CD7 CAR-T therapy for an AML patient with CD7 expression

Abstract

To date, no ideal CAR-T product is available for treating acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Recently, CD7 CAR-T therapy has shown promising efficiency in treating T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Because the CD7 antigen is also expressed on the myeloid blasts of some patients with AML, it might serve as a target for immunotherapy in AML. Herein, we administered CD7-specific CAR-T cells into a 20-year-old woman with AML with CD7 expression. She had a history of multiple relapses (with extramedullary disease, EMD) and treatments (radiation and allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation). The most recent relapse indicated a high disease burden with multifocal EMD. After a combination regimen of azacytidine, venetoclax and ruxolitinib, she showed minimal residual disease-positive remission in the bone marrow (BM), and EMD remained present. Subsequently, donor-derived CD7 CAR-T cells infused at a dose of 5.5×105/kg completely eliminated all disease in the BM and extramedullary areas. Grade I cytokine release syndrome occurred with no neurotoxicity. CD7 CAR-T cells were detectable in the peripheral blood and BM. Fifty-five days after T-cell infusion, she underwent a second allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation and has survived in disease-free remission for more than 7 months.