Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell Therapy-Sanskriti IAS

The 4^th June, 2021 was a historic day for Tata Memorial Hospital, IIT Bombay team and cancer care in India as the first CAR-T cell therapy (a type of gene therapy) was done. The CAR-T cells were designed and manufactured at Bioscience and Bioengineering (BSBE) department of IIT Bombay.
The Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy has emerged as a breakthrough in cancer treatment. Clinical trials conducted globally have shown promising results in end stage patients, especially in patients suffering from Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia.
Till now this technology was not available in India. CAR-T cell therapy costs 3-4 crore (INR). The manufacturing complexity is a major reason for the therapy cost. In order to promote and support development of CAR-T cell technology against cancer and other diseases, BIRAC and DBT have taken initiatives.
The CAR-T cells were devloped with support from Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Councilthrough National Biopharma Mission. BIRAC is a not-for-profit Section 8, Schedule B, Public Sector Enterprise, set up by Department of Biotechnology.

Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell Therapy