CAR T cell therapy given to patients found 88 per cent positive.
A domestically developed immunotherapy has shown positive results in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, a serious and generally incurable blood disease, according to Shanghai Ruijin Hospital.
The disease is often found among people over 45 years old, and cases are increasing with the expansion of China’s elderly population.
The treatment uses chimeric antigen receptor modified T (CAR T) cell therapy, a new immunotherapy which has been used against acute lymphoblastic leukemia and malignant lymphoma.
To study CAR T therapy on multiple myeloma patients, Ruijin Hospital teamed up with another three hospitals to launch a phase-I clinical trial using CAR T products developed by Nanjing Legend Biotech. Among 17 patients, 88 per cent showed positive responses to the therapy. Two patients’ bone marrow have also regained proper function.
Ma Ying, a patient in the trial, said her disease is now under control. “I had thought of giving up treatment as all chemotherapy and other treatments failed after I suffered a relapse and my life quality was so poor since 2015,” she said. “I received CAR T therapy in 2017 and now all my blood data are normal. I can take care of myself and do proper exercises now.”
In light of phase-I results, the China State Food and Drug Administration approved a phase-II trial, which has been led by Ruijin Hospital since March. [APBN]
Source: Shanghai Daily