What is CAR-T cell therapy?

CAR-T is a type of immunotherapy which involves collecting and using your own immune cells to treat the cancer. The CAR in CAR-T stands for chimeric antigen receptor, and the T stands for T cell. 

What can CAR-T cell therapy treat?

CAR-T cell therapy can be used to treat certain blood cancers, including relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma (r/r FL).

How does CAR-T cell therapy work?

CAR-T cell therapy involves genetically modifying your T cells in the laboratory. The CAR gene, which codes for a receptor that helps T cells attach to a specific cell antigen, is added to the T cells. The CAR-T cells are then infused back into your body to target the cancer cells.

What should I expect with the CAR-T cell therapy process?

1. Your T cells will be collected via blood through a process called leukapheresis, where your white blood cells are removed from your blood. This process typically takes 3 to 6 hours

2. The T cells will be reprogrammed into CAR-T cells at a specialized manufacturing facility. The process usually takes 3 to 4 weeks, but timing and manufacturing outcomes can vary

3. Once your treatment team decides you are ready, you will receive your CAR-T cells through a single infusion that takes less than 30 minutes. Before your infusion, your doctor will decide if you need a short course of chemotherapy to help prepare your body for CAR-T cells

How does CAR-T cell therapy differ from traditional therapies?

Unlike traditional chemotherapy or allogenic stem cell transplant, CAR-T is a type of immunotherapy, called CAR-T cell therapy or chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy. CAR-T is made up of your own T cells that have been reprogrammed to better detect and destroy cancerous (and normal) B cells in the body.