Indian-made gene therapy for blood cancer shows 73% response rate in clinical trials

HOPES OF ANOTHER CHANCE TO LIVE

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An indigenously developed gene therapy for specific blood cancers has shown a 73 per cent response rate among patients in India, according to results of clinical trials published in The Lancet Haematology journal.

Known as 'CAR T-cell therapy, the treatment involves modifying genes in one's T-cells — a type of immune cells — to help fight cancer. The study looked at patients with leukaemia, which occurs in bone marrow, and lymphoma, which affects the lymphatic system.

Researchers, including those from the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay and Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, said in low and middle-income countries, patients in whom 'B-cell' tumours continue to grow following a period of remission (relapse), or do not respond to treatment (refractory), suffer from poor outcomes due to an absence of effective therapies.

A type of white blood cell, B-cells are crucial to one's immune system as they produce antibodies to fight infections.

"The clinical trials of India's first gene therapy for cancer offer hopes of another chance to live among these patients, that there is one more drug that doctors can try," lead author Rahul Purwar, professor at IIT-Bombay and founder of ImmunoACT, said.