Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cells for the Treatment of Multiple Myeloma

Multiple myeloma (MM), characterized by abnormal proliferation of clonal plasma cells, is an incurable hematological malignancy. Various immunotherapy strategies have emerged as an efficacious approach for the treatment of MM, including monoclonal antibodies, antibody-drug conjugates, bispecific antibodies, and chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cells. Anti-B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) CAR-T cells have revolutionized the treatment of MM patients with relapsed/refractory disease and their clinical use was approved for the treatment of these patients. Despite this progress, the efficacy of CAR-T cells in MM is limited by the responsiveness of only a part of the treated patients, the relapse of other patients, the cost of the treatment and the diminished response in patients with prior exposure to anti-BCMA targeting agents. Ongoing clinical trials are evaluating the use of CAR-T cells at an earlier stage of MM disease and the use of CAR-T cells targeting other membrane antigens expressed on malignant plasma cells.