Jean E. Sanders, MD

For more than 35 years Sanders’ work has centered around pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplant, including the design of transplant preparative regimens for children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, acute myelogenous leukemia, chronic myelogenous leukemia and other hematologic malignancies, and pediatric solid tumors including neuroblastoma, Ewing sarcoma and aplastic anemia, and other nonmalignant hematologic disorders. She has also been very involved in donor selection from a matched family member, an unrelated marrow or peripheral blood stem cell donor or an umbilical cord blood donor. Sanders’ major research focus is in the long-term follow-up issues of children surviving after hematopoietic stem cell transplant, such as chronic graft versus host disease (GVHD), recurrent leukemia, growth and development problems and other late effects. Her studies have demonstrated that some patients who relapse after their first transplant may have a successful second transplant, particularly when the first transplant preparative regimen was chemotherapy based and the second transplant uses a total body irradiation–based preparative regimen. She is involved in research projects to improve the outcome of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant in the treatment of hematologic malignancies, to improve ambulatory care of the stem cell transplant recipient and to improve the long-term quality of life for children after marrow transplantation. Her research goals include developing interventions to minimize or treat some of the delayed effects of hematopoietic stem cell transplant, such as using a non- myeloablative preparative regimen for second transplant.