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February 12, 2021

We Have Lost a Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL)
and
Chimeric Antigen Receptor T cell (CAR-T) Therapy Pioneer

Bill Ludwig, 75, of Upper Deerfield Township passed away on Sunday, January 31, 2021 at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania where he had been hospitalized since December 1, 2020. This is the same hospital where, 10 years earlier, his life and the whole world of cancer treatment was changed forever.

From his obituary:

“In 2010, pioneered at Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Bill took a chance on a first-of-its-kind cancer clinical trial called CAR T- cell immunotherapy and was their first patient. While Bill became cancer free, his luck spread to others throughout the world.”

Bill was the first CAR-T patient in the world, and that is why I consider him a hero.

Imagine his bravery and complete trust, allowing doctors to draw out his own white blood cells, infect them with a virus that would reprogram their genetic material so that the re-engineered T-cells could attack his chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), grow them outside of his body, and then reinfuse them and to see what would happen.

What happened was that he lived cancer free for more than another decade until passing from a COVID-19 infection. Mr. Ludwig’s case caused a sensation when first published in the NEJM, and inspired the revolution in cancer treatment that we know as cellular therapy today.

Gene therapy. Living drugs.

Without the willingness of the Bills of the world to enter clinic trials and try something completely new and unproven, there would be no scientific progress. I am one of the beneficiaries of his courage.

Bill’s life teaches us that taking smart chances can change not only your own fortune, and that of the whole world.

Rest in peace, Bill Ludwig.

For more background story on Bill’s momentous decision back in 2010, you might enjoy this article from UPENN: Bill’s Leukemia Story: Taking a Chance on a First-of-its-kind Cancer Clinical Trial

Stay strong.

We are all in this together.

Brian

Brian Koffman MDCM (retired) MS Ed
Co-Founder, Executive VP and Chief Medical Officer
CLL Society, Inc.

About the author

Brad Hedrick

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Recent News
  • Trials Studying the Safety and Immune Response of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) Patients Receiving the COVID-19 Vaccines
    February 12, 2021
  • FDA approves lisocabtagene maraleucel (liso-cel or JCAR-017) a CAR-T cell therapy for relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma
    February 6, 2021
  • CLL Society Quoted by CNN: Are Covid-19 vaccines safe for cancer patients? Here is what cancer experts say by Lauren Kent, CNN
    February 5, 2021
Conference Coverage
  • ASH 2020: Dr. Jennifer Brown on combination duvelisib + venetoclax for patients with relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)
    February 20, 2021
  • ASH 2020: Dr. Meghan Thompson Interview – Venetoclax Retreatment of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) Patients after a Previous Venetoclax-Based Regimen
    February 19, 2021
  • ASH 2020: Dr. Meghan Thompson – Can APR-246 Restore the Wild-Type Function of the P53 Gene in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL)
    February 12, 2021
  • ASH 2020: Dr. Jennifer Brown on cardiovascular events in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) treated with acalabrutinib
    February 8, 2021
  • iwCLL 2019: Dr. Nicole Lamanna on biomarker testing for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)
    January 29, 2021
  • ASH 2020: Dr. William Wierda on minimal residual disease (MRD)-guided discontinuation of ibrutinib + venetoclax in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)
    January 29, 2021

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