CAR-T CELL THERAPY (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Sci and Tech)

Context: Recently, Mumbai-based Immunoadoptive Cell Therapy Private Limited (ImmunoACT) celebrated the approval of India's first chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) for treating relapsed-refractory B-cell lymphoma and leukemia.

CART-T Cell Therapy

• About: CAR-T therapy represents an innovative and highly intricate form of immune therapy. It reprograms the patient's immune system to combat cancer.
• Referred to as 'the living drug,' CAR-T cells actively seek out and target cancerous cells, effectively distinguishing them from healthy ones.
• This approach utilizes T-cells, a type of immune cell harvested from patients' blood. These T-cells are genetically modified to recognize specific surface proteins present in cancer cells.
• India's inaugural domestically developed Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy is NexCAR19. 
• It is designed to target relapsed-refractory B-cell lymphoma and leukemia, signifying a notable advancement in cancer treatment.

B-cell lymphoma

• It refers to a group of cancers that affect your immune system. 
• It frequently affects your lymphatic system, which is a network of lymph nodes, lymph vessels and tissues that move fluid around your body.

Leukemia

• Leukemia is a form of cancer affecting the blood and bone marrow, responsible for blood cell production.
• Individuals with leukemia experience an irregular generation of blood cells.
• White blood cells undergo various stages of maturation during their lifespan.