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Mahesh

02/11/23 09:30 AM IST

India’s own CAR-T cell therapy

In News
  • The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) this month granted market authorisation for NexCAR19, India’s first indigenously-developed CAR-T cell therapy, to ImmunoACT, a company incubated by IIT Bombay.
CAR-T cell therapy
  • CAR-T is a revolutionary therapy that modifies immune cells, specifically T-cells, by turning them into potent cancer fighters known as CAR-T cells.
  • T-cells are special cells (white blood cells that find and fight illness and infection) whose primary function is cytotoxic, meaning it can kill other cells. In CAR-T therapy, we genetically modify them into cancer-fighting cells.
  • These supercharged cells are then put back into the body, and they go after cancer cells — especially in blood cancers like leukaemia and lymphomas.
  • While chemotherapy and immunotherapy may add a few months or years to a cancer patient’s life, cell-and-gene therapy is designed to cure and provide lifelong benefit.
  • It makes treatment easier with a one-time therapy [unlike several sessions of chemotherapy] that can be truly transformative [for a patient]. It’s a lifeline for non-responsive cancer patients.
NexCar19
  • NexCar19 is a type of CAR-T and gene therapy developed indigenously in India by ImmunoACT, which is a company incubated at IIT Bombay.
  • Our therapy is designed to target cancer cells that carry the CD19 protein.
  • This protein acts like a flag on cancer cells, which allows CAR-T cells to recognise and attach themselves to the cancer cells and start the process of elimination.
  • Even some developed nations don’t have their own CAR-T therapies; they import them from the United States or Europe.
  • India is now one of the first developing countries to have its indigenous CAR-T and gene therapy platform.
Who can get benefit from NexCar19 therapy?
  • The therapy is for people with B-cell lymphomas who didn’t respond to standard treatments like chemotherapy, leading to relapse or recurrence of the cancer.
  • The patient’s journey starts with a doctor’s prescription at the clinic, followed by donation of blood by the patient at a transfusion centre.
  • The blood goes to the lab, where the T-cells are genetically modified.
  • In a week to 10 days, these cells return to the clinic for patient reinfusion.
  • Essentially, patients only need to give a blood sample at their clinic, and come back in 7-10 days for reinfusion.
  • Recovery typically occurs within two weeks after one cycle of the treatment.
  • In our data, approximately 70% of patients respond to the treatment, with variations between leukaemia and lymphoma cases.
  • About 50% of these responsive patients achieve a complete response.
Cost pf the therapy
  • Currently, we are looking at a price range of Rs 30-40 lakh for CAR-T therapy, which we intend to hold. Even at this cost, it may not be accessible to everyone.
  • Our ultimate goal is to bring the cost down to Rs 10-20 lakh.
  • As technology matures and manufacturing processes improve, we anticipate that the cost will decrease.
Source- Indian Express

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