On 30th June 2023, the EU-funded project CARAMBA is coming to an end, marking five years of challenges and successes in the mission to revolutionise multiple myeloma treatment and beyond.
The ultimate goal of the CARAMBA project was to develop a new virus-free CAR-T therapy and demonstrate in a Phase I/IIa clinical trial the safety and efficacy of SLAMF7 CAR-T cells against multiple myeloma cells. In this innovative treatment approach, white blood cells of the myeloma patients are collected and equipped with a so-called “Chimeric Antigen Receptor” (CAR). The CAR acts like a sensor that detects the surface molecule SLAMF7 on myeloma cells and guides the white blood cells to specifically target and destroy these malignant cells. Currently, there is still no cure for multiple myeloma, a disease that affects more than 50,000 people in Europe every year. Therefore, there is a high clinical need for alternative treatments increasing not only the survival rate, but also patients’ quality of life.
Read more in the press release: CARAMBA_PR_2023
