Rejuvenating exhausted T cells improves immunotherapy for myeloma Researchers showed that an oral medication can activate worn-out T cells. Written byAllison Whitten, PhD

https://www.drugdiscoverynews.com/rejuvenating-exhausted-t-cells-improves-immunotherapy-for-myeloma-17305 CAR T cell therapies have seen rapid success in treating blood cancers, yet most patients will relapse months or years later. That can be due to “exhausted” T cells that are no longer able to fight off cancer cells. New work from a team at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS), and the University of Oxford revealed how to give T cells a boost, and possibly prevent relapse in patients as a result. The researchers showed that BMS’ next-generation oral cereblon E3 ligase modulators (CELMoD) drug, mezigdomide, can target and degrade two transcription factors — IKZF1 (Ikaros) and IKSF3 (Aiolos) — that lead to T cell exhaustion through epigenetic control.