Can Gene-Edited CAR T Improve Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Outcomes?
While chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy, or CAR T, has improved outcomes for patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, only 30% to 40% of patients achieve long term remission.
Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center are part of a multi-site trial studying if a new dual targeting, gene edited CAR T-cell therapy can improve outcomes for B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma patients who have relapsed or stopped responding to therapy.
Dr. Frederick Locke, vice chair of Moffitt’s Blood and Marrow Transplant and Cellular Immunotherapy Department
“This next generation autologous CAR T-cell therapy, known as bbT369, has demonstrated strong anti-lymphoma activity pre-clinically,” said Dr. Frederick Locke, vice chair of Moffitt’s Blood and Marrow Transplant and Cellular Immunotherapy Department. “Bbt369 was purposefully designed with three layers of innovation to address the potential mechanisms that can cause CAR T-cell therapy failure.”
CAR T-cell therapy involves removing T cells from a patient’s blood, modifying them in a lab to recognize and destroy cancer cells and infusing them back into the body.
This new CAR T product includes a novel combination of two commonly expressed target antigens that may help prevent immune escape. It also has a signaling technology that can drive more robust T cell activation response to either antigen, and is gene edited to result in greater cell expansion and prolonged tumor control compared with non-gene edited products.
The phase 1/2 study, which was presented at this year’s American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting, will evaluate if the product is safe and provide preliminary data on its efficacy.
In order to qualify for the trial, patients must have relapsed or refractory B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma after an autologous stem cell transplant or more than two prior lines of therapy, including a monoclonal antibody treatment and an anthracycline containing chemotherapy regimen. They cannot have any prior treatment with any investigational cellular therapy, progression within six weeks of a prior CAR T-cell infusion or a primary central nervous system lymphoma.
