Immunotherapy for Multiple Myeloma: A New Generation of Chimeric Antigen Receptors and Immune Checkpoint Blockade
Funding Cycle:
2022-2023Name:
Carlos Fernández de LarreaType of Award:
Translational Research AwardHome Institution:
Fundació Clínic per a la Recerca Biomèdica, SpainDescription
Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-cells targeting B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) have proven outstanding efficacy and are a promising option for patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (MM), but no plateau is observed in progression-free survival (PFS) curves and relapses happen. One of the mechanisms of relapse is impaired T-cell persistence/potency due to T-cell exhaustion. Checkpoint inhibitory receptors (CIR) (E.g. PD-1, TIGIT) play a crucial role in T-cell exhaustion. Expression of TIGIT and its ligands has been reported in patients with MM and TIGIT blockade may reinvigorate T-cell function. Our institution has developed an academic, humanized BCMA CART, ARI0002h. The hypothesis of this project was that the efficacy of BCMA CAR T-cell therapy could be improved by blocking the immune checkpoint receptor TIGIT.
