of white blood cell (T cells) in the donated stem cells or bone marrow attack your own body cells. This is because the donated cells (the graft) see your body cells (the host) as foreign and attack them.

Normally T cells don’t attack our own body cells, because they recognize proteins on the cells called HLA (human leukocyte antigens). We inherit our HLA from our parents. Apart from identical twins, HLA is unique to each person.

Before a stem cell transplant or bone marrow transplant blood tests are performed to check how closely your HLA matches. This test is called tissue typing. If the recipient (host) and the donor have very similar HLA this lowers the chance of developing GvHD. The more differences there are between the recipient’s (host) HLA and the donor’s HLA, the likelihood of developing GvHD is much higher.

After a transplant the recipient’s (host) bone marrow starts making new blood cells from the donor stem cells. These new blood cells have the donor’s HLA pattern. They recognize the HLA pattern on the body cells as different (foreign) and may begin to attack some of them.

The chance of developing GVHD is around 30%-40% when the donor and recipient are related and around 60%-80% when the donor and recipient are not related. The disease can affect many different organs in the body.

Types of Graft versus host disease (GvHD)

There are two forms of GvHD:

  • Acute graft versus host disease (aGvHD).
  • Chronic graft versus host disease (cGvHD).

An allogeneic transplant recipient, may experience either form of GvHD, both forms, or neither.

Signs and Symptoms of Graft versus host disease (GvHD)

Symptoms of acute graft versus host disease (aGvHD)

Acute GVHD typically occurs within 100 days after the stem cell transplantation. “Acute” is a medical term that means that a condition appears early or suddenly, while “chronic” refers to a condition that develops over time. Acute graft-versus-host disease usually involves a distinct set of clinical signs and symptoms that include the following:

Symptoms of acute graft versus host disease (cGvHD)

Chronic GVHD usually begins after the first 100 days following a transplant. Chronic graft-versus-host disease is more likely to occur in patients who experienced the acute form of the disease, but it can also develop on its own in someone who never has had GVHD before.

  • Fatigue
  • Dysphagia (Difficulty swallowing)
  • Decreased range of motion in joints or tightness in joints
  • Dry Eyes and mouth
  • Hair loss
  • Jaundice
  • Loss of appetite
  • Mouth ulcers
  • Nail problems
  • Skin rashes
  • Skin discoloration
  • Sensitivity to acidic or spicy foods
  • Shortness of breath
  • Unexplained Weight Loss 
  • Vision changes
  • Vaginal dryness
  • Wheezing

Causes of Graft versus host disease (GvHD)

The pathophysiology of graft versus host disease is complex. GVHD is the result of a series of complex interactions between the immune cells of the donor (the graft) and the host tissues; the disease is most likely to occur after a transplantation procedure when donor and recipient tissues are not genetically similar. A number of cytokines and other immune signaling compounds are believed to be important in the development of the condition.

Diagnosis of Graft versus host disease (GvHD)

Doctors can make the diagnosis of a GvHD during a physical exam by observing certain symptoms and/or by evaluating the results of site biopsies and lab values.

A tissue biopsy (a small sample of tissue removed for examination under a microscope by a pathologist physician) is a common test used to diagnose GVHD when the patient’s clinical signs and symptoms suggest that GVHD is present. Sometimes, biopsies from other sites in the body are done instead of or in addition to the skin biopsy.

Blood tests that can be helpful in managing the patient with GVHD include blood cell counts and blood chemistry profiles. Blood tests that assess liver function are also commonly performed when GVHD is suspected or diagnosed.

Following are several lab and imaging tests done to diagnose and monitor problems caused by GVHD:

Treatment for Graft versus host disease (GvHD)

Immunosuppressant medications are commonly used to treat GVHD. These include both corticosteroids drugs such as prednisolone or methylprednisolone and more advanced medications and techniques that reduce the immune response. Corticosteroids are the mainstay of therapy for GVHD, but other medications may be added or given when the GVHD does not respond well to steroid treatment. A number of different medications and combinations of medications are available to treat GVHD.

Biospecimens

biospecimens

Bay Biosciences is a global leader in providing researchers with high quality, clinical grade, fully characterized human tissue samples, bio-specimens, and human bio-fluid collections.

Moreover, human biospecimens are available including tumor tissue, serum, plasma and PBMC Samples from most other therapeutic areas.

Furthermore, Bay Biosciences maintains and manages its own biorepository, the human tissue bank (biobank) consisting of thousands of diseased samples (specimens) and likewise normal healthy donors for controls. Additionally, available in all formats and types.

In fact, our biobank procures and stores fully consented, de-identified and institutional review boards (IRB) approved human tissue samples, human biofluids such as serum samples, plasma samples from various diseases and matched controls.

Also, all our human tissue collections, human biospecimens and human biofluids are provided with detailed, samples associated patient’s clinical data.

In fact, this critical patient’s clinical data includes information relating to their past and current disease, treatment history, lifestyle choices, biomarkers, and genetic information.

Additionally, researchers find the patient’s data associated with the human biospecimens extremely valuable and use it to help identify new effective treatments (drug discovery & development) in oncology, as well as in other therapeutic areas and diseases.

Bay Biosciences banks wide variety of human tissue samples and human biological samples, including fresh frozen human biospecimens cryogenically preserved at – 80°C.

For example fresh frozen tissue samples, tumor tissue samples, formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE), tissue slides, with matching human bio-fluids, whole blood and blood-derived products such as human serum, human plasma and human PBMCs.

Bay Biosciences is a global leader in collecting and providing human tissue samples according to the specified requirements and customized, tailor-made collection protocols.

Please contact us anytime to discuss your special research projects and customized human tissue sample requirements.

Types of Biospecimens

Bay Biosciences provides human tissue samples (human specimens) and human bio-fluids from diseased and normal healthy donors which includes:

  • Firstly, peripheral whole-blood
  • Secondly, amniotic fluid
  • Thirdly, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BAL)
  • Next, sputum
  • Also, pleural effusion
  • Moreover, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)
  • Likewise, serum (sera)
  • In addition, plasma
  • Moreover, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) 
  • Furthermore, saliva
  • Next, buffy coat
  • Accordingly, urine
  • For example, Stool samples
  • Also, aqueous humor
  • And, vitreous humor
  • Lastly, kidney stones (renal calculi)
  • Finally, other bodily fluids from most diseases including cancer.

Moreover, we can also procure most human biospecimens and human biofluids, special collections and requests for human samples that are difficult to find. All our human tissue samples and human biofluids are procured through IRB-approved clinical protocols and procedures.

In addition to the standard processing protocols, Bay Biosciences can also provide human biofluids such as  human plasma, human serum, and human PBMCs bio-fluid samples using custom processing protocols. you buy donor-specific collections in higher volumes and specified sample aliquots from us in multiple format and sets.

Bay Biosciences also provides human biospecimens from normal healthy donors; volunteers, for controls and clinical research, Contact us Now.