Go to JCI Insight
  • About
  • Editors
  • Consulting Editors
  • For authors
  • Publication ethics
  • Publication alerts by email
  • Advertising
  • Job board
  • Contact
  • Clinical Research and Public Health
  • Current issue
  • Past issues
  • By specialty
    • COVID-19
    • Cardiology
    • Gastroenterology
    • Immunology
    • Metabolism
    • Nephrology
    • Neuroscience
    • Oncology
    • Pulmonology
    • Vascular biology
    • All ...
  • Videos
    • Conversations with Giants in Medicine
    • Video Abstracts
  • Reviews
    • View all reviews ...
    • Clinical innovation and scientific progress in GLP-1 medicine (Nov 2025)
    • Pancreatic Cancer (Jul 2025)
    • Complement Biology and Therapeutics (May 2025)
    • Evolving insights into MASLD and MASH pathogenesis and treatment (Apr 2025)
    • Microbiome in Health and Disease (Feb 2025)
    • Substance Use Disorders (Oct 2024)
    • Clonal Hematopoiesis (Oct 2024)
    • View all review series ...
  • Viewpoint
  • Collections
    • In-Press Preview
    • Clinical Research and Public Health
    • Research Letters
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Editorials
    • Commentaries
    • Editor's notes
    • Reviews
    • Viewpoints
    • 100th anniversary
    • Top read articles

  • Current issue
  • Past issues
  • Specialties
  • Reviews
  • Review series
  • Conversations with Giants in Medicine
  • Video Abstracts
  • In-Press Preview
  • Clinical Research and Public Health
  • Research Letters
  • Letters to the Editor
  • Editorials
  • Commentaries
  • Editor's notes
  • Reviews
  • Viewpoints
  • 100th anniversary
  • Top read articles
  • About
  • Editors
  • Consulting Editors
  • For authors
  • Publication ethics
  • Publication alerts by email
  • Advertising
  • Job board
  • Contact
CAR+ extracellular vesicles predict ICANS in patients with B cell lymphomas treated with CD19-directed CAR T cells
Gianluca Storci, Francesco De Felice, Francesca Ricci, Spartaco Santi, Daria Messelodi, Salvatore Nicola Bertuccio, Noemi Laprovitera, Michele Dicataldo, Lucrezia Rossini, Serena De Matteis, Beatrice Casadei, Francesca Vaglio, Margherita Ursi, Francesco Barbato, Marcello Roberto, Maria Guarino, Gian Maria Asioli, Mario Arpinati, Pietro Cortelli, Enrico Maffini, Enrica Tomassini, Marta Tassoni, Carola Cavallo, Francesco Iannotta, Maria Naddeo, Pier Luigi Tazzari, Elisa Dan, Cinzia Pellegrini, Serafina Guadagnuolo, Matteo Carella, Barbara Sinigaglia, Chiara Pirazzini, Caterina Severi, Paolo Garagnani, Katarzyna Malgorzata Kwiatkowska, Manuela Ferracin, Pier Luigi Zinzani, Massimiliano Bonafè, Francesca Bonifazi
Gianluca Storci, Francesco De Felice, Francesca Ricci, Spartaco Santi, Daria Messelodi, Salvatore Nicola Bertuccio, Noemi Laprovitera, Michele Dicataldo, Lucrezia Rossini, Serena De Matteis, Beatrice Casadei, Francesca Vaglio, Margherita Ursi, Francesco Barbato, Marcello Roberto, Maria Guarino, Gian Maria Asioli, Mario Arpinati, Pietro Cortelli, Enrico Maffini, Enrica Tomassini, Marta Tassoni, Carola Cavallo, Francesco Iannotta, Maria Naddeo, Pier Luigi Tazzari, Elisa Dan, Cinzia Pellegrini, Serafina Guadagnuolo, Matteo Carella, Barbara Sinigaglia, Chiara Pirazzini, Caterina Severi, Paolo Garagnani, Katarzyna Malgorzata Kwiatkowska, Manuela Ferracin, Pier Luigi Zinzani, Massimiliano Bonafè, Francesca Bonifazi
View: Text | PDF
Clinical Research and Public Health Hematology Immunology

CAR+ extracellular vesicles predict ICANS in patients with B cell lymphomas treated with CD19-directed CAR T cells

  • Text
  • PDF
Abstract

BACKGROUND Predicting immune effector cell–associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS) in patients infused with CAR T cells is still a conundrum. This complication, thought to be consequent to CAR T cell activation, arises a few days after infusion, when circulating CAR T cells are scarce and specific CAR T cell–derived biomarkers are lacking.METHODS CAR+ extracellular vesicle (CAR+EV) release was assessed in human CD19.CAR T cells cocultured with CD19+ target cells. A prospective cohort of 100 patients with B cell lymphoma infused with approved CD19.CAR T cell products was assessed for plasma CAR+EVs as biomarkers of in vivo CD19.CAR T cell activation. Human induced pluripotent stem cell–derived (iPSC-derived) neural cells were used as a model for CAR+EV-induced neurotoxicity.RESULTS In vitro release of CAR+EVs occurs within 1 hour after target engagement. Plasma CAR+EVs are detectable 1 hour after infusion. A concentration greater than 132.8 CAR+EVs/μL at hour +1 or greater than 224.5 CAR+EVs/μL at day +1 predicted ICANS in advance of 4 days, with a sensitivity and a specificity outperforming other ICANS predictors. ENO2+ nanoparticles were released by iPSC-derived neural cells upon CAR+EV exposure and were increased in plasma of patients with ICANS.CONCLUSION Plasma CAR+EVs are an immediate signal of CD19.CAR T cell activation, are suitable predictors of neurotoxicity, and may be involved in ICANS pathogenesis.TRIAL REGISTRATION NCT04892433, NCT05807789.FUNDING Life Science Hub–Advanced Therapies (financed by Health Ministry as part of the National Plan for Complementary Investments to the National Recovery and Resilience Plan [NRRP]: E.3 Innovative health ecosystem for APC fees and immunomonitoring).

Authors

Gianluca Storci, Francesco De Felice, Francesca Ricci, Spartaco Santi, Daria Messelodi, Salvatore Nicola Bertuccio, Noemi Laprovitera, Michele Dicataldo, Lucrezia Rossini, Serena De Matteis, Beatrice Casadei, Francesca Vaglio, Margherita Ursi, Francesco Barbato, Marcello Roberto, Maria Guarino, Gian Maria Asioli, Mario Arpinati, Pietro Cortelli, Enrico Maffini, Enrica Tomassini, Marta Tassoni, Carola Cavallo, Francesco Iannotta, Maria Naddeo, Pier Luigi Tazzari, Elisa Dan, Cinzia Pellegrini, Serafina Guadagnuolo, Matteo Carella, Barbara Sinigaglia, Chiara Pirazzini, Caterina Severi, Paolo Garagnani, Katarzyna Malgorzata Kwiatkowska, Manuela Ferracin, Pier Luigi Zinzani, Massimiliano Bonafè, Francesca Bonifazi

×

Figure 2

IL-15 and CX3CL1/CX3CR1 interplay in ICANS and NO ICANS patients.

Options: View larger image (or click on image) Download as PowerPoint
IL-15 and CX3CL1/CX3CR1 interplay in ICANS and NO ICANS patients.
(A) Da...
(A) Day +1 IL-15 plasma levels in NO ICANS (n = 21) versus ICANS (n = 11); MW test. (B) Day +1 CX3CL1 plasma levels in NO ICANS (n = 36) versus ICANS (n = 17); MW test. (C and D) Heatmaps (Pearson’s r coefficients) of day +1 IL-15 and CX3CL1 plasma levels and biochemical profile at pre-lymphodepletion (_PLD) (C) and day +1 (_+1) (D). (E) Day +1 IL-15 plasma levels in patients treated with chemotherapy as bridging therapy (Chemo, n = 13) versus others (No chemo, n = 19); MW test. (F) Day +1 plasma CX3CL1 in No chemo (n = 36) versus Chemo (n = 17); MW test. (G–I) CX3CR1 mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) and percentage of CX3CR1+ cells in bag leftover (BL, n = 9) and 19BBζ.CAR T cells (n = 3) (G), 19BBζ.CAR T cells cocultured with CD19+ or CD19−K562 cells (n = 3) for 1 hour (logFC t test and paired t test; mean ± SD) (H), and day +5 and day +7 peripheral blood CD19.CAR T cells in ICANS (n = 1) and NO ICANS (n = 3, 1-sample t test; mean ± SD) (I). Unless otherwise indicated, data are presented as boxes and whiskers; boxes show median and IQR, and whiskers represent minimum and maximum values.

Copyright © 2026 American Society for Clinical Investigation
ISSN: 0021-9738 (print), 1558-8238 (online)

Sign up for email alerts