Abu Dhabi Stem Cells Centre successfully manufactures UAE’s first CAR-T Cell to treat 11-year old leukemia patient

WAM
Abu Dhabi Stem Cells Center (ADSCC), a PureHealth subsidiary and the largest healthcare platform in the Middle East, has successfully manufactured the UAE’s first CAR-T cells to treat an 11-year-old boy with leukemia. Engineered CAR-T cells therapies are recognized as a breakthrough in blood cancer treatment.

 

The child, Murad, was diagnosed with leukemia more than five years ago and went into remission, but unfortunately, the leukemia returned approximately six months ago. Murad underwent chemotherapy, as per standard protocols for his case, but did not respond to that treatment. At that point, CAR-T cell therapy was the only treatment option available for him.

 

The procedure involved manufacturing the cellular product (CAR-T), which relies on the use of immune cells from the patient, at ADSCC’s Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) laboratories – one of very few laboratories in the Middle East. The treatment took five weeks, during which Murad was admitted at ADSCC, the only accredited Centre of Excellence in Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in Abu Dhabi. Physicians withdrew the cells from the patient and genetically modified his immune cells in the laboratory to fight the cancer cells after intravenously injecting them into the patient.

Subscription

Never miss any story with active notifications

Infographic