CAR T-Cell Therapy

CAR-T Cell Therapy Latest News

For the first time, scientists have used a cutting-edge cell therapy called CAR-T to treat a patient with three different life-threatening autoimmune diseases that had resisted years of treatment.

About CAR-T Cell Therapy

• CAR T-cell therapy, or chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy, is an advanced form of immunotherapy used to treat certain types of cancer by modifying a patient’s own immune cells to fight the disease.
• This treatment is designed for specific types of blood cancer and is given to patients whose cancer has either relapsed or not responded to first-line treatment.
• How does CAR-T Cell Therapy Work?
  • For any CAR T-cell therapy, a patient’s immune T cells are collected by filtering their blood. 
  • T cells, also known as T lymphocytes, are a type of white blood cell. 
  • T cells are key players in the body’s immune system because of their ability to identify and attack cells that don’t belong in the body, such as germs and cancer cells.
  • In the lab, these T cells are modified to produce synthetic proteins called chimeric antigen receptors (CARs).
  • The modified cells are called CAR-T cells. The cells are grown to much higher numbers in the lab and then infused back into the person’s bloodstream.
  • The synthetic CARs allow the T cells to bind to specific proteins called antigens on cancer cells. This binding activates the T cells to kill the cancer cells.
  • Dying cancer cells trigger further immune responses against the cancer. 
  • In addition, CAR-T cells can keep multiplying in the body, producing lasting anticancer results.
• In some cases, CAR T-cell therapy can cure blood cancer. Other times, it helps people with certain blood cancers live longer.
• CAR-T cell therapy is used to treat cancers that affect blood cells. This includes 
  • B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).
  • Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.
  • Follicular lymphoma.
  • High-grade B-cell lymphoma.
  • Mantle cell lymphoma
  • Multiple myeloma.
  • Primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma.
• Side Effects:
  • A serious immune overreaction causing hyperinflammation and organ damage, seen in 12% of participants, resulting in at least one death.
  • Low red blood cell count, reported in 61% of participants, causing fatigue and weakness.
  • Thrombocytopenia: Low platelet count, increasing the risk of bleeding, reported in 65% of patients.
  • Neutropenia: Low neutrophil count, seen in 96% of participants, raising the risk of infections.

Source: MED

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