First leukaemia patient receives pioneering CAR T-cell therapy on the NHS

The first patient in England has received a pioneering CAR-T therapy on the NHS, developed by UCLB spinout venture Autolus Therapeutics, for an aggressive form of leukaemia.  

Oscar Murphy, 28, received AUCATZYL® (obe-cel) at the Manchester Royal Infirmary. The treatment reprogrammes a patient’s own immune cells to recognise and target the specific signature of a person’s cancer, delivered back into the body via an infusion.

BBC News was present on 2 January when Oscar received the first treatment, and reported on the milestone, following his second infusion yesterday. 

Obe-cel was approved for NHS use in England in November for patients over the age of 26 with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, that has returned or not responded to other treatments.   

The T-cells then act as a ‘living medicine’, continuing to grow and work after the final treatment. 

“The leukaemia I’ve got is so fast-acting,” said Oscar. “It needs an even quicker response to stop it. And we’ve now got an answer for that.” 

UCLB CEO, Dr. Anne Lane, said: “The first leukaemia patient to receive cutting-edge personalised immunotherapy is a life-changing moment for the family and a landmark for UK life sciences. 

“This 10-year journey began with brilliant research by clinical academics at UCL’s Cancer Institute, who were then supported by UCL Business to set up Autolus, a spinout company dedicated to developing, trialling and bringing the CAR T therapy AUCATZYL to market. 

“This shows what the UK can achieve when world-class doctors and researchers work together, backed by strong innovation, infrastructure and patient investment.” 

UCLB’s journey with Autolus 

NASDAQ-listed Autolus Therapeutics is an early-commercial stage biopharmaceutical company developing next-generation programmed T-cell therapies. 

Beginning its journey with Proof of Concept funding, UCLB’s support also included facilitating the spinout process, managing intellectual property, and fostering partnerships. The company has raised over $1.1bn of investment capital since incorporation, employing more than 450 people, and opening a state-of-the-art production facility, The Nucleus in Stevenage. 

The foundational research underpinning obe-cel was conducted at UCL and led by Dr. Martin Pule and his collaborators at the UCL Cancer Institute and Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health. UCLB and Autolus entered into a licence agreement for patent rights relating to obe-cel back in 2018.