India develops world’s first humanised CAR-T therapy for cancer treatment

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday gifted the nation with CAR-T Cell Therapy, India’s first indigenous cancer cell therapy, developed by Indian innovators, during the ongoing Emerging Science, Technology and Innovation Conclave (ESTIC) 2025. Among these therapies is NexCAR19, the world’s first humanised CAR-T therapy developed in India by ImmunoACT, a ground-breaking innovation supported by Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC).

The Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy has emerged as a breakthrough in cancer treatment, with global clinical trials showing promising results in end-stage patients, especially those suffering from Acute Lymphocytic Leukaemia. According to the Ministry of Science and Technology, NexCAR19, India’s first living drug, has made gene therapies both affordable and accessible without compromising scientific rigour or patient safety.

In 2021, DBT and BIRAC partially supported Tata Memorial Centre (TMC) and the IIT Bombay team for lentivirus manufacturing and clinical trials of India’s first CAR-T therapy at the ACTREC centre. The NEXCAR-19 trial in paediatric patients is ongoing at Tata Memorial Centre, with ImmunoACT as the manufacturing partner.

DBT is promoting early and late translational research to develop novel and indigenous CAR-T-based therapeutics to combat various cancers by supporting interdisciplinary teams to venture into immunotherapeutic solutions for a broader spectrum of cancers, including both liquid and solid cancers, and ways to overcome associated toxicities. This includes cancers like multiple myeloma (MM), refractory or relapsed B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, glioblastoma, and others.