CAR-T and Other Cellular Therapies
Some of the most exciting advances in blood cancer in general, and in CLL / SLL in particular, are in harnessing and re-engineering the body’s own immune cells to fight the cancer.
Cellular therapies are a special type of immunotherapy that use cells, as opposed to drugs, to treat CLL / SLL. The first cellular therapy was a hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT), also known as a bone marrow transplant. In CLL, this is usually done using a matched donor’s stem cells. It may be curative, but infections and graft versus host (GVHD) disease, where the new immune system attacks more than the cancer, makes transplant very high-risk. CAR-T (chimeric antigen receptor – T cell therapy) is experimental in CLL. Patients’ own T-lymphocytes are harvested, trained to attack the CLL, grown, and then re-infused. Results in CLL are promising for this “living drug” but the data are early. Neurotoxicity and cytokine release syndrome (CRS), where inflammatory molecules (cytokines) are released causing flu-like symptoms or worse, can occur and even be fatal; however, these complications can almost always be successfully managed. Other cellular therapies include CAR-NK (natural killer) cells and TILs (tumor infiltrating lymphocytes).
Action Items for CAR-T and Other Cellular Therapies
We have some exciting ways to learn about CAR-T:
Please read our introductory CAR-T brochure, which is specific to CLL.
CAR-T therapy is a revolutionary therapy that trains the patient’s own cells to attack their CLL / SLL. The science can be somewhat complicated and advanced, but the results can be amazing. You can learn more about CAR-T therapy in this easy-to-understand CAR-T brochure that can be viewed in a digital flipbook format.
CLL Society interviewed CLL / SLL patients who have received CAR-T treatment. Listen to their testimonials.
Flip through The CAR-T Comic Book.
This is a fun and simple comic flip book explaining CAR-T from the point of view of a re-engineered T-cell with superpowers, read by Patricia Koffman. If you are considering CAR-T therapy, share this simple introduction with family, friends and co-workers, and little ones!
Dr. Joseph Fraietta on CAR-T: watch now.
Dr. Joe Fraietta is one of the true CAR-T pioneer researchers whose work with his colleagues at U. Penn led to the first breakthrough successes. In this webinar he explains the underlying science.
Visit Dr. Koffman’s CAR-T Blog.
Read Dr. Koffman’s very personal and graphic firsthand blog of his CAR-T clinical trial. He shares his decision-making process, the support he received from family, friends, and other CAR-T pioneers, plus all the good, the bad, and the ugly in the process… and of course his great outcome!
Please read our introductory CAR-T brochure, which is specific to CLL.
CAR-T therapy is a revolutionary therapy that trains the patient’s own cells to attack their CLL / SLL. The science can be somewhat complicated and advanced, but the results can be amazing. You can learn more about CAR-T therapy in this easy-to-understand CAR-T brochure that can be viewed in a digital flipbook format.
Flip through The CAR-T Comic Book.
This is a fun and simple comic flip book explaining CAR-T from the point of view of a re-engineered T-cell with superpowers, read by Patricia Koffman. If you are considering CAR-T therapy, share this simple introduction with family, friends and co-workers, and little ones!
Dr. Joseph Fraietta on CAR-T: watch now.
Dr. Joe Fraietta is one of the true CAR-T pioneer researchers whose work with his colleagues at U. Penn led to the first breakthrough successes. In this webinar he explains the underlying science.
Visit Dr. Koffman’s CAR-T Blog.
Read Dr. Koffman’s very personal and graphic firsthand blog of his CAR-T clinical trial. He shares his decision-making process, the support he received from family, friends, and other CAR-T pioneers, plus all the good, the bad, and the ugly in the process… and of course his great outcome!
ADDITIONAL READING
