Treatment with Living Drugs: Pharmaceutical Aspects of CAR T Cells

Background: Adoptive therapy with genetically modified T cells achieves spectacular remissions in advanced hematologic malignancies. In contrast to conventional drugs, this kind of therapy applies viable autologous T cells that are ex vivo genetically engineered with a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) and are classified as advanced therapy medicinal products. Summary: As “living drugs,” CAR T cells differ from classical pharmaceutical drugs as they provide a panel of cellular capacities upon CAR signaling, including the release of effector molecules and cytokines, redirected cytotoxicity, CAR T cell amplification, active migration, and long-term persistence and immunological memory. Here, we discuss pharmaceutical aspects, the regulatory requirements for CAR T cell manufacturing, and how CAR T cell pharmacokinetics are connected with the clinical outcome. Key Messages: From the pharmacological perspective, the development of CAR T cells with high translational potential needs to address pharmacodynamic markers to balance safety and efficacy of CAR T cells and to address pharmacokinetics with respect to trafficking, homing, infiltration, and persistence of CAR T cells