CAR-T cell therapy has become a game-changer in the way cancer is treated, and Singapore is very excited about this new therapy. Singapore has made a lot of progress in adopting CAR-T cell therapy through clinical trials, partnerships, and regulatory support. This has helped patients and contributed to improvements in cancer care. Singapore is still at the top of CAR-T cell therapy, because they keep doing research and have a good healthcare system. CAR T-Cell therapy in Singapore has gained pace giving cancer patients and their families hope.
With number of clinical trials happening at National University Hospital, Singapore, Chimeric Agent Receptor (CAR) T-Cell therapy is developing at a very fast pace in Singapore. Oscar Saxelby-Lee suffers from acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, a disease that has resisted all treatments. The five-year-old from the United Kingdom is in Singapore for a procedure that has never been given to one other infant on the planet. The boy flew in from Worcester, England, for a new type of therapy that involves drawing immune cells from a patient’s blood and implanting them with a Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR-T).
Image: CAR T-Cell therapy trials conducted at National University Hospital, Singapore
Singapore Health Sciences Authority (HSA) has approved Kymriah (tisagenlecleucel) as the first commercial chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy in Singapore under the new cell, tissue and gene therapy products (CTGTP) regulatory framework. HSA approved Kymriah for the treatment of pediatric and young adult patients from 2 to 25 years of age with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) that is refractory, in relapse post-transplant or in second or later relapse; and for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory (r/r) diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) after two or more lines of systemic therapy.
The receptor binds to a certain protein on cancer cells, causing CAR-T cells to activate and destroy the cancer cells. Since the leukaemia cells mimic Oscar’s immune system, this form of CAR-T therapy is unique and more complex, according to Associate Professor Allen Yeoh, head of paediatric oncology at the National University Hospital (NUH). Oscar will be the world’s second human to undergo this procedure. The first child was treated at NUH just a few year back.
CAR-T cell therapy is a new type of medicine that has changed the way people all over the world treat cancer. Singapore, which is known for its high-tech healthcare system and research infrastructure, was one of the first places to accept and use CAR-T cell therapy. In this piece, we’ll talk about where CAR-T cell therapy is right now in Singapore and how it affects cancer patients.
Singapore has medical facilities and study centres that are among the best in the world. These places have been very important to the progress of CAR-T cell therapy. Institutions like the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS), the National University Cancer Institute Singapore (NCIS), and the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) have been heavily involved in clinical trials, research studies, and giving CAR-T cell therapy to patients.
Through different clinical studies, CAR-T cell therapy has made a lot of progress in Singapore. Different kinds of cancer, like leukaemia, lymphoma, and solid tumours, have been the focus of these studies. The results have been encouraging, showing a high rate of response and longer times of remission. The good results have made it possible for regulators to approve CAR-T cell treatment, which means it can now be used in clinical practise.
CAR-T cell treatment will be widely used only if it is easy to get and doesn’t cost too much. Singapore has taken steps to make sure that people can get this new treatment. Together with health care institutions, the Ministry of Health has worked on creating guidelines and reimbursement systems to make it easier for patients to get CAR-T cell therapy.
Singapore’s healthcare ecosystem puts a lot of emphasis on collaboration between healthcare workers, academics, and businesses. Singapore has been able to take part in international CAR-T cell therapy studies thanks to partnerships with the world’s top biopharmaceutical companies. These kinds of agreements have sped up research, made treatments more effective, and given more people access to cutting-edge therapies.
CAR-T cell treatment in Singapore looks like it will have a bright future. Ongoing study is focused on making CAR-T cell therapy more effective and safe, reducing the side effects of treatment, and finding ways to use it for a wider range of cancers. Singapore is a centre for CAR-T cell therapy innovation because it is committed to research and development and has a good legal environment.
