Q. In the context of NexCAR19 drug developed to prevent B-cell cancers, consider the following statements:
1.NexCAR19 is manufactured by Zydus Cadila.
2.It is made by genetically engineering a patient’s own T cells to express a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) that targets the CD19 protein on the surface of B cells.
3.T-cells are a type of Red Blood Cells (RBCs) responsible for carrying oxygen throughout the body..
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Explanation –
Statements 1 and 2 are correct. NexCAR19 is India’s first indigenously-developed CAR-T cell therapy. It has been developed by ImmunoACT, a company incubated by IIT Bombay. It is being manufactured by Zydus Cadila.
NexCAR19 is made by collecting T cells from the patient’s blood. The T cells are then genetically engineered to express a CAR protein.
The antigen that NexCAR19 targets is called CD19. CD19 is a protein that is found on the surface of most B cells. When NexCAR19 T cells are infused into a patient, they bind to the CD19 antigen on the cancer cells and kill them.
It is a targeted therapy, which means that it is designed to attack only the cancer cells.
Statement 3 is incorrect. T-cells, or T lymphocytes, are a type of white blood cell that plays a key role in the immune system. They are produced in the thymus gland and are responsible for fighting off infections and protecting the body from foreign invaders.
Source: ForumIAS
