New CAR-T Treatments for Multiple Myeloma – ASH 2025 Conference (USA)

The ASH 2025 conference in the USA confirmed three major directions in CAR-T therapy:

CAR-T is moving earlier in treatment, especially in multiple myeloma
Dual and sequential targeting is being used to overcome resistance
Faster manufacturing platforms are making CAR-T more accessible and timely

Below are the key updates.

Multiple Myeloma: Key CAR-T Updates

Dual-Target CAR-T as First-Line Therapy

One of the most striking results came from dual-target BCMA/CD19 CAR-T therapy (GC012F / AZD0120, FasTCAR) used as first-line treatment in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma.

Nearly all patients responded
About 97% achieved stringent complete response (sCR)
100% reached MRD negativity
At ~30 months:
*88% had no disease progression
*92% were still alive
Side effects were generally mild:
*Mostly low-grade CRS
*No reported neurotoxicity

These results suggest that early CAR-T may deeply suppress the disease when T cells are still strong.

Faster CAR-T Manufacturing in Relapsed Myeloma

Another study looked at a rapid-manufacturing dual BCMA/CD19 CAR-T (AZD0120, DURGA-1) in relapsed or refractory myeloma.

CAR-T cells were manufactured in about one day
Nearly all treated patients responded
This supports the idea that “next-day” CAR-T is feasible and effective

This is important for patients with aggressive disease who cannot wait weeks for manufacturing.

Sequential CAR-T for Advanced or Extramedullary Disease

For patients with bulky or extramedullary myeloma, a sequential approach was tested:

BCMA CAR-T first
Followed by GPRC5D CAR-T
Combined with optimized bridging therapy

Results were very strong:

100% response rate
About 87.5% achieved stringent complete response
At a median follow-up of over 15 months:
*No relapses
*No deaths
Side effects:
*CRS was common but mostly low-grade
*No lasting neurotoxicity

This approach directly targets one of myeloma’s biggest challenges: antigen escape and extramedullary relapse.

CAR-T for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL)

A next-generation CAR-T product, rapcabtagene autoleucel, was studied in refractory B-cell ALL.

Used a fast-manufacturing platform similar to FasTCAR/T-Charge
Showed:
*Acceptable safety
*Good CAR-T expansion in the body
*Increasing durability with higher doses
In higher dose groups, median response duration has not yet been reached

Aggressive Lymphomas

In lymphoma, researchers are focusing on combination strategies:

CAR-T combined with:
*Bispecific antibodies
*Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs)
The goal is to:
*Improve 1-year progression-free survival
*Reduce relapse after CAR-T

This reflects a shift toward multi-layer immune targeting, rather than relying on CAR-T alone.

CAR-T for Autoimmune Diseases (Important Context)

Outside ASH but aligned with the same trend, 2025 data in rheumatology showed:

CD19 CAR-T and dual CD19/BCMA CAR-T induced durable remissions in:
*Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)
*Other severe autoimmune diseases

This highlights an important idea: CAR-T is no longer only a cancer therapy. It is becoming a tool for immune system “reset.” Many design features first developed in cancer (dual targeting, rapid manufacturing) are now being reused in autoimmune disease.

Main Takeaways from ASH 2025

Earlier use
CAR-T is moving from late-line salvage therapy to early or even first-line treatment in high-risk myeloma and leukemia.
Multi-antigen strategies
Dual-target and sequential CAR-T approaches (BCMA/CD19, BCMA → GPRC5D) aim to prevent resistance and relapse.
Faster platforms
New manufacturing technologies shorten wait times while maintaining effectiveness.
Combination approaches
In lymphoma, CAR-T is increasingly combined with other immune therapies to deepen and prolong responses.