Advertisement
Chinese scientists develop low-cost cell therapy for cancer, asthma, autoimmune diseases
Team of Chinese medical experts says they can produce anticancer cells directly inside the human body using gene therapy tools
Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
2
Dannie Pengin Beijing
Chinese researchers have come up with a cheaper and easier way of delivering a highly specialised, personalised cell therapy to treat blood cancers and other serious diseases.
This new method is much easier to programme than the conventional approach and is available at a fraction of the cost, according to experts in the field.
The treatment, known as CAR-T, is a type of immunotherapy that has taken off in recent years and has also shown promise in treating other conditions such as asthma and autoimmune diseases. However, these cell therapies are difficult to produce and deliver to patients, and they are expensive.
Advertisement
A group of Chinese medical experts has now proposed a solution to these drawbacks, using gene therapy tools. They reported that they had managed to produce anticancer cells directly inside the human body and, for the first time, had used them to treat four patients with multiple myeloma – the second most common form of blood cancer.
Currently, the cost of a single treatment is estimated to exceed one million yuan (US$139,200).
Advertisement
The study, led by researchers from the Institute of Haematology at Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, was published in the peer-reviewed journal The Lancet earlier this month.
Advertisement
Select Voice
Choose your listening speed
Get through articles 2x faster
1.25x
250 WPM
Slow
Average
Fast
1.25x