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Background: Novel chimeric antigen receptor T-cells (CAR-T) target the B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) expressed on multiple myeloma cells. Assays monitoring CAR-T cell expansion and treatment response are being implemented in clinical routine.
Methods: Plasma levels of soluble BCMA (sBCMA) and anti-BCMA CAR-T cell copy numbers were monitored in the blood, following CAR-T cell infusion in patients with relapsed multiple myeloma. sBCMA peptide concentration was determined in the plasma, applying a human BCMA/TNFRS17 ELISA. ddPCR was performed using probes targeting the intracellular signaling domains 4-1BB und CD3zeta of the anti-BCMA CAR-T construct.
Results: We report responses in the first five patients who received anti-BCMA CAR- T cell therapy at our center. Four patients achieved a complete remission (CR) in the bone marrow one month after CAR-T infusion, with three patients achieving stringent CR, determined by flow cytometry techniques. Anti-BCMA CAR-T cells were detectable in the peripheral blood for up to 300 days, with copy numbers peaking 7 to 14 days post-infusion. sBCMA plasma levels started declining one to ten days post infusion, reaching minimal levels 30 to 60 days post infusion, before rebounding to normal levels.
Conclusions: Our data confirm a favorable response to treatment in four of the first five patients receiving anti-BCMA CAR-T at our hospital. Anti-BCMA CAR-T cell expansion seems to peak in the peripheral blood in a similar pattern compared to the CAR-T cell products already approved for lymphoma treatment. sBCMA plasma level may be a valid biomarker in assessing response to BCMA-targeting therapies in myeloma patients.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/cimb44040098 | DOI Listing |
Int J Hematol
September 2025
Bone Marrow Transplantation Center, the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, No. 79 Qingchun Road, Hangzhou, 310003, China.
Patients with primary plasma cell leukemia (pPCL), particularly those with extramedullary disease (EMD), face a poor prognosis even with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy. This case report describes a patient with relapsed/refractory pPCL and life-threatening malignant pleural effusion (PE) treated with intrapleural CAR-T cells targeting B-cell maturation antigens. CAR-T cell expansion within the PE was observed, along with a rapid reduction in leukemia cell count and PE volume.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNat Nanotechnol
September 2025
John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Adoptive T-cell therapies, and particularly CAR T cells and tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes, have transformed cancer treatment by selectively targeting malignant cells. Despite their clinical success, these therapies face substantial challenges, including costly manufacturing processes and tumour-imposed barriers that limit efficacy. Advances in understanding the nanoscale mechanisms governing T-cell activation and the role of the tumour microenvironment in restricting T-cell responses have driven the development of nanotechnology-based strategies that integrate key chemical and physical cues.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNat Commun
September 2025
Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.
With the approval of the antibody-drug conjugate enfortumab vedotin (EV), NECTIN4 has emerged as a bona fide therapeutic target in urothelial carcinoma (UC). Here, we report the development of a NECTIN4-directed chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell, which exhibits reactivity across cells expressing a range of endogenous NECTIN4, with enhanced activity in high expressors. We demonstrate that the PPARγ pathway, critical for luminal differentiation, transcriptionally controls NECTIN4, and that the PPARγ agonist rosiglitazone primes and augments NECTIN4 expression, thereby increasing sensitivity to NECTIN4-CAR T cell-mediated killing.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Immunother Cancer
September 2025
Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Background: Tumor heterogeneity and antigen escape are mechanisms of resistance to chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy, especially in solid tumors. Targeting multiple antigens with a unique CAR construct could be a strategy for a better tumor control than monospecific CAR-T cells on heterogeneous models. To overcome tumor heterogeneity, we targeted mesothelin (meso) and Mucin 16 (MUC16), two antigens commonly expressed in solid tumors, using a tandem CAR design.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Immunother Cancer
September 2025
Division of Hematology & Oncology, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, California, USA
Background: γδ T cells possess unique immunological features including tissue tropism, major histocompatibility complex-independent antigen recognition, and hybrid T/natural killer cell properties that make them promising candidates for cancer immunotherapy. However, the therapeutic potential of Vδ1 γδ T cells, particularly when engineered with chimeric antigen receptors (CARs), remains underexplored in solid tumors such as pancreatic cancer (PC), largely due to their low abundance in peripheral blood and challenges in ex vivo expansion. This study aims to directly compare the preclinical safety and efficacy among CAR-engineered Vδ1 γδ T cells, Vδ2 γδ T cells, and conventional αβ T cells.
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