Over the last five years, we have seen personalised treatments go from theory to reality. Today, the NHS now provides CAR-T therapy (Chimeric Antigen Receptors Cell Therapy) to some children and adults with specific blood cancers.
These advanced therapies come with their own side-effects but, for some patients, they have been shown to cure their disease by reprogramming their immune system. Medicine authorities are expecting more advanced therapies to be made available in the coming years and our community will need to adapt in how we both deliver them and support patients who receive them.
While the NHS, the life sciences sector, and others prepare for more advanced therapies, we’re raising awareness of key issues to make sure every eligible patient has access to lifesaving treatments. These include:
- Promoting patient representation while accelerating advanced therapies from the lab bench to the bedside
- Opening access to new advanced therapies to every eligible patient, no matter where they live or what their ethnic background is.
- Supporting our community and transplant patients in working together to build the services and support packages they will need with advanced therapies
- Working with our partners in the transplant community and across the NHS to prepare our digital systems for the new types of patient data advanced therapies will generate.
Anthony Nolan already supports the development of new advanced therapies through our Cell & Gene Therapy Services. We are also a member of the BioIndustry Association which supports UK life sciences and the delivery of new treatments for patients.