The process of getting a treatment approved by the FDA is long and involved. Needless to say, the process is so complicated to protect us, the people who will be using said treatment. One of the last stages, once everyone involved is quite satisfied that it is safe, is the clinical trial. Successful clinical trials are the ones where the disease state is affected in as many people as possible and side effects aren’t too bad or long-lasting.
Seems like a low bar, doesn’t it? Well, it is. However, while some treatments barely get over that bar, others clear it like a high jumper getting over a blade of Bermuda grass. CAR-T therapy for multiple myeloma is one of the latter category.
According to the New Jersey Herald, the first clinical trial for this therapy yielded rather shocking results. The study, conducted in China, showed all 35 people responded to the treatment. In fact, 33 of them went into remission and the other two showed marked improvements.
A second trial, in the United States this time, was conducted with one variant. The U.S. study gave different sized doses to 21 people. Fifteen of this group received an adequate amount of the therapy and have seen significant improvements to their multiple myeloma, including four going into remission. Many scientists and oncologists are astonished by these remarkable results.
The CAR-T therapy has been used with some degree of success against other forms of cancer, including leukemia and lymphoma. Essentially, the treatment involves a procedure to remove T cells by filtering the person’s blood. T cells are the workhorses of the immune system. With T cells separated, a gene is added and re-introduced into the bloodstream. This gene tells the body’s T cells to target the cancer cells.
