Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell therapy

What is CAR-T Therapy?

CAR-T therapy stands for Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell therapy. It's a type of treatment that uses the body's own immune system to fight certain types of cancer

Here's how it works

Collecting T-cells: First, we take special immune cells from the patient's own blood called T-cells. These T-cells are the soldiers of the immune system, and they help the body fight off infections and diseases.

  1. Engineering T-cells: Next, our scientists modify these T-cells in a lab. They give them a new protein called a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR), which acts like a homing device. This CAR helps the T-cells recognise and attack cancer cells.

  2. Multiplying the T-cells: After the T-cells are modified, they are multiplied in our laboratory, creating an army of the patient's own CAR-T cells ready to fight cancer.

  3. Infusion: Finally, the multiplied CAR-T cells are infused back into the patient's body. Once inside, these supercharged T-cells seek out and destroy cancer cells.

What is it Used to Treat?

CAR-T therapy is used to treat certain types of cancer, particularly blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma. These cancers can be extremely challenging to treat with traditional methods like chemotherapy or radiation which of course present their own challenges for the patient. CAR-T therapy offers a cutting-edge alternative for patients who haven't responded well to other treatments, who may not wish to pursue standard treatments such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy or whose cancer has come back after treatment. CAR-T is FDA approved to treat several types of haematological malignancies, including:

Leukemia

Lymphoma

Multiple Myeloma

A Brief History

CAR-T therapy has been in development for several decades, but it wasn't until the 2010s that it started showing significant promise in clinical trials. In 2017, the FDA approved the first CAR-T therapy for the treatment of certain types of leukemia and lymphoma, marking a major milestone in cancer treatment.

Since then, researchers have been working to improve CAR-T therapy and expand its use to other types of cancer too. Today, it represents a cutting-edge approach to cancer treatment, offering hope to patients who previously had few options.

In summary, CAR-T therapy is a groundbreaking treatment that harnesses the power of your own immune system to fight cancer. It has the potential to revolutionise cancer treatment and improve outcomes for patients facing this challenging disease.