Dr Svoboda on the Efficacy of Armored huCART19-IL18 in R/R Lymphoma

Jakub Svoboda, MD, associate professor, medicine, Hematology-Oncology, attending, the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania; co-chair, Lymphoma Tumor Board and Case Conference; member, Data Safety Monitoring Committee, Abramson Cancer Center, discusses the observed safety and efficacy of armored huCART19-IL18 in patients with relapsed/refractory lymphomas that have progressed following treatment with an anti-CD19 CAR T cell therapy.

At the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting, Svoboda and his co-investigators presented findings on the safety and efficacy of armored huCART19-IL18 in this patient population. Key findings indicated that treatment with these armored CAR T cells is feasible and associated with an acceptable safety profile. Impressively, 81% (90% CI, 62%-93%) of patients achieved aresponse, with 52% (90% CI, 33%-71%) achieving complete responses, including patients who were refractory to currently available second-generation CAR T-cell therapies.

The trial’s results showed durable remissions lasting over 2 years in some patients, highlighting the potential effectiveness of targeting CD19 in lymphoma after prior CAR T-cell therapy. Researchers also noted that the efficacy did not significantly vary with different dose levels.

This type of first-in-human trial primarily focuses on safety, but one of the secondary objectives of this study was to evaluate the preliminary efficacy of armored huCART19-IL18 in patients with relapsed/refractory lymphomas, Svoboda begins, noting that investigators were encouraged by the performance of these armored CAR T cells in patients who were relapsed/refractory to prior second-generation CAR T-cell therapies. Although these are early data and should be interpreted with caution, Svoboda reports that durable responses were observed. The trial was initiated over 2 years ago, and some of the initially treated patients, who were clearly refractory to the second-generation CAR T cell therapies, remain in remission, he adds. It has been remarkable to see that a single infusion of CAR T cells in these patients, whose additional treatment options are limited, can result in such long-lasting remissions, Svoboda concludes.