Immunotherapy Prior to Stem Cell Transplant in Multiple Myeloma

In a 12-patient multiple myeloma pilot study, researchers demonstrated that anti-CD3 and anti-CD20 bispecific antibody (CD20Bi) activated both cellular and humoral anti-myeloma immunity that was detectable after patients received an autologous stem cell transplant. The results were presented by Lawrence Lum, MD, of the Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit, at the 2013 American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition, held in New Orleans. Here, Dr. Lum discusses the study results and the implications for combining immunotherapy with stem cell transplant in multiple myeloma patients.

Reference: Lum L, Thakur A, Al-Kadhimi Z, et al. Induction of anti-myeloma cellular and humoral immunity by pre-targeting clonogenic myeloma cells prior to stem cell transplant with T cells armed with anti-CD3 × anti-CD20 bispecific antibody leads to transfer of cellular and humoral anti-myeloma immunity. ASH Annual Meeting Abstracts. 2013; Abstract 139.