CAR-T Cell Therapy approved for Cancer

What is it?

• CAR-T cell therapy stands for chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy.
• It is a type of cancer immunotherapy that uses the patient’s own T cells, genetically modified in a laboratory to enhance their ability to locate and destroy cancer cells.

How does it work?

• T cells are white blood cells responsible for identifying and fighting illness and infection.
• Each T cell has a receptor that can recognize antigens (proteins or molecules recognized by the immune system).
• Cancer cells may have antigens that the immune system does not recognize as abnormal, allowing cancer to evade the immune response.
• CAR-T cells are genetically engineered in the lab to express a new receptor that can bind to cancer cells and effectively kill them.

Therapy Process

1. Collecting T Cells: Blood is drawn from the patient’s arm, and T cells are separated from the blood using an apheresis machine.

2. Engineering T Cells: In a laboratory, the T cells are modified by adding a manufactured CAR, and they are allowed to multiply and grow.

3. Infusing CAR-T Cells: Once enough CAR-T cells are prepared, they are injected back into the patient’s arm.

• Chemotherapy may be recommended before CAR-T cell infusion to enhance treatment effectiveness.
• The process can take place in an outpatient infusion center or a hospital setting.

Cancers Treated

• CAR-T cell therapy is effective against certain types of cancer, especially when other treatments are ineffective.
• It is currently FDA-approved for treating haematological malignancies, including leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma.