Cell Therapy: Looking to the Future of CAR T

Piecing Together the Cell Therapy Puzzle

As one example, Bristol Myers Squibb is advancing its proprietary NEX-T manufacturing platform, which is being designed to reduce turnaround time and costs while increasing product quality and control. Additionally, with its strategic partners, Bristol Myers Squibb is advancing early, cutting-edge research approaches in cell therapy that include: 

• Engineered TCR modified T cells for solid tumors, which can recognize tumor-specific proteins normally found on the inside of cells, whereas CAR T cells recognize proteins expressed on the surface;
• Dual antigen targeting CAR T approaches that can help mitigate antigen loss and may result in more efficacious therapies. There are two distinct approaches: 
  • Two CARs may be expressed from a single vector, resulting in one engineered T cell with two receptor types (e.g., “bicistronic” or “dual CAR”); and
  • Two separate vectors may be used, each expressing one CAR, resulting in two separate populations of engineered T cells comprising one therapy (e.g., “carpool”).
• CAR T cells armed with tunable, or custom payloads aimed to overcome tumor microenvironment resistance; and
• Allogeneic or “off-the-shelf” CAR T cells made from T cells of healthy donors rather than the patient’s own reprogrammed T cells and can be delivered to patients without manufacturing wait time.

Rapidly Pursuing Cell Therapy Scientific Innovation for Patients

Bristol Myers Squibb’s cell therapy research team is uniquely equipped to gain insight into next-generation strategies in cell therapy. With 1,300 patients treated across six indications and 11 manufacturing process variations, Bristol Myers Squibb scientists have access to a remarkable depth of CAR T product, translational and clinical data, one of the largest datasets in the industry. 

“Cell therapy as a field can move quickly from first-in-human to registration studies, so it’s particularly crucial to be able to analyze data quickly and parse out new, impactful insights,” said Teri Foy, senior vice president, Research and Early Development Immuno-Oncology (I-O) and Cell Therapy. “Through machine learning and other sophisticated approaches, we’re using data to deliver critical insights that inform and optimize patient selection, process improvements, as well as engineering and combination approaches to address resistance mechanisms – and these insights are all the more valuable given that our datasets are derived from multiple indications and manufacturing processes.” 

Scientists are also applying learnings from I-O resistance in solid tumors and overcoming hostile tumor microenvironments to better guide next-generation strategies in cell therapy.

With multiple cell-based therapeutic approaches under investigation in blood cancers and beyond, Bristol Myers Squibb’s researchers are focused on harnessing the immune system to reimagine the future of cell therapy and ultimately bring potentially life-changing cell therapies to more patients as quickly as possible.