Dr. Berdeja Discusses Next Steps With bb2121 in Multiple Myeloma

Video

Jesus Berdeja, MD, director of Multiple Myeloma Research, Sarah Cannon Research Institute, discusses next steps with the CAR T-cell therapy bb2121 in multiple myeloma.

Jesus Berdeja, MD, director of Multiple Myeloma Research, Sarah Cannon Research Institute, discusses next steps with the chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy bb2121 in multiple myeloma.

The second-generation BCMA-targeted CAR T-cell therapy bb2121 was granted a breakthrough therapy designation by the FDA in November 2017, based on the preliminary clinical data from the phase I CRB-401 study.

In a study of patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma presented at the 2017 ASH Annual Meeting, bb2121 induced complete remissions in 56% of patients. The treatment was generally well tolerated, with an objective response rate of 94%, and a partial response or better for 89% of patients. After 40-weeks of follow-up, median progression-free survival (PFS) has not yet been reached, but the 9-month PFS rate was 71%.

Berdeja says that an expansion phase of this trial is in the process of enrolling. There are already plans to move the cells earlier, and there will be a randomized trial in the third-line setting that is already being planned. There may be potential for bb2121 in the frontline setting for a subset of patients.

Newsletter

Stay at the forefront of cutting-edge science with CGT—your direct line to expert insights, breakthrough data, and real-time coverage of the latest advancements in cell and gene therapy.

Recent Videos
Nathan Yozwiak, PhD, the head of research at the GCTI
Derek Jackson, BS, MA, the vice president of cell & gene therapy product development at Pacira, and Kilian Guse, PhD, the vice president of genetic medicine platforms at Pacira
Derek Jackson, BS, MA, the vice president of cell & gene therapy product development at Pacira
Jeffrey Chamberlain, PhD
Tami John, MD
Tami John, MD
Tami John, MD
Matthew Ku, MBBS, FRACP, RACP, FRCPA/RCPA, PhD, an associate professor and the lymphoma stream lead at St Vincent’s Hospital
Saurabh Dahiya, MD, FACP, an associate professor of medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine; as well as clinical director of Cancer Cell Therapy in the Division of Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Cell Therapy at Stanford Medicine
Shahzad Raza, MD, a hematologist/oncologist at the Cleveland Clinic
Related Content
© 2025 MJH Life Sciences

All rights reserved.