Researchers at the Tata Memorial Centre (TMC) have concluded the first phase of indigenously developed Chimeric Antigen Receptor T (CAR-T) technology for blood cancer treatment trials and called the results “encouraging”.
Key points
- This is the first time that gene therapy indigenously developed by researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay, was tested on patients in India.
- In June 2020, the central government’s National Biopharma Mission (NBM) -Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) had approved Rs 18.96 crore to the team for conducting a first-in-human phase-I/II clinical trial of the CAR-T cells.
- The drug has the potential to benefit cancer patients, who currently are forced to opt for only palliative care.
- While existing treatments work towards increasing the life of patients by a few years or months, CAR-T technology holds the promise of curing certain types of cancers.
- Unlike chemotherapy, this drug is administered only once to a patient.
- CAR-T cells are a patient’s own immune cells that are genetically engineered in the laboratory to fight cancer.
- As part of the treatment, a specific type of white blood cells called T cells are changed in the lab so they can find and destroy cancer cells.
- The participants in trail received autologous HCAR19 (humanised CAR 19) therapy.
- None of the participants had immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome.
- Three out of ten participants had a complete response post CAR-T cell therapy and none of the participants required ICU admission.
- CAR-T cells are genetically engineered to produce an artificial T-cell receptor, which is widely used in developed nations for immunotherapy during treatment for cancer.
- As part of gene therapy, these cells are used with an intent to cure certain types of blood cancers. However, the technology is still unavailable in India.
- CAR T cell therapy is used as third or second-line treatment for patients of specific types of cancers of blood and lymph nodes.
- T cells are a part of the immune system that focuses on specific foreign particles. Rather than generically attack any antigens, T cells circulate until they encounter their specific antigen.
(Source: HT)
