FOR THE FIRST TIME, CAR-T-THERAPY WAS APPLIED AT P. HERTSEN MORI

On October 1, 2025, CAR-T therapy using anti-CD19 CAR-T, a Russian individualized biomedical cellular product, was performed at the P. Hertsen Moscow Oncology Research Institute – the branch of the National Medical Research Radiological Centre of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation for the first time.

The first patient to receive innovative treatment was a man diagnosed with «B-cell large lymphoma» –one of the most common and aggressive forms of this disease. The illness progressed rapidly: early disease progression occurred within two months after the first-line therapy, affecting almost all bones of the skeleton (except for the sternum) as well as the central nervous system. Only a partial response was achieved after the second-line treatment, but the disease continued to progress.

In this case, bone marrow transplantation was impossible due to the patient’s severe concomitant cardiovascular conditions and only a partial antitumor response to the second-line therapy. The only viable effective treatment was the innovative CAR-T therapy.

The cellular product was produced under GMP conditions of the Scientific and Production Complex of the National Medical Research Radiological Centre of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation. The preparation took nine days, after that the drug was administered to the patient under specialized conditions.

The patient’s attending physician, Senior Researcher of the High-Dose Chemotherapy and Bone Marrow Transplantation Group at the P. Hertsen MORI, Candidate of Medical Sciences – Mobil Akhmedov, stated: “Today we have taken an important step not only in treating this particular patient but also in advancing CAR-T therapy practice in our country. The patient, having tolerated the infusion well, feels energetic, communicates, and smiles. Preventive measures against possible immunological and infectious complications are currently underway. A follow-up PET scan will be conducted in a month; we hope to enhance the antitumor effect and achieve durable remission.”

CAR-T therapy is a revolutionary treatment method for oncohematological diseases. For the drug preparation patient’s own immune cells are used, which undergo genetic modification: a chimeric antigen receptor capable of recognizing tumor targets and thus destroying tumor cells is introduced into T-lymphocytes. This method shows efficacy even in cases where standard therapies fail, giving a chance to patients previously considered hopeless.

The academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, General Director of the National Medical Research Radiological Centre of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Andrey Kaprin, noted: “The development of cellular technologies is one of our key priorities. In April, we became the first in the Russian Federation to receive permission for the use of individually manufactured biomedical cellular products and successfully implemented them in our branches. All this became possible thanks to the active support of the Ministry of Health of Russian Federation and the Minister Mikhail Albertovich Murashko personally. Today, we see the real results of our efforts and tend to steadily expand the access to these technologies.”

The Deputy General Director for Science at the National Medical Research Radiological Centre, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Petr Shegai emphasized the prospects for further development: “Today, alongside our foreign colleagues, we apply CAR-T therapy for lymphomas and other hematopoietic diseases, but we are working on new products to eventually extend this approach to other types of cancers, including solid tumors. The development of domestic cellular and biotechnological technologies is a strategic direction that will significantly improve treatment effectiveness for patients in our country.”

For information
The National Medical Research Radiological Centre of the Ministry of Health of Russia is the first Center in the country licensed for CAR-T therapy application and biomedical cellular product manufacturing. The production is carried out in specialized clean rooms of the GMP-laboratory of cell technologies in compliance with international quality standards, thereby ensuring treatment efficacy and safety.