New drugs for the treatment of ALL are constantly being developed and tested in clinical trials. The aim for these drugs is to be more specific than standard chemotherapy in order to be more effective and have less side effects.
Given the positive results with tisagenlecleucel, other CAR-T cell therapies are being developed and investigated in clinical trials.
- Patient’s own T cells are modified genetically in the laboratory so that they can make a protein called chimeric antigen receptor (CAR). CAR can attach to another protein on the surface of leukaemia cells called CD19. When given to the patient, the modified T-cells attach themselves to and kill the leukaemia cells.
- CAR-T cell therapies under development include another CD19 CAR-T cell for adult patients with a negative MRD, CAR-T cells that target CD22, and CAR-T cells that target CD19/CD22 at the same time.
New combinations of chemotherapy drugs and existing monoclonal antibodies are currently being investigated:
- Venetoclax combined with ponatinib and steroids for relapsed and refractory Philadelphia chromosome ALL.
- Reduced-intensity chemotherapy combined with ponatinib and/or blinatumomab to reduce toxicity from intensive chemotherapy.
