A new hope for children with resistant T-cell leukaemia

Álvaro Urbano-Ispizua

Hospital Cínic Barcelona - Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Spain

Children and adults with a rare and aggressive form of blood cancer called T-cell acute lymphoid leukemia often face limited treatment options, especially when the disease returns or does not respond to standard therapies. This project introduces a new approach that could offer hope to these patients. The team has developed a therapy that uses the patient’s own immune cells, modified in the lab to recognize and destroy cancer cells. While similar treatments have worked well for other types of leukemia, applying them to this form of cancer has been difficult. The main challenge is that the immune cells used for treatment share features with the cancer cells, causing them to attack each other before they can help the patient.

To solve this, researchers have created a method to select only the immune cells that do not carry the same markers as the cancer. This allows them to safely prepare the treatment, even for patients with cancer cells circulating in their blood—a group usually excluded from clinical trials. The therapy, called ARI-007, has already shown promising results in early tests, including one patient who achieved full remission after receiving it.

The project will now move into a clinical trial to test the safety and effectiveness of ARI-007. The team behind it includes experts from two major hospitals in Barcelona, with a strong track record in developing similar treatments. Their goal is to make this therapy available in Europe at a cost much lower than commercial alternatives, ensuring broader access for patients. If successful, this could mark a major step forward in treating a disease that currently has few options and a poor outlook.

• Susana Rives, Hospital Sant Joan de Deu, Esplugues de Llobregat, Spain

ARI-007, a CART anti-CD7 for patients with relapsed-refractory T cell acute lymphoid leukemia

€996.024,00