Lorenzo Lindo is analyzing why some people with multiple myeloma become resistant to immune cell-based therapies and how to modify these therapies to make them more effective, improving outcomes.
Multiple myeloma is a type of blood cancer that currently has no curative therapies. Despite this, many people with multiple myeloma are now living longer after diagnosis thanks to treatment advances. One example of these therapies is called CAR T cell therapy, and it uses a person’s own immune cells, which are genetically modified to target a protein found on multiple myeloma cells. This CAR T cell therapy has extended the lives of many people with multiple myeloma, but many people ultimately become resistant to CAR T cells and relapse.
With funding from the Canadian Cancer Society and the Terry Fox Research Institute, Lorenzo is investigating why some people with multiple myeloma become resistant to CAR T cells. By using preclinical models, the research team will analyze the CAR T cells and other immune cells as well as the bone marrow where multiple myeloma cells originate to understand how these cells change after CAR T cell treatments and contribute to treatment resistance. The team will then use this data to construct better CAR T cell therapies that are more effective.
If successful, this work would lead to the development of improved CAR T cell therapies for people with multiple myeloma, improving their responses and prolonging their lives.