Renier J. Brentjens, MD, PhD, associate professor, chief, Cellular Therapeutics Center, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, discusses clinical responses in patients with chronic lymphoblastic leukemia (CLL) or acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) following infusion with CD19-Targeted T Cells.

At the 20th Congress of the European Hematology Association (EHA), Dieter Hoelzer, MD, PhD, of Goethe University Hospital, Frankfurt, Germany, discusses T-cell engagement strategies for the treatment of patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), including bispecific antibody constructs (BiTEs); chimeric antigen-receptor (CAR) T-cells; the role of minimal residual disease (MRD) in these approaches; and the impact on patient selection for transplant.

Adding ibrutinib to treatment with CAR T-cell therapy was feasible, led to deeper remissions, and reduced the severity of cytokine release syndrome in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Susan O’Brien, MD, of the University of California, Irvine, CA, tells about a Phase I/II trial which investigated the use of defined CD4 and CD8 CAR T-cell products in the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). This interview took place at the 24th Congress of the European Hematology Association (EHA) 2019, held in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Dr O'brien goes on to explain how response rates were very positive and toxicities were reduced.

Arnon Kater, MD, PhD, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands, discusses some important points from his presentation at ESH CLL 2022, which focused on how chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells suppress T-cell function and the implications this has for CLL treatment. Dr Kater first explains the current use of novel agents such as Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitors and BCL-2 inhibitors in CLL treatment, and the future use of chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy and bispecific antibodies. Dr Kater then discusses various ways in which CLL cells cause T-cell dysfunction and pseudo-exhaustion, which is currently being investigated and is important in improving CLL treatment in the future. This interview took place during the 2nd ESH Translational Research Conference on Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (ESH CLL), 2022.

Maria Joao Baptista, PharmD, PhD, Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain, highlights the results of a study evaluating the T-cell repertoire in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) treated with ibrutinib. Ibrutinib was found to induce a more oligoclonal T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), driven by expansion of specific CD8+ clonotypes. This study supports the investigation of therapeutic strategies combining ibrutinib with T- cell-directed immunotherapy. This interview was recorded via an online conference call with The Video Journal of Hematological Oncology (VJHemOnc).

Patients with advanced chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) don't respond well to chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy. In this interview, Chris Fegan, MB, MD, FRCP, FRCPath, from Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK, discusses a study carried out on T-cell telomeres from CLL patients, in which it was observed that these telomeres shorten even more rapidly than those in CLL cells. This interview was recorded at the British Society for Hematology (BSH) 2018 Annual Scientific Meeting, Liverpool, UK