Dr. Wang on Ongoing Research in MCL

Michael Wang, MD, professor in the Department of Lymphoma and Myeloma at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses ongoing research in mantle cell lymphoma (MCL).

In February 2020, the FDA granted a priority review designation to a biologics license application for the investigational anti-CD19 CAR T-cell therapy KTE-X19 as a treatment for adult patients with relapsed/refractory MCL. Several other CD19-directed CAR T-cell therapies are under investigation, says Wang. Additionally, CAR natural killer cells are under evaluation in The University of Texas MD Anderson Center B-Cell Lymphoma Moon Shot program. An off-the-shelf CAR T-cell therapy has shown promising safety and efficacy data in B-cell malignancies, says Wang.

In the realm of targeted therapy, the irreversible BTK inhibitors ibrutinib (Imbruvica), acalabrutinib (Calquence), and zanubrutinib (Brukinsa) are approved for use in MCL. However, reversible BTK inhibitors, such as LOXO-305, are designed to overcome acquired resistance to first-generation irreversible BTK inhibitors, says Wang. Moreover, bispecific antibodies are under investigation, concludes Wang.