Emirati leads charge to reduce cost of one of world's most expensive cancer treatments
Dr Ajlan Al Zaki is playing key role in plan to cut price of CAR T-cell therapy by up to 90 per cent
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Al Etihad
21-05-2025
- Al Etihad
Newly available CAR T-cell therapy cuts cancer treatment cost by 90%
22 May 2025 02:00 ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)Burjeel Medical City in Abu Dhabi has announced a major medical breakthrough with the development of an innovative CAR T-cell therapy for blood cancers, which could reduce treatment costs by up to 90 advancement marks a significant step towards localising biopharmaceutical industries, reinforcing the UAE's position as a regional hub for cellular therapies and medical innovation, while also enhancing healthcare and economic to Emirates News Agency (WAM) on the sidelines of the Make it in the Emirates forum at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), Dr. Ajlan Al Zaki, Director of the Centre for Haematology, Oncology and Cellular Therapy at Burjeel Hospital in Abu Dhabi, described the event as an ideal platform to introduce this advanced therapy involves collecting T-cells from the patient, genetically modifying them in a laboratory to recognise and attack cancer cells, then reinfusing them into the patient's Zaki said the forum offers a strategic opportunity to showcase the UAE's capabilities in locally manufacturing CAR T-cells and exploring export potential for this technology to regional and international markets. He noted that this approach exemplifies the integration of science and biotechnology, supporting the knowledge economy and building a sustainable healthcare highlighted that the hospital's success in reducing treatment costs by up to 90 percent is unprecedented in the region, and strengthens the UAE's standing as a regional centre for advanced therapies. The achievement also paves the way for greater global scientific collaboration and reflects the country's significant progress in the medical Zaki, who previously held research and clinical roles at Stanford University and the MD Anderson Cancer Center, expressed his commitment to leveraging his expertise to provide effective and affordable cancer treatments across the UAE and the wider region, while raising awareness of CAR T-cell therapy for difficult-to-treat blood explained that CAR T-cell therapy is a form of personalised, precision medicine usually administered in a single session, with promising recovery rates. This represents a paradigm shift in the future of cancer care in the UAE, and strengthens Abu Dhabi's role as a regional centre for clinical research and cancer treatment CAR T-cell initiative, he added, demonstrates the UAE's capacity to localise advanced biotechnologies, empower national talent, and bridge scientific research with precision medicine and personalised the treatment was initially designed for blood cancers such as leukaemia and lymphoma, research is expanding its application to solid tumours, including breast, pancreatic and lung cancers, as well as complex brain tumours like glioblastoma and metastatic cancers resistant to conventional Zaki also emphasised the growing role of artificial intelligence in genomic analysis and precise molecular target identification, along with the use of cutting-edge gene editing tools like CRISPR to enhance cell engineering. He pointed to the UAE's collaborative efforts with scientific partners and non-profit institutions such as Caring Cross to manufacture these therapies locally, helping to make them more widely accessible across regional medical centres, rather than limited to a handful of global facilities. Source: Aletihad - Abu Dhabi
Khaleej Times
21-04-2025
- Khaleej Times
UAE doctor who went viral for brave stance during Covid returns after 20 years
An Emirati oncologist who went viral in 2020 for deciding to stay in the US to treat Covid patients and not leave has returned to his homeland after 20 years of living abroad. And he has two key missions: Reduce the cost of one of the most expensive cancer treatments and remove misconceptions around the scary 'C word. ' The first thing Dr Ajlan Al Zaki noticed in his patients here in the UAE was an instilled fear of cancer. 'It's okay to say the C word. A lot of patients come in and they hear the word cancer and that brings in fear. There are concerns, and understandably so. They just want to make sure that they're okay. That sort of awareness needs to be spread out where cancer is not necessarily a bad word,' he told Khaleej Times. Another thing he noticed in patients here was how everything was taken at face value. 'We tend to use Dr Google or AI,' Al Zaki said. 'I need to tell my patients don't believe everything you read online. Please don't do it. You can Google a little bit, but don't believe everything you read online.' Dr Al Zaki, a triple board-certified haematologist and oncologist previously based out of the US, went viral during the beginning of the Covid pandemic in 2020 after the UAE government called on its citizens abroad to return home, but he decided not to leave and to stay in order to perform his duty as a doctor and treat infected patients. Currently, he is director of Burjeel Haematology Oncology and Cellular Therapy Centre and a specialist in CAR-T cell and Advanced immunotherapies. 'The UAE has supported me during this whole time. I was going through my personal journey of developing experience and getting that experience where I felt like I would be comfortable enough to bring everything back,' Al Zaki said. More affordable CAR-T cell therapy Today, the haematologist-oncologist is continuing his path of helping cancer patients by reducing the costs of one of the most personalised and expensive cancer treatments–chimeric antigen receptor CAR-T cell therapy. This type of treatment involves genetically engineering a patient's T-cells and training them to recognise a specific marker on a cancer cell and then fighting those off once given back to the patient. Because this treatment is so personalised, the costs of treatment are significantly higher. One single infusion could cost a whopping $1 million. During the first day of the Abu Dhabi Global Health Week event, which ran from April15-17, Burjeel Holdings announced its partnership with Caring Cross, a US-based non-profit, to reduce the costs of CAR T cell therapy treatment by up to 90% compared to international costs. 'It could be up to 90%, where that bar is going to be in the UAE, we don't know. But I know for sure that we can provide it at a lower cost than what's commercially approved,' Al Zaki said. Al Zaki explained that the reason why costs may be reduced by that much is due to the technology offered by Caring Cross to locally manufacture the cells. 'When you're making the CAR-T cells, when you're programming the CAR-T cells, think of it as downloading software on your iPhone. So, you have your iPhone, which is your T cells, and you want to upgrade your iPhone, you have to download software,' he said. Al Zaki continued: 'It's the software sometimes which can be really expensive. And so, what Caring Cross does is they make the software, and they provide it at a significantly reduced cost. And we use that software to then upgrade the T cells.' 'I want people to have access to these kinds of therapies anywhere in the world. That's why we went into medicine,' he said. From engineering to medicine After starting his academic journey as a chemical engineer, Al Zaki came across a professor who suggested that he tries to do some research. At the time, Al Zaki had plans to work for one of the oil companies in the UAE. However, that eye-opening conversation prompted him to switch course and turn to research as a career path. 'The idea of cancer always intrigued me at that time. How do we diagnose it? How do we treat it? What are new ways that we are using to prevent it from occurring in the beginning?' he said. Six years and a PhD in research later, Al Zaki decided that medicine was his true calling and pursued medical school. In 2012, when his grandfather was diagnosed with late-stage cancer, Al Zaki grew inspired to help people when they are at their worst, whether it be medical or emotional support. He said that despite the condition his grandfather was in, he knew how important it was to just be present. 'I read once that sometimes the best therapy that you can give to a patient that's not administered by way of mouth or way of the vein, is really through the way of the ear. Sometimes [words of comfort are] the strongest therapy you can give to someone.'
Khaleej Times
15-04-2025
- Khaleej Times
UAE to locally produce CAR-T cancer therapy at 90% less cost
The treatment cost of some of the most aggressive forms of cancers like leukemia and lymphoma could now significantly come down in the UAE. In an effort to revolutionise cancer care across the Mena region, Burjeel Holdings has joined forces with US-based non-profit Caring Cross to locally manufacture CAR-T (Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell therapy) cell therapies in the country — at up to 90 per cent less than current international costs. This was revealed on the opening day of Abu Dhabi Health Week, which kicked off on Tuesday. It (CAR-T) is a cutting-edge form of immunotherapy used primarily to treat certain types of cancer, especially blood cancers. How does CAR-T cell therapy work? T-cells are collected from the patient's blood. In a lab, these T-cells are genetically modified to express a special receptor (CAR) that targets cancer cells. The modified CAR-T cells are grown and multiplied in the lab. They are infused back into the patient, where they seek out and destroy cancer cells. The partnership aims to establish a comprehensive ecosystem for the production of CAR-T therapies. Caring Cross will provide the technology, raw materials, and expert training needed to support this local infrastructure. CAR-T therapies, which genetically reprogram a patient's immune cells to target and destroy cancer cells, have demonstrated significant success in treating aggressive blood cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma. The move is expected to dramatically improve access and affordability of advanced cancer treatments across the region. Enhancing access to life-saving cancer care The collaboration will position the UAE as a regional hub for advanced cell and gene therapies. By enabling local, point-of-care production of patient-specific therapies, the initiative will expand the reach of these therapies to underserved populations across the Mena region. The first phase of the program will focus on CAR-T therapies for leukemia and lymphoma, with plans to explore treatments for other diseases, including HIV, in the future. Dr Ajlan Al Zaki, Director of the Hematology Oncology & Cellular Therapy Center at Burjeel Hospital Abu Dhabi said, 'We are honored to partner with Caring Cross, whose expertise in CAR-T cell therapy production technology will enable us to provide affordable, life-saving treatments to our communities and beyond. This partnership is a pivotal step in our commitment to advancing medical innovation and expanding access to critical healthcare services.' The partnership will focus on training and developing local healthcare providers, ensuring the sustainable and scalable delivery of CAR-T therapies across Mena, India, and globally. Notably, with costs ranging from US$350,000 to over $1 million in global markets, access for blood cancer treatments remain severely restricted. Stakeholders emphasized that the partnership seeks to dismantle this barrier by enabling the production of CAR-T therapies at a fraction of the current price, making these treatments accessible to a vastly broader patient population in Mena and beyond. 'We are excited to partner with Burjeel Holdings to improve access to CAR-T cell and other ATMPs for patients across their hospital networks in the Mena region,' said Boro Dropulić, Executive Director of Caring Cross. 'This collaboration advances our mission to make these groundbreaking treatments accessible and affordable around the world. We intend to significantly improve patient access with a sustainable and cost-effective model.'
