Memory-enriched CD19 CAR-T delivers 84% 18-mo EFS in older CR1 B-ALL

Memory-enriched autologous CD19 CAR-T cells are engineered to target CD19 and were tested as “definitive consolidation” after remission rather than as salvage therapy. In a Phase 1 study in older adults with B-cell ALL in first complete remission (CR1), all MRD-negative before lymphodepletion (n=18; median age 64; NCT05707273), estimated 18-month event-free survival was 84% and overall survival was 100%. No dose-limiting toxicities, grade ≥2 CRS, or ICANS were reported, which is notable in an older population; the closest modern benchmark is blinatumomab added to consolidation chemotherapy in E1910, which improved 3-year OS to 85% vs 68% with chemotherapy alone, but this CAR-T approach is testing a different question: whether one cellular therapy can replace prolonged consolidation/maintenance burden.