Dr. Ailawadhi on the Emergence of T-Cell Engagers in Multiple Myeloma

Sikander Ailawadhi, MD, professor of medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Departments of Medicine and Cancer Biology, Mayo Clinic, discusses the emergence of T-cell engagers in multiple myeloma.

During the virtual 2020 ASH Annual Meeting & Exposition, data regarding bispecific antibodies and antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), were presented. Moreover, MEDI2228, a BCMA-directed ADC, and AMG 701, a BCMA-directed bispecific T-cell engager, demonstrated encouraging early efficacy in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma. Utilizing T-cell engager therapies in multiple myeloma may provide patients with deep, sustained responses and limited early toxicity, Ailawadhi explains.

Comparatively, CAR T-cell therapy is also emerging into the myeloma space, Ailawadhi explains. Although these data are maturing, the cellular therapy appears to induce deep, early responses that may not be sustained. As such, T-cell engagers could offer patients who progress after CAR T-cell therapy, along with those who are not candidates for CAR T-cell therapy, the opportunity to derive sustained responses without significant toxicity, concludes Ailawadhi.