May 27, 2022 -- Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells that target the CD19 antigen have made the jump from the laboratory to the clinic with remarkable results, but biopharmaceutical company Mustang Bio is focused on a CD20-targeted autologous CAR T-cell therapy for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia.
Dr. Bruce Dezube, senior vice president and head of clinical development at Mustang Bio, spoke to ScienceBoard.net at the American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy (ASGCT) 2022 annual meeting in Washington, DC, about the targeting of the CD20 antigen.
"CAR T cells have revolutionized the life of the relapsed/refractory lymphoma patients; 50% of them do survive," said Dezube, who has been an oncologist for 36 years. "For the 50% who don't survive, that's a problem. And, so, the way we are personally addressing it is we're going after a different target."
While CD19 and B-cell maturation antigen are the only antigens for which there are U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved CAR T-cell therapies, Dezube called CD20 a "very well validated antigen in the lymphoma field" and noted that "it is not lost," whereas patients treated with CD19 CAR T therapy "approximately a third of them will lose their antigen over time."
Listen to the audio recording below to learn more.
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