Indore’s MY becomes the first hospital in the country to treat blood cancer with CAR-T therapy.
-The state will become a leading medical hub with modern medical technology and services: Deputy Chief Minister Shukla
Bhopal, 06 November (HS). MYH (Maharaja Yashwantrao Hospital) Indore of Madhya Pradesh has become the first government hospital in the country, where advanced CAR-T therapy has been started for the treatment of patients suffering from blood cancer. This facility is a historic step towards strengthening the health infrastructure of the state and encouraging high-level health services. This information was given by MY Hospital Superintendent Dr. Ashok Yadav late Wednesday evening.
On this achievement, Deputy Chief Minister Rajendra Shukla has said that the Madhya Pradesh government is continuously making efforts to provide high quality health services in the state. The launch of advanced technology like immunotherapy in MY Hospital is a milestone in this direction. This initiative has brought new hope for those patients in whose treatment traditional methods have not been effective. This step will give a new direction to the identity of not only Indore but the entire state in the field of medicine. It is the effort of the state government under the leadership of Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav to make Madhya Pradesh a major medical hub of the country by equipping health services with the latest medical technologies and services.
CAR-T cells effectively kill tumor cells
MY Hospital Superintendent Dr Ashok Yadav said that a technology called Chimeric Antigen Receptors (CAR) can prove to be effective for patients who do not get any benefit even after bone marrow transplant. For the process of CAR-T therapy, first the patient’s blood sample has been taken. Under this, the white blood cells of a patient suffering from B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) are collected by an apheresis machine. Next, these cells will be genetically modified to carry special chimeric antigen receptors (CARs), which have the ability to identify and destroy cancer cells. Once the modified CAR-T cells are transplanted into the patient, they effectively kill tumor cells. With the introduction of this facility at MYH, MYH has become the first hospital in the country to provide this facility at the government level. The cost of immunotherapy here is around Rs 30 lakh, which is much less as compared to the cost of around Rs 4 crore for the same technology in America.
This cutting-edge medical procedure has been jointly developed by IIT Mumbai and Tata Memorial Hospital. This technology is new in India. So far, about 150 patients have been treated under this. The first patient will be treated through this procedure in this hospital of Indore on 20th November. Earlier, facilities like chemotherapy, radiation therapy, surgery and bone marrow transplant were available in Indore for patients suffering from cancer. Now with the addition of immunotherapy, treatment options for these patients have expanded.
How does immunotherapy (CAR T cells) work?
In this technique, mainly T cells are genetically modified, so that they can recognize and destroy cancer cells. There are generally two types of white blood cells: B and T cells. In immunotherapy, genetic modification is done by separating T cells from white blood cells. For this, the help of viral vectors is taken so that T-cells can establish chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) on their surface. The specialty of these receptors is that they can recognize specific proteins present on the surface of cancer cells and attack them. After therapy, the patient has to remain hospitalized for one to two weeks so that his condition can be completely monitored.
Hindusthan News / Mukesh Tomar
