At the Malaghan Institute for Medical Research researchers are working on what they believe will be the future of cancer treatment in New Zealand.
Dr. Rachel Perret leads the CAR T-cell immunotherapy research team at the Malaghan Institute. Photo: Supplied / Malaghan Institute for Medical Research
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In CAR T-cell therapy the patient’s own immune cells get equipped with a cancer detecting receptor to help them identify and kill cancer cells.
The institute is running a Phase 1 clinical trial to test a therapy they have developed on a certain type of blood cancer.
Meanwhile, the research team is busy investigating how to make the therapy safer, more effective and applicable to other types of cancer.
Claire Concannon visits the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research to find out more.
Dr. Patricia Rubio-Reyes and Yasmin Nouri Photo: RNZ / Claire Concannon
To learn more:
- Visit the Malaghan Insitute of Medical Research’s website to read an article about Patricia, learn more about the trial and about scaling up using the new cocoon equipment.
- Listen to this episode where the K9 Medical Detection team discuss their work using dogs to identify prostate and bowel cancers.
- In this episode Brian Cox of the University of Otago talks about studying the causes of cancer.