CAR T-Cell Therapy

CAR T-Cell Therapy Latest News

The clinical trial results of India’s first CAR T-cell therapy, published in The Lancet, show that it worked for nearly 73 percent of patients.

About CAR T-Cell Therapy

• CAR T-cell therapy, or chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy, trains the body’s own immune cells to identify and destroy cancer cells. 
• 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 the Therapy Work?

• For any CAR T-cell therapy, a patient’s immune T-cells are collected by filtering their blood. 
• These cells are then engineered in a lab to add receptors that can bind with cancer cells. These cells are then multiplied and infused in the patient. 
• Usually, the cancer cells are adept at evading the unmodified T cells. 
• The treatment developed in India is meant for patients with two types of blood cancers that affect the B cells — acute lymphoblastic leukemia and large B cell lymphomas.

Side Effects of CAR T Therapy

• 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.

CAR T Therapy FAQs

Q1: What does CAR T-cell therapy do?

Ans: CAR T-cell therapy genetically modifies a patient’s immune cells (T-cells) to effectively recognize and destroy cancer cells.

Q2: What is the controversy with CAR T-therapy?

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Ans: CAR T-cell therapy faces controversy due to potential risks of causing secondary cancers, such as T-cell lymphomas, through unintended genetic mutations.

Q3: What diseases can CAR T-cell therapy treat?

Ans: CAR T-cell therapy treats certain blood cancers like lymphoma and leukemia, especially when other treatments have failed.

Source: IE