New Trial Results Bring Hope to Kiwis Battling ‘Incurable’ Blood Cancer

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New Zealand is undergoing research into a new cancer treatment using a patient’s own immune cells. The trial involved 21 patients with B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma who had already exhausted conventional treatments.

The patients’ immune cells were genetically modified to create CAR T-cells. Preliminary results showed that around half of the patients had no signs of the disease three months after receiving the treatment. The trial, led by the Malaghan Institute in partnership with Wellington Zhaotai Therapies Ltd, began in 2019 and treated patients at Whatu Ora Capital and Coast and Hutt Valley.

Clinical director Dr. Rob Weinkove said that none of the patients developed dangerous side-effects common in commercial CAR T-cell therapies. The trial demonstrates that New Zealand can conduct cutting-edge trials and develop high-tech manufacturing, demonstrating the potential for delivering new cancer treatments like CAR T-cell therapy in hospitals.

CAR T-cell therapy involves separating a patient’s immune cells from their blood and modifying them with a new genetic sequence. The T-cells then create surface receptors called CARs, allowing them to identify and attack the cancer. The Malaghan Institute’s CAR T-cells have an additional modification that has made them safer. The ENABLE trial’s phase 1 CAR T data, to be presented at ASH, is a step forward for treating CD19-expressing lymphomas.

Dr. Weinkove and his team at the Malaghan Institute and BioOra have shown efficacy comparable to commercial CAR T, but the safety signal appears superior. The trial was funded by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, Thompson Family Foundation, private donors, Leukaemia & Blood Cancer New Zealand, and Life Blood. The Malaghan Institute’s CAR T-cell research program is supported by Freemasons NZ and the Health Research Council of New Zealand.