Doctors from a private health facility in West Bengal have successfully treated a seven- year-old boy suffering from thalassaemia using an advanced Haplo Cord transplant process.

The parents of the 7-year-old child diagnosed with HbE Beta thalassemia, who needs monthly blood transfusions, were counseled to register under the “Save the Sibling” programme. They underwent IVF (in vitro fertilization) and pre-implantation genetic testing to produce a matched thalassemia-free sibling with compatible HLA (human leukocyte antigen), which is critical for bone marrow transplantation.

A haplo-cord transplant was performed using the cord blood from the patient’s sibling and some stem cells from his father. The transplant was conducted by Narayana Health. During the transplant period, the child developed complications such as infections, mucositis, liver derangement, and persistent low blood counts, which were effectively managed. The patient has recovered well and is now transfusion-free, the doctors said.

In another feat, the team treated a 62-year-old male patient from Myanmar with brain cancer after a successful CAR T-cell therapy (an advanced type of immunotherapy). The patient was initially found to be having gait disturbance (an unusual change in the way a person walks). He was then diagnosed to have primary CNS lymphoma, a rare, aggressive type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma where cancer cells form in the brain, spinal cord, cerebrospinal fluid, or eyes.

 After receiving four cycles of high-dose chemotherapy yielding unsatisfactory results, the doctors decided to have him undergo CAR T-cell therapy. He underwent lymphocyte collection, bridging with radiation and other medications, before receiving a dual CAR targeting CD19 and CD22 on the cancer cells. 

Speaking about these two rare recoveries, Joydeep Chakrabartty, Senior Consultant, Hemato Oncology & Clinical Lead – BMT Programme (East), Narayana Health, said that the recoveries are landmark achievements with both facing potential fatalities.

“Using the Haplo-cord technology for the child and the CAR T-cell therapy for the aged patient, the expert team of doctors attending them have been able to turn their lives around for the better. Narayana Health has always been at the forefront in breaking new grounds in medical science, and these two cases clearly reflect that,” Dr. Chakrabartty said.

Also read: Evidence of CAR T-cell therapy against cancers presented at US conference

Prasanta Chowdhury, Laboratory Director, Cord Life Sciences India Pvt. Limited, said that cord blood banking is a complex issue involving medical, financial, ethical, and scientific debates. “The core dilemma centres on choosing between private storage for family use and public donation for general use, weighed against high costs and low statistical odds of personal use. In these two cases, we have successfully addressed every single concern with absolute compassion and clarity,” Dr. Chowdhury said.

CAR-T cell therapy, a breakthrough treatment that has transformed certain cancer outcomes, is now showing early promise in tackling autoimmune diseases. In a recent case in Germany, a patient with multiple severe autoimmune conditions entered treatment-free remission after receiving the therapy, raising fresh questions about its potential beyond cancer.

In this episode, we break down how CAR-T works, why autoimmune diseases are so difficult to treat, and whether this approach could offer long-term remission or even a cure. We also look at the risks, costs and what this could mean for patients in India.