Al-Ola A Abdallah: What if We Hit Cancer Cells from Multiple Angles?
Al-Ola A Abdallah, Associate Professor and Plasma Cell Disorder Program Director of the Division of HMCT at the University of Kansas Medical Center, shared a post on X:
“New CAR T-Cell Breakthrough
KU Cancer Center researchers are taking on resistant blood cancers with a first-of-its-kind therapy:
- Triple Threat CAR T-cells
- Here’s what makes it different
- Stay tone as it’s one of the main presents at the 2nd Regional ICE_T conference by Dr. McGuirk.
Since 2017, CAR T-cell therapy has revolutionized treatment for leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma.
T cells are engineered to seek and destroy cancer cells. 7 FDA-approved options exist — but not all patients respond or stay in remission.
‘Cancer cells are clever — they can hide from standard CAR T-cell treatments,’ said Dr. Joseph McGuirk.
So, KU scientists asked: What if we hit them from multiple angles?
Introducing Triple Threat CAR T-cell therapy:
- Targets 3 antigens (CD19, CD20, CD22)
- Aims to prevent cancer from escaping
- Designed to persist longer and multiply faster in the body
- No more one-and-done targeting!
Standard CAR T = 1 target
Triple Threat = 3 targets. Even if a cancer cell stops expressing one, the other two keep the attack going. No escape route for cancer.
Phase 1 clinical trial is underway:
- Patients: Adults with relapsed/refractory B-cell lymphomas or leukemias
- Goal: Test safety, dosing, and early effectiveness
In-house innovation:
Unlike commercial CAR T-cell therapies that send T cells away for processing… KU’s team manufactures the CAR T cells on-site at their FDA-regulated lab. Fast, controlled, and cutting-edge.
Dr. Sunil Abhyankar leads the GMP-compliant lab at KU’s Midwest Stem Cell Therapy Center. This high-level infrastructure is rare — found mostly in top NCI-designated cancer centers.
What’s next?
- Defining optimal dosage
- Testing long-term immune activation
- Collaborating with KCAS Bio to track response
- Planning a pediatric trial soon (up to age 21)!
‘The goal is to study this across the lifespan,’ said Dr. Scott Weir.
Triple Threat CAR T-cell therapy could offer hope to patients of all ages with tough-to-treat blood cancers.
KU Cancer Center is pushing the boundaries of immunotherapy — and doing it all from within their own labs. Innovation, speed, and patient impact.
Finally!
My son Laith will proudly make a donation on behalf of the Abdallah Family Foundation at the upcoming Regional ICE_T Conference on 27 in support of the groundbreaking CAR-T cell therapy projects at KU Cancer Center.
We are honored to contribute to this life-saving research and help push the boundaries of cancer treatment.”
More posts featuring Al-Ola A Abdallah.
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Challenging the Status Quo in Colorectal Cancer 2024
December 6-8, 2024
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ESMO 2024 Congress
September 13-17, 2024
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ASCO Annual Meeting
May 30 - June 4, 2024
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Yvonne Award 2024
May 31, 2024
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OncoThon 2024, Online
Feb. 15, 2024
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Global Summit on War & Cancer 2023, Online
Dec. 14-16, 2023