PiggyBac transposon-mediated CD-19 CAR T-cells

CD19 -specific chimeric antigen receptor (CAR19) T cells induce remission of B cell malignancy, but manufacture of individualized autologous products with viral vectors is expensive, delays treatment, risks contamination with malignant B cells, and is not feasible in patients with insufficient healthy T cells.Generation of CAR19 T cells using an allogeneic donor is a promising alternative strategy, but limited data exist regarding safety and efficacy.Here, authors demonstrate that allogeneic piggyBac CAR19 T cells administered post-HSCT achieve the efficacy seen with CAR T cells generated using viral vectors.However, recruitment to trials of piggyBac CAR19 T cells at our center has been voluntarily suspended while further investigations into the pathogenesis of CAR19 T-cell lymphoma take place.The ability of piggyBac to integrate a large amount of genetic material, and the absence of a requirement for detection of competent retrovirus or lentivirus in the final product, remain attractive characteristics of this system.