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Prof. Dr. med. Alois Gratwohl
emeritus
Former Head of Hematology
and former Head of Stem Cell Transplantation Team
Basel University Hospital
Petersgraben 4
CH-4058 Basel / Switzerland |
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Alois Gratwohl is retired Ordinary Professor for Hematology and Stem Cell Transplantation of the Medical Faculty, Head of Hematology and former director of the “Behandlungszentrum Stammzelltransplantation” at the University Hospital of Basel. He joined the Basel Stem Cell Transplant Team at the time of its foundation in 1973 by the late Professor Bruno Speck and was instrumental in building up the reputation of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in Basel. He is a pioneer in outcome research in HSCT with focus interests on graft-versus-host disease, risk assessment and activity. His seminal paper on the close link between chronic graft-versus-host disease and autoimmune diseases was published during his training at the National Institute of Health in Bethesda, USA. It forms the basic link to the current projects on the role of HSCT in autoimmune diseases. He established a simple risk score for outcome after allogeneic HSCT, which has become an instrument to assess risk for all allogeneic HSCT for haematological disorders in Europe. He coordinated or participated in multiple Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) research grants on HSCT since 1983; his last project dealt with risk assessment and the factors associated with the use and outcome of HSCT. In collaboration with the Institute for Operations Research and Computational Finances of the University of ST. Gallen, he defined the macro- and microeconomic factors associated with diffusion of modern medical technology, using HSCT as a model.
He established a formal treatment centre for stem cell transplantation at the University Hospital Basel, co-founded the Basel Stem Cell Network, a Competence Centre of the University, established and chaired until april 2010 the foundation Swiss Blood Stem Cells (www.bloodstemcells.ch) and helped to integrate the first Cord Blood Bank in Switzerland into the local treatment centre. He was instrumental to introduce a full HSCT programme, with autologous and allogeneic stem cells from bone marrow, peripheral blood or cord blood, from family or unrelated donors for pediatric or adult patients for all conventional and experimental indications, such as severe autoimmune disorders or Mitochondrial Neurogastrointestinal Encephalomyopathy MNGIE. He enforced full accreditation by JACIE (www.jacie.org), the European quality management system for stem cell transplantation that he cofounded. He showed as first that JACIE accreditation is associated with improved survival after HSCT.
He established numerous collaborations with other scientific groups in Basel, in Switzerland and internationally. Specifically, scientific projects which continue with the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (www.ebmt.org), the Center for International Bone Marrow Transplant Registry (www.cibmtr.org), the World Marrow Donor Association (www.worldmarrow.org), the Worldwide Network for Blood and Marrow Transplantation WBMT (www.wbmt.org) and the European Leukemia Net (www.leukemia-net.org), where he co-chaired the workpackage stem cell transplantation. He was responsible for the Annual Survey on Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Activity in Europe and worldwide which remains at home at the University Hospital Basel. He has published or co-authored close to 600 original publications. He has organised multiple international meetings, such as annual meetings of the EBMT, the European Hematology Association EHA or the International Society for Hematology ISH and was cofounder of the EBMT/ ESH annual training course. He was co-author or initiator of guidelines for treatment of chronic myeloid leukaemia, acute myeloid leukaemia, and HSCT for MNGIE.
He currently serves as ad hoc advisor for the steering committee.
Selected original publications
- Gratwohl A et al. (1998). Risk assessment for patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia before allogeneic blood or marrow transplantation. Chronic Leukemia Working Party of the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. Lancet 352:1087-92.
- Biedermann BC, Sahner S, Gregor M, et al, Gratwohl A. (2002). Endothelial injury mediated by cytotoxic T lymphocytes and loss of microvessels in chronic graft versus host disease. Lancet 359:2078-83.
- Hehlmann R, Berger U, Pfirrmann M, et al, Gratwohl A. (2007). Drug treatment is superior to allografting as first-line therapy in chronic myeloid leukemia. Blood 1:4686-92.
- Gratwohl A, Döhler B, Stern M, Opelz G. (2008). H-Y as a minor histocompatibility antigen in kidney transplantation: a retrospective cohort study. Lancet 372:49-53.
- Stern M, Brand R, de Witte T, et al, Gratwohl A. (2008). Female-versus-male alloreactivity as a model for minor histocompatibility antigens in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Am J Transplant. 8:2149-57.
- Gratwohl A, et al. (2009). Risk score for outcome after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: a Retrospective Analysis for the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation and the European Leukemia Net. Cancer 115:4715-26
- Gratwohl A, Baldomero H, Schwendener A, Rocha V, Apperley J, Frauendorfer K, Niederwieser D. (2009). The EBMT activity survey 2007 with focus on allogeneic HSCT for AML and novel cellular therapies. Joint Accreditation Committee of the International Society for Cellular Therapy; European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. Bone Marrow Transplant. 43:275-91.
- Daikeler T, Hügle T, Farge D, et al, Gratwohl A. (2009). Allogeneic hematopoietic SCT for patients with autoimmune diseases. Bone Marrow Transplant. 44:27-33.
- Halter J, Kodera Y, Ispizua AU, et al, Gratwohl A. (2009). Severe events in donors after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell donation. Working Party Autoimmune Diseases of the EBMT. Haematologica 94:94-101.
- Gratwohl A, et al. (2010) Changes in the use of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: a model for diffusion of medical technology. Haematologica 95:637-43.
- Passweg J, Baldomero H, Stern M, et al, Gratwohl A. (2010) Swiss Blood and Marrow Stem Cells Transplant Group. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in Switzerland: a comprehensive quality control report on centre effect. SMW 140:326-34.
- Gratwohl A, et al. (2010). Worldwide Network of Blood and Marrow Transplantation. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: a global perspective. JAMA 303:1617-24.
Reviews
- Tichelli A. and Gratwohl A. (2008). Vascular endothelium as 'novel' target of graft-versus-host disease. Best Pract Res Clin Haematol. 21:139-48.
- Rovó A. and Gratwohl A. (2008). Plasticity after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Biol Chem. 389:825-36.
- Tichelli A, Rovó A, Gratwohl A. (2008). Late pulmonary, cardiovascular, and renal complications after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and recommended screening practices. Hematology Am Soc Hematol Educ Program 125-33.
- Tyndall A. and Gratwohl A. (2009). Adult stem cell transplantation in autoimmune disease. Curr Opin Hematol. 16:285-91.
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