Originally published on Cornerstone, the CHOP Research Blog.

I composed this original article based on the presentation abstracts for the highlighted scientific presentation, followed by email contact with the investigators.

Excerpt:

Researchers at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia reported their latest results from their studies of an investigational personalized cell therapy for a highly aggressive form of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Developed by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and CHOP, the therapy is made from patients’ own immune T cells, which are extracted and bioengineered into CTL019 cells that potentially seek and destroy leukemia cells.

Among the findings, the team reported that 93 percent of pediatric patients reached remission after receiving the therapy for relapsed/refractory ALL. ALL is the most common childhood cancer, with limited effective treatment options for the approximately 10 to15 percent of patients who relapse after standard therapies.

The research team presented these results and more at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) annual meeting in Orlando. They reflect the CHOP-Penn team’s continued process of discovery about the investigational therapy, which is now part of clinical trials active at 15 sites globally, including CHOP.