Make CAR T therapy last longer for multiple myeloma
Official title: Improving response durability after CAR T cell therapy for multiple myeloma
Funded at University of Pennsylvania · NIH-11192830 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project tries CAR T cells made from bone marrow immune cells to help people with multiple myeloma stay in remission longer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | P01 program project |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pennsylvania NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Philadelphia, United States) |
| Project start | August 15, 2017 |
| Project end | August 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $564,221 |
| NIH project number | 5P01CA214278-08 |
| Project ID | NIH-11192830 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are people with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma who are eligible for anti-BCMA CAR T cell therapy and can undergo bone marrow collection and follow-up at the study center.
✕Less likely to help
Patients whose myeloma lacks BCMA, who are medically ineligible for cellular therapy, or who cannot travel to the treatment center are unlikely to benefit from this trial.
What this research studies
The team is developing CAR T cells that target BCMA, a protein commonly found on myeloma cells. Instead of using T cells from the blood, they will manufacture CAR T cells from marrow-infiltrating lymphocytes taken from the bone marrow and give them back to patients. The program includes lab studies and a clinical trial to check safety, how the cells behave over time, and whether they can prevent the late relapses that follow current CAR T therapies. Researchers will combine patient samples and preclinical work because earlier findings suggest T cell features and the bone marrow environment influence relapse risk.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could lengthen remissions and reduce relapse after CAR T therapy for multiple myeloma patients.
How similar studies have gone: BCMA-targeting CAR T therapies have produced strong initial responses but most patients relapse over time, and using marrow-derived T cells is a newer approach with limited prior clinical testing.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Milone, Michael C. — University of Pennsylvania
- Study coordinator: Milone, Michael C.
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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CTO1681: reducing dangerous immune reactions in patients getting CAR T-cell therapy
A new oral drug (CTO1681) aims to prevent and lessen cytokine release syndrome in patients with blood cancers treated with CAR T-cell therapy.
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Improving durability of responses after CAR T therapy for myeloma
This grant explores new CAR T cell approaches to keep multiple myeloma patients in remission longer after initial treatment success.
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In Vivo Engineering of BCMA CAR T Cells for Multiple Myeloma
A new NIH grant aims to develop lipid nanoparticle systems that deliver BCMA CAR instructions directly to patients’ immune cells to treat multiple myeloma.
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BCMA CAR-T therapy with opaganib for ultrahigh risk multiple myeloma
A first-in-human-style treatment using a patient’s own CAR-T cells plus a targeted drug to help people with very high-risk multiple myeloma live longer and better.
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Integrative study of multiple myeloma genetics and disease biology
A team at Dana-Farber and partners is pursuing a long-term project to understand the genetic and molecular drivers of multiple myeloma and how treatments interact with disease biology.
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Comparative Modeling to Prevent, Detect Early, and Treat Multiple Myeloma
A research team will build and compare computer models to understand how multiple myeloma develops, can be detected earlier, and treated more effectively.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.