Lu Peihua, Zhang Xian, Yang Junfang, Li Jingjing, Qiu Liyuan, Gong Meiwei, Wang Hui, Chen Jiaqi, Liu Hongxing, Xiong Min, Liu Ying, Wang Lin
Hebei Yanda Lu Daopei Hospital, Langfang, China.
Lu Daopei Institute of Hematology, Beijing, China.
Blood. 2025 Mar 6;145(10):1022-1033. doi: 10.1182/blood.2024024861.
Approximately 30% of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) express CD7 on their myeloblasts. We have previously demonstrated that single-chain variable fragment (scFv)-based "naturally selected" CD7 chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (NS7CAR-T) therapy shows significant efficacy, with a favorable safety profile in T-cell lymphoid malignancies. Here, we derived dual variable heavy-chain domain of a heavy-chain antibody (dVHH) NS7CAR-Ts that have superior CD7 binding specificity, affinity to their scFv-based counterparts, and improved proliferative capability. In this phase 1 clinical trial, we evaluated the efficacy and safety of nanobody-based dVHH NS7CAR-Ts for patients with CD7+ refractory/relapsed AML. A cohort of 10 patients received dVHH NS7CAR-Ts across 2 dosage levels of 5 × 105/kg and 1 × 106/kg. Before enrollment, patients had undergone a median of 8 (range, 3-17) prior lines of therapy. Seven patients had prior transplants. After NS7CAR-T infusion, 7 of 10 (70%) patients achieved complete remission (CR). The median observation time was 178 days (range, 28-776). Among 7 patients who achieved CR, 3 who relapsed from prior transplants underwent a second allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (allo-HSCT). One patient remained leukemia free on day 401, and the other 2 died on day 241 and day 776, respectively, from nonrelapse-related causes. Three CR patients without consolidative (allo-HSCT) relapsed within 90 days. All the nonresponders and relapsed patients had CD7 loss. The treatment was well tolerated, with 80% experiencing mild cytokine release syndrome and none had neurotoxicity. This trial underscores the potential promising treatment of dVHH NS7CAR-Ts in providing clinical benefits with a manageable safety profile to patients with CD7+ AML, warranting further investigation. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT04938115.
大约30%的急性髓系白血病(AML)患者的成髓细胞表达CD7。我们之前已经证明,基于单链可变片段(scFv)的“自然选择”CD7嵌合抗原受体T细胞(NS7CAR-T)疗法显示出显著疗效,在T细胞淋巴恶性肿瘤中具有良好的安全性。在此,我们获得了重链抗体(dVHH)的双可变重链结构域NS7CAR-T,其对CD7具有更高的结合特异性、与基于scFv的同类物相比具有更高的亲和力,且增殖能力有所提高。在这项1期临床试验中,我们评估了基于纳米抗体的dVHH NS7CAR-T对CD7+难治性/复发性AML患者的疗效和安全性。一组10名患者接受了5×10⁵/kg和1×10⁶/kg这2个剂量水平的dVHH NS7CAR-T治疗。入组前,患者接受的中位治疗线数为8(范围3 - 17)。7名患者曾接受过移植。输注NS7CAR-T后,10名患者中有7名(70%)实现完全缓解(CR)。中位观察时间为178天(范围28 - 776)。在7名实现CR的患者中,3名之前移植后复发的患者接受了第二次异基因造血干细胞移植(allo-HSCT)。1名患者在第401天无白血病复发,另外2名分别在第241天和第776天因非复发相关原因死亡。3名未进行巩固性(allo-HSCT)治疗的CR患者在90天内复发。所有无反应者和复发患者均出现CD7丢失。该治疗耐受性良好,80%的患者出现轻度细胞因子释放综合征,无患者出现神经毒性。这项试验强调了dVHH NS7CAR-T在为CD7+ AML患者提供具有可控安全性的临床益处方面具有潜在的有前景的治疗价值,值得进一步研究。该试验在www.clinicaltrials.gov上注册,编号为#NCT04938115。