The Brazilian Ministry of Health has authorized a release of R$ 100 million to fund a clinical study of CAR T Cell therapy, an innovative technique for treating blood cancer. The therapy, which uses the patient’s own defense cells modified in a laboratory, will be led by the Ribeirão Preto Hematology Foundation of the University of São Paulo, in partnership with the Butantan Institute in São Paulo.
Exploring New Frontiers in Cancer Treatment
This groundbreaking therapy has already been applied to 20 patients, with 14 displaying positive results. The study, also supported by Fapesp and CNPq, will begin recruiting patients in January or February of the following year, and participants will be monitored for 24 months. The goal is to include 81 patients with acute B-cell lymphoid leukemia and non-Hodgkin B-cell lymphoma, who have not responded to conventional treatments.
Impact on Public Health System
Should the therapy receive approval and registration by Anvisa, it could be made available in the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS). However, the technique is not currently effective for other types of solid cancer. The investment in this study indicates the promise that CAR T Cell therapy holds and its potential impact on the future of cancer treatment.
Global Advances in Cancer Treatment
Meanwhile, global advances in cancer treatment continue. Israeli biotech startup Nectin Therapeutics is expanding its clinical trial for a cancer treatment that blocks the protein PVR, associated with resistance to immunotherapies. In the United States, the FDA has approved the use of the drug capivasertib in combination with fulvestrant for HR positive HER2 negative breast cancer patients. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center has also made significant advances, including pioneering new treatments for multiple types of cancer and contributing to the development and FDA approval of seven new drugs.