T cells are a type of white blood cell that develop from stem cells in bone marrow. As part of the immune system, T cells help destroy abnormal cells and pathogens. In multiple myeloma, the T cells don’t recognize cancer cells as harmful. The goal of CAR T-cell therapy is to correct that error. In autologous CAR T-cell therapy, the treatment uses your own T cells. It starts with an intravenous (IV) blood draw. The blood runs through a machine that removes T cells, then returns the blood to you. This process, called leukapheresis, generally takes a few hoursTrusted Source. In a laboratory, the T cells undergo genetic engineering to introduce CARs on the surface of the cells. CARs are proteins that help T cells see targeted tumor cells. Once that’s done, scientists grow more cells in the lab. This can take several weeks. In some cases, you may have to repeat this process. When there are enough CAR T-cells for the procedure, they’re frozen and sent to your treatment center. Then they’re thawed and infused back into your body. The new cells, which can now recognize and attack cancer cells, continue to multiply. The two CAR T-cell therapies approved for multiple myeloma are idecabtagene vicleucel (Abecma) and ciltacabtagene autoleucel (Carvytki).

T cells are a type of white blood cell that develop from stem cells in bone marrow. As part of the immune system, T cells help destroy abnormal cells and pathogens. In multiple myeloma, the T cells don’t recognize cancer cells as harmful. The goal of CAR T-cell therapy is to correct that error. In autologous CAR T-cell therapy, the treatment uses your own T cells. It starts with an intravenous (IV) blood draw. The blood runs through a machine that removes T cells, then returns the blood to you. This process, called leukapheresis, generally takes a few hoursTrusted Source. In a laboratory, the T cells undergo genetic engineering to introduce CARs on the surface of the cells. CARs are proteins that help T cells see targeted tumor cells. Once that’s done, scientists grow more cells in the lab. This can take several weeks. In some cases, you may have to repeat this process. When there are enough CAR T-cells for the procedure, they’re frozen and sent to your treatment center. Then they’re thawed and infused back into your body. The new cells, which can now recognize and attack cancer cells, continue to multiply. The two CAR T-cell therapies approved for multiple myeloma are idecabtagene vicleucel (Abecma) and ciltacabtagene autoleucel (Carvytki).

T cells are a type of white blood cell that develop from stem cells in bone marrow. As part of the immune system, T cells help destroy abnormal cells and pathogens. In multiple myeloma, the T cells don’t recognize cancer cells as harmful. The goal of CAR T-cell therapy is to correct that error. In autologous CAR T-cell therapy, the treatment uses your own T cells. It starts with an intravenous (IV) blood draw. The blood runs through a machine that removes T cells, then returns the blood to you. This process, called leukapheresis, generally takes a few hoursTrusted Source. In a laboratory, the T cells undergo genetic engineering to introduce CARs on the surface of the cells. CARs are proteins that help T cells see targeted tumor cells. Once that’s done, scientists grow more cells in the lab. This can take several weeks. In some cases, you may have to repeat this process. When there are enough CAR T-cells for the procedure, they’re frozen and sent to your treatment center. Then they’re thawed and infused back into your body. The new cells, which can now recognize and attack cancer cells, continue to multiply. The two CAR T-cell therapies approved for multiple myeloma are idecabtagene vicleucel (Abecma) and ciltacabtagene autoleucel (Carvytki).

T cells are a type of white blood cell that develop from stem cells in bone marrow. As part of the immune system, T cells help destroy abnormal cells and pathogens. In multiple myeloma, the T cells don’t recognize cancer cells as harmful. The goal of CAR T-cell therapy is to correct that error. In autologous CAR T-cell therapy, the treatment uses your own T cells. It starts with an intravenous (IV) blood draw. The blood runs through a machine that removes T cells, then returns the blood to you. This process, called leukapheresis, generally takes a few hoursTrusted Source. In a laboratory, the T cells undergo genetic engineering to introduce CARs on the surface of the cells. CARs are proteins that help T cells see targeted tumor cells. Once that’s done, scientists grow more cells in the lab. This can take several weeks. In some cases, you may have to repeat this process. When there are enough CAR T-cells for the procedure, they’re frozen and sent to your treatment center. Then they’re thawed and infused back into your body. The new cells, which can now recognize and attack cancer cells, continue to multiply. The two CAR T-cell therapies approved for multiple myeloma are idecabtagene vicleucel (Abecma) and ciltacabtagene autoleucel (Carvytki).