CAR T-Cell Therapy Explained in Under 1 Minute | Multiple Myeloma Treatment Breakthroughs (https://www.myeloma.org/videos/car-t-cell-therapy-explained-under-1-minute-multiple-myeloma-treatment-breakthroughs)
CAR T-Cell Therapy Explained in Under 1 Minute | Multiple Myeloma Treatment Breakthroughs
What is CAR T-cell therapy, and how does it work to treat multiple myeloma?
In this quick, easy-to-understand video, Dr. Joseph Mikhael, Chief Medical Officer of the International Myeloma Foundation, breaks down the CAR T-cell therapy process in under one minute.
Learn how this cutting-edge immunotherapy uses your body’s own T cells—your "soldier cells"—to find and destroy myeloma cells. From T-cell collection to lab engineering and reinfusion, discover how this revolutionary treatment is transforming the future of multiple myeloma care.
For more information on multiple myeloma and treatment options, visit myeloma.org (https://www.myeloma.org/).
What is the process of CAR T cell therapy? Hi everyone, Dr. Joseph Mikhael, Chief Medical Officer of the International Myeloma Foundation.
I'm now going to break down the CAR T cell process in a minute or less. CAR T cell therapy is an amazing new therapy in multiple myeloma where we can engage someone's own immune system and specifically their T cells, which you can think of as soldier cells, to fight their own myeloma.
How does the process work? Well, we collect T cells from a patient much like we collect stem cells when patients are hooked up to a machine that picks off their T cells and gives them the rest of their blood back. We then take the T cells to the lab and in the lab, we manufacture them in such a way that they recognize or have a receptor that is specific to someone's multiple myeloma. We then multiply it in the lab and then a few weeks later we give it back to the patient. And now that we have these active T cells that are dying to go after multiple myeloma, they can circulate through the body and attack the patient's own multiple myeloma.
For more information about multiple myeloma or if you have personal questions related to your own or a loved one's diagnosis, please visit us at Myeloma.org.
Joseph Mikhael, MD, MEd, FRCPC, FACP, FASCO
International Myeloma Foundation Medical Advisor
TGen, City of Hope Cancer Center—Phoenix, AZ, USA
Dr Mikhael is a Professor in the Clinical Genomics and Therapeutics Division at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), an affiliate of City of Hope Cancer Center. He is also the Director of Myeloma research at the HonorHealth Research Institute in Scottsdale, Arizona. Dr Mikhael specializes clinically in plasma cell disorders, namely multiple myeloma, amyloidosis, and Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia. He is the PI of many clinical trials, primarily in relapsed multiple myeloma, and his other clinical research interests include pharmaco-economics, communication skills, and media relations.
Dr. Mikhael recently served as the Chief Medical Officer of the International Myeloma Foundation (IMF) from 2018 to 2026 – he now serves as Medical Advisor to the IMF to provide guidance and strategic input in areas such as patient education, health disparities, collaboration with partners, international research, and publications.
Dr Mikhael has published over 200 peer-reviewed articles in these fields and lectures internationally on a regular basis. Dr. Mikhael is deeply committed to health disparities in myeloma and is the chair of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council at TGen. Dr. Mikhael is heavily involved in training future researchers and mentors junior faculty worldwide. Dr. Mikhael is an active member of the International Myeloma Working Group (IMWG) and recently led the ASCO guidelines in myeloma. Dr. Mikhael also serves as the Treasurer on the executive of the American Society of Hematology.
Dr. Mikhael did his medical training in Canada, including a fellowship in Multiple Myeloma at the Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto. He also obtained his master’s degree in education from the University of Toronto. He then worked at the Mayo Clinic Arizona as a Hematologist from 2008-2018.