BCMA-directed CAR-T therapy

BCMA-directed CAR-T therapy is a class of autologous or allogeneic chimeric antigen receptor T-cell products engineered to recognize and kill malignant plasma cells by targeting B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA, CD269, TNFRSF17), a TNF receptor family member highly expressed on multiple myeloma cells and normal plasma cells but largely absent from other tissues.[1][3] Patient or donor T cells are genetically modified (typically with lentiviral, retroviral, or transposon vectors) to express a synthetic receptor comprising an anti-BCMA single-chain variable fragment linked via a spacer and transmembrane domain to intracellular CD3ζ and one or more costimulatory domains (most commonly 4‑1BB or CD28), which upon BCMA engagement activate T-cell effector functions leading to myeloma cell lysis.[1][3] These therapies have produced high response rates in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma but are limited by antigen heterogeneity, soluble BCMA, and T-cell exhaustion, and are being developed by multiple academic and industry groups as both approved products (for example idecabtagene vicleucel and ciltacabtagene autoleucel) and numerous investigational constructs.[1][2][3][7]

Other names

BCMA-targeted CAR-T therapyBCMA-directed CAR T-cell therapyBCMA CAR-T-cell therapyBCMA CAR T cells