Exploratory trial of a biepitopic CAR T-targeting B cell maturation antigen in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma

Significance Multiple myeloma (MM) is one of the most common hematological malignancies. Developing an effective treatment strategy for refractory/relapsed (R/R) MM represents a major challenge. In this trial, 17 R/R MM patients, who had previously experienced multiple lines of treatments, received a chimeric antigen receptor modified T (CAR T) cell preparation targeting two epitopes of BCMA, and a remarkable overall response of 88.2% was achieved. This work confirms the feasibility and importance of CAR T cell therapy in the treatment of patients with R/R MM. Meanwhile, the adverse events encountered in this study are analyzed, providing a reference for other studies. We also suggest that CAR T treatment can eventually be combined with other effective therapeutics to treat newly diagnosed MM for achieving a better result in future trials.