CAR T-Cell Therapy
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Patients with multiple myeloma that has not responded to standard treatment may be eligible to participate in a new clinical trial at the NIH Clinical Center.
James N. Kochenderfer, M.D., Investigator in the Surgery Branch, is leading a study of a new way to treat multiple myeloma (MM) that uses a patient’s own T cells to target MM cells. MM is a rare blood cancer that occurs in blood, tissues, bone and bone marrow. With MM, a group of plasma cells become cancerous and multiply, crowding out healthy blood cells. In this trial, investigators are studying a new way of treating MM using patients’ own T cells. Patients undergo a process called leukapheresis where blood is removed from the patient and T cells are extracted. The T cells are sent to a lab where they are genetically altered to become chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells. These CAR T cells have receptors that recognize and target a specific protein (SLAMF7) that appears on the surface of MM cells. The anti-SLAMF7 CAR T cells are also fitted with a genetic stop switch. In case of severe side effects from the treatment, a second drug will be administered that activates a switch that shuts down CAR T cells and eliminates them from the patient’s body. The goal of this study is to see if anti-SLAMF7 CAR T cells with a stop switch are safe to give to patients with MM.
Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT03958656
NCI Protocol ID: NCI-19-C-0102
Official Title: A Phase I Clinical Trial of T Cells Expressing an Anti-SLAMF7 CAR for Treating Multiple Myeloma
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