Overcoming resistance to CART cell therapy in multiple myeloma
Official title: Project 4: Overcoming resistance to CART cell therapy in multiple myeloma
Funded at Mayo Clinic Arizona · NIH-11421175 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This grant aims to improve CAR T-cell therapy for people with multiple myeloma by tackling why some patients stop responding, using innovative approaches to boost cancer-fighting cells in the bone marrow.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Mayo Clinic Arizona NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Scottsdale, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2015 |
| Project end | August 31, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $399,250 |
| NIH project number | 2P50CA186781-11 |
| Project ID | NIH-11421175 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma who are potential candidates for BCMA-CART therapies and related trials.
✕Less likely to help
Patients not eligible for CART-based therapies or those unlikely to tolerate multi-modality treatment may see limited benefit.
What this research studies
People with multiple myeloma who have run out of standard options may benefit if CART cell therapies can work longer. The project studies the tumor environment in the bone marrow and tests engineered CART cells that release molecules to re-activate immune cells and counteract resistance. Research is done in mouse models to refine this approach and minimize off-target effects before moving toward human studies. The work focuses on BCMA-targeted CART cells and ways to sustain their efficacy against the cancer.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could extend the time patients respond to CART therapy and improve overall outcomes in multiple myeloma.
How similar studies have gone: Previous BCMA-CART studies show strong initial responses but frequent relapse, and strategies like microenvironment modulation are being explored with promising preclinical signals.
Where this research is happening
-
Mayo Clinic Arizona
Scottsdale, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kenderian, Saad J. — Mayo Clinic Arizona
- Study coordinator: Kenderian, Saad J.
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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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.
-
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.
-
How LDL Affects Multiple Myeloma: New Pathways to Keep Remission
A new grant is studying how cholesterol from LDL particles fuels multiple myeloma and how this interaction influences the tumor environment and immune response, with goals to help patients stay in remission.
-
Therapy-induced senescence and immune activation in multiple myeloma
A study in people with multiple myeloma will explore how treatment-related senescence in cancer cells may stimulate the immune system and affect cancer return after standard frontline therapy.
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BCMA CAR-T enteritis: understanding immune toxicities in multiple myeloma
A broad study to uncover why some CAR-T cell treatments targeting BCMA cause severe intestinal inflammation in people with multiple myeloma.
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Understanding Drug-Resistant Multiple Myeloma to Stop Relapse
Researchers are studying why some myeloma cells resist treatment and how to create new therapies to prevent relapse.
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.