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Cartwheels for CAR T-Cell Therapy ?
Chimeric antigen receptor ( CAR ) T-cell therapy is a revolutionary approach to targeted immunotherapy to treat cancer , and the details can seem like the stuff of science fiction : A patient ’ s T cells are harvested , re-engineered to become targeted “ cancer killers ,” and infused back into the patient ’ s body to proliferate and eradicate cancer cells . In some cases , these T cells have even been shown to minimize the risk of relapse . 1 , 2
“ This is the one tool I have where I know that , even if a patient has 90 percent bone marrow blasts and has not responded to any kind of chemotherapy ,
I still have an 80 to 90 percent chance of putting the cancer into remission ,” Stephan A . Grupp , MD , PhD , director of the Cancer Immunotherapy Frontier Program and director of Translational Research for the Center for Childhood Cancer Research at Children ’ s Hospital of Philadelphia ( CHOP ), told ASH Clinical News . “ There is nothing like that out there .”
The excitement about bringing CAR T-cell therapy into the real world , though , is hampered by unanswered questions about side effects , indications , treatment delivery , relapse , and manufacturing .
Several CAR T-cell therapies are expected to begin the process of securing U . S . Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) approval this year . ASH Clinical News spoke with Dr . Grupp and others to better understand the excitement , and limitation , of using these novel therapies .
What Are CARs ?
The immune system plays a pivotal role in preventing tumor initiation and progression . However , T cells have a limited repertoire against any specific tumor , and cancer cells often evade immune detection and elimination .
ASHClinicalNews . org ASH Clinical News
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