For the first time, patients on a new CAR T-cell therapy for multiple myeloma are experiencing remission long enough to be cautious deemed cured of their disease.
Ehsan Malek, MD , Director of Multiple Myeloma Translational Research at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, says new research presented at ASCO 2026 in Chicago showed one-third of patients on BCMA CAR T-cell therapy tested negative for minimal residual disease after five years. This implies that “essentially, with the most sensitive technology that we have in the market, we could not find multiple myeloma in patients’ bone marrow. It’s very hopeful. Essentially, the best therapeutic benchmark that we met in the history of multiple myeloma. “It’s the first time that we are using ‘cure’ term, very cautiously,” he says.
Roswell Park is one of the cancer centers participating in this trial and will continue to monitor those patients going forward, he adds.
I'm Esan Malik, director of translational research, uh, in multiple myeloma in Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, New York. I have privilege to be forefront of cortie research in multiple myeloma. We had an extraordinary finding in that was presented in ASCO 2025 in Chicago, and that is the fall of 5 years. Follow-up of patients with TBCMAcortic cell therapy and it is around that 1/3 of patients after 5 years, they stay MRD negative. MRD negative means minimal residual disease negative, uh, implying that essentially with most sensitive technology that we have in the market, we could not find multiple myeloma in patients' bone marrow. It's very hopeful as Essentially, the best benchmark, therapeutic benchmark that we met in history of multiple myeloma. It is the first time that we are using cure term, uh, very cautiously, obviously. Uh, we have to follow this 1/3 of patients to see if they're gonna relapse or not, but after 5 years, they stay MRD negative is very hopeful results. When I, um, talk about cortisol with patient. I usually I use analogy of the automobile industry. In 1908, we had a 1st 4 T model that came to markets essentially made it possible for every citizen to buy a car and transport with the car. So it showed what is the potential to the entire world. It's the same with Carol, first generation carol that we have in the market right now. Um, they are just introduction, just the. Telling the patients what is possible for achieving very deep remission in, in, uh, multiple myeloma. We have different avenues as using the same analogy, we, um, obviously we want to modify engine, how we can make engine stronger, how we can make engine last longer. One of the things in the Roswell, we are very passionate. And about that's making arm more cortisol, how this uh cortisol, they can survive in harder climate conditions. For example, in immune suppressive environment of the myeloma, how they can survive longer, how we can add more targets, make the engine more efficient, uh, and, you know, with GPRC5 and Other targets, we make one party that can target more molecules and myeloma cells, have a hassle-free access for more citizens for this automobile, uh, analogy. How we can produce corti cells much faster. We have homegrown corti cells that academic centers they can use or allergenic so. Of cortisol that we can have manufactured one time for all patients. We are one of the best centers to offer this modality to our patients with multiple myelo. From physician standpoint that you treat multiple myeloma, always be asked this question Should we put patients on by a specific class of molecules that it needs continuous therapy is a type of immune therapy versus cortisol? And this is a very valid question from patient standpoint as well as treating physician standpoint. And the answer to that is obviously is by specific will be used at some point in patients' myeloma journey. However, based on international myeloma working group instruction, cortisol should be offered before by a specific. And the reason for that is by a specific class of, uh, therapeutic options that if they have a long exposure, they can lead to T cell energy or T cell exhaustion. And making hardtic cell. Out of that exhausted T cells, uh, it doesn't resolve to best efficacy from carti cells. So always it's advisable to offer car cells before moving to by specific as a therapeutic agent. If you're a patient with multiple myeloma at first relapse or later, we offer this therapy just on real time. You can just call us, make an appointment, we can see you less than a week, and we can initiate carti BCMA for you.
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