Introduction
 
As of November 12, 2025, a new study done by researchers from the Jiangsung Institute of Hematology at Soochow University found a version of CAR T-Cell therapy and ASCT that led to positive results in remission for patients, specifically those with Ph-Negative B-ALL. This new discovery has put forth a new innovative way to treat patients with long-term positive outcomes.
For some basic understanding, Ph-Negative B-ALL refers to Philadelphia Chromosome Negative B-cell Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia, a subtype of B-ALL, when the body produces too many abnormal B-lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell) to fight infection. Ph-Negative refers specifically to the lack of the Philadelphia Chromosome, a chromosome created from a genetic mutation that is typically associated with other forms of leukemia such as Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML). Furthermore, CAR T-cell therapy is when T-cells (a type of white blood cell for fighting infection, disease, cancer, etc.) are genetically modified to help them both find and kill cancer cells. Lastly, ASCT--also known as--Autologous Stem Cell Transplant is the process of collecting stem cells from a patient, subjecting them to high doses of chemotherapy, and then transplanting those stem cells back in order to assist restoration of the bone marrow and immune system.

 
The Study
 
The study was conducted with no control groups within the clinical trials of testing for effectiveness and safety. Selected patients were newly diagnosed children and teenagers, as well as adults with Ph-negative B-ALL, and either was unable to go through allo-HSCT, a process of receiving blood-forming stem cells from a donor, or they had refuted transplantation. The primary endpoint was defined as overall survival upon the first day of CAR T-Cell therapy. 
Patients first received induction and consolidation therapy--a type of initial aggressive phase of treatment--and then went through CAR T-Cell therapy. After that, around 6-8 weeks later, they went through ASCT. 2 days later a second wave of CAR T-Cell therapy was introduced.
This process became a new “sandwich” method, where by the end of the second CAR T-Cell therapy wave, all patients had no detectable cancer cells (done by a MFC-MRD test), and 93% achieved complete remission that was confirmed by sensitive testing (in this case a NGS-MRD test). These remissions were then tracked to last beyond 1-2 years. 
 
Conclusion
 
The new method of layering CAR T-Cell Therapy with ASCT has become an innovative way to tackle cancer, reaching strong levels of durability. By taking this revelation and applying it to more, it allows for future prospects of developing even more ways to fight cancer, and eventually, be guaranteed to last a lifetime.