CAR T-cells made from a CLL patient’s own T-cells (autologous) are often linked to T-cell exhaustion, causing treatment to not work well for most patients. Creating CAR T-cells from healthy donors’ T-cells (allogeneic) may overcome the obstacle of T-cell exhaustion. Learn about cema-cel, an allogeneic CAR T-cell therapy for CLL patients; and the ongoing ALPHA2 study, which is still recruiting participants.
CLL patients who are intolerant to BCL-2 inhibitors like venetoclax (Venclexta, AbbVie) and BTK inhibitors need more treatment options. In this situation, people may turn to the new FDA-approved CAR T-cell therapy liso-cel (Breyanzi, BMS). Liso-cel enhances a patient’s own T-cells to kill CLL more effectively. T-cells that come from the patient are referred to as autologous (self).
Unfortunately, one of the problems with liso-cel for CLL is that the treatment only helps 20% of patients achieve a complete reduction of disease signs and symptoms. Some patients experience T-cell exhaustion, causing the therapy not to work well.
With the hope of mitigating the issue of T-cell exhaustion, scientists created an allogeneic CAR T-cell therapy. Allogeneic means the T-cells come from healthy donors. These donor T-cells may not become exhausted to the same extent as cancer patients’ T-cells. This concept is still being evaluated through research.
Another key advantage of allo-CAR T-cell therapy like cema-cel (ALLO-501A, Allogene Therapeutics) is that they are prepared in advance, so CLL patients don’t need to wait multiple weeks for treatment to be created from their own T-cells. These ready-to-go medicines are often called “off-the-shelf” therapies, and they are game changers for patients who urgently need to start treatment.
To support a patient’s body in accepting donor CAR T-cells, cema-cel has specific genetic edits that reduce the risk of rejection, and patients are pre-treated with an anti-CD52 monoclonal antibody called ALLO-647.
The ALPHA2 study is administering cema-cel to CLL patients whose cancer stopped responding to or returned after prior therapies (relapsed/refractory). The decision to add CLL patients to the ALPHA2 study came after seeing large B-cell lymphoma patients benefit from cema-cel treatment: 53.3% of patients experienced a complete reduction of cancer signs and symptoms. It is hoped that CLL patients will achieve similar results.
Click here to check your eligibility for receiving cema-cel.
New medicines like cema-cel are a hopeful step in the direction of improving treatment options for the relapsed/refractory CLL patient community. HealthTree looks forward to future data from the ALPHA2 study which may reveal whether allo-CAR T-cell therapy can reduce T-cell exhaustion and improve patient outcomes.
For more general information about how CLL clinical trials work, click here.
We invite you to click the button below to subscribe to our newsletter and stay updated on the latest advancements in chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
JOIN THE HEALTHTREE FOR CLL NEWSLETTER
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CAR T-cells made from a CLL patient’s own T-cells (autologous) are often linked to T-cell exhaustion, causing treatment to not work well for most patients. Creating CAR T-cells from healthy donors’ T-cells (allogeneic) may overcome the obstacle of T-cell exhaustion. Learn about cema-cel, an allogeneic CAR T-cell therapy for CLL patients; and the ongoing ALPHA2 study, which is still recruiting participants.
CLL patients who are intolerant to BCL-2 inhibitors like venetoclax (Venclexta, AbbVie) and BTK inhibitors need more treatment options. In this situation, people may turn to the new FDA-approved CAR T-cell therapy liso-cel (Breyanzi, BMS). Liso-cel enhances a patient’s own T-cells to kill CLL more effectively. T-cells that come from the patient are referred to as autologous (self).
Unfortunately, one of the problems with liso-cel for CLL is that the treatment only helps 20% of patients achieve a complete reduction of disease signs and symptoms. Some patients experience T-cell exhaustion, causing the therapy not to work well.
With the hope of mitigating the issue of T-cell exhaustion, scientists created an allogeneic CAR T-cell therapy. Allogeneic means the T-cells come from healthy donors. These donor T-cells may not become exhausted to the same extent as cancer patients’ T-cells. This concept is still being evaluated through research.
Another key advantage of allo-CAR T-cell therapy like cema-cel (ALLO-501A, Allogene Therapeutics) is that they are prepared in advance, so CLL patients don’t need to wait multiple weeks for treatment to be created from their own T-cells. These ready-to-go medicines are often called “off-the-shelf” therapies, and they are game changers for patients who urgently need to start treatment.
To support a patient’s body in accepting donor CAR T-cells, cema-cel has specific genetic edits that reduce the risk of rejection, and patients are pre-treated with an anti-CD52 monoclonal antibody called ALLO-647.
The ALPHA2 study is administering cema-cel to CLL patients whose cancer stopped responding to or returned after prior therapies (relapsed/refractory). The decision to add CLL patients to the ALPHA2 study came after seeing large B-cell lymphoma patients benefit from cema-cel treatment: 53.3% of patients experienced a complete reduction of cancer signs and symptoms. It is hoped that CLL patients will achieve similar results.
Click here to check your eligibility for receiving cema-cel.
New medicines like cema-cel are a hopeful step in the direction of improving treatment options for the relapsed/refractory CLL patient community. HealthTree looks forward to future data from the ALPHA2 study which may reveal whether allo-CAR T-cell therapy can reduce T-cell exhaustion and improve patient outcomes.
For more general information about how CLL clinical trials work, click here.
We invite you to click the button below to subscribe to our newsletter and stay updated on the latest advancements in chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
JOIN THE HEALTHTREE FOR CLL NEWSLETTER
Sources:
about the author
Megan Heaps
Megan joined HealthTree in 2022. As a writer and the daughter of a blood cancer patient, she is dedicated to helping patients and their caregivers understand the various aspects of their disease. This understanding enables them to better advocate for themselves and improve their treatment outcomes. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family.
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