Dr Manel Juan is part of the team behind the development of the first European CAR-T-cell therapy to treat multiple myeloma, the second most common type of blood cancer. As head of immunology at the Hospital Clinic Barcelona, he walks us through his personal journey with the project, the challenges the team encountered, including misunderstanding with “regulators” about cell and gene therapies, and a simple step that could significantly reduce side effects. In addition, Dr Juan comments on the autologous-vs-allogeneic debate and explains why every major Spanish centre could have its own production.
If we accept that the system in place is good enough and that pharmaceutical companies alone should manage gene and cell therapies, then many patients with rare conditions, like paediatric or infrequent cancers, will be left out
