Context

• President Draupadi Murmu launched the indigenously developed CAR T-cell therapy for cancer treatment at an event held at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay.
• This gene-based therapy developed by IIT Bombay and Tata Memorial Center will help in curing various types of cancer.

Key Points

• According to a study published in The Lancet Regional Health South East Asia journal, India recorded nearly 12 lakh new cancer cases and 9.3 lakh deaths in 2019.
• India has the second highest burden of the disease in Asia.
• One of the main reasons for high mortality from cancer is the lack of timely diagnosis and treatment.
• It is noteworthy that in most of the people in the country, cancer is diagnosed in the last stages, from where it becomes very difficult to treat and save the life of the patient.
• In such a situation, this therapy can play a very important role in the diagnosis of cancer.
• NexCAR19 CAR T-cell therapy is India's first 'Made in India' CAR T-cell therapy.
• Through this, the cost of cancer treatment is expected to reduce significantly.

About CAR-T Cell Therapy

• CAR-T cell therapy or chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy is a form of immunotherapy and gene therapy.
• Also known as chimeric antigen T-cell therapy, is a type of immunotherapy that uses the patient's own immune system to fight cancer.
• It has been launched for leukemia (cancer arising from the islets producing white blood cells) and cancer arising from the lymphatic system.

Process

• Combining T group Cells
• Genetic engineering

Potential Risk

• CAR-T therapy can cause serious side effects, including cytokine release syndrome (widespread activation of the immune system and collateral damage to normal body cells) and neurological symptoms (severe confusion, seizures).