Nancy J. Bunin, MD

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Dr. Bunin cares for patients who will not be cured without a BMT. She is also involved in clinical research to improve outcomes and decrease risks for transplant patients.

Areas of Expertise: Blood and marrow transplantation, Unrelated-donor and partially matched-related peripheral stem cell transplant, Juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia, Late effects post transplant
Locations: Main Hospital

Appointments and Referrals: 1-800-TRY-CHOP (1-800-879-2467)

Background

As the Medical Director of the Blood and Marrow Transplant (BMT) Program, I care for patients who will not be cured without a BMT. I also am involved in clinical research to improve outcomes and decrease risks for our transplant patients.

Our blood and marrow transplantation program at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia is one of the largest and oldest pediatric bone marrow transplant programs in the U.S., with more than 1,200 transplants performed. Our program provides the unique combination of comprehensive patient treatment, multidisciplinary teamwork, innovative research and family support. We have 16 beds in HEPA-filtered rooms within a special HEPA-filtered unit which includes a playroom and family lounge. Our clinical team includes physicians, nurse practitioners, social worker, nutritionists and child life specialists who work together to provide comprehensive care for each patient.

We have special expertise in blood and marrow transplants for children with leukemias or non-malignant diseases.  We transplant children with sickle cell disease, thalassemia, bone marrow failure syndromes, inborn errors of metabolism, and primary immunodeficiencies.  We have a combined BMT-Immunology clinic monthly and we participate in the national Primary Immune Deficiency Treatment Consortium.

We have special expertise in “alternative donor” transplants for children who do not have tissue typed matched related donors. These alternative donors include unrelated, partially matched related (including a parent) and cord blood. We have specialized in developing “graft engineering” protocols to reduce the risk of graft vs host disease while maintaining a graft vs leukemia effect. The processing takes place in our Stem Cell Laboratory within the Hospital.  We have our own Immunogenetics Laboratory for tissue typing done by state of the art methods.

We also perform autologous transplants for patients with solid tumors or lymphomas. This involves collecting the patient’s own blood making stem cells in our Apheresis Suite. 

We have many clinical research protocols. These include the use of special T depletion to reduce the risk of severe graft vs host disease for patients receiving unrelated donor or partially matched related donor transplants for leukemias, bone marrow failure and primary immunodeficiencies. We also study the neurocognitive effects of transplant with our psychologists.

Our program is accredited by the Foundation for Accreditation of Cell Therapy (FACT). All three components — clinical, cell collection and stem cell laboratory — are accredited. FACT accreditation is an extremely rigorous process, and there are few pediatric centers that have all three components on site.

Education and Training

Medical School

MD - University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH

Residency

Pediatrics - Mott Children's Hospital, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

Fellowship

Hematology/Oncology - St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN

Board Certification

Pediatric Hematology-Oncology – American Board of Pediatrics
Pediatrics – American Board of Pediatrics

Titles and Academic Titles

Attending Physician

Professor of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

Conditions Treated

Departments and Services

Laboratories & Research Programs

Publications

Papers

2016

Desai AV, Heneghan MB, Li Y, Bunin NJ, Grupp SA, Bagatell R, Seif AE. Toxicities of busulfan/melphalan versus carboplatin/etoposide/melphalan for high-dose chemotherapy with stem cell rescue for high-risk neuroblastoma. Bone Marrow Transplant. 2016 May 9. doi: 10.1038/bmt.2016.84. [Epub ahead of print]. PMID: 27159174.

Naik S, Nicholas SK, Martinez CA, Leen AM, Hanley PJ, Gottschalk SM, Rooney CM, Hanson IC, Krance RA, Shpall EJ, Cruz CR, Amrolia P, Lucchini G, Bunin N, Heimall J, Klein OR, Gennery AR, Slatter MA, Vickers MA, Orange JS, Heslop HE, Bollard CM, Keller MD. Adoptive immunotherapy for primary immunodeficiency disorders with virus-specific T lymphocytes. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2016 May;137(5):1498-1505.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2015.12.1311. Epub 2016 Feb 24.  PMID: 26920464.

Laskin BL, Singh HK, Beier UH, Moatz T, Furth SL, Bunin N, Witte D, Goebel J, Davies SM, Dandoy C, Jodele S, Nickeleit V.  The Noninvasive Urinary Polyomavirus Haufen Test Predicts BK Virus Nephropathy in Children After Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation: A Pilot Study.  Transplantation. 2016 Feb 18. [Epub ahead of print].  PMID: 26895217. 

2015

Laskin BL, Singh HK, Beier UH, Moatz T, Furth SL, Bunin N, Witte D, Goebel J, Davies SM, Dandoy C, Jodele S, Nickeleit V. The Noninvasive Urinary Polyomavirus Haufen Test Predicts BK Virus Nephropathy in Children After Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation: A Pilot Study. Transplantation. 2016 Feb 18. [Epub ahead of print]. PMID: 26895217.

Guinan E, Avigan DE, Soiffer RJ, Bunin NJ, Brennan LL, Bergelson I, Brightman S, Ozonoff A, Scannon PJ, Levy O. Pilot experience with opebacan/rBPI 21 in myeloablative hematopoietic cell transplantation. F1000Res. 2015 Dec 21;4:1480. doi: 10.12688/f1000research.7558.1. eCollection 2015. PMID: 26835003.

King AA, Kamani N, Bunin N, Sahdev I, Brochstein J, Hayashi RJ, Grimley M, Abraham A, Dioguardi J, Chan KW, Douglas D, Adams R, Andreansky M, Anderson E, Gilman A, Chaudhury S, Yu L, Dalal J, Hale G, Cuvelier G, Jain A, Krajewski J, Gillio A, Kasow KA, Delgado D, Hanson E, Murray L, Shenoy S. Successful matched sibling donor marrow transplantation following reduced intensity conditioning in children with hemoglobinopathies. Am J Hematol. 2015 Dec;90(12):1093-8. doi: 10.1002/ajh.24183. Epub 2015 Oct 6. PMID: 26348869.

Pulsipher MA, Langholz B, Wall DA, Schultz KR, Bunin N, Carroll W, Raetz E, Gardner S, Goyal RK, Gastier-Foster J, Borowitz M, Teachey D, Grupp SA. Risk factors and timing of relapse after allogeneic transplantation in pediatric ALL: for whom and when should interventions be tested? Bone Marrow Transplant. 2015 Sep;50(9):1173-9. doi: 10.1038/bmt.2015.103. Epub 2015 May 11. PMID: 25961775.

Pulsipher, MA, Carlson C, Langholz B, Wall DA, Schultz KR, Bunin N, Kirsch I , Gastier-Foster JM, Borowitz M, Desmarais C, Williamson D, Kalos M, Grupp SA.  IgH-V(D)J NGS-MRD measurement pre- and early post-allotransplant defines very low- and very high-risk ALL patients. Blood, 2015, May 28; 125(22):3501-8. (PMID: 25862561; PMCID: 4447864; doi: 10.1182/blood-2014-12-615757; Epub 2015 Apr 10).

Stieglitz E, ward AF, Gerbing RB, Alonzo TA, Arceci RJ, Liu YL, Emanuel PD, WIdemann BC, Cheng JW, Jayaprakash N, Balis FM, Castleberry RB, Bunin NJ, Loh ML, Cooper TM.  Phase II/III trial of a pre-transplant farnesyl transferase inhibitor in juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia: A report from the Children’s Oncology Group.  Pediatr Blood Cancer, 2015, Apr; 62(4):629-36. (PMID: 25704135; PMCID: 4339233; NIHMS: 643586; doi: 10.1002/pbc.25342; Epub 214 Dec 8.)

2014

Wagner JE Jr, Eapen M, Carter S, Wang Y, Schultz KR, Wall DA, Bunin N, Delaney C, Haut P, Margolis D, Peres E, Verneris MR, Walters M, Horowitz MM, Kurtzberg J.  One-unit versus two-unit cord-blood transplantation for hematologic cancers. Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinical Trials Network. N Engl J Med, 2014, Oct 30; 371(18):1685-94. (PMID: 25354103; PMCID: 4257059; NIHMS: 640296; doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1405584)

Maude SL, Frey N, Shaw PA, Aplenc R, Barrett DM, Bunin NJ, Chew A, Gonzalez VE, Zheng Z, Lacey SF, Mahnke YD, Melenhorst JJ, Rheingold SR, Shen A, Teachey DT, Levine BL, June CH, Porter DL, Grupp SA.  Chimeric antigen receptor T cells for sustained remissions in leukemia.  N Engl J Med 2014, Oct. 16; 371(16):1507-17. ()PMID: 25317870; PMCID: 4267531; NIHMS: 640298; doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1407222)

Oshrine B, Morsheimer M, Heimall J, Bunin N.  Reduced-intensity for hematopoietic cell transplantation of chronic granulomatous disease. Pediatr Blood Cancer, 2014 Aug 30; (PMID: 25175046; doi: 10.1002pbc.25225)

Pulsipher MA, Langholz B, Wall DA, Schltz KR, Bunin N, Carroll WL, Raetz E, Gardner S, Gastier-Foster JM, Howrie D, Goyal RK, Douglas JG, Borowitz M, Barnes Y, Teachey DT, Taylor C, Grupp, SA.  The addition of sirolimus to tacrolimus/methotrexate GVHD prophylaxis in children with ALL: A phase 3 Children’s Oncology Group/Pediatric Blood and marrow Transplant Consortium trial. Blood 2014 March 27, 123(17):2017-25.  (PMID: 24497539; PMCID: 3968388; 10.1182/blood-2013-10-534297)

Aplenc R, Zhang MJ, Sung L, Zhu X, Ho VT, Cooke K, Dvorak C, Hale G, Isola LM, Lazarus HM, McCarthy PL, Olsson R, Pulsipher M, Pasquini C, Bunin N. Effect of body mass in children with hematologic malignancies undergoing altogeneic bone marrow transplantation. Regimen-Related Toxicity Working Committee, Center for International Blood and Marrow, Transplant Research. Blood 2014 May 29,123(22):3504-3511.  (PMID: 24711663; PMCID: 4041168; 10.1182/blood-2013-03-490334)

Oshrine BR, Olson TS, Bunin N.  Mixed chimerism and graft loss in pediatric recipients of an alemtuzumab-based reduced-intensity conditioning regimen for non-malignant disease.  Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2014 June 17.  (PMID: 24939325)

Dvorak CC, Hassan A, Slatter MA, Honig M, Lnkester AC, Buckley RH, Pulsipher MA, Davis JH, Gungor T, Gabriel M, Bleesing JH, Bunin N, Sedlacek P, Connelly JA, Crawford DF, Notarangelo LD, Pai SY, Hassid J, Veys P, Gennery AR, Cowan MJ.  Comparison of outcomes of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation without chemotherapy conditioning by using matched sibling and unrelated donors for treatment of severe combined immunodeficiency.  J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2014 Aug 7. [Epub ahead of print].  (PMID: 25109802; PMCID: 4186906; NIHMS: 620070)

Books

Chapters

2005

Bunin N, DiDomenico C, Guzikowski V. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. In: Schwartz CL, Hobbie WL, Constine LS, Ruccione KS, editors. Survivors of childhood and adolescent cancer: a multidisciplinary approach. 2nd ed. New York: Springer, Berlin Heidelberg; 2005.  p. 271-82.

2002

Grupp SA, Stern JW, Bunin N, von Allmen D, Pierson G, Nancarrow CH, et al. In: Berdel WE, Jurgens H, Buchner TH, Ritter J, Kienast J, Vormoor J, editors. Rapid sequence tandem transplant in children with high-risk neuroblastoma. Transplant in Hematology & Oncology II; New York: Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg; 2002. p 270-79.

1993

D'Angio G, Bunin N. Pediatric toxicity. In: John MJ, editor. Chemoradiation: an integrated approach to cancer treatment. Philadelphia: Lea & Febriger; 1993. p. 524-59.

Bunin NJ, Meadows AT. Lymphomas in children. In: Holland JF, et al., editors. Cancer medicine. Philadelphia:Lea & Febriger; 1993. 170;1-11.

1992

Bunin NJ. Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. In:  McAnarney ER, et al, editors. Textbook of adolescent medicine. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders; 1992. p. 453-58.

Finlay JL, Bunin NJ, Sinniah D. Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. In: Arnold E, editor. Practical pediatric oncology; 1992. p. 269-76.

Baker DL, Bunin NJ. Germ cell tumors. In: Arnold E, editor. Practical pediatric oncology; 1992. p. 340-44.

1989

Casper JT, Bunin NJ, Truitt R, Camitta B, Ash R. Pediatric bone marrow transplantation utilizing unrelated donors. In: Johnson FL,  Pochedly C, editors. Bone marrow transplantation in children. New York: Raven Press; 1989. p.  301-27

Awards and Honors

2011, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Master Clinician Award

2001, Teaching:  The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Faculty Honor Roll for teaching

1976, Graduated Magna cum laude - University of Nebraska - University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA

Editorial and Academic Positions

Editorial reviewer

Blood
Journal Clinical Oncology
Journal Pediatric Hematology/Oncology
Pediatric Blood and Cancer
American Society Bone Marrow Transplant
Journal of Pediatrics
Bone Marrow Transplantation
Pediatric Transplantation
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society: Translational Research Grants 2012

Leadership and Memberships

Memberships in Professional Organizations

International

International Society for Hematotherapy & Graft Engineering

National

American Society Blood & Marrow Transplant

American Society of Hematology

American Society Pediatric Hematology/Oncology

Children's Oncology Group

Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant Consortium