A workshop on the scientific and regulatory challenges of innovative cancer immunotherapy medicines based on genetically modified T-cells (white blood cells that normally fight off viruses and bacteria) will take place at the European Medicines Agency (EMA) on Tuesday and Wednesday, 15-16 November 2016.
You can follow a live broadcast of the workshop by clicking on the multimedia tab on the event page.
The workshop, which is organised by the Agency’s Committee for Advanced Therapies(CAT), aims to facilitate dialogue between the CAT and medicine developers from industry and academia on current scientific developments, regulatory requirements for product manufacture and clinical development of these medicines.
Immunotherapy is a type of cancer treatment that mobilises the bodys own defence mechanisms to fight the cancer. Immunotherapy medicines have significantly improved the therapeutic landscape for patients with certain cancers, such as lung cancer or melanoma.
T-cell based immunotherapy is an innovative approach where T-cells from a patient’s blood are genetically engineered in a laboratory to allow them to recognise cancer cells through specific receptor proteins. In the body of a patient, these so called Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-cells can then identify and destroy cancer cells.
CAR T-cell medicines are being developed and are currently being tested in clinical trials in a variety of cancers. However, there are still many scientific and regulatory challenges to be overcome before these innovative products can be brought to the market for the benefit of patients.
For more information please see the agenda of the workshop. Presentations and a video recording of the event will be published after the workshop.
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