Turkish Universities Launch Clinical Trials for Domestically Produced CAR-T Cell Therapy Against Blood Cancers
Key Insights
Turkish researchers at Üsküdar University have published in vitro laboratory studies of transgenic CAR-T cell therapy (search) for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (search) in the SCI-indexed Vaccines journal.
Akdeniz University has become the eighth facility worldwide to adopt CAR-T cell therapy (search), officially launching clinical trials with blood samples collected from nine selected patients.
The domestically produced CAR-T therapy aims to engineer patients' immune cells (search) to target cancer cells (search), with 678 patients already applying for treatment and comprehensive treatment scheduled to begin in June.
Turkish universities are making significant strides in bringing CAR-T cell therapy (search) to domestic cancer (search) treatment, with two major institutions advancing from laboratory research to clinical trials for blood cancers including leukemia (search), lymphoma (search), and multiple myeloma (search).
Laboratory Research Advances to Clinical Application
Üsküdar University researchers have successfully completed in vitro laboratory studies of transgenic CAR-T cell therapy (search) targeting Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (search) (ALL), with their findings published in the SCI-indexed Vaccines journal's special CAR-T cell issue. The research, conducted at the university's TRGENMER center (search) between July 2021 and July 2023, was supported by the Turkish Health Institutes Presidency (search) (TÜSEB) in the field of Cancer (search) Immunotherapy.
Dr. Cihan Taştan, Faculty Member at Üsküdar University's Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, explained the therapeutic approach: "The CAR-T cell therapy (search) we developed against cancer (search) is personalized and has the ability to recognize and kill cancer. Compared to classical cancer treatments, it has the potential to kill all of a patient's cancer at once due to its more specific, targeted killing."
Enhanced Memory Cell Potential for Long-term Protection
The research team has focused on developing CAR-T cells with enhanced memory capabilities to provide long-term cancer (search) protection. Taştan stated, "When administering these cells to the patient, we made sure they are both killer and memory cells. Thus, after completely eradicating cancer from the patient in the initial stages, we aim to create a patient potential free of cancer for many years by increasing the memory cell potential to prevent the patient from needing treatment again in the future."
The research was conducted entirely by Üsküdar University researchers, including Master's degree students Gamze Gülden, Berranur Sert, Yasin Ay, and Nilüfer Neslihan Tiryaki from the Molecular Biology department, along with final-year undergraduate student Tarık Teymur from Molecular Biology and Genetics.
Clinical Trial Phase Begins at Akdeniz University
Meanwhile, Akdeniz University in Antalya has officially launched the clinical trial phase for CAR-T cell therapy (search), becoming the eighth facility worldwide to adopt this globally recognized treatment method. The university announced its new research center in March, dedicated to producing advanced cell therapies for cancer (search) treatment and marking a significant step toward domestic production of cutting-edge medical technologies.
Rector Professor Dr. Özlenen Özkan declared that both domestic production and clinical application phases have been initiated for CAR-T cell therapy (search), which is predominantly used to treat leukemia (search), lymphoma (search), and multiple myeloma (search). The center aims to engineer and enhance patients' own immune cells (search) in a laboratory environment, empowering them to effectively target and combat cancer cells (search).
Patient Selection and Treatment Timeline
The clinical program has generated substantial patient interest, with 678 patients already applying for the treatment method. From this pool, nine patients whose medical conditions were deemed suitable for the initial stage were selected, and their exploratory blood samples have been collected. The comprehensive treatment process at the center is scheduled to begin in June.
Transition to Clinical Phases
Üsküdar University is also preparing for clinical trials, with Dr. Taştan noting that preparations for third-phase clinical trial studies are planned to start from July 2023. "Currently, our transgenic mouse studies, where we established the ALL cancer (search) model, are continuing until July," he explained. "Our researchers in this project will also complete their GCP and GMP certificate trainings within this scope and support clinical production."
The development represents a significant milestone for Turkey's healthcare sector, as Taştan emphasized: "We will enter a period where Turkey can use smart living drugs, which are what we call CAR-T cells, for certain types of cancer (search) by entering clinical phases."