Tandem 2026: Roswell Park CAR T-Cell Pioneer Marco Davila, MD, PhD, Reports Discoveries on Treatment Resistance

Experts from Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center have been invited to share their recent discoveries at the 2026 Tandem Transplantation & Cellular Therapy Meetings of the American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy (ASTCT) and Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR), to be held Feb. 4-7 at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Drawing more than 5,000 clinicians and researchers from all over the world, the conference focuses on the latest advances in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, cellular therapy and gene therapy for blood cancers.

Invited talk by CAR T-Cell pioneer Dr. Marco Davila reveals strategy for overcoming resistance

A preclinical study led by senior author Marco Davila, MD, PhD, Senior Vice President and Associate Director for Translational Research at Roswell Park, suggests a strategy for overcoming resistance to CAR T-cell therapy while reducing the risk of serious side effects, including cytokine release syndrome, neutropenia and immune cell-associated hematologic toxicity (ICAHT). A pioneer in the field, Dr. Davila played a key role in developing some of the first CAR T-cell therapies for blood cancers.

Investigators focused on how macrophages – white blood cells capable of surrounding and “eating” cancer cells – can play a role in suppressing CAR T cells’ cancer-killing function and increasing toxicity. They discovered that interferon gamma (IFN-γ), a signaling protein called a cytokine that is produced by CAR T cells, causes the macrophages to express inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), which in turn suppresses the CAR T cells’ cancer-killing function.

The macrophages can also contribute to the secretion of IFN-γ, causing immature T cells to transform into TH17 cells – which promote cytokine release syndrome – rather than Th1 cells, which increase the immune system’s anti-tumor response. However, high levels of IFN-γ contributed to cytopenias, a risk factor for infections, the number one cause for non-relapse mortality in patients. By blocking IFN-γ, the team was able to prevent cytopenias while preserving their anti-tumor efficacy.

“This is part of our larger body of work that advances strategies to overcome immunosuppressive barriers and improve T-cell therapies for hematologic cancers,” says Dr. Davila. He will give his invited presentation, Myeloid Suppression in CAR Resistance, as part of the session Concurrent: Science of Resistance in Immunocellular Therapies, Friday, Feb. 6, 11-11:25 a.m. MST, in Ballroom I.

Oral abstracts

Liso-cel vs. axi-cel for B-cell lymphoma

While the two FDA-approved CAR T-cell therapies for large B-cell lymphoma are equally effective, one carries a lower risk of toxicity, according to a Real-World Study including numerous institutions and led by senior author Marco Davila, MD, PhD.

Lisocabtagene maraleucel (liso-cel, brand name Breyanz) and axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel, brand name Yescarta) target the CD19 protein expressed on the surface of B cells, helping a patient’s reengineered T cells locate and destroy B-cell lymphoma cells. But liso-cel is less likely than axi-cel to trigger such serious side effects as neurological toxicity and cytokine release syndrome (CRS), an inflammatory response caused by the immune system’s overreaction to the treatment.

Unlike controlled clinical trials, Real-World Studies involve data drawn from clinical practice in the real world, including electronic health records, insurance claims and cancer registries.

Lead author Nathan Denlinger of The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute will deliver the study results in presentation ID 58, Real-World Study of the Effectiveness, Safety, and Health Care Resource Utilization (HCRU) of Lisocabtagene Maraleucel (liso-cel) and Axicabtagene Ciloleucel (axi-cel) in Patients with Relapsed or Refractory (R/R) Large B-Cell Lymphoma (LBCL) in the Second-Line (2L) Treatment Setting, Friday, Feb. 6, 4-4:15 p.m. MST in Ballroom AB.

Patient Age, Race and Ethnicity Critical to Identifying Best Stem Cell Donor

Post-transplant use of the chemotherapy cyclophosphamide has dramatically reduced the risk of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), a serious and potentially fatal complication in patients who receive allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplants, giving minority patients a wider choice of potential donors. But a study to be presented by first author Megan Herr, PhD, Associate Professor of Oncology in the Department of Medicine, reveals that Hispanic and non-Hispanic Black patients are less likely than white patients to use a matched unrelated donor ̶ and that they have poorer overall survival than white patients.

The research team analyzed data from the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR) for 6,130 adult patients who received cyclophosphamide after undergoing an allogeneic transplant between 2013-2021. They found that Hispanic and non-Hispanic Black patients experienced higher overall survival with mismatched related and unrelated donors compared to matched unrelated donors, especially if the donor was over age 30. In contrast, white patients had the highest overall survival with matched unrelated donors.

“This study demonstrates that there’s no one-size-fits-all model to guide donor selection for allogeneic transplants,” explains Dr. Herr. “The patient’s race, ethnicity and age should be a strong consideration in identifying their stem cell donor. We have to continue applying insights from big data to identify patterns in which patients have the best outcomes following different types of transplant.”

Theresa Hahn, PhD, Professor of Oncology, Department of Cancer Prevention and Control, is senior author of the work, presentation ID 87, In the Post-Transplant Cyclophosphamide (PTCy) Era, Overall Survival (OS) by Donor Differs by Recipient and Donor Age and Race Ethnicity, to be presented Saturday, Feb. 7, 11:15-11:30 a.m. MST in Ballroom J.

Dr. Holtan featured on transplant panel

Shernan Holtan, MD, Chief of Blood and Marrow Transplantation, will be a panelist for How to Improve Pathways to Transplant, an NMDP session Thursday, Feb. 5, 12:30 p.m. She will also be a speaker for Meet-the-Professor: Treating Acute GVHD Beyond Ruxolitinib (ticket required), Wednesday, Feb. 4, 12:15-1:15 p.m. MST, Room 258.

Dr. Hahn serves on CIBMTR Advisory Committee

Theresa Hahn, PhD, serves on the Advisory Committee for the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research, which meets Wednesday, Feb. 4, 3-6 p.m. MST.

Additional research highlights

The latest findings of several Roswell Park investigators will be highlighted during a poster session Thursday, Feb. 5, 6:30-8 p.m. MST in Hall AB. They include:

• Ehsan Malek, MD, is first/presenting author and Han Yu, PhD, MBBS, is senior author on poster abstract 201, “Induction Therapy Accelerates Immune Aging in Multiple Myeloma: Implications for Cellular Therapy Readiness.”
• Rahul Thakur, MD, is first/presenting author, with Ehsan Malek, MD, senior author, of poster abstract 242, “Liquid MRD Detection Using Circulating Myeloma Cells Accurately Reflects Bone Marrow Disease Status Post-CAR T and ASCT.”
• Ajinkya Buradkar, MD, is first/presenting author, with senior author Francisco Hernandez-Ilizaliturri, MD, of poster abstract 266, “Real-World Incidence of CRS and ICANS across Commercial CAR T Products in B-Cell Malignancies and Multiple Myeloma: A Single-Center Analysis.”
• Ehsan Malek, MD, is first/presenting author of poster abstract 400, “Addressing Racial Disparities in Cellular Therapy Through Race-Agnostic Predictive Modeling in Multiple Myeloma.”
• Trish Boersch is first/presenting author, with senior author Erin Hughes, BSN, RN, of poster abstract 728, “Control the Documents! Revamping a TCT Program’s Standard Operating Procedures and Guidelines While Adhering to the Quality Management Plan.”
• Ehsan Malek is first and presenting author of poster abstract 810, “Improving Data Fidelity for CIBMTR Integration: The Impact of Unstructured M-Protein Reporting in Multiple Myeloma.”