cancer, explained Kochenderfer, a scientist with the U.S. National Cancer Institute.
In this study, his team used CARs that recognize a protein on multiple myeloma cells, called BCMA.
The investigators found that the therapy appeared safe. It caused short-term side effects in all patients, but they were manageable.
There were also early signs that the therapy helped. Most patients — 85% — saw their tumors shrink or go away, and they typically went one year before the cancer started to progress again.
“This therapy is totally different than other myeloma therapies,” Kochenderfer said. “So myeloma resistant to