Study protocol: Close Assessment and Testing for Chronic Graft-vs.-Host disease (CATCH)

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Transplantation Medicine
• Biomarker Discovery

Background:

• Chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is a significant complication following allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation.
• It leads to substantial late morbidity and mortality in transplant recipients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To prospectively identify clinical and biologic biomarkers for chronic GVHD onset.
• To closely monitor patients pre- and post-transplant to capture GVHD development.
• To facilitate collaboration for leveraging the CATCH study resource.

Main Methods:

• Prospective, multi-center, longitudinal cohort study design.
• Enrollment of patients before hematopoietic cell transplantation.
• Collection of comprehensive data including clinical assessments, patient-reported outcomes, biospecimens (blood, saliva, etc.), laboratory tests, and medical records.
• Data collection at baseline, every two months for one year, and ongoing chart review.

Main Results:

• This report focuses on the study's rationale, design, and methods.
• Detailed findings on biomarker identification and clinical outcomes will be reported as the study progresses.

Conclusions:

• The CATCH study provides a robust framework for understanding chronic GVHD.
• The study aims to improve early detection and management strategies for chronic GVHD.
• Collaboration is encouraged to maximize the impact of this research resource.