The first European clinical trial testing CAR T cell therapy in patients with light chain amyloidosis has begun, treating three patients at University College London (UCL) and University College London Hospitals (UCLH). The ALARIC trial aims to evaluate the safety and efficacy of this immunotherapy in this patient group.
Light chain amyloidosis is a rare condition where abnormal proteins build up in organs, potentially causing organ failure. CAR T therapy, which modifies a patient's own immune cells to target cancer cells, has shown success in certain blood cancers but is new for amyloidosis.
The trial is led by researchers at UCL and UCLH, with funding from organizations including the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and the UCLH Biomedical Research Centre. Early results are expected within the next year.
