A program for cancer treatment based on cellular technology was launched in São Paulo this Tuesday (14). It is estimated that up to 300 patients are seen per year.
Called the state program for advanced, cellular and gene therapies for the treatment of oncological and genetic diseases, the project is the result of a study being carried out between the Butantan Institute, USP (University of São Paulo) and the Blood Center of Ribeirão Preto.
The program has two new centers, located in the capital and in Ribeirão Preto, in the interior of the state. It is in these institutions that cell therapy will be produced to treat leukemias and lymphomas — it is hoped that in the future other cancers can be treated.
“We’re talking about the possibility of a cure […] of some of these diseases. This is of great importance and, I believe, will be the treatment of the future”, said Dimas Covas, president of Butantan and coordinator of the study.
The project is part of the Department of Science, Research and Development in Health of the State of São Paulo, created in May by Governor Rodrigo Garcia and led by infectious disease specialist David Uip.
One of the objectives of the program is to reduce the high costs involved in this type of treatment – according to the state government, the amounts can reach US$ 500,000 per application in each patient. In the centers, the main processes of therapy, such as production, development, storage and application, are expected to take place.
“This treatment, in addition to being innovative and curative, over time will become affordable,” said Uip.
The technology
The therapy, called CAR-T, consists of reprogramming T lymphocytes, which are cells of the immune system, to fight malignant cancer cells.
For this, immune system cells are removed from the patient, genetically modified and stimulated by means of a reagent. Then, the lymphocytes are injected into a viral vector that does not cause disease but attaches to tumor cells.
According to the state government, patients have already undergone therapy and had positive results, including healing. However, these were cases in compassionate regimens, that is, action taken by medical decision when the cancer is in an advanced stage and with no other treatment alternative.
The expectation is that the project can strengthen a possible regularization of this treatment. At the end of February, Anvisa (National Health Surveillance Agency) approved the first sanitary registration in Brazil of a gene therapy with CAR-T cells.
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