Dr. Lekakis on Current Research With CAR T-Cell Therapy

Lazaros John Lekakis, MD, associate professor of clinical medicine, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami, discusses current research with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy across hematologic malignancies.

Bispecific CAR T cells are an area of active investigation in B-cell malignancies, explains Lekakis. Currently, tisagenlecleucel (Kymriah) and axicabtagene-ciloleucel (Yescarta) are approved for patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, both of which target CD19. Some of the dual targets under investigation include CD19 and CD22. Dual-targeted CAR T cells may be more effective, explains Lekakis as CAR T-cell evasion can occur with CD19 clones, he explains.

In multiple myeloma, several products are under investigation—–all of which target BCMA. Some companies are combining CAR T cells with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors to try to evade T-cell exhaustion, explains Lekakis. Combinations of CD19-specific CAR T cells and lenalidomide (Revlimid) and rituximab (Rituxan) are also under exploration, adds Lekakis.