A world first for Celyad: cellular therapy by the Walloon biotech firm has led to the remission of a patient suffering from refractory acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), the most common cancer of the blood and bone marrow among adults.
© Celyad
More than encouraging results for Celyad, a pioneer in the discovery and development of cellular therapies. Indeed it is the very first time that a patient suffering from AML, without any previous chemotherapy, has shown a "complete morphological response", in short a remission, after benefiting from the therapy developed by Celyad, cells genetically modified to rearm the immune system.
As Patrick Jeanmart, Celyad's Financial Director, explains: "This patient suffering from refractory and recurring AML, treated without any prior chemotherapy, has shown a complete response with the first dose of treatment. It is a result that is way beyond our expectations. We were expecting clinical signs but not on this scale. This patient no longer has any cancerous cells either in his bone marrow or in his blood".
Every year, 20,000 cases of AML are diagnosed in the USA with almost as many in Europe. These figures are set to rise in view of the ageing population. The illness receives very little treatment at present, apart from by means of bone marrow transplants. The clinical response proposed by Celyad offers hope for all patients who currently find themselves with few therapeutic options.
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