Suzanne Lentzsch, Professor of Medicine at Columbia University, Board Member at International Myeloma Society, shared a post on X:
“One of the most rewarding and emotional moments of my career took place at ASCO 2026.
In 2015, I started the first-in-human trial of 11-1F4 (now anselamimab), supported by a small FDA grant and Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center. At the time, the path forward was far from certain. We faced limited funding, strong competition from Prothena’s NEOD001 program, and considerable skepticism from industry given the rarity of AL amyloidosis and the fact that competing programs were already much further advanced in development.
Despite these challenges, we continued to move forward step by step. The phase 1 study demonstrated encouraging results, ultimately leading to the founding and funding of Caelum Biosciences in 2017 and the launch of the subsequent phase 2 and phase 3 studies. Those efforts were later advanced and completed through the commitment and resources of CARES AL Amyloidosis Clinical Studies and AstraZenecaUS.
ASCO I had the privilege of chairing the session when the final phase 3 results where presented by Dr. Wechalekar, which demonstrated a significant overall survival benefit in patients with stage IIIA/IIIB κ AL amyloidosis. Seeing a scientific concept evolve from an investigator-initiated first-in-human study into a positive phase 3 trial is extraordinarily rewarding.
This achievement reflects the dedication of countless patients, supporters Morie Gertz, investigators, research staff, industry partners, and advocates who believed in this program over many years. It is also a powerful reminder of why we do translational research-to transform promising science into therapies that meaningfully improve patients’ lives.”
Other articles featuring Suzanne Lentzsch on OncoDaily.
