The President of India Smt. Droupadi Murmu launched India’s first home-grown anti-Cancer CAR-T cell therapy and dedicated it to the Nation in the presence of the Governor of Maharashtra, Shri Ramesh Bais at the Indian Institute of Technology, (IIT) Bombay in Mumbai today. Also present on the occasion were Director, IIT Bombay, Prof. Subhasis Chaudhuri and Director, Tata Memorial Centre, Prof. Sudeep Gupta along with the key contributors including Prof. Rahul Purwar, Department of Bioscience and Bioengineering, IIT Bombay, and Dr. Hasmukh Jain and Dr. (Surg Cdr) Gaurav Narula from the Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai.
Speaking on the occasion, the President said that the launch of India’s first gene therapy is a breakthrough in our battle against cancer. As this line of treatment, named “CAR-T cell therapy”, is accessible and affordable, it provides a new hope for the whole of humankind. She expressed confidence that it will be successful in giving new lives to countless patients.
The President said that CAR-T cell therapy is considered to be one of the most phenomenal advances in medical science. It has been available in the developed nations for some time, but it is extremely costly and beyond the reach of most patients around the world. She was happy to note that the therapy being launched today is the world’s most affordable CAR-T cell therapy.
The President was happy to note that India’s first CAR-T cell therapy is developed through collaboration between the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay and Tata Memorial Hospital in association with industry partner ImmunoACT. She said that this is a praiseworthy example of academia-industry partnership, which should inspire many more similar efforts.
Addressing those present, Governor of Maharashtra Shri Ramesh Bais congratulated the team of IIT Bombay, TMC and ImmunoACT for the outstanding achievement. He also commended the industry partners for their cooperation in this project. “Today is an important day for the country, and especially in the history of IIT Mumbai and Tata Memorial Hospital. A wonderful initiative in the field of medical science is being launched today by both the top institutions of the country. Today we are not only launching a new cancer treatment system that can help in treating certain types of cancers, but also bringing before world a success story that is a solid step in the direction of realizing the goal of Vikasit Bharat”, he said.
Earlier, in his Welcome Address, Director, IIT Bombay, Prof. Subhasis stated, “We can take pride in the fact that India is now one of the very few countries in the world that can make its own cellular therapy. This is a testament to the efforts of several scientists, doctors, nurses and others who worked together relentlessly inspite of hitting roadblocks over the last decade to achieve this goal for our patients”.
Also speaking on the occasion, Director, Tata Memorial Centre, Dr. Sudeep Gupta said, “The collaboration between IIT (B) and Tata Memorial Centre to develop the first indigenous CAR T Cell Therapy product has been extremely fruitful and satisfying. This CAR-T Cell Therapy product will save many lives at much lower cost compared to the cost of such products available outside India. We hope that in years to come, our collaboration will lead to the development of other Cell and Gene Therapy products that will help our patients with various cancers”.
About CAR-T Cell Therapy : NexCAR19 CAR-T therapy is India’s first indigenously Made-in-India CAR-T therapy; borne from academia-industry partnership. NexCAR19 is the world’s most affordable CAR-T therapy and it puts India firmly on the global map of advanced cell and gene therapy. The CAR-T Cell therapy has been developed by Prof. Rahul Purwar and his team at the BSBE Department, IIT Bombay in close association with Tata Memorial Centre and ImmunoACT.
