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A medical workforce has spearheaded the usage of CAR-T cell remedy for blood cancers. The researchers not too long ago handled the primary myeloma affected person with this remedy, leading to an excellent response with out extreme issues. The growth of this revolutionary therapy to myeloma sufferers gives new hope for individuals who haven’t responded to conventional therapy, marking a major milestone in advancing well being care in Hong Kong.
Importantly, the therapy for these sufferers represents the primary time superior CAR-T mobile remedy manufactured within the mainland has been utilized in Hong Kong, opening new potentialities for the usage of novel superior mobile therapies from the mainland in Hong Kong and probably benefiting a broader vary of sufferers sooner or later.
Myeloma is a cancerous dysfunction of plasma cells that happens primarily in sufferers of their forties and fifties, although youthful sufferers are additionally in danger. The illness causes anemia, bone destruction and kidney harm, finally leading to demise.
The present commonplace of take care of myeloma includes the usage of frontline goal brokers, sometimes together with chemotherapy, adopted by autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Nonetheless, many sufferers nonetheless expertise a illness relapse. For individuals who relapse or fail to answer frontline therapy, choices are restricted, with solely short-lived advantages from bispecific antibodies and different focused medication. For sufferers who relapse and don’t reply to conventional therapies, the illness usually turns into terminal.
CAR-T cells remedy is an revolutionary method to assist sufferers struggle cancers with their very own immune system. CAR-T cells are genetically engineered T-lymphocytes that categorical a chimeric antigen receptor focusing on a particular antigen on most cancers cells. In commonplace CAR-T cell remedy, these T-lymphocytes are derived from the affected person (therefore, autologous) and are actually out there for treating blood cancers, together with leukemia, lymphomas and myeloma.
Queen Mary Hospital was the primary hospital in Hong Kong to supply CAR-T cell remedy in 2021. The medical workforce has efficiently carried out CAR-T remedy on over 60 sufferers with numerous blood cancers, representing the biggest cohort of CAR-T cell-treated sufferers in Hong Kong.
Analysis strategies and findings
The CAR-T cells used for myeloma goal an antigen referred to as B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA). The analysis workforce makes use of BCMA CAR-T cells produced from a producer within the mainland. This product has been in use since 2020 and obtained approval from the Nationwide Medical Merchandise Administration in 2023. That is the primary time this product has been used exterior the mainland.
Significance of the therapy
“Currently, Queen Mary Hospital is the only hospital in Hong Kong offering CAR-T cell immunotherapy for myeloma. The existing pilot CAR-T cell therapy program aims to treat five to ten myeloma patients annually,” stated Professor Kwong Yok-lam, Chair Professor of the Division of Medication, Faculty of Medical Medication, HKUMed.
Professor Eric Tse Wai-choi, Affiliate Dean (Analysis) of the School and Medical Professor in the identical Division, added, “BCMA CAR-T cell therapy will have a significant impact on myeloma management in Hong Kong, as it represents one of the most effective salvage strategies for myeloma. It can provide a life-saving option for patients who do not respond to standard therapy or experience a relapse after autologous bone marrow transplantation.”
The usage of BCMA CAR-T cell remedy in these sufferers marks the primary utility of superior medical know-how from the mainland in Hong Kong. It exemplifies how state-of-the-art therapeutic merchandise and know-how developed within the mainland can profit sufferers in Hong Kong and paves the way in which for accessing extra revolutionary therapy methods from the mainland to be used in Hong Kong.
Offered by
The College of Hong Kong
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Profitable CAR-T cell remedy for end-stage a number of myeloma utilizing superior mobile product carried out in Hong Kong (2025, March 27)
retrieved 27 March 2025
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