immunotherapy designed specifically to target a patient's cancer cells. To date,

the most successful of these therapies CD19 CAR therapy targets B cells in

Leukemia and Lymphoma. A patient begins treatment by undergoing apheresis to

extract normal T-cells. In the laboratory, a modified virus either a lentivirus or

retrovirus transfers targeted genetic information into the T-cells where it is

incorporated into the genome. Newly synthesized CD19 CAR proteins are then

expressed on the T-cells surface. The altered T-cells are expanded in vitro

and delivered to the patient by infusion. In the body, the engineered receptors

bind to specific antigens expressed by the target cancer cells, killing them.

With hundreds of trials currently being conducted worldwide, engineered cell

therapies like CAR T-cell therapy have the potential to transform treatment for

cancer and other diseases.