Articles related to CAR T-CELL THERAPIES

CAR T-cell therapy has changed the treatment paradigm for relapsed/refractory aggressive B-cell NHL. The approach has seen strong response rates and durable remission in those whose disease has progressed despite multiple prior treatments. This review outlines current indications for CAR T-cell therapy, major toxicities, novel CARs under investigation, CARs for various hematologic malignancies, and future directions.

Phase 1 trial using an autologous CAR-T cell therapy that targets the oncofetal antigen Claudin-6 (CLDN6) — and CARVac (BioNTech), a CLDN6-encoding mRNA-based vaccine designed to enhance CAR T-cell activity. Data show encouraging clinical activity for an investigational CAR T-cell therapy alone or in combination with an amplifying mRNA vaccine for patients with solid tumors.

Researchers reported the finding—the longest known CLL remission after CAR T-cell therapy—in Nature. The patients received an infusion of genetically engineered autologous T cells as part of a phase 1 clinical trial in 2010.

Matthew Lunning, DO, Associate Vice Chair of Research at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, reviews treatment implications of emerging research in CAR T-cell therapy for a variety of lymphomas subtypes, and discusses newer study outcomes, limitations to current CAR-T cell products, the state of allogenic CAR-T cell therapy, and key elements to consider when selecting therapy for a given patient.

Double-hit lymphoma presents as both aggressive, systematic disease with extra-nodal involvement and, apparently, as low-stage, less clinically aggressive disease. Since R-CHOP is much less effective in double-hit lymphoma, options such as CAR-T as well as novel drugs targeting cell-surface markers are being investigated. This interview with Dr. Ann S. LaCasce of Dana Farber summarizes current understanding and approaches to double-hit lymphoma.

Adults with confirmed R/R aNHL within 12 months after first-line (1L) chemo-immunotherapy were eligible for the randomized Phase III study, which demonstrated that tisagenlecleucel (tisa-cel) as second-line (2L) treatment in R/R aNHL patients did not have a higher event-free survival (EFS) vs. the standard-of-care (SOC). Read this late-breaking abstract from the ASH Annual Meeting & Exhibition to discover the contributing factors leading to the results, as well as how insights from this study will inform use of cellular treatment in the 2L R/R aNHL setting and the design of future CAR-T trials.