DF/HCC Program Affiliation

Cutaneous Oncology and Melanoma
Lymphoma and Myeloma
Kidney Cancer
Leukemia
Cancer Immunology
Translational Pharmacology and Early Therapeutic Trials

DF/HCC Associations

BIDMC, Transplant, Clinical Trial Chairs
BIDMC, Leukemia, Clinical Trial Chairs

Research Abstract

My research interest lies in the field of tumor immunotherapy and its incorporation into bone marrow transplantation. Active projects include the development of dendritic cell tumor fusions to be used as tumor vaccines in a clinical trial for patients with breast cancer now in progression. I have also been exploring the number of immune reconstitution post-transplant and studying the impact of cytokine therapy with IL-12 and GM-CSF on this process. I am currently leading a new trial in the use of post-transplant Her2Neu antibody therapy assessing its impact on persistent residual disease. One group is investigating novel approaches to allogeneic transplantation including the use of non-myeloablative approaches.

Publications

• Borges VF, Kufe D, Avigan DE.Update on cancer vaccines.Curr Opin Gastroenterol 2002 Nov;18(6):723-31.
  17033355
• Avigan D, Vasir B, Gong J, Borges V, Wu Z, Uhl L, Atkins M, Mier J, McDermott D, Smith T, Giallambardo N, Stone C, Schadt K, Dolgoff J, Tetreault JC, Villarroel M, Kufe D.Fusion cell vaccination of patients with metastatic breast and renal cancer induces
  15269142
• Raje N, Hideshima T, Davies FE, Chauhan D, Treon SP, Young G, Tai YT, Avigan D, Gong J, Schlossman RL, Richardson P, Kufe DW, Anderson KC.Tumour cell/dendritic cell fusions as a vaccination strategy for multiple myeloma.Br J Haematol 2004 May;125(3):343-5
  15086415
• Avigan D.Fusions of breast cancer and dendritic cells as a novel cancer vaccine.Clin Breast Cancer 2003 Feb;3 Suppl 4:S158-63.
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• Ito K, Bernardi R, Morotti A, Matsuoka S, Saglio G, Ikeda Y, Rosenblatt J, Avigan DE, Teruya-Feldstein J, Pandolfi PP.PML targeting eradicates quiescent leukaemia-initiating cells.Nature 2008 May 11.
  18469801
• Kawano T, Ito M, Raina D, Wu Z, Rosenblatt J, Avigan D, Stone R, Kufe D.MUC1 oncoprotein regulates Bcr-Abl stability and pathogenesis in chronic myelogenous leukemia cells.Cancer Res 2007 Dec 15;67(24):11576-84.
  18089786
• Maithel SK, Pratt W, Kelleher T, Avigan D, Goldman H, Pfeifer W, Pihan GA, Vollmer CM.Autoimmune pancreatitis in the setting of Castleman disease.Pancreas 2007 Nov;35(4):384-7.
  18090252
• Avigan DE, Vasir B, George DJ, Oh WK, Atkins MB, McDermott DF, Kantoff PW, Figlin RA, Vasconcelles MJ, Xu Y, Kufe D, Bukowski RM.Phase I/II study of vaccination with electrofused allogeneic dendritic cells/autologous tumor-derived cells in patients with s
  17893567
• Avigan DE, Vasir B, George DJ, Atkins MB, McDermott DM, Kantoff PW, Figlin RA, Vasconcelles MJ, Xu Y, Kufe D, Bukowski RM.Phase I/II Study of Vaccination with Electrofused Allogeneic Dendritic Cells/Autologous Tumor-derived Cells in Patients with Stage IV
• Ballen KK, Shpall EJ, Avigan D, Yeap BY, Fisher DC, McDermott K, Dey BR, Attar E, McAfee S, Konopleva M, Antin JH, Spitzer TR.Phase I trial of parathyroid hormone to facilitate stem cell mobilization.Biol Blood Marrow Transplant 2007 Jul;13(7):838-43.
  17580262
• Kawano T, Agata N, Kharbanda S, Avigan D, Kufe D.A novel isocoumarin derivative induces mitotic phase arrest and apoptosis of human multiple myeloma cells.Cancer Chemother Pharmacol 2006 Jul 8.
  16830153
• Rini BI, Halabi S, Barrier R, Margolin KA, Avigan D, Logan T, Stadler WM, McCarthy PL, Linker CA, Small EJ,.Adoptive Immunotherapy by Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation for Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma: A CALGB Intergroup Phase II Study.Biol Blood Ma
  16785067
• Lenahan C, Avigan D.Dendritic cell defects in patients with cancer: mechanisms and significance.Breast Cancer Res 2006;8(1):101.
  16469120
• Avigan D.Advances in the development of a therapeutic cancer vaccine.J Natl Compr Canc Netw 2005 Nov;3 Suppl 1:S2-6.
  16280106
• Avigan D.Advances in the Development of a Therapeutic Cancer Vaccine.Journal of National Comprehensive Cancer Network 2005 Nov 03;S2-S6((Suppl1)).
• Vasir B, Borges V, Wu Z, Grosman D, Rosenblatt J, Irie M, Anderson K, Kufe D, Avigan D.Fusion of dendritic cells with multiple myeloma cells results in maturation and enhanced antigen presentation.Br J Haematol 2005 Jun;129(5):687-700.
  15916692
• Rosenblatt J, Kufe D, Avigan D.Dendritic cell fusion vaccines for cancer immunotherapy.Expert Opin Biol Ther 2005 May 05;5:703-15.
• Antin JH, Guinan EC, Avigan D, Soiffer RJ, Joyce RM, Martin VJ, Molrine DC.Protective antibody responses to pneumococcal conjugate vaccine after autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.Biol Blood Marrow Transplant 2005 Mar;11(3):213-22.
  15744240
• Vasir B, Avigan D, Wu Z, Crawford K, Turnquist S, Ren J, Kufe D.Dendritic cells induce MUC1 expression and polarization on human T cells by an IL-7-dependent mechanism.J Immunol 2005 Feb 15;174(4):2376-86.
  15699174
• Atkins MB, Avigan DE, Bukowski RM, Childs RW, Dutcher JP, Eisen TG, Figlin RA, Finke JH, Flanigan RC, George DJ, Goldberg SN, Gordon MS, Iliopoulos O, Kaelin WG, Linehan WM, Lipton A, Motzer RJ, Novick AC, Stadler WM, Teh BT, Yang JC, King L.Innovations a
  15448017
• Joyce RM, Regan M, Ottaway J, Umiel T, Tetreault JC, Levine J, McDermott D, Hurley D, Giallombardo N, Smith T, Lamontagne D, Uhl L, Avigan D.A phase I-II study of rituximab, ifosfamide, mitoxantrone and etoposide (R-IME) for B cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
  12736227
• Schwaber MJ, Krasner CN, Gold HS, Venkataraman L, Avigan DE, Karchmer AW, Uhl L.Detection of Staphylococcus aureus in peripheral blood stem cell cultures after sterilization of standard blood cultures.J Clin Apheresis 2003;18(1):37-9.
  12717792
• Richardson PG, Murakami C, Jin Z, Warren D, Momtaz P, Hoppensteadt D, Elias AD, Antin JH, Soiffer R, Spitzer T, Avigan D, Bearman SI, Martin PL, Kurtzberg J, Vredenburgh J, Chen AR, Arai S, Vogelsang G, McDonald GB, Guinan EC.Multi-institutional use of de
  12393437
• Elias AD, Ibrahim J, Richardson P, Avigan D, Joyce R, Reich E, McCauley M, Wheeler C, Frei E.The impact of induction duration and the number of high-dose cycles on the long-term survival of women with metastatic breast cancer treated with high-dose chemot
  12017145
• Gong J, Koido S, Chen D, Tanaka Y, Huang L, Avigan D, Anderson K, Ohno T, Kufe D.Immunization against murine multiple myeloma with fusions of dendritic and plasmacytoma cells is potentiated by interleukin 12.Blood 2002 Apr 1;99(7):2512-7.
  11895787
• Exley MA, Tahir SM, Cheng O, Shaulov A, Joyce R, Avigan D, Sackstein R, Balk SP.A major fraction of human bone marrow lymphocytes are Th2-like CD1d-reactive T cells that can suppress mixed lymphocyte responses.J Immunol 2001 Nov 15;167(10):5531-4.
  11698421
• Elias AD, Richardson P, Avigan D, Ibrahim J, Joyce R, McDermott D, Levine J, Warren D, McCauley M, Wheeler C, Frei E.A short course of induction chemotherapy followed by two cycles of high-dose chemotherapy with stem cell rescue for chemotherapy naive met
  11593317
• Joyce RM, Kraser CN, Tetrealt JC, Giallombardo N, McDermott D, Levine J, Umiel T, Regan M, Hurley D, Uhl L, Avigan D.Rituximab and ifosfamide, mitoxantrone, etoposide (RIME) with Neupogen support for B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma prior to high-dose chemot
  11486404
• Elias AD, Richardson P, Avigan D, Ibrahim J, Joyce R, Demetri G, Levine J, Warren D, Arthur T, Reich E, Wheele C, Frei E, Ayash L.A short course of induction chemotherapy followed by two cycles of high-dose chemotherapy with stem cell rescue for chemother
  11277174
• Avigan D, Wu Z, Joyce R, Elias A, Richardson P, McDermott D, Levine J, Kennedy L, Giallombardo N, Hurley D, Gong J, Kufe D.Immune reconstitution following high-dose chemotherapy with stem cell rescue in patients with advanced breast cancer.Bone Marrow Tra
  10918427
• Gong J, Nikrui N, Chen D, Koido S, Wu Z, Tanaka Y, Cannistra S, Avigan D, Kufe D.Fusions of human ovarian carcinoma cells with autologous or allogeneic dendritic cells induce antitumor immunity.J Immunol 2000 Aug 1;165(3):1705-11.
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• Gong J, Avigan D, Chen D, Wu Z, Koido S, Kashiwaba M, Kufe D.Activation of antitumor cytotoxic T lymphocytes by fusions of human dendritic cells and breast carcinoma cells.Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2000 Mar 14;97(6):2715-8.
  10688917
• Frei E, Richardson P, Avigan D, Bunnell C, Wheeler C, Elias A.The interval between courses of high-dose chemotherapy with stem cell rescue: therapeutic hypotheses.Bone Marrow Transplant 1999 Nov;24(9):939-45.
  10556951
• Avigan D, Wu Z, Gong J, Joyce R, Levine J, Elias A, Richardson P, Milano J, Kennedy L, Anderson K, Kufe D.Selective in vivo mobilization with granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF)/granulocyte-CSF as compared to G-CSF alone of dendritic
  10537336
• Avigan D.Dendritic cells: development, function and potential use for cancer immunotherapy.Blood Rev 1999 Mar;13(1):51-64.
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