Personalised place-of-care manufactured immune cells for blood cancer
$1,199,961
Coordinating Principal Investigator: Associate Professor Agnes Yong
Principal Investigators: Associate Professor Zlatibor Velickovic, Dr Benedict Carnley, Dr Melita Cirillo, Dr Collin Chin, Professor Michael Leahy
Associate Investigators: Associate Professor Hasib Sidiqi, Dr Bradley Augustson, Dr Sung-kai Chiu
Every year, 2,500 Australians are diagnosed with Myeloma, an incurable cancer. While patients undergo multiple rounds of chemoimmunotherapy and radiotherapy to control their symptoms most myeloma patients survive less than six years from their diagnosis.
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cells which target B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) proteins on myeloma cells are a new and highly effective treatment for myeloma which has relapsed. BCMA-CAR T-cells offer hope to patients who have exhausted all other treatment options.
Although BCMA-CAR T-cells have shown remarkable effectiveness in treating relapsed myeloma, with over 80% of patients achieving remission, the high cost (currently US $465,000 or AUD 711,450 per patient) limits its future availability in Australia.
This project seeks to help Western Australian patients access life-saving treatment by testing the safety and effectiveness of patient-specific BCMA-CAR T-cells manufactured at place-of-care (POC) at Royal Perth Hospital (RPH).
CAR T-cell therapy represents a personalised cellular immunotherapy approach, where a patient's own T-cells are genetically engineered to target and eliminate cancer cells.
By developing POC-manufactured BCMA-CAR T-cells, more Australian patients will have access to this highly specific and effective personalised treatment while reducing costs and waiting times.
This innovative treatment helps improve patients’ quality of life and increase their lifespan without needing additional treatment. The research team will provide 15 patients with relapsed myeloma at Royal Perth Hospital (RPH) with WA’s first POC-manufactured BCMA-CAR T-cells. The project will also use novel remote monitoring to track patients’ vitals after treatment.
The project aims to demonstrate the potential of POC-manufactured CAR T-cells, not only for myeloma but also for other cancers. The success of this initiative could reduce treatment costs to 10% of the current commercial price, extend access to life-saving therapies, and pave the way for future healthcare advancements.