The abstracts for the annual American Society of Hematology (ASH) conference in December were published a couple of days ago, and are available here. In my quick search of abstracts relevant to CAR-T and FL, I’ve highlighted the following:
From a study at U. Penn that I almost enrolled in, after meeting with Dr. Stephen Schuster, chief of Lyphoma Services, for almost two hours in February 2015. At the time, they had treated 5 FL patients with CAR-T, all of whom had achieved Complete Remissions (CR’s). We hadn’t seen this success with FL patients anywhere else, so it was difficult for me to decline the last remaining spot and enroll at Memorial Sloan-Kettering in NYC instead, which I did only because it is much closer to home. (As I understand it, I am MSK’s first FL patient to complete CAR-T.)
In this latest update to the study, 9 of 14 FL patients have now achieved a CR. For me, the takeaway is that those who achieve a CR are still remaining in CR:
Chimeric Antigen Receptor Modified T Cells Directed Against CD19 (CTL019) in Patients with Poor Prognosis, Relapsed or Refractory CD19+ Follicular Lymphoma: Prolonged Remissions Relative to Antecedent Therapy
Also from U. Penn, results of this study will be presented by Dr. Schuster himself. Not specific to FL, although transformed FL patients are included. I love this sentence towards the end of the Results section: “To date, no pt achieving CR has relapsed.”
Treatment with Chimeric Antigen Receptor Modified T Cells Directed Against CD19 (CTL019) Results in Durable Remissions in Patients with Relapsed or Refractory Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphomas of Germinal Center and Non-Germinal Center Origin, “Double Hit” Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphomas, and Transformed Follicular to Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphomas
An attempt to mitigate Cytokine Release Syndrome (CRS) in CAR-T, which can be quite dangerous and remains a serious barrier to more widespread application:
Ruxolitinib Prevents Cytokine Release Syndrome after CART Cell Therapy without Impairing the Anti-Tumor Effect in a Xenograft Model
From Dr. Kochenderfer, et al, at the NCI in Bethesda, MD: “Humanized” CAR-T cells (as opposed to the typical murine (mouse-derived), attempting to enhance the persistence of the infused CAR-T cells:
T Cells Expressing a Novel Fully-Human Anti-CD19 Chimeric Antigen Receptor Induce Remissions of Advanced Lymphoma in a First-in-Humans Clinical TrialClinically Relevant Abstract
From the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center (“Hutch”) in Seattle: An attempt to mitigate CRS in CAR-T by infusing “CD4+ and CD8+ T cell subsets … in a 1:1 ratio”:
Biomarkers of Cytokine Release Syndrome and Neurotoxicity after CD19 CAR-T Cells and Mitigation of Toxicity By Cell Dose
Depleting CAR-T cells that are “too persistent”:
Depleting CAR T cells after tumor treatment reverses B cell deficiency in mice
Financial:
ASH preview – a low-key damp squib for cell therapies (financial summary of CAR-T at ASH)
Kite Pharma at ASH
Juno Therapeutics at ASH (conducted my CAR-T at MSK)
The trials of Juno
Novartis promises a speedy CAR-T pitch, boasts about its slate of blockbusters-to-be
Miscellany:
A nice glossary:
Lymph Nodes: Locations and Functions
Some recent CAR-T coverage on OncLive:
CAR T-Cell Therapy Continues to Show Promise in Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
From Hospice to Remission: Hopes Remain High for CAR Therapies
I don’t know how I came across this, but it seems to have some useful information for newly-diagnosed Lymphoma patients:
https://www.verywell.com/lymphoma-and-leukemia-4014692
CAR-T and Follicular Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma 
My wife is Patient 2 in the Kochenderfer/Brudno CAR-T clinical trial. She was infused on March 2, 2016. The only in-hospital (9 day mandatory stay) was low pressure on days 1-2. At day 3 she was exercising in the NIH exercise room. Today she remains in complete remission with low immunoglobulins as her only side effect. Per trial protocol when her IgG drops below 400 she must have an IVIG infusion – so far she has had two IVIG infusions.
Diagnosed in November 2011 and prior to CAR-T, she progressed following R-CHOP, BR, Idelalisib, and Rituximab/idelalisib – 4 treatments in 4 years.
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[…] I know this is short notice (the teleconference takes place tomorrow), but my wife just received an email invitation to this Lymphoma Research Foundation (LRF) teleconference yesterday. The speakers include Dr. Bruce D. Cheson at Georgetown U. Hospital, and Dr. Stephen J. Schuster at U. Penn Hospital. Both physicians are currently running CAR-T clinical trials for lymphoma patients, and I almost enrolled with Dr. Schuster in early 2015. […]
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