Spanish researchers have unveiled a new CAR-T cell therapy which offers promise for treating Hodgkin’s disease and other refractory CD30+ lymphomas.
The treatment targets the CD30 protein and a phase I trial has found improved clinical outcomes in patients, the researchers have reported in Blood. Their process for developing the CAR-T therapy promotes the expansion of memory T cells, leading to long-lasting responses.
The team from the Sant Pau Research Institute say that advances in genetic engineering and biotechnology have helped them overcome the challenges faced in applying CAR-T treatment to CD30+ lymphomas.
The phase I trial involved ten patients with relapsed or refractory disease, and all responded to the new treatment. Three of the five patients who achieved a complete response remained in remission for a median period of 34 months.
The researchers say adverse effects were mild and manageable.
Further promising results, from 32 patients in a phase 2 trial, were presented at the 2024 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Haematology.
Dr Javier Briones, head of the Institute’s Haematological Oncology and Transplant Research Group, said: “The most remarkable aspect is the 100% overall response rate, which is extremely rare in patients who have undergone multiple lines of treatment. Additionally, 50% of patients achieved complete remission, meaning the disease was undetectable in imaging studies and clinical analyses.”
Fellow researcher haematologist Dr Ana Caballero said: “These results suggest that selecting the CD30 epitope and preserving less differentiated T cells ex vivo may enhance CAR-T therapy efficacy in patients with refractory Hodgkin lymphoma.
“If we can demonstrate in larger studies that this strategy works long-term, we could be looking at a paradigm shift in the treatment of refractory CD30+ lymphomas. This would bring hope to many patients with very limited therapeutic options.”
Source:
Caballero AC, Ujaldón-Miró C, Pujol-Fernández P, Montserrat-Torres R, Guardiola-Perello M, Escudero-López E, Garcia-Cadenas I, Esquirol A, Martino R, Jara-Bustamante P, Ezquerra P, Soria JM, Iranzo E, Moreno-Martinez ME, Riba M, Sierra J, Alvarez-Fernández C, Escribà-Garcia L, Briones J. (2025) “HSP-CAR30 with a high proportion of less-differentiated T cells promotes durable responses in refractory CD30+ lymphoma.” Blood, 17 April 2025, doi: 10.1182/blood.2024026758.
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