Daniela van Eickels, MD, PhD, MPH, on Addressing Unmet Needs in Autoimmune Disease With Cell Therapy
The vice president and head of medical affairs for Bristol Myers Squibb’s Cell Therapy Organization discussed the Autoimmunity Cell Therapy Network.
“We have the deep belief that this is a true innovation so it will require some adaptations in the healthcare environment. We are trying to enable early conversations on what needs to change and what needs to happen...”
Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy and several other advanced cell therapy modalities have become firmly established as part of the treatment paradigm in oncology over the past several years, with several products receiving approval from the FDA, and later even expansions to their approved indications. In particular, CAR T-cells have demonstrated efficacy in the targeted killing of malignant B-cells.
More recently, however, interest has rapidly been growing among both pharmaceutical companies and academic institutions in the prospect of bringing cell therapy to autoimmune disease, as many autoimmune diseases are driven by abnormal B-cell function. A substantial number of clinical trials have been initiated for cell therapy products in lupus nephritis, myasthenia gravis, and other autoimmune indications over the past 1 to 2 years.
In light of this shift, Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) has formed the Autoimmunity Cell Therapy Network (ACTioN) Steering Committee in order to foster collaboration and facilitate the advancement of cell therapy products from early-stage development in autoimmune disease to potential future approved therapies. In light of BMS’s announcement of ACTioN, CGTLive® reached out to Daniela van Eickels, MD, PhD, MPH, the vice president and head of medical affairs for Bristol Myers Squibb’s Cell Therapy Organization, to learn more. Van Eickels discussed the unmet needs that remain for patients with autoimmune disease, noting that in addition to complications caused by the diseases themselves, such as organ damage, the need to regularly take immunosuppressive treatments can contribute to the burden of the disease as well. Afterwards, she discussed the potential of cell therapy to address unmet needs for these patients, noting that a one-time treatment with CAR-T therapy may alleviate some of the aforementioned burden. She also spoke about ACTioN and its areas of focus for spurring on the development of cell therapies for autoimmune disease.
