Myeloma 2016: Panel discussion on gene modified T-cells

Ivan Borello, MD from the Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Batlimore, MD discusses the highlights in immunotherapy and in particular CAR T-cells for multiple myeloma (MM) from the Myeloma 2016 meeting held in Boston, MA with Edward Stadtmauer, MD from the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, James Kochenderfer, MD from the National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD and Michael Hudecek, MD from the University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany. Prof Stadtmauer discusses his talk on the CD19 targeted T-cells and the rationale behind targeting tumors that are not expressing CD19. They further talk about the B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) and how it stands out as a biomarker. In the context of BCMA, Dr Kochenderfer discusses the Phase I trial of bb2121 in MM (NCT02658929). Dr Hudecek discusses the research into finding the optimal T-cells that when modified, can confer a great anti-tumor response. He further talks about non-viral gene transfer systems and SLAMF7.