In recent years, medical science leading to treatments for blood cancer has entered an exciting new era. Instead of relying only on drugs and/or radiation, researchers are learning how to use the body’s own cells to fight these diseases. These breakthroughs are transforming how doctors treat cancer and immune disorders, offering hope where traditional treatments may fall short. At Gift of Life Marrow Registry, we are dedicated to the lifesaving work of blood stem cell and marrow donation, helping patients with blood cancer and inherited immune disorders get a second chance at life. Because of that mission, we have expanded into the related field of cellular therapies and immunotherapies, where some of today’s most promising discoveries are happening.
At its core, cellular therapy (CT) involves transplanting or modifying human cells to replace or repair damaged cells in the body. These therapies are often used to fight cancer, but they are also being explored for non-cancerous diseases, including immune and genetic disorders. Peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) and marrow transplants are examples of cellular therapies.
According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), early versions of cellular therapies date back to the late 1800s. While those were primitive by today’s standards, they laid the groundwork for modern breakthroughs. Fast forward to today, countries around the world are investing billions of dollars each year into cellular therapy research, accelerating discoveries and expanding treatment options.
Immunotherapy is a type of treatment that helps the patient’s own immune system do what it does best: protect the body.
Normally, immune cells patrol the body, identifying and destroying abnormal cells. Some immune cells, such as tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), gather around tumors and signal that the body is trying to fight back. Unfortunately, cancer cells are clever. They can hide, disguise themselves, or shut down immune responses entirely. That’s where immunotherapy steps in.
According to the National Cancer Institute, immunotherapy works by strengthening or guiding the immune system so it can better recognize and destroy cancer cells. There are several major types:
One of the most exciting advances in immunotherapy today is CAR T-Cell therapy (short for Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cell therapy).
This treatment takes a patient’s own T cells and reprograms them to recognize specific parts of the cancer cells that previously escaped detection. Once returned to the body, these enhanced cells can seek out and destroy cancer with remarkable precision.
“CAR T-Cell therapy represents a major shift in how we think about treating cancer,” says Dr. Bruce Lenes, Co-Medical Director of Gift of Life. “Instead of attacking cancer from the outside, we’re empowering a patient’s own immune system to do the work.”
CAR T-Cell therapy has been especially successful in treating some types of blood cancer, which makes it particularly meaningful to the work of Gift of Life. It also represents one of the first times a patient’s own immune cells have been genetically programmed to fight cancer.
Because cancer mutations vary from person to person, CAR T-Cell therapy is considered a form of precision medicine. Rather than treating cancer based only on where it appears in the body, this approach targets specific markers found on cancer cells themselves. whereever they occur.
According to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, CAR T-Cell therapy is currently FDA-approved for certain patients with:
Clinical trials are also underway for therapies targeting additional blood cancers and for improving safety, reducing side effects, and making these treatments more widely available.
“The progress we’re seeing is incredibly encouraging,” Dr. Lenes adds. “Each new study helps us refine these therapies so they can help more patients, more safely, and more effectively.”
Cellular therapies, immunotherapies, and CAR T-Cell treatments are expanding the toolbox in the fight against cancer. These approaches are already saving lives today, and ongoing research promises to help thousands more in the future.
But progress starts with awareness. By understanding these emerging therapies, we take an important step toward supporting research, encouraging donation, and giving patients renewed hope.
