UMC conducts first therapy with local immune cells

MUSCAT: Acting in cooperation with the College of Medicine and Health Sciences at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU), the National Haematology and Bone Marrow Transplant Centre at the University Medical City (UMC) on Tuesday performed the first therapy with CAR-T cells that were fully assembled and engineered within national laboratories in the Sultanate of Oman.
The therapy was a major medical accomplishment that reflects the rapid development in haematology and cancer treatment services in Oman.
CAR-T cells therapy emerges as one of the latest advanced treatments for blood cancers. It involves modifying the patients' own immune T-cells genetically to enable the cells to recognise and precisely target cancer cells. Preparation for this type of therapy begins by collecting immune cells from a patient’s blood using aphaeresis, then modifying the cells in specialised laboratories before re-injecting them back into the patient's body.
Dr Ibrahim bin Mohammed al Nabhani, Assistant Professor at the College of Medicine and Health Sciences at the SQU and Consultant Haematologist at the National Haematology and Bone Marrow Transplant Centre, UMC, said, “This achievement represents an important milestone in the development of advanced cells therapy programmes in the Sultanate of Oman. The successful implementation of the first treatment with locally collected T-cells reflects the advanced status attained by the medical system on both material and human levels, in terms of readiness of infrastructure and growth of national expertise in the field of haematology and stem cells transplantation.”
Dr Khalil bin Saleh al Farsi, Head of the National Haematology and Bone Marrow Transplant Center at the UMC, pointed out that the success of the first cases constitutes a landmark in localising advanced treatments in the Sultanate of Oman. — ONA