What is CAR-T cell therapy? The CAR-T cell therapy is a type | Health & Doctor

What is CAR-T cell therapy?

The CAR-T cell therapy is a type of immunotherapy that involves genetically engineering a patient's T cells to attack cancer cells. T cells are a type of white blood cells that help the body fight infection.
In CAR-T cell therapy, T cells are taken from the patient and modified in the laboratory to express a special protein called a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR). It is then reinfused in the patient as this CAR protein helps the T cells recognise and fight the cancer cells.

India's indigenous CAR-T cell therapy

In October 2023, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), India's drug regulator, approved the commercial use of NexCAR19, the first indigenously developed CAR-T cell therapy.

NexCAR19 is developed by ImmunoACT, a company incubated at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB) and Tata Memorial Hospital.
It is designed to treat B-cell cancers, such as leukaemia and lymphoma.
The therapy is now available in over 30 hospitals in more than 10 cities in India. Patients aged above 15, who are suffering from B-cell cancers are eligible for treatment.

@Health