Dignitaries at the press conference held for the launch of CAR-T therapy at Kauvery Hospital on Thursday.
| Photo Credit: R. RAGU
Kauvery Hospital, Alwarpet, has introduced Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy for cancer treatment.
CAR-T therapy is primarily used to treat conditions such as acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, especially in those who have not responded to standard treatments. The advanced immunotherapy for specific types of blood cancer is available at only a few centres in India.
At a press conference on Thursday, doctors said CAR-T therapy involved modifying a patient’s own immune cells (T-cells) to better recognise and attack cancer cells. Once reengineered in a lab, the cells are infused back into the patient, where they target and destroy cancer cells, offering a more personalised and targeted treatment option.
According to the Indian Council of Medical Research, India sees over 1.4 million new cancer cases annually, with blood cancers forming a significant proportion. CAR-T therapy is emerging as a vital option when chemotherapy and bone marrow transplants fail.
Anitha Ramesh, consultant, medical oncologist at the hospital, said CAR-T therapy would have to be done only for patients for whom chemotherapy had not worked. The patient’s blood will be collected and sent to ImmunoACT, a biomedical research facility in Mumbai, where the T-cells will be genetically engineered. After 19 days, the modified cells will be returned and infused back into the patient, she said.
Hasmukh Jain, professor, medical oncologist, Tata Memorial Centre; Shirish Arya, CEO, ImmunoACT; A. N. Vaidhyswaran, director of radiation oncology, Kauvery Hospital, Alwarpet, Suresh Kumar, consultant, medical oncologist; and Arshad Raja, consultant oncologist, were present.
Published – May 15, 2025 08:51 pm IST
