Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) physicians and scientists highlighted some of the institution’s latest advances in transplantation and cellular therapies at the Tandem Meetings held February 4 to 6, 2026, in Salt Lake City. The meetings, jointly hosted by the American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy and the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research, are a national showcase for cutting-edge research in the field.
MSK researchers presented data to help clinicians select the most appropriate chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapies for patients with preexisting conditions, explore new treatment options, optimize existing regimens, and support patients undergoing transplant through a needs-assessment and navigation program.
Study Suggests a Safer CAR T Option for Patients With Cardiovascular Risk
MSK researchers reported that lisocabtagene maraleucel (Breyanzi®) may have a more favorable cardiovascular (CV) safety profile in older patients with heart disease than other CAR T cell therapies commonly used to treat large B-cell lymphoma and follicular lymphoma, like tisagenlecleucel (Kymriah®) and axicabtagene ciloleucel (Yescarta®).
A research team led by Mohammad Alhomoud, MBBS, a bone marrow transplant specialist and cellular therapist at MSK, and cardiologist Jennifer Liu, MD, FACC, Chief of MSK’s Cardiology Service, reported “these findings may inform product selection, particularly for patients with preexisting or high-risk cardiac disease.”
The CARTiAC study (Comparative Cardiovascular Safety of CAR T Products for Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma — A Propensity Score–Matched International Multicenter Study) used propensity matching, a statistical method that helps control for differences in age, performance status, tumor burden, bridging therapy, and cardiovascular risk between groups.
Investigators found a lower risk of CV events by day 30 with lisocabtagene maraleucel (liso-cel) compared with axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel) (Odds ratio [OR] 0.29, 95% CI 0.08–0.74, p<0.001). In contrast, tisagenlecleucel (tisa-cel) and axi-cel were statistically comparable (OR, 1.67, p=0.07).
Most of the 874 adults were treated with axi-cel (59%), followed by tisa-cel (22%), and liso-cel (19%). Two-thirds of these patients had at least one cardiovascular risk factor, including hypertension (41%), active/prior smoking (33%), diabetes (18%), arrhythmia (13%), and coronary artery disease (9%). The average age was 65 years, and more patients were male (60%).
CV events, including atrial arrhythmias, supraventricular tachycardia, and heart failure, were measured from the start of treatment (lymphodepletion) until 30 days after cell infusion.
BCMA-Targeted Cell Therapy Shows Early Activity in AL Amyloidosis
An experimental CAR T cell therapy could provide a treatment option for patients with relapsed or refractory (RR) amyloid light-chain (AL) amyloidosis, a rare blood disorder caused by abnormal proteins that accumulate in organs, leading to progressive damage and, in severe cases, organ failure. No FDA-approved therapies currently exist for RR AL.
Heather J. Landau, MD, a bone marrow transplant specialist and cellular therapist at MSK, led a team including cardiologist Jennifer Liu, MD, FACC, Chief of MSK’s Cardiology Service, that found the BCMA-targeted CAR T cell therapy NXC-201 can be given safely and results in rapid and deep hematologic responses in all treated patients, fulfilling an unmet medical need for those with RR disease.
In the first U.S. trial of this therapy, 23 patients previously treated with bortezomib and an anti-CD38 antibody received either 150 million (n=3) or 450 million (n=20) CAR T cells. Of the 23 patients treated, 21 achieved a complete or very good partial response. Five patients with more than one year of follow-up remain in complete response.
Organ responses were also reported: three patients experienced cardiac improvement, two had a renal response, and one had a liver response. One patient with pre-existing stage 4 chronic kidney disease had renal progression. No cardiac progressions occurred.
Grade 1 or 2 cytokine release syndrome occurred in 18 patients, with a median duration of one day. Grade 3 adverse events included neutropenia, infection, and transient arrhythmias in two patients with pre-existing atrial fibrillation. No grade 4 or higher toxicities were reported. One patient with pre-existing stage 4 chronic kidney disease died 6 months after treatment due to a dialysis catheter infection; investigators deemed the death unrelated to the study drug.
Population-Based Melphalan Dosing Effective and Safe
Researchers at MSK led a study to precisely determine a safe and effective dose of melphalan for older patients with multiple myeloma. Melphalan is given before autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation to destroy cancerous plasma cells in the bone marrow. Traditionally, dosing has been based on body surface area (BSA). However, this approach does not account for differences in how individual patients process the drug. As a result, some patients may receive too little for optimal effect, while others may experience increased toxicity.
A team led by hematology and oncology fellow Natalia Tijaro Ovalle, MD, and bone marrow transplant specialist and cellular therapist Gunjan L. Shah, MD, evaluated a strategy to improve dosing precision using population pharmacokinetic data. This approach included information collected from large groups of patients on how melphalan is absorbed and cleared by the body, while accounting for factors such as age, kidney function, and body composition. The team conducted a randomized phase 2 trial to test whether precision-dosing of melphalan paired with IL-6 blockade using siltuximab (Sylvant®) improves efficacy and patient-reported outcomes compared with standard BSA-based dosing.
In the lead-in phase of the study, 16 older adults with multiple myeloma received melphalan split over two days. On day -2, all patients received a fixed dose of 70 mg/m². On day -1, participants received the remainder dose needed to reach a target area under the curve (AUC) of 13 ± 1.5 mg·h/L. Almost all participants reached the predefined exposure target with no unexpected safety concerns.
With a median follow-up of 10.8 months, 5 patients had a complete response, 6 had a very good partial response, and 5 had a partial response. Serious adverse events included febrile neutropenia and mucositis. However, there were no grade 4–5 adverse events. There were no relapses or deaths at the last follow-up.
Pilot Program Highlights the Role of Needs-Based Patient Navigation for Bone Marrow Transplant and Cellular Therapy Recipients
New findings from a pilot program showed that income, food, and housing assistance were the most common needs among people undergoing bone marrow transplants and other cellular therapies at MSK. The initiative was led by Moneeza Walji, MD, a MSK bone marrow transplant specialist, in collaboration with MSK’s Integrated Cancer Care Access Network (ICCAN), a program that connects immigrants and other medically underserved individuals at MSK with resources and services that address disparities in accessing and completing cancer care.
Sixty-five people undergoing bone marrow transplant or other cellular therapies were identified as program candidates via clinician and social work referral. They were given an assessment of essential needs (e.g., food, housing, transportation) and measures of distress, health-related social needs, and patient satisfaction with cancer care. More than half of patients reported needing assistance with income, and nearly half needed help accessing food. Housing needs were identified by just over 40% of participants. Employment and transportation needs were each reported by roughly one-third of patients, while more than one in five required assistance with legal concerns or emotional support.
Demographic information showed that participants were on average 53 years old. 53.8% were male, 43.8% were Black or African American, followed by 28.1% white and 28% other races. 25.4% identified as Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish. 43.1% were born outside the United States, 10.8% preferred to speak a language other than English for healthcare, and 52.3% were unable to work due to their treatment or diagnosis. The average annual household income for participants was $21,292.
Access Facilitators (AFs) then worked with participants to develop an individualized plan based on their needs and direct them to the appropriate resources. Nearly 40% of patients received income-related assistance, approximately half received food support, and about 30% received housing assistance. Employment support was provided to nearly 20% of patients, and transportation, legal, and emotional support were each provided to roughly one in five patients.
AFs continued to work with patients intensively during the first 6 months. Follow-up at 2, 4, 6, and 12 months after the initial assessment provided case management support and collected outcomes data. While additional research is needed to assess clinical outcomes of these programs, the investigators underscored the importance of providing structured patient navigation to support access to bone marrow transplants and other cellular therapies.