This month at Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont (HMR), a patient became the first in Canada to get a personalized form of immunology treatment called allogeneic chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy.
The therapy was part of an international clinical trial called Resolution aimed at treating severe autoimmune diseases that are refractory to standard treatments. These diseases include lupus, myositis and scleroderma.
HMR's cellular therapy and transplantation clinical research unit is the only site in Canada participating in the Phase 1 trial.
Already used for several years to treat certain cancers of the blood and immune system, the CAR-T cells being tested at HMR are highly innovative, as the approach is allogeneic: the cells come from healthy donors rather than from the patient themselves.
Unaffected by the disease or by chemotherapy treatments, these cells can be prepared in advance and made available without delay — unlike traditional approaches, which require several weeks of manufacturing.
Led by Dr. Nicolas Richard, a rheumatologist, in collaboration with Dr. Imran Ahmad, a hematologist — both associate clinical professors of medicine at Université de Montréal — the project involves a highly specialized team in cellular therapy and transplantation.
