Sidra Medicine to introduce CAR T-cell therapy for paediatric cancer in Qatar

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Doha: In a major development for childhood cancer treatment, an internationally approved treatment method will be introduced soon in Qatar.

Sidra Medicine, a leading institution in cutting-edge medical research and treatment, is validating CAR T-cell therapy at its state-of-the-art Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) facility.

Director of the Advanced Cell Therapy Core and the GMP Facility at Sidra Medicine, Dr. Chiara Cugno announced that this innovative approach is set to bring new hope to paediatric patients with leukaemia in Qatar. “We opened the GMP facility only few months ago, and currently we are validating the procedure for the CAR-T manufacturing,” said Dr. Cugno while speaking to The Peninsula on the sidelines of the fourth edition of the Science Cafe series titled: ‘Hope for Little Heroes: Revolutionizing Pediatric Cancer Therapies,’ on Monday.

Organised by Msheireb Museums and Sidra Medicine, the event focused on advancement and several key topics about the future of precision medicine in childhood cancer care in Qatar.

CAR T-cell therapy is a type of treatment for cancer that uses a person’s own immune cells to fight cancer. Validation of CAR-T cell therapy involves proving through rigorous testing that it works well and is safe for treating cancer.

“To provide therapy to patients, we must ensure that the treatment is suitable and effective. This requires going through several rounds of validation to ensure quality control. Additionally, meeting the standards set by the Ministry of Public Health will allow us to administer the therapy to children," Dr. Cugno said.

"This treatment is approved in the US and Europe but we are trying to change the type of treatment the way it is manufactured in the lab to reduce the cost,” she said, adding that the new therapy will be available in Qatar in a few months.

September is the childhood cancer awareness month and worldwide, the incidence rates of childhood cancer range between 50 and 200 per million children. In Qatar, around 70 to 100 newly diagnosed children are seen at Sidra Medicine every year.

Leukaemias, and central nervous system tumours are the most common groups of cancer, making-up around half of all the cancers in children.

Treatment of childhood cancer has dramatically improved with advances in therapies over the years, and currently advanced treatment methods are available in Qatar.

“We have got all the standard modalities of treatment for childhood cancer; all those treatments that are available elsewhere is almost available at Sidra Medicine,” said Dr. Ata Ur Rehman Maaz, the clinical lead for Neuro-Oncology at Sidra Medicine.

He said advanced surgical techniques, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy are available in Qatar for treating childhood cancer.

“The only treatment that was not available was the bone marrow transplant. It was never a standard upfront treatment; rather, it is used when cancer does not respond to standard treatments. In such cases, a bone marrow transplant can be considered as a second-line or salvage treatment. This option will also be available by the end of the year,” said Dr. Maaz.

“We now also have access to clinical trials, which means we can access newer drugs that are otherwise unavailable. As part of research, these drugs are becoming accessible through these trials,” he added.