May 2022 : The CAR T-cell Therapy Center at Samsung Medical Center is the only facility in all of Korea that offers this type of treatment. Eleven patients in Korea who were diagnosed with refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma have successfully undergone the procedure for the first time, and approximately 20 patients are currently in line to receive treatment before the end of the year.
CAR T-cell therapy, developed by Novartis and marketed under the brand name Kymriah, is currently being provided by the CAR T-cell Therapy Center to patients under the age of 25 who suffer from B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia or diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. In addition, patients who have refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma are the focus of clinical trials being conducted for CRCO1, which was developed by a company based in Korea called Curocell. In addition, because Korea is widely recognised as the CAR T-cell Therapy hub in the world, clinical trials for the CAR T-cell therapy developed by Janssen are also currently being conducted for patients who have relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma.
Before beginning treatment, patients undergoing CAR T-cell therapy are required to coordinate their efforts with a number of different hospital departments. To be more specific, a large number of specialists in fields that are closely related to infectious disease, neurology, cardiology, and intensive care are involved in the comprehensive management that takes place after treatment.
The CAR T-cell therapy centre is currently participating in the “Research-oriented Hospital R&D Project” by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and it is expected to become a cell therapy centre that leads high-level cell therapy and patient-specific treatment for haematological oncology patients. The project was initiated by the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
CAR-T is a technique that enables T cells, which are common immune cells in the blood, to target cancer cells after they have been detected. After removing T-cells from patients, amplifying T cells containing genes, and injecting them into patients’ bodies, CAR-T handles them by adding unique Vehicles.
On November 16, ViroMed, a Korean firm, announced a plan to develop a CAR-T drug. CAR gene optimization technology, vector production technology, and ex vivo technology for gene transfer and cell proliferation are all available to the business for the development of CAR-T drugs. After selling “VM801,” ViroMed’s own CAR-T technology, to US Bluebird Bio for 56.8 billion won in December 2015, the company plans to produce three CAR-T products.
In addition, AbClon is developing a blood cancer treatment based on technology developed by a research team led by professor Jung Jun-ho of Seoul National University in February, which is safer than current CAR-T drugs. The team’s technology is known to distinguish itself from current drugs by greatly reducing cytokine release syndrome (CRS), a detrimental side effect of CAR-T drugs that can cause hypotension, fever, and even death in patients.
To top it off, Green Cross Cell, a subsidiary of Green Cross, is screening and validating CAR-T drug candidates for solid cancer treatment. The company intends to conduct research in order to begin a pre-clinical trial next year. Since naming Son Ji-woong as head of the Life Science Business Division in February, LG Chem is said to have been contemplating the implementation of technology related to CAR-T drugs, with the production of diabetes drugs and immunological anti-cancer drugs being the company’s key R&D mission.
Curocell, a South Korean biotech startup that pioneered CAR-T cell therapy, is planning to launch a clinical trial of a novel CAR-T cell therapy that targets both blood cancer and solid tumours.
Curocell recently submitted an IND application for a clinical trial of its CAR-T cell therapy in Korea, and the company’s chief executive Kim Gun-soo told Maeil Business Newspaper that the Ministry of Food and Drug Protection is expected to approve it this month.
Curocell has already formed a strategic alliance with Samsung Medical Center to kick-start the trial as soon as it is approved, according to Kim, who hopes to get the groundbreaking cancer therapy to Korean patients as soon as possible.
CAR-T is an immunotherapy that is programmed to identify and destroy cancer cells. T cells from a single patient are genetically engineered in a lab to produce cancer-specific chimeric antigen receptors in order to create this treatment. After that, the cancer-fighting cells are re-infused into the patient’s body.
CAR-T cell therapy has been shown to be more successful than any other cancer treatment currently available. According to Kim, despite failing other therapies, 82 percent of acute leukaemia patients and 32-36 percent of lymphoma patients became cancer-free with a single CAR-T cell infusion.
However, CART’s high efficiency results are limited to the treatment of blood cancer cells and cannot be replicated for solid tumours due to the immune checkpoint receptor (PD-1) found in solid cancer patients’ immune cells, which inhibits immune cell activity.
The immune checkpoint receptor serves as a brake on immune cells’ ability to function. When immune checkpoint receptors like PD-1 are overexpressed, immune cells’ ability to remove cancer cells decreases, making tumour removal more difficult.
Curocell’s OVIS (Overcome Immune Suppression) technology overcomes this restriction, allowing CAR-T cell therapy to be used to treat solid tumours. OVIS is a genetic engineering technology that uses genetic modification of immune cells to suppress immune checkpoint receptor RNA (ribonucleic acid). A new CAR-T cell therapy implemented with this technology was more successful than a current CAR-T treatment in an animal model, according to Kim.
Except for Curocell’s therapy, none of the CAR-T cell therapies that are currently available or in clinical trials will target both blood cancer and solid tumours, according to Curocell.
New advanced drugs, such as CAR-T (chimeric antigen receptor T-cell), are life-changing medications for people who have exhausted their possible treatment options. These cutting-edge treatments are provided in non-traditional ways, including long, complicated, and highly organised series of activities inside the healthcare provider’s facilities. Providers will benefit from these treatments in a variety of ways, from enhancing their reputation as cutting-edge organisations to providing high-profit-generating programmes. However, delivering these latest advanced treatments poses significant financial and operating challenges if not carefully assessed and prepared.
CAR T-Cell therapy is a form of immunotherapy that uses specially modified T-cells which are part of our immune system to fight cancer. A sample of patients T cells are collected from the blood, then it is modified to produce special structures called chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) on their surface. When these modified CAR cells are re infused in the patient, these new cells attack the specific antigen and kills the tumor cells.
CAR T-cell therapy takes help from body’s own immune system to attack and kill cancer cells. This is done by removing some specified cells from the blood of the patient, modifying them in the lab and re-injecting them into the patient. CAR T-cell therapy has produced very encouraging results in Non-Hodgkin lymphoma and thus approved by FDA.
At present FDA has approved CAR T-Cell therapy for some forms of aggressive and refractory Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Myeloma and relapsed and refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Patient need to send full medical reports to ascertain the use of CAR T-Cell therapy for his treatment.
1. Patients with CD19+ B-cell Lymphoma(At least 2 prior combination chemotherapy regimens)
2. To be aged 3 to 75 years
3. ECOG score ≤2
4. Women of childbearing potential must have a urine pregnancy test taken and proven negative prior to the treatment. All patients agree to use reliable methods of contraception during the trial period and until follow-up for the last time.
1. Intracranial hypertension or unconsciousness
2. Respiratory failure
3. Disseminated intravascular coagulation
4. Hematosepsis or Uncontrolled active infection
5. Uncontrolled diabetes
1. Examination & test: one week
2. Pre-treatment & T-Cell Collection: one week
3. T-Cell preparation & return: two-three weeks
4. 1st Effectiveness analysis: three weeks
5. 2nd Effectiveness analysis: three weeks
At present CAR T Cell therapy in Singapore has been tried at clinical trials level and there is still time for FDA approval to these sites. We all hope that it is under the affordability of most the patients who suffers from these deadly diseases.
Also read this : CAR T Cell therapy in India
The common side effects of CAR T-cell therapy include:
CAR T-cell therapy for the treatment of lymphoma and other blood cancers has shown promising outcomes. Since CAR T-cell treatment, many patients who had previously relapsed blood tumours had promising results and no evidence of cancer. It has also aided in the rehabilitation of patients who have previously failed to respond to most traditional cancer therapies.
However, longer-term studies for a larger patient population are needed to validate the efficacy of this treatment. Large-scale experiments would also aid in determining the likelihood of side effects and the right ways to deal with them.
Also read this: CAR T Cell therapy for solid cancers