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‹ Thu · 2 Jul 2026
Promising but preliminary

A proliferation-inducing ligand enhances the anti-tumor effect of BCMA CAR T-cell through inhibition of soluble BCMA.

Adding a specific immune signal to CAR T cells helps them reach cancer cells hiding behind soluble tumor markers in myeloma.

This BBA Molecular Basis of Disease study demonstrates that APRIL, a BCMA ligand, inhibits soluble BCMA shedding from myeloma cells, thereby enhancing BCMA CAR T-cell access to membrane BCMA and improving anti-tumor activity. This strategy provides a preclinical rationale for combining APRIL with BCMA CAR T therapy to overcome soluble BCMA-mediated resistance in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma.

What the study was

Study design
Preclinical experimental study
Population
Multiple myeloma cell lines and murine models
Category
Treatment Innovation
Maturity
Exploratory
Journal
Biochimica et biophysica acta. Molecular basis of disease

Why it surfaced

BBA Mol Basis Dis; APRIL+BCMA CAR T addresses soluble BCMA resistance; mechanistically relevant to current clinical challenges with ciltacabtagene/idecabtagene.

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