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Cell therapies continue to gain ground in Spanish cancer research. In recent months, several research groups have published new findings or launched trials that all point in the same direction: making CAR-T therapies more effective, more precise and applicable to more types of cancer.
One of the most recent studies comes from Clínic-IDIBAPS, which has developed a new version of its academic CAR-T ARI0002h to tackle relapses in multiple myeloma. This development is significant because CAR-T therapies have shown promising results in haematological tumours, but one of the challenges remains what happens when the disease returns or stops responding to treatment.
The same research group also published results for the CAR-T ARI-0001 trial in adult patients with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, in a multicentre study published in The Lancet Haematology. According to the Clínic, the treatment showed high response rates and confirms the potential of academic CAR-T therapies developed within the hospital system itself.
The research is not limited to blood cancers. Vall d’Hebron has launched a clinical trial CATHERINE, the first in patients of a CAR-T therapy designed to trigger a dual anti-tumour response in HER2-positive solid tumours. The strategy combines recognition of the p95HER2 protein, which is present in some of these tumours, with the release of a bispecific antibody to boost the immune response.
This move towards solid tumours is one of the major challenges facing cell therapies. In leukaemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma, the results have been more evident. In solid tumours, the tumour microenvironment, the heterogeneity of cancer cells and the barriers preventing modified cells from reaching and acting within the tumour make the path forward much more complicated.
That is why these advances are important. Not because they provide definitive answers, but because they are refining the technology: new targets, improved cellular designs, combination with antibodies, faster production and models better suited to each type of tumour.
Spain occupies a particularly strong position in this field. The Clínic-IDIBAPS has been one of Europe’s leading centres for academic CAR-T research, with therapies developed entirely within a hospital setting and authorised by the AEMPS. Vall d’Hebron, for its part, maintains a very active programme in translational research and trials of new cellular strategies.
The underlying message is clear: innovation in cancer does not come solely from major industrial developments. It can also emerge from hospitals, research institutes and academic consortia capable of turning a clinical question into a line of research.
Cell therapy still faces significant challenges: access, cost, production, safety, relapse and efficacy in solid tumours. But every new study brings us a step closer to a form of medicine in which the patient’s own cells can become part of the treatment.
Sources
Clínic Barcelona — The Clínic-IDIBAPS is optimising the academic CAR-T therapy for multiple myeloma to tackle relapses:
https://www.clinicbarcelona.org/noticias/el-clinic-idibaps-optimiza-el-car-t-academico-contra-el-mieloma-multiple-para-abordar-las-recaidas
Clínic Barcelona — The ARI-0001 CAR-T therapy shows high response rates in adult patients with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia:
https://www.clinicbarcelona.org/noticias/el-car-t-ari-0001-muestra-altas-tasas-de-respuesta-en-pacientes-adultos-con-leucemia-linfoblastica-aguda
Vall d’Hebron — Launch of CATHERINE, the first clinical trial in patients with an innovative CAR-T therapy for HER2-positive solid tumours:
https://www.vallhebron.com/es/actualidad/noticias/arranca-catherine-el-primer-ensayo-clinico-en-pacientes-de-una-innovadora-terapia-car-t-que-activa-una-doble-respuesta-antitumoral-en-tumores-solidos-her2
Vall d’Hebron — New therapy CAR-T of the latest generation for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia of refractory B-cells:
https://www.vallhebron.com/es/actualidad/noticias/una-nueva-terapia-car-t-de-ultima-generacion-muestra-resultados-prometedores-en-un-ensayo-clinico-fase-1-en-pacientes-con-leucemia-linfoblastica-aguda-de-celulas-b-refractaria
Carlos III Health Institute — Cellular Biotechnology and Advanced Therapies Unit:
https://iier.isciii.es/w/biotecnologia-celular