Ten Years On, the second ever CAR T Cell Recipient is Still Cancer-Free

Good news! What a successful treatment! What a milestone!

"The second-ever leukemia patient to receive an infusion of CAR T cells—which had been harvested from his blood and modified to produce receptors that recognize cancer cells—is still cancer free more than 10 years later. Tumor-fighting immune cells are still circulating in his body, according to a study published yesterday (February 2) in Nature. The first patient to receive the treatment also went into remission and stayed cancer-free until the time of his death in January 2021, when he passed away from COVID-19. ..."

From the abstract:

"The adoptive transfer of T lymphocytes reprogrammed to target tumour cells has demonstrated potential for treatment of various cancers. However, little is known about the long-term potential and clonal stability of the infused cells. Here we studied long-lasting CD19-redirected chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells in two patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia1 who achieved a complete remission in 2010. CAR T cells remained detectable more than ten years after infusion, with sustained remission in both patients. Notably, a highly activated CD4+ population emerged in both patients, dominating the CAR T cell population at the later time points. ..."

Ten Years On, CAR T Cell Recipient Is Still Cancer-Free | The Scientist Magazine® First, the genetically engineered cells became CD8+ killer T cells that wiped out his leukemia. Then they transformed into a stable population of CD4+ helper T cells that continue to circulate in his body.

Decade-long leukaemia remissions with persistence of CD4+ CAR T cells (no public access, but article above offers link to PDF file)