This trial is one of few CAR trials exclusively focused on applying anti-CD19 CAR T cells to the allogeneic transplantation setting. This trial is significant because unlike most trials of anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptors, it does not include chemotherapy, so it gives a pure assessment of the activity of the anti-CD19 CAR T cells. We continue recruit more patients for this trial. We are obtaining important information on toxicity and predictors of successful therapy with each patient. A paper covering this trial (Brudno et al.) was published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology in 2016. The project is now focused on testing less-differentiated T cells called stem memory T cells (Ttscm) transduced with an anti-CD19 CAR. In this effort, we are currently collaborating with another ETIB Investigator, Luca Gattinoni, in developing a process for administering allogeneic anti-CD19 CAR stem memory T cells. The cell production process for Tscm cells has been put in place, and we have treated the first 5 patients with anti-CD19 CAR Tscm cells on this clinical trial. A patient, with acute lymphoid leukemia, obtained a complete remission after infusion of Tscm anti-CD19 CAR T cells that is ongoing. Another patient with lymphoma obtained a partial remission. the other 3 patients did not have an objective response of their malignancies. We will continue to treat more patients and to carry out extensive correlative studies of patient samples from this clinical trial
