CAR T-cell therapy (BCMA-directed)

**BCMA-directed CAR T-cell therapy** is a class of autologous or allogeneic cellular immunotherapies engineered to target B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA, also known as TNFRSF17), which is highly and selectively expressed on the surface of malignant plasma cells in multiple myeloma. The therapy involves collecting a patient's (or donor's) T cells, genetically engineering them using a viral vector or RNA transfection to express a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) specific to BCMA, expanding them *in vitro*, and reinfusing them into the patient. Upon binding to BCMA on myeloma cells, the CAR T-cells undergo activation, proliferation, and secrete cytokines, leading to the targeted lysis of the cancer cells. Currently, approved therapies in this class include idecabtagene vicleucel (Abecma) and ciltacabtagene autoleucel (Carvykti), which are indicated for the treatment of relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. Common and serious toxicities associated with these therapies include cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS).

Other names

B-cell maturation antigen-directed CAR T-cell therapyB-cell maturation antigen-directed chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapyBCMA CAR-TBCMA CAR-T cell therapyBCMA-directed CAR T-cell therapyanti-BCMA CAR T-cell therapy