Axicabtagene ciloleucel

Axicabtagene ciloleucel, sold under the brand name Yescarta, is a medication used for the treatment for large B-cell lymphoma that has failed conventional treatment. T cells are removed from a person with lymphoma and genetically engineered to produce a specific T-cell receptor. The resulting chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-Ts) that react to the cancer are then given back to the person to populate the bone marrow. Axicabtagene treatment carries a risk for cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and neurological toxicities.

Due to CD19 being a pan-B cell marker, the T-cells that are engineered to target CD19 receptors on the cancerous B cells also influence normal B cells, except some plasma cells.