First leukaemia patient to get new form of treatment on NHS says it is 'very sci-fi'

The first patient to receive a breakthrough therapy on the NHS for his aggressive leukaemia had described it as fantastic and

very sci-fi. At Manchester Royal Infirmary, OsCAR Murphy, 28, was given the

living drug" called CAR-T therapy for his blood cancer. Oscar was the first of two infusions of his own immune cells, which had been genetically modified to detect and target his cancer. Multiple centres around the country have agreed to fund the immunotherapy. Around 50 NHS patients a year are expected to benefit from it.

In March 2025, Oscar was diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (B-cell ALL). In July, he underwent chemotherapy and a donor stem cell transplant, but in November he was told that his cancer had returned. The leukaemia I've got is so quick-acting,the Bury car salesman said.It needs a much quicker reaction to avoid it. And we now have an answer.

77% of patients went into remission after therapy, with half of them showing no signs of cancer after three and a half years. On average, the treatment gave patients 15. 6 additional months of life. Dr.

Normally, this kind of leukaemia is very common, and adult patients do not live beyond six to eight months. We are able to give them years and possibly a cure with this therapy. "It's very important and is changing the way we approach this disease.

CAR-T therapy has been available on the NHS for several years for certain forms of leukaemia and lymphoma, but with this new method, it has only been available to adults with B-cell ALL. Oscar had T-cells, a form of white blood cell, removed and sent to a Stevenage lab last month. The cells were then reprogrammed with a harmless virus to create a genetic sequence that allows them to recognize the cancer. New surface receptors can then recognize and are able to attach to cancer cells, much like a lock and key, and can then identify them as a threat to destruction. They are now chimeric antigen receptor T-cells - or CAR T- cells - and their numbers have soared in the lab to produce millions of copies. The personalised therapy, or living drug, was delivered to Manchester Royal Infirmary and cryopreserved. The tiny bag containing OsCAR's personalized therapy contained 100 million CAR T-cells in just three teaspoons of liquid, and it took only a few minutes for him to infuse into his bloodstream.

Oscar was surprised that the drug had such a strong punch in such small doses.

It's very sci-fi, but if it means the cancer gets rid of permanently and my own cells can do it, it's just amazing. Yesterday, OsCAR received his second infusion of 300 million cells, marking the end of his CAR-T therapy. Since this is a

living drug,

the cancer-killing T-cells remain in the body for a long time and will continue to develop and work inside the patient after the final infusion. Autolus, a spin-out company from University College London, manufactures the CAR-T therapy. The patient's cells had to be sent to laboratories in the United States during clinical trials. The treatment's list price is £372,000 per infusion, but the NHS has a confidential discount. It will be available to patients over the age of 26 with B-cell-B-cell ALL has not responded to medication or has returned to several centres in England, including Cambridge, Newcastle, Sheffield, Plymouth, and London. Patients from Wales and Northern Ireland will need to travel to England for medical care. It hasn't yet been approved in Scotland. Around 50 patients a year could benefit, according to NHS England, but Tholouli told the BBC that it might be more effective and that it will eventually be used as a first-line therapy rather than stem cell transplantation. It was a

landmark moment

for people with aggressive blood cancer, according to Prof Peter Johnson, NHS National Clinical Director for Cancer. The treatment now administered at NHS centers had been

remarkable,according to the minister, who said it wasrevolutionary

because of scientific findings in the United Kingdom.

It will help more people like Oscar live longer and healthier lives.

As Oscar in 2021, Chris Williams, 29, of Belfast, was diagnosed with the same inflammatory disease as Oscar. When the cancer came back, he was given CAR-T therapy in Manchester, which was then an experimental therapy. He has now been in remission for nearly three years.

I was very ill a few years ago and now I'm able to live a full life. I was able to return to work. Chloe was also on the scene, and now we're engaged.

I have a ton of love from my family and they are over the moon. Last month, Oscar and his fiance Lauren were married at Manchester Royal Infirmary. He told the BBC he wanted to get it done because of the complexities surrounding his illness, but the couple's other wedding ceremony has been scheduled for October.