Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cell Therapy:

A Cutting-Edge Therapy for Multiple

Myeloma

25

Eshu Singhal Sinha

Abstract

Despite advancements in treatment options for multiple myeloma, it still remains

an incurable malignancy due to relapse and development of refractory disease.

There is a need to develop therapeutic strategies that can combat the failure of

currently available therapies. Immunotherapy using chimeric antigen receptor-

engineered T cells is changing the outcome of multiple myeloma. These

engineered anti-myeloma T cells express the chimeric receptors that target spe-

cifically myeloma cells through binding to B cell maturation antigen, CD19,

CD138, signaling lymphocytic activation molecule 7 (SLAM7), or immunoglob-

ulin light chains.

Keywords

Multiple myeloma · SLAM7 · Chimeric antigen receptors · B cell maturation

antigen · Immunoglobulin light chains · CD138

25.1

Introduction

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a hematological malignancy caused by the cancerous

transformation of B lymphocytes in which some plasma cells multiply abnormally

within the bone marrow and interfere with the production of normal plasma cells.

The malignant plasma cells also invade the solid bone structure and accumulate in

the bone cavity to form multiple tumors. Hence, this disease is referred to as

MM. Nearly 60% of the patients affected with MM develop myeloma bone disease

E. S. Sinha (*)

Department of Biotechnology, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India

e-mail: eshu04@gmail.com

# The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte

Ltd. 2022

R. C. Sobti, N. S. Dhalla (eds.), Biomedical Translational Research,

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-9232-1_25

475