Bortezomib Enhanced the Efficacy of CAR-T Therapy Through Up-regulating
BCMA Expression in Myeloma Cells
Abstract
Multiple myeloma (MM) is a malignant plasma cell disease that causes a
large number of deaths every year. In the present study, we investigated
the effect of bortezomib, the first-line drug for MM, on B cell
maturation antigen (BCMA) of MM cells in order to obtain better efficacy
of CAR-T therapy. Flow cytometry and ELISA analysis revealed that the
bortezomib steadily increased BCMA expression level in the MM cell line
Nalm6-BCMA, thereby enhancing the killing efficiency of CAR-T cells,
while the increase of BCMA expression was sustained, allowing more time
for CAR-T to effect. In addition, the combination of CAR-T and
bortezomib has not yet been developed, suggesting that this combination
therapeutic approach may hold great promise for the treatment of MM.