Dr Sharman provides an update on an NIH CAR-T trial for relapsed/refractory DBLC

[AussieNeil]

Many of us will remember the excitement a couple of years back when Dr Carl June of the University of Pennsylvania announced Chimeric Antigen Receptor engineered T Lymphocytes (CAR-T) were successfully used to cure at least one CLL patient.

As Dr Sharman covers in his latest blog, CAR-T research is now being done at a multitude of universities, with one for relapsed DLBCL or multiply recurrent indolent lymphoma being run out of the NIH:

cll-nhl.com/2013/10/enginee...

When the CAR-T research was publicised, it was recognised that much more needed to done to provide a more broadly useful treatment, rather than a custom approach per patient. (The trial patients needed to remain on IVIG for life as the treatment kept zapping any new B-Lymphocytes). It's great to know that so many centres are working on extending this alternative approach to finding a cure for some tough leukaemias and lymphomas.

Dr Sharman concludes: "If I had relapsed DLBCL or multiply recurrent indolent lymphoma, I would be on the first plane to NIH for these studies."

Neil

(My accompanying picture shows the aptly named 'bottle brush', an attractive native shrub that is sometimes used as a street tree around here. They've been glorious this year after a wet winter.)

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Hope everyone takes time to read this and look at the video found by clicking on 'amazingly cool video' in the article.

I had not seen this before, it shows, I guess, there is always hope.

Bub

Wow! to the bottle brush shrub.

[Cllcanada Top Poster CURE Hero]

I noted in the inclusion criteria 'All CLL patients must have previously received Ibrutinib.'

Makes a bit limiting for us... unless I'm reading it wrong.

[AussieNeil Administrator in reply to Cllcanada]

That's how I read it too Chris, but it doesn't make sense! How many patients will meet their eligibility criteria i.e.

1) be a non-responder to, or recurred after one or more standard chemotherapy-containing regimens for their malignancy

2) have previously received Ibrutinib?

That makes for a very small trial!

Neil

[Lola69]

I am presently taking Imbruvica. I did 6 cycles of FCR in 2014 got a 16 month remission. Did a HLA TYPING test 2 months ago. Got results yesterday. My bro is not a match. ( only 25%)I was hoping he was not compatible as I don't want a BMT. .. I'm 52. Diagnosed with SLL nov. 2013. performance status is << 95%

[AussieNeil Administrator in reply to Lola69]

BMTs for CLL are increasingly rarely offered, thanks to new drugs like Imbruvica. Hopefully you can forget about ever needing a BMT!