Expert Says CAR T-Cell Therapies Could Make Cancer a Chronic Disease

In a recent interview with Pharmacy Times, Lee Greenberger, PhD, chief scientific officer of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, said the development of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies is a major step for the treatment of some cancers.

The current FDA-approved CAR T-cell therapies all target CD19, which Greenberger said is a surface marker on the surface of tumor cells. With these therapies, the engineered T cells are designed to bind to CD19, making these treatment options highly effective for leukemias and lymphomas.

The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society has been investing in CAR T-cell therapy research since the 1990s, Greenberger said, including approximately 15 active grants placed worldwide to improve CAR T-cell therapy. With this research developing quickly, Greenberger said he looks forward to more exciting approvals.

“In fact, I know that these things are basically lined up in the FDA,” Greenberger said. “They’re being considered right now for indolent lymphomas, for multiple myeloma, and I think you’re going to see many advancements in this field to come in the next 5 or 10 years.”