Dr. Bachier Discusses CAR T-Cell Therapy and Stem Cell Transplant

Carlos R. Bachier, MD, program director of Sarah Cannon Center for Blood Cancer, Sarah Cannon Research Institute, discusses the relationship between chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy and stem cell transplant.

The excitement with CAR T-cell therapy and T-cell receptor immune cells is very exciting, and has a relationship to the advancements being made with stem cell transplant, says Bachier. With the recent advances in cellular therapies, investigators are interested in finding whether there is a bridge between CAR T-cell therapy and stem cell transplant.

Bachier wonders if it is possible to get patients into deep remission with CAR T cells or immune effector cells so that stem cell transplant can be more effective. The concept is currently being developed and tested in acute lymphocytic leukemia, where there is still an incidence of relapse after CAR T-cell therapy.