KATHMANDU, Oct 10: A 17-year-old blood cancer patient has been treated with CAR-T cell therapy produced in Nepal for the first time, marking a milestone in the country’s cancer treatment sector.
The teenager, receiving treatment at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in Maharajgunj, underwent the therapy on September 27, according to doctors involved in the treatment.
Scientists from the Centre for Regenerative Medicine Nepal (CRM), the first centre to produce CAR-T cells in Nepal, and the hospital’s haematology-oncology specialists presented details of the treatment.
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Dr Anjan Shrestha and Dr Prasun Upadhyay, the hospital’s haemato-oncologists involved in the treatment, said the patient’s condition remained stable after the cell therapy and early signs of its effectiveness were encouraging. They said the patient had received careful preparation and post-treatment monitoring.
However, doctors said the patient would need to remain under observation for another year to determine the therapy’s full effect and establish whether the cancer had been completely eliminated.
CAR-T cell therapy uses a patient’s own T cells, which are genetically modified in a laboratory to recognise specific targets on cancer cells. The modified cells are multiplied and infused back into the patient’s body. The therapy used in this case targets CD19, a marker found on certain blood cancer cells, and is used to help prevent the disease from returning after chemotherapy.
Although CAR-T cell therapy has been used internationally for about a decade, its production in Nepal is a recent development. Experts have described the achievement as a major step forward for cancer treatment in the country.
“I am amazed. Producing CAR-T cells in Nepal is a major breakthrough in cancer treatment,” said senior cancer specialist Dr Bishnudatta Poudel.
CRM Nepal said preliminary results were encouraging, with scientist Sajeevan Gautam reporting a promising increase in the number of CAR-T cells in the patient’s blood. Gautam has led the initiative since 2022.
