http://investor.bluebirdbio.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=251820&p…
Some preliminary data on a blood cancer treated with CAR-T showing 27% complete response. Too early too tell if this is long lasting. But very encouraging results in people who had failed on average 7 treatments including stem cell transplants.
This, to me, adds another day point that cellular immunooncology will be a future cornerstone (likely combined with protein based therapies +/- traditional chemo.
JUNO (juno pharmaceutical), KITE (kite pharmaceutical), & Nanjing Legend Biotech have similar CAR-T programs that target b2121 (aka BCMA).
Still in early innings of this. KITE, JUNO are working on on/off switches. ADAP via BLCM and ZIOP and CLLS already have on/off switches. Once this targeted therapies have better control (ie better ability to stop CRS and neurotoxicity) they will likely be studied earlier in a cancer life. At that time, statistically, it will have less generic tools to survive. It is a plausible conclusion the cure rates will improve. Also when used as combination (i.e. With Natural killer cells, protein immunotherapies, etc.)
Obviously biotech is risky and as one has seen on this board, one bad data point can sink loads of an investment.