Revolutionary cancer treatment to be made in Melbourne

Melbourne will become one of only a few cities in the world to manufacture one of the world’s most groundbreaking medicines.

One of the world’s most groundbreaking medicines will be produced in Melbourne after the remarkable success of genetic-­engineering technology in saving Australian cancer ­patients.

From today the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre will become Asia Pacific’s key site to manufacture and deliver CAR-T therapy Kymriah.

The revolutionary treatment — that sees a person’s immune cells removed, ­reprogrammed in a lab and then transplanted back into the patient to fight their cancer — will save hundreds of blood cancer patients each year.

Peter Mac’s Associate Professor Dominic Wall said: “It is like being in the space program and being in the Apollo mission — it is the ultimate in medicine.”

The Therapeutic Goods Administration’s green light to manufacture the gene-engineering therapy is expected to create hundreds of specialised medical jobs by catering for all of Australia and the Asia-Pacific region.

Raya Eloshaiker 11, recovering well to fight her cancer after a bone marrow transplant and Car-T cell therapy. Picture: David Caird

Prof Wall, who is also head of its spin-off company Cell Therapies which will manufacture Kymriah for Swiss giant Novartis, said the development placed Melbourne at the forefront of the latest cancer breakthrough.

“We are constructing an individualised treatment for a single patient which, from the evidence we have seen, is incredibly effective for most patients.

“This is going to be something that benefits hundreds of patients at least a year,” Prof Wall said

While CAR-T is primarily used to treat blood cancers, clinical trials are underway in the hope its use can be greatly expanded to combat solid tumours. Desperate patients had been travelling to the US and spending up to $600,000 for the treatment until the TGA approved its use for two blood cancers in late 2018.

The Federal Government also provided $80m towards a $105m CAR-T manufacturing centre at the Peter Mac in 2019, though until today’s approval hospitals had been forced to send each patient’s cells to Novartis’ New Jersey laboratory for engineering, before they were shipped back to Australia for the one-off transplants.

About 70 patients with no other treatment options have received CART-T therapy at the Peter Mac since it was approved, with about 80 per cent of children suffering Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL) having a complete response. About 35-40 per cent of adults with Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma have also had longstanding remission from their disease, which oncologist Michael Dickinson said meant “everything”.

New Royal ChildrenÕs Hospital Car-T Cell Therapy stopping cancer. Raya Eloshaiker 11, recovering well after a bone marrow transplant and Car-T cell therapy. Raya with her parents Nader and Hanaa in the RCH ward. Picture: David Caird

“It’s hard to look overseas and see there are treatments that we would like to give our patients and, in the case of CAR-T, we feel like we are at the forefront in offering these treatments to our patients,” Dr Dickinson said.

“It’s a really good feeling.”

At the Royal Children’s Hospital 18 ALL patients have received CAR-T treatment after having their immune cells engineered in the US over the past 18 months — with only two so far suffering a relapse of their cancer.

Having had her cells removed and sent to the US for re-engineering two days before Christmas, Raya Eloshaiker, 11, finally had them infused back into her body at 1.30pm on Thursday.

The dozens of scientists in across two countries needed for the “medical marvel” to happen was overwhelming for her father Nader — as was the knowledge that other Australians were now assured the same shot at a cure.

“This is what is going to hopefully give my daughter her health back,’’ he said.

Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley said he was delighted Melbourne would become one of only a few cities in the world to manufacture the lifesaving therapy.