The scientific research project independently designed and developed by the team of Professor Han Weidong from the Department of Biotherapy of the First Medical Center of the PLA General Hospital-Tandem CD19/CD20 CAR-T cells for the treatment of relapsed and refractory non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma has made significant research progress. The latest research results were published online on June 18 in the professional academic journal "Blood" (IF=16.562) in the field of blood.

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (non-Hodgkin lymphoma, NHL) is a common blood system B cell series of malignant tumors. At present, traditional treatment methods have limited efficacy for relapsed and refractory patients, and the 1-year survival rate is still less than 30%. Since 2013, CAR T cells (chimeric antigen receptor modified T cells) that specifically target CD19 using genetic engineering technology have achieved breakthroughs in the treatment of such diseases. In 2015, they were listed as one of the top ten scientific and technological advances in the world by "Science". First of all (together with immune checkpoint inhibitor PD1/CTLA4), CD19-CART was launched in the United States as a live-cell drug in 2017, which also triggered the vigorous development of this field in China.

Keeping pace with the world, as early as 2012, Professor Han Weidong's team from the Department of Biotherapy of the First Medical Center of the PLA General Hospital carried out independent research and development of CD19, CD20 and other target CART cell therapy technologies, becoming the first domestic clinical trial institution , Related series of research results have been published in international academic journals, and a number of related patents have been transformed.

With the funding of major projects and key projects of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and two major R&D projects of the Ministry of Science and Technology, in 2016, Professor Han Weidong’s team began to carry out optimized screening and clinical research of dual-target CART. It can form stable and regular immune synapses with tumors, increase anti-tumor activity, reduce tumor escape, and have strong expansion and long-lasting survival capabilities. Related research has applied for national invention patents. The final completion of the project involves a wide range of personnel and a long research route, requiring close cooperation and collaboration between team members. The project's co-corresponding author Wu Zhiqiang, deputy chief technician, was responsible for the screening and optimization of the structure, Wang Yao, deputy chief technician was responsible for the preparation, quality control and subsequent sample testing of all clinical-grade cells, Liu Yang and Zhang Yajing led by director Yang Qingming, deputy directors The physician, Zhang Wenying (co-first author) and other clinical attending teams were responsible for completing the recruitment, treatment and long-term follow-up of patients. The first author of this article, Tong Chuan, a technician, cooperated with the team of Professor Liu Wanli of Tsinghua University School of Medicine in the mechanism research. This paper published in the "Blood" academic journal focuses on the mechanism and clinical research of dual-target TandemCD19/CD20 CAR-T cells in the treatment of relapsed and refractory B-NHL. It is currently the best reported data of this type of research in the world. , Has a prominent lead.

Since its establishment in 2012, the Department of Biotherapy of the First Medical Center has always adhered to the theme of "focusing on independent and innovative research and writing papers on patients", gradually completing the transformation of laboratory and clinical integration, aiming at international cutting-edge clinical scientific issues. Supported by the independent research and development of the laboratory, it has carried out clinical research and transformation of internationally leading new biological treatment technologies. In recent years, he has published many internationally influential papers in the field of tumor immunotherapy, including "Journal of Clinical Oncology", "Clinical Cancer Research", CD19/CD22 dual target therapy for leukemia, "Journal of hematology & oncology", etc. China has led more than 20 tertiary medical institutions to conduct multi-center research, and some research results have been written into the CSCO treatment guidelines, demonstrating the international leading scientific research strength and level of the General Hospital in this field.