New Hope from Car-T Cell Therapy

CAR-T therapy offers hope to patients with relapsed, drug-resistant NHL and ALL. CAR-T cells produced in Vietnam are of high quality, at lower costs than international standards.

Cancer cell therapy and gene editing

The international conference on breakthroughs in cell therapy and gene editing for cancer, metabolic and genetic diseases was organized by Vinmec Research Institute of Stem Cell and Gene Technology (VRISG), Vinmec Hospital today, October 31, at VinUni University, Hanoi.

Cell therapy is being researched and applied by domestic scientists and clinicians in the treatment of cancer and some rare diseases and autoimmune diseases.

At the conference, VRISG scientists and leading domestic and international experts in the field of biomedicine from the US, Europe, Japan, Italy... presented reports and discussed the latest research and applications: Car-T cell therapy and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in the treatment of cancer, autoimmune diseases, gene therapy and gene editing, stem cell therapy and secretions... Experts updated and exchanged professional knowledge in the field of cell and gene therapy.

Professor Nguyen Thanh Liem informs about the initial results of treating lymphoma and acute leukemia with Car-T therapy.

Providing the latest update on the results of treating lymphoma and acute leukemia with Car-T therapy at Vinmec Hospital, Professor Nguyen Thanh Liem, Director of VRISG, said that Car-T cell therapy is a potential treatment method for patients with relapsed or drug-resistant non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and acute leukemia (ALL).

This is the first phase 1 clinical trial in Vietnam to study the safety and initial efficacy of Car-T cell therapy in the treatment of relapsed or drug-resistant ALL (leukemia, a common cancer in children - PV) and NHL (lymphoma - PV). The study has been conducted from August 2023 to present.

Over the past year, 8 ALL patients and 7 NHL patients have been treated with Car-T cells. The follow-up period ranged from 1 to 10 months. 5/6 NHL patients (1 patient awaiting evaluation) and 7/7 ALL patients (1 patient awaiting evaluation) achieved complete remission after Car-T cell infusion.

During follow-up, 5 NHL and 4 ALL patients maintained complete remission, and 1 NHL and 3 ALL patients relapsed.

According to Professor Liem, the quality of Car-T cells produced is comparable to other countries, with a shorter time (8 days compared to 12 days), thereby helping to reduce treatment costs and meet treatment needs. "We can produce Car-T cell products at a reasonable price. Initial results show that Car-T treatment is relatively safe and offers hope in the treatment of relapsed or drug-resistant NHL and ALL," Professor Liem assessed.

Initial results show that this therapy opens up opportunities for patients with late-stage cancer and drug-resistant cancer.

According to the research team, in Vietnam, one of the difficulties in accessing this method is that the cost is still high compared to the affordability of many people, although the price is much lower than in other countries that have applied it. Currently, the cost of Car-T for a patient is about 80,000 USD; the cost of treatment is about 60,000 USD. The total cost is about 140,000 USD. This cost is only about 1/5 compared to other countries.

According to scientists, Car-T cells have the ability to attack cancer cells. Car-T cells are considered a major advance in cancer treatment and bring hope to many cancer patients, especially those who do not respond to conventional regimens.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ung-thu-tai-phat-khang-thuoc-hy-vong-moi-tu-lieu-phap-te-bao-car-t-185241031131308433.htm