Karolinska University Hospital participates as the only Swedish hospital in a global clinical CAR T-cell study for treatment of aggressive lymphoma. First adult patient has been treated at Karolinska

On August 27, 2019, the first patient in Sweden, and the third in Europe, was treated with genetically modified CAR-T cells as part of the TRANSFORM study at Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge at the Department of Cell Therapy and Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplant (CAST). The treatment is conducted within the framework of a randomized clinical trial that offers either standard autologous stem cell transplantation therapy or experimental treatment with CD19-CAR-Tcells (JCAR17).

The patient included in the study has been diagnosed with a relapse of an aggressive form of lymphoma included in the study run by the drug company Celgene and includes 182 patients in 12 countries.

- It is still true that we do not know enough about the long-term effects, but we hope that the treatment will prove effective, says Prof. Stephan Mielke who adds, the study and now the treatment of the patient here in Sweden has been made possible by a very extensive collaboration where several experts from different departments at Karolinska University Hospital and Celgene have been involved locally and internationally in making this possible.

The advanced cell therapy uses the patient's own immune cells that are modified to recognize and kill the cancer cells. First, the immune cells are collected from the patient's own blood and then frozen and sorted. After the sorting process, the remaining cells are thawed, genetically modified, and then frozen again to be returned to the patient. The treatment takes a total of 4-5 weeks.

The study

• Countries participating in the study; Belgium, France, Italy, Japan, Canada, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, UK. Sweden and the United States
• A total of 54 hospitals / clinics are included in the study
•  The study began in November 2018 and is expected to be completed in May 2023
• Participating patients are both men and women aged 18 to 75
• For more information about the study, go to https://bit.ly/2ki6xKK.

Kim Sjölund
Presschef
072-598 13 88                                  
kim.sjolund@sll.se

Karolinska is one of Europe's largest university hospitals and together with Karolinska Institutet we have a leading role within the field of medical breakthroughs. Our aim is to always put the patient first by providing the best possible medical expertise, treatment and care. Through innovation and active collaboration with industry and academia, we are committed to being internationally prominent in medicine, research and education.