CAR-T Meeting 2026 | Current challenges affecting the efficacy of CAR T-cell therapy in ALL and how these may be overcome
Rakefet Sidlik Muskatel, MD, PhD, Schneider Children’s Medical Center of Israel, Petah Tikva, Israel, discusses the current barriers to the efficacy of CAR T-cell therapy in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), highlighting CD19-negative relapse and limited CAR T-cell persistence as major challenges. She notes that researchers are addressing these issues through strategies such as dual-targeting CARs and armored CARs secreting IL-15. This interview took place at the EBMT-EHA 8th European CAR T-cell Meeting, held in Palma de Mallorca, Spain.
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Transcript
Okay, so there are several barriers. I think I can mention the major two barriers in my opinion here. One is the CD19-negative relapse that is definitely a major clinical challenge. You see several groups in the world that try to address this issue. I think it’s actually what was leading to the development of the dual CAR targeting both CD19 and CD22 in order to avoid immune evasion...
Okay, so there are several barriers. I think I can mention the major two barriers in my opinion here. One is the CD19-negative relapse that is definitely a major clinical challenge. You see several groups in the world that try to address this issue. I think it’s actually what was leading to the development of the dual CAR targeting both CD19 and CD22 in order to avoid immune evasion. And then the second challenge, I think, is the matter of the fitness of the persistence of the CAR T-cells, as you know we refer to it in the poster, but then again you see several groups that are trying to improve this in several ways. We heard some great talks here about improving persistence, either by shortening the manufacturing or exposing the CAR T-cells in culture to IL-15 in order to give it an effective memory phenotype and improve persistence. Also, armored CAR-T cells that will secrete IL-15 and then improve the persistence in vivo. And you have so many innovations. And I hope we will find a solution to improve the clinical results in the near future.
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