New gene therapy shows 73% success rate for blood cancer

A new gene therapy for blood cancer, called CAR T-cell therapy, has shown a 73% response rate in clinical trials in India. This treatment modifies patients' T-cells to fight specific blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma. Developed by researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay and Tata Memorial Hospital, the therapy is now approved in India and costs about $30,000. This is significantly lower than similar therapies in developed countries, which can exceed $373,000. The trials involved 64 patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell malignancies. While the therapy showed promising results, there were some treatment-related deaths and common side effects included low blood cell counts.