Due to the availability of drugs targeting histone acetylation and associated reader proteins, the equilibrium of histone acetylation and deacetylation has attracted attention in multiple myeloma as a potential therapeutic target. Therefore, the identification of novel predictive biomarkers for multiple myeloma patient selection for epigenetic therapies is urgently needed.
Treatment with first-generation CAR T cells regularly sent patients to the intensive care unit. Now, investigators are envisioning a future where CAR T treatment could occur on an outpatient basis.
Clinical responses to BCMA- or GPRC5D-directed T-cell engagers in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (MM) are often limited by disease relapse and antigen escape, underscoring the need for dual-targeting strategies that enhance durability while mitigating cytokine-driven toxicity.
Treatment with first-generation CAR T cells regularly sent patients to the intensive care unit. Now, investigators are envisioning a future where CAR T treatment could occur on an outpatient basis. At Sunday’s late-breaking oral session of the 2026 Annual Congress of the European Hematology Association (EHA2026), Lei Fan told his audience that the first-in-human data “support further development of LB-2501 as a potential first-in-class, off-the-shelf, single infusion, no lymphodepletion, outpatient use CAR T therapy.” Fan is a professor of hematology at the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University.
Bristol Myers Squibb Co. disclosed in March 2026 that the phase III portion of the seamless phase II/III Successor-2 study testing mezigdomide in combination with carfilzomib and dexamethasone (MeziKd) in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma was successful. Nearly three months later, the magnitude of success for its Pomalyst (pomalidomide) successor is clear.
Umoja Biopharma Inc. performed preclinical studies to evaluate the antitumor activity of UB-VV500, an off-the-shell lentiviral vector CAR T-cell product. It is based on its Vivovec technology and designed to engineer fully human anti-B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA)/G protein-coupled receptor class C group 5 member D (GPRC5D) dual-targeting chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells, for the potential treatment of multiple myeloma (MM).
Biogen Inc. has consolidated full global rights to felzartamab through an $850 million deal with TJ Biopharma Co. Ltd. April 20, closing the chapter on a complex 10-year license saga.
The already-thriving CAR T space took another big stride forward as Eli Lilly and Co. disclosed its plan to acquire Boston-based Kelonia Therapeutics Inc. for as much as $7 billion in cash, including an up-front payment of $3.25 billion, with the rest coming if clinical, regulatory and commercial goals are reached.
Mabwell (Shanghai) Bioscience Co. Ltd.’s has announced IND acceptance by China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) for the company’s LILRB4/CD3 T-cell engager bispecific antibody 6MW5311. The drug candidate is being developed for hematologic malignancies, specifically acute myeloid leukemia (AML), chronic myelomonocytic leukemia and multiple myeloma.
CD47, or integrin-associated protein, is a ubiquitously expressed cell surface protein that is overexpressed in many solid tumors and hematologic malignancies, including multiple myeloma, with higher levels associated with poor prognosis. In a recent study published in iScience, researchers from Westlake University (China) engineered an oncolytic vaccinia virus encoding an anti-mouse CD47 nanobody (OVV-aCD47nb) that combines direct oncolysis with localized CD47-SIRPα axis blockade.
