UAB has been awarded for its superior CAR-T therapy program services and leadership.
Photography: Steve Wood
The University of Alabama at Birmingham has been identified by Emerging Therapy Solutions as a “Program of Experience” for Chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy.
According to the American Cancer Society, CAR-T therapy is a path for immune cells called T cells — a type of white blood cell — to fight cancer by changing them in the lab so they can find and destroy cancer cells. This form of treatment can be helpful for patients with various cancer types even when other types of treatments are no longer available.
CAR-T therapy is becoming an essential pillar of cancer care, joining the ranks of surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and other targeted treatments.
“The UAB-BMT and Cell Therapy Program is the only state-of-the-art program in Alabama to offer CAR-T therapy for patients with some cancers,” said Amitkumar Mehta, M.D., associate scientist in the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at UAB, assistant professor in the UAB Division of Hematology and Oncology, Director of CAR-T Program and Medical Director of Clinical Trial Office. “The program is certified for all commercial FDA-approved CAR-T products. The program also supports next generation cell therapy treatment through clinical trials. The CAR-T team is a highly specialized and experienced team that supports the patients who are on this treatment. This recognition is an appreciation of the dedicated and patient-centered cell therapy team at UAB-BMT. I am very proud to be part of the program.”
ETS created this designation after evaluating centers across the United States that provide CAR-T services and identifying the leading CAR-T programs with the essential experience and resources, including volume of CAR-Ts administered.