Johns Hopkins All Children’s is First Pediatric Hospital in Florida to Offer CAR-T Cell Gene Therapy for Leukemia
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (PRWEB) August 30, 2018 -- Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital is the first certified treatment center in Florida offering a cutting-edge cellular immunotherapy for advanced leukemia in children and young adults. Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy, or CAR-T, uses a patient’s own cells to fight acute lymphoblastic leukemia, which affects more than 3,000 young people in the U.S. each year. This gene therapy is designed for those patients who do not respond to standard treatment or who relapse multiple times.
“This is an exciting development for our young patients that previously had very few, if any, treatment options that could realistically achieve a cure,” said Peter Shaw, M.D., deputy director of the Johns Hopkins All Children’s Cancer & Blood Disorders Institute. “By removing the patient’s normal immune T-cells and then genetically reprogramming them to target a protein on the tumor cells’ surface, these altered cells multiply and attack that specific protein, helping put more than 80 percent of these patients into remission.”
Johns Hopkins All Children’s is one of the largest pediatric cancer and blood and marrow transplant programs in Florida and is one of a limited number of pediatric hospitals across the country offering the treatment. The clinical team recently received training in how to administer the therapy and manage potential side effects.
Read more about CAR-T at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital.
About Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital
Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg is a leader in children’s health care, combining a legacy of compassionate care focused solely on children since 1926 with the innovation and experience of one of the world’s leading health care systems. The 259-bed teaching hospital, ranked as a U.S. News & World Report Best Children’s Hospital, stands at the forefront of discovery, leading innovative research to cure and prevent childhood diseases while training the next generation of pediatric experts. With a network of Johns Hopkins All Children’s Outpatient Care centers and collaborative care provided by All Children’s Specialty Physicians at regional hospitals, Johns Hopkins All Children’s brings care closer to home. Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital consistently keeps the patient and family at the center of care while continuing to expand its mission in treatment, research, education and advocacy. For more information, visit HopkinsAllChildrens.org.
Danielle Caci, Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital, http://www.HopkinsAllChildrens.org, +1 727-767-2897, [email protected]
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