China announces low-cost, direct-injection cancer treatment. (Source: Vinmec) |
The new therapy is a variation of CAR-T, a cutting-edge immunotherapy currently used to treat blood cancers, asthma, and some autoimmune diseases. Traditional CAR-T requires taking T cells from a patient’s body, growing and genetically modifying them in a lab, and then infusing them back into the body.
The procedure is both expensive and lengthy, with costs that can exceed 1 million yuan (about $139,000) for a single treatment in China.
In a new study published in The Lancet , a team of experts at the Union Hospital of Tongji Medical University (Wuhan) used a genetically modified virus to inject directly into the patient's body.
The virus will find T cells and program them to attack cancer cells without the need for outside intervention.
The research team affirmed: “This is a ready-to-use product, no longer a drug that is individually formulated.”
In a phase 1 trial, the team treated four patients with multiple myeloma — the second most common blood cancer — with a single injection. The treatment took just 72 hours, rather than the 3-6 weeks required with traditional CAR-T therapy.
After two months of follow-up, two patients achieved strict complete remission (tumor lesions disappeared), and the remaining two achieved partial remission (tumor shrinkage after 28 days).
A Chinese social media platform specializing in cell therapy called it a “milestone” in the field and said that if tested on a larger scale, the technology could completely change the current “custom medicine” model.
Previously, in June 2025, Capstan Therapeutics (USA) also announced the successful testing of a gene delivery system to create CAR-T in vivo on mice, with positive tumor control results.
However, the country of a billion people is the first to apply this technique on humans.
Scientists say: "This is a breakthrough, opening up great prospects in spreading immunotherapy to more patients, not only in treating cancer but also chronic diseases such as asthma and autoimmune diseases."
Source: https://baoquocte.vn/trung-quoc-tim-thay-cach-chua-ung-thu-co-san-khong-can-dieu-che-rieng-cho-tung-nguoi-321570.html
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