As we close the book on 2025, the narrative in immunotherapy has fundamentally shifted.
For a decade, the industry asked: "How can we engineer a better CAR-T cell?" This year, the data forced a different question: "How can we get a better T-cell to start with?"
At this week’s ASH (American Society of Hematology) Annual Meeting, and throughout the major journals this year, we saw a convergence of evidence that affirms what Immunaeon has long championed: Biology is an asset, and timing is everything.
Here are the three definitive findings from 2025 that are reshaping the future of cell therapy.
For years, we suspected that chemotherapy damaged the very cells needed for future rescue therapies. In April, a landmark study published in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer finally quantified it [1].
Researchers analyzing B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients found that prior chemotherapy exposure didn't just lower cell count, it fundamentally altered the T-cell phenotype. The study showed a measurable shift toward "exhaustion" markers and a critical loss of the naïve CD4+ T-cells required for effective CAR-T manufacturing.
The most discussed data at ASH this week came from the CARTITUDE-4 updates. While the headline was the impressive progression-free survival (PFS) in Multiple Myeloma, the subtext was immune fitness [2].
The data revealed a direct correlation: patients treated in earlier lines of therapy (after just one prior treatment) had significantly higher baseline levels of CD4+ naïve T-cells. This wasn't just a coincidence; these "fresher" cells were mechanically linked to the durability of the cure.
Last month, a pivotal study from Weill Cornell Medicine in Nature Immunology changed how we view T-cell failure. It turns out tumors don't just hide; they actively hijack molecular signals (specifically the TSP-1/CD47 pathway) to force T-cells into an exhausted state [3].
While the industry races to develop drugs that can "revive" these tired cells, the most effective strategy remains the simplest: bypass the exhaustion cycle entirely by banking cells before the tumor burden, and the battle begins.
The industry is moving "upstream." We are seeing approvals move to earlier lines of therapy, and a growing consensus that the quality of the starting material is the single greatest variable in patient outcomes.
At Immunaeon, we are proud to be the infrastructure for this shift. By enabling individuals to bank their immune fitness today, we aren't just storing cells; we are securing the efficacy of tomorrow's medicine.
#Immunotherapy #ASH25 #CellStrategy #Immunaeon #Longevity #Biobanking #Health
[1] Junkuhn, C. et al. "Prior chemotherapy deteriorates T-cell quality for CAR T-cell therapy in B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma." Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer, 2025; 13:e010709.
[2] Parekh, S. et al. "Earlier use of ciltacabtagene autoleucel (cilta-cel) is associated with better immune fitness and stronger immune effects... from the CARTITUDE-4 study." ASH Annual Meeting Abstracts, Dec 2025.
[3] Weng, C. et al. "Thrombospondin-1–CD47 signaling contributes to the development of T cell exhaustion in cancer." Nature Immunology, Nov 2025.