New antibody therapy shows promise for deadly blood cancer treatment
New Delhi, Dec 8
An immune and cancer cell-targeting antibody therapy has shown potential to eradicate residual traces of deadly blood cell cancer, multiple myeloma, according to interim results from a clinical trial.
The trial included 18 patients who underwent up to six cycles of treatment with the antibody linvoseltamab. On highly sensitive tests, none of the patients had detectable disease, revealed the study presented at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) annual meeting in Orlando, US.
The preliminary success suggests linvoseltamab -- a bispecific antibody -- could allow patients to avoid bone marrow transplants, which involve intense, high-potency chemotherapy.
It also points to the long-term potential to improve patients’ odds against this disease.
“These patients received modern and effective, up-front treatment that eliminated 90 per cent of their tumour,†said lead researcher Dickran Kazandjian, from the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine.
“Usually, patients like these would receive high-dose chemotherapy and transplant. Instead, we give them a treatment with the drug linvoseltamab,†Kazandjian added.
The researchers called the results so far “extremely impressive†and said the disappearance of the lingering myeloma cells bodes well for patients’ futures. While the new therapy can keep the disease away for years, the possibility of it returning cannot be eliminated.
Multiple myeloma arises from antibody-producing immune cells called plasma cells. These cancerous cells build up, interfering with normal blood cells and causing damage. There is no established cure.
The researchers noted that linvoseltamab binds to CD3, a protein on the T cells that destroy cancerous cells, and to a second target, BCMA, a protein on multiple myeloma cells.
By bringing these two types of cells into contact, the antibody invigorates the body’s immune response to the cancer.
In the study, a few patients experienced side effects, including decreases in white blood cells called neutropenia and upper respiratory infections, but all these events fell within an acceptable safety profile, according to Kazandjian.
Based on its performance so far, researchers hoped that linvoseltamab could offer patients more durable responses than transplants, perhaps providing long-term control over the disease -- a “functional cure.â€
— IANS
Reader Comments
Fantastic to see such promising research. The science of bispecific antibodies is truly remarkable. However, the real test will be affordability and access in India. Will it be priced out of reach for the common man? Hope our health ministry is already in talks for licensing.
As someone who lost a parent to cancer, reading "no detectable disease" brings tears to my eyes. The concept of a 'functional cure' is what every patient's family dreams of. More power to the researchers. Let's hope the larger trials confirm these results.
While the interim results are impressive, 18 patients is a very small sample size. We must temper our excitement until Phase 3 trials are completed. The side effect profile, especially neutropenia, needs careful long-term monitoring. Cautiously optimistic.
Harnessing the body's own immune system is the future of oncology. This is a brilliant approach. Hope Indian pharmaceutical companies and research institutes like AIIMS are also working on similar indigenous therapies to bring down costs. Jai Vigyan!
Avoiding bone marrow transplants is a huge deal. The recovery from that is long and painful. If this antibody therapy works as promised, it will dramatically improve the quality of life for patients. Fingers crossed! 🤞
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