{"id":289818,"date":"2026-02-18T10:56:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T10:56:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/289818\/"},"modified":"2026-02-18T10:56:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T10:56:09","slug":"cancer-drug-reactivates-multiple-myeloma-car-t-therapy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/289818\/","title":{"rendered":"Cancer Drug Reactivates Multiple Myeloma CAR\u2011T Therapy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Original story from the Technical University of Munich<\/a><\/p>\n

Researchers have uncovered a protein mechanism that weakens multiple myeloma treatment, demonstrating that an established cancer drug can be used to reactivate immunotherapy.<\/p>\n

Genetically modified immune cells can offer precious additional time to patients with advanced multiple myeloma. However, these therapies lose their impact as the molecules on cancer cells that immune cells recognize gradually vanish. Researchers at the Technical University of Munich<\/a> (Germany) have now identified one of the molecular mechanisms behind this process. In an initial study, they succeeded in blocking it using an existing cancer drug.<\/p>\n

CAR T cell therapies are becoming increasingly important in cancer treatment. The approach involves modifying a patient\u2019s own T cells in the lab. They are equipped with artificial receptors that \u2018recognize\u2019 specific molecules on cancer cells. These engineered immune cells multiply in the body and destroy the malignant cells. In the case of multiple myeloma, the target molecule is BCMA \u2013 short for B Cell Maturation Antigen.<\/p>\n

\u201cBCMA is well suited as a target for CAR\u2011T therapy because it is highly specific to malignant plasma cells,\u201d explained Florian Bassermann, Director of the Department of Internal Medicine III at the Technical University of Munich University Hospital. \u201cBut cancer immunotherapy triggers rapid evolution inside the body.\u201d<\/p>\n

The engineered T cells exert selective pressure, meaning that cancer cells that have little or no BCMA on their surface proliferate while others are destroyed. As a result, the therapy gradually stops working. CAR T cell therapies are currently only used for multiple myeloma after other treatment options have failed. They can prolong life \u2013 sometimes by years \u2013 but have not yet been able to permanently eliminate the cancer.<\/p>\n

New mechanism discovered<\/p>\n

\u201cUntil now, it wasn\u2019t clear how BCMA disappears from the membrane of some plasma cells,\u201d commented Leonie Rieger, first author of the study. \u201cWe were able to show that the ubiquitin-proteasome system is responsible. The mechanism we discovered can degrade BCMA surprisingly quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

CAR-T therapies: a breakdown of key developments for mesothelioma, lymphoma and solid tumors<\/a><\/p>\n

From next-generation therapies for mesothelioma to dual-targeting approaches for lymphoma, CAR-T therapy is expanding treatment options for aggressive cancers.<\/p>\n

The ubiquitin-proteasome system is a complex network of molecules inside cells that determines which proteins are broken down and which are preserved. Until recently, it was thought to act only within the cell. The new study shows for the first time that it also affects molecules on the cell surface.<\/p>\n

Proteasome inhibitor halts BCMA loss<\/p>\n

The ubiquitin-proteasome system is already a known target in cancer treatment. For example, the drug carfilzomib is approved for use in multiple myeloma. It works by preventing the breakdown of specific proteins in diseased plasma cells, which often leads to cell death.<\/p>\n

The researchers were able to show in laboratory and animal experiments that carfilzomib can also prevent the degradation of BCMA.<\/p>\n

Patients responded to therapy again<\/p>\n

In the next phase of the study, the researchers tested this approach in ten patients. All had previously received a CAR T cell therapy targeting BCMA, which had stopped working. After in-label treatment with carfilzomib, the cancer cells in all ten patients once again displayed BCMA on their surface. In six of the patients \u2013 those who still had enough CAR T cells in their system \u2013 the therapy became effective again.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor many patients whose CAR T therapy has already reached its limits, this could offer new hope,\u201d remarked Judith S. Hecker, Head of Cellular Immunotherapy at the Department of Internal Medicine III. \u201cHowever, because our study involved only a small number of participants, it\u2019s still unclear which patients are most likely to benefit from treatment with carfilzomib.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe now want to investigate whether our findings hold up in larger studies,\u201d added Florian Bassermann. \u201cWe\u2019re also exploring whether it might make sense to administer the drug right at the start of CAR T cell therapy.\u201d His team suspects that the newly discovered mechanism may also degrade other surface molecules \u2013 and if so, it could help improve other forms of immunotherapy as well.<\/p>\n

This article has been republished from the following\u00a0materials<\/a>.\u00a0Material may have been edited for length and house style. For further information, please contact the cited source. Our press release publishing policy can be accessed\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Original story from the Technical University of Munich Researchers have uncovered a protein mechanism that weakens multiple myeloma…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":289819,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[109305,134,111981,111,139,69],"class_list":["post-289818","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-car-t-therapy","tag-health","tag-multiple-myeloma","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/289818","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=289818"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/289818\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/289819"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=289818"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=289818"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=289818"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}