One of the most advanced treatments in oncology is the chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, which harnesses the patient's own immune cells to combat cancer.
CAR T-cell therapy involves introducing the Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) gene into a patient’s T cells, prompting the creation of a CAR that resides on the membrane of the modified T cell (now referred to as a CAR T-cell). This CAR T-cell will accurately identify and effectively kill cancer cells.
Despite being considered a relatively new approach in the fight against cancer, one of the first success stories that emerged from using CAR T-cells was Emily Whitehead’s triumph against acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). She was the first paediatric patient to be enrolled in the trial approximately 12 years ago when such immunotherapy was still at its infancy. Her T-cells were re-engineered into CAR T-cells with the ability to identify specific proteins (CD19) present on the surface of cancer cells and perform killing. The treatment was successful, and Emily became the first paediatric ALL patient to undergo this groundbreaking treatment.
There are currently six FDA approved of CAR T-cell therapy products, for B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia, B-cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma and Multiple Myeloma.
CAR T-cells therapy begins by extracting mononuclear cells (MNCs) from patient’s blood using an apheresis machine; the remaining blood is channelled back into the patient.
In a laboratory, the gene for CAR is engineered into patient’s T cells to create CAR T-cells. Then, these CAR T-cells will be stimulated to multiply into millions of cells before they are reintroduced into the body to effectively target and destroy cancer cells.
CAR T-cell therapy has shown remarkable success in treating blood cancers such as leukaemias and lymphomas, leading to a rapid expansion of clinical research in the field.
Scientists have started expanding their research and clinical trials to explore the efficacy of CAR T-cells treatments for solid tumours, with numerous preclinical studies and clinical trials conducted against several tumour types, including glioblastoma, neuroblastoma, Triple Negative Breast Cancer, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, colorectal carcinoma, and gastrointestinal tumours. Early indications also suggest potential applications of CAR T-cell therapy beyond cancer, showing promise in addressing autoimmune diseases like lupus.
We do not want scientific jargon to be in the way of you understanding the enormous health benefits and protection that cell and gene technology can bring to you and your family. Direct your questions to us. We look forward to answering them.
