SITC 2021 | BASECAMP-1: a study to identify patients that may benefit from future CAR T-cell therapy

Julian Molina, MD, PhD, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, gives an update on the BASECAMP-1 trial (NCT04981119), an observational study to identify relapsed solid tumor patients with human leukocyte antigen (HLA) loss of heterozygosity (LOH) and leukapheresis for future CAR T-cell therapy. Although, CAR T-cells have showed clinical outcomes in hematologic malignancies, its use in solid tumors has been proven difficult due to a lack of tumor-specific targets that discriminate cancer cells from normal cells. Patients participating in the BASECAMP-1 study will be screened to identify germline HLA-A*02 heterozygosity by central next-generation sequencing (NGS). If HLA-A*02 heterozygosity is confirmed, primary archival tumor tissue will be analyzed to determine if somatic tumor HLA-A*02 LOH is present. If the tumor demonstrates HLA-A*02 LOH and the patient screens eligible, the patient will undergo leukapheresis. In the future, if relapses occurs, banked T-cells are available for CAR T-cell therapy. This interview took place during the 36th Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.