IMS 2026 | DART trial: dasatinib and quercetin in patients with R/R multiple myeloma receiving CAR-T therapy

So at IMS 2026, we are also very excited to present early clinical trial data of our phase two trial called DART, where we are using two senolytic drugs, the dasatinib and quercetin, given around the time that patients will receive their standard of care cilta-cel CAR-T. The rationale behind that is based on our preclinical and translational findings, where we found that for patients who would relapse earlier versus later after CAR-T treatment, those patients who relapse earlier, they tend to have myeloma cells that have this senescent-like signaling or signature. So this is a way that myeloma cells try to go dormant, not proliferate, but don’t go down the path of dying as a way to escape killing by CAR-T’s, by chemotherapies. And so they would then persist in a patient’s body and could then grow later and become relapsed with progressive multiple myeloma. So in our preclinical model, we found that if we added drugs, senolytic drugs, like the dasatinib and quercetin, at the doses for senolytic effect, the dasatinib is actually FDA approved for a different type of malignancy called CML, but we’re not using it with that dose level and frequency. We found that in the lab in vitro model, that would actually resensitize these senescent-like myeloma cells to be sensitive to killing by T-cells again and would die off. So the purpose of this trial is to see if we were to use these drugs in patients prior to the start of lymphodepletion chemo for two days and then once a month at months one, two, and three for two days, and then once a month, at months one, two, and three, for two days each month, if that would help sensitize those potentially resistant myeloma cells inside the patient’s body to CAR-T, and therefore having more patients with that deeper response and prolonged PFS. So this study is funded by the NCI Mayo Clinic Myeloma SPORE. And we’ve completed the safety running cohort. So that’s the first six patients in the trial. And what we found, similar to other senolytic trials, is taking these two drugs for just two days, once a month, for the first three months, did not have any severe side effects. And they did not negatively impact the CAR-T expansion compared to patients who just get the standard of care so-to-speak. The early response time point we’re looking for is at month three for the deeper response with bone marrow MRD negativity and PET negativity. Those dual negativity endpoints have been found to be prognostic for prolonged sustained remission and PFS. So we are seeing in those patients that five out of the six patients are reaching those dual negativity and continuing to follow those patients for PFS. And the trial is still ongoing to accrue. And so we hope to have more data in the upcoming Congress.

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