title: Toward biomarkers for chronic graft-versus-host disease: National Institutes of Health consensus development project on criteria for clinical trials in chronic graft-versus-host disease: III. Biomarker Working Group Report.
abstract: Biology-based markers that can be used to confirm the diagnosis of chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) or monitor progression of the disease could help in the evaluation of new therapies. Biomarkers have been defined as any characteristic that is objectively measured and evaluated as an indicator of a normal biologic or pathogenic process, a pharmacologic response to a therapeutic intervention, or a surrogate end point intended to substitute for a clinical end point. The following applications of biomarkers could be useful in chronic GVHD clinical trials or management: (1) predicting response to therapy; (2) measuring disease activity and distinguishing irreversible damage from continued disease activity; (3) predicting the risk of developing chronic GVHD; (4) diagnosing chronic GVHD: (5) predicting the prognosis of chronic GVHD; (6) evaluating the balance between GVHD and graft-versus-leukemia effects (graft-versus-leukemia or GVT); and (7) serving as a surrogate end point for therapeutic response. Such biomarkers can be identified by either hypothesis-driven testing or by high-throughput discovery-based methods. To date, no validated biomarkers have been established for chronic GVHD, although several candidate biomarkers have been identified from limited hypothesis-driven studies. Both approaches have merit and should be pursued. The consistent treatment and standardized documentation needed to support biomarker studies are most likely to be satisfied in prospective clinical trials.
authors.affiliation: British Columbia Children's Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. kschultz@interchange.ubc.ca
authors.forename: Kirk R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Schultz
authors.forename: David B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Miklos
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fowler
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Cooke
authors.forename: Judith
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shizuru
authors.forename: Emmanuel
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Zorn
authors.forename: Ernst
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Holler
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ferrara
authors.forename: Howard
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shulman
authors.forename: Stephanie J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: Alexandra H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Filipovich
authors.forename: Mary E D
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Flowers
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Weisdorf
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Couriel
authors.forename: Peter A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Lachenbruch
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mittleman
authors.forename: Georgia B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Vogelsang
authors.forename: Steven Z
authors.initials: SZ
authors.lastname: Pavletic
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D006086:Graft vs Host Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000628:therapy; D020544:Graft vs Leukemia Effect; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D006801:Humans; D011379:Prognosis
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers