On the Couch with Dr. Deborah Rathjen and Dr. Michael Baker: Fighting Cancer with CAR-T

In the special episode of 'On the Couch', Henry Jennings sits down with two medical pioneers in the CAR-T field, who are leading the charge in the search for cures for various cancers.

Dr. Deborah Rathjen, CEO and MD of Carina Biotech, represents a small, unlisted Adelaide-based company funded by the Forest Foundation. Carina Biotech focuses on treatments for solid cancers.

Dr. Michael Baker, CEO and MD of Arovella (ASX: ALA), leads a listed Melbourne-based company progressing to Phase One human trials for a new drug to treat blood cancers.

CAR-T therapy is a type of personalised cancer immunotherapy treatment.

CAR-T stands for 'Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell', named after the chimera - a fire-breathing monster in Greek mythology made up of different animal parts.

This therapy utilises a specific type of immune cell called a 'T cell'. T cells are one type of immune cell found in our bloodstream. Think of them as soldiers, constantly on patrol, surveying for threats such as microbes, bacteria, viruses, and, in some cases, cancer cells.

For CAR-T, T cells are genetically altered in the laboratory, often with the help of a friendly virus. These cells are then "armed" with a specific receptor on their surface, enabling them to recognise, bind to, and destroy specific cancer cells.

Once the CAR-T cells are armed, they are grown into hundreds of millions - or even billions - and reinfused into the patient. This process empowers the patient's own immune system to hunt down and fight their cancer.

Each type of CAR-T cell therapy is designed to recognise and target a specific marker or "antigen" on a cancer cell.

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