CAR T-Cell Therapy Achieves 95% Complete Response in AL Amyloidosis Trial, Offering New Hope for Relapsed Patients
Key Insights
Early data from the NEXICART-2 trial show approximately 95% of the first 20 patients achieved a complete response, with responses appearing within days.
No patients who reached a complete response had relapsed at the time of data reporting, with many remaining in remission more than a year after treatment.
The trial is the first in the U.S. to study CAR T-cell therapy for patients with relapsed or refractory systemic light-chain (AL) amyloidosis.
Early results from the NEXICART-2 clinical trial suggest that CAR T-cell therapy may represent a transformative advance for patients with relapsed or refractory systemic light-chain (AL) amyloidosis, a rare and life-threatening blood disorder. According to Cleveland Clinic oncologist Shahzad Raza, MD, approximately 95% of the first 20 patients treated in the study achieved a complete response, with responses emerging within days of infusion. Notably, no patients who reached a complete response had relapsed at the time those data were reported.
The trial, the first in the United States to evaluate CAR T-cell therapy in this patient population, is generating what Dr. Raza described as "quite astonishing" outcomes for individuals who previously had limited options. "Before this approach, we had nothing else for the 40% of patients who don't respond to immunotherapy," he stated.
A Disease Defined by Diagnostic Delays
AL amyloidosis (search) arises when abnormal plasma cells produce misfolded light-chain proteins that accumulate in vital organs, including the heart, kidneys, and nerves. Left untreated, these protein deposits can lead to progressive organ damage and failure. Yet the path to diagnosis is often prolonged and fraught with missteps.
"The hardest thing about AL amyloidosis (search) is the range of presentations, where no two patients look alike," Dr. Raza explained. "The symptoms are vague and look like far more common conditions. When the awareness is not there, the diagnosis gets delayed, and that delay is the biggest obstacle we face."
Many patients see five or more physicians over two to three years before receiving the correct diagnosis. The average time from initial suspicion of the disease to diagnosis and treatment extends to 17 years, placing many patients at risk of dying from heart failure during the diagnostic process.
How the Investigational Therapy Works
The NEXICART-2 study employs an autologous CAR T-cell approach. Patients first undergo leukapheresis, a two-to-three-hour procedure that removes T cells from the blood through a central venous catheter. These cells are then frozen, shipped to a cell therapy laboratory, and genetically modified to express chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) on their surface, equipping them to recognize and attack the abnormal plasma cells driving the disease.
Prior to receiving the engineered cells, patients undergo conditioning chemotherapy to deplete other immune cells and enhance the effectiveness of the incoming CAR T cells. The infusion itself is brief — "It only took 15 minutes to get the cells back in me, through an IV bag," one patient recounted.
Patient Experiences and Clinical Outcomes
Two patients whose stories have been documented illustrate the therapy's potential. Tanya Tucker, a 50-year-old from Corunna, Indiana, experienced worsening dizziness, brain fog, shortness of breath, and fatigue before her eventual diagnosis. After three months of standard chemoimmunotherapy failed to produce an adequate response, she enrolled in the NEXICART-2 trial in April 2025. She achieved full remission shortly after treatment and has remained in remission ever since.
"Like Tanya, a lot of people who were in the trial are still in remission more than a year out from treatment," Dr. Raza noted.
Dr. Catherine Henry, a 66-year-old retired Cleveland Clinic physician, was diagnosed with AL amyloidosis (search) in 2024 after years of monitoring for smoldering myeloma. When her first-line treatment plateaued after two cycles, Dr. Raza advocated for her enrollment in the trial, which had already reached its enrollment limit. He contacted the California biotechnology company sponsoring the study and successfully secured one additional spot. Recent testing found no detectable abnormal plasma cells in her bone marrow.
"He said, 'Now it's time for you to go live your life,'" Dr. Henry recalled.
The Role of Clinical Trials in Rare Disease
Current FDA-approved first-line treatment for AL amyloidosis (search) — chemoimmunotherapy — leads to a complete hematologic response in approximately 53% of patients. For the remaining patients who either relapse or never achieve a complete response, options have been scarce.
"Our frontline regimen was a genuine step forward. But those same numbers show the gap," Dr. Raza said. "In a disease this rare, clinical trials are how we make progress."
He emphasized that for patients with relapsed disease, a clinical trial can offer access to a promising therapy years before regulatory approval. "That can be the best option on the table, not a last resort," he added.
Researchers continue to follow trial participants over time to assess durability of response and long-term safety. Patients receiving the therapy require ongoing monitoring, including monthly follow-up visits and intravenous immunoglobulin infusions due to significant immune suppression following treatment.