CAR-T immunotherapy trial for multiple sclerosis begins in Sheffield
A clinical trial testing CAR-T immunotherapy for progressive MS has begun, with a Sheffield patient among the first treated.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
A new clinical trial using CAR-T immunotherapy for multiple sclerosis has started in Sheffield, offering fresh hope to people living with the condition. The treatment, first developed for some cancers, is now being tested for safety in patients with progressive MS, a form of the disease for which few therapies exist.
MS affects more than 150,000 people in the UK. In the condition, the immune system mistakenly attacks nerves in the brain and spinal cord, damaging nerve cells and their protective coating. CAR-T therapy works by taking some of the patient's immune cells, known as T-cells, and reprogramming them in a lab. They are then put back into the body, where they are designed to find and destroy the immune cells causing the damage.
The trial is being led in Sheffield by the same team that pioneered the use of stem cell transplantation in the UK for MS. It is running in four UK centres and is open to patients with progressive MS who meet certain criteria. Up to 18 people will be recruited worldwide in this first phase, which is focused on testing the safety of the therapy.
Newman, a 40-year-old father of two, was diagnosed with MS six years ago and his mobility quickly declined. In June, he became the first patient in Sheffield and the seventh in the international clinical trial. His treatment was filmed by hospital staff. Speaking about the trial, he said: "It gives me hope that it will stop the MS and from there I can begin my road of recovery."
Experts say it is early days, but if the therapy proves safe and effective, it could be a game changer. One specialist said: "This is really an important trial for multiple sclerosis because we tried to treat patients who have progressive multiple sclerosis at this stage, and in fact, we don't have a lot of therapies for those patients. So if this trial is to prove safe and hopefully the future effective, then it will be a game changer."
If successful, the therapy offers hope of a one-off treatment for MS that could slow or even halt the disease. For Newman, that would mean everything.
On screen
Stills are sampled automatically at 60-second intervals. Where shown, the still is the nearest available frame from the relevant broadcast segment and is included to show what was on screen during that part of the broadcast. A still may not correspond to the exact second of a quoted phrase.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | BBC One |
|---|---|
| A clinical trial is testing whether CAR-T immunotherapy is safe for people with multiple sclerosis. | |
| Newman is the first patient in Sheffield and the seventh in an international clinical trial. | |
| Up to 18 people will be recruited worldwide in the first phase of the trial. |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
The report centres on the personal story of Newman, the first patient in Sheffield, and frames the trial as a potential breakthrough for progressive MS. It includes expert commentary on the lack of existing treatments and the hope that CAR-T could be a game changer, while stressing that the current phase is about safety.
- “It gives me hope that it will stop the MS and from there I can begin my road of recovery”
- “so this is really an important trial for multiple sclerosis because we Tried to treat patients who have progressive multiple sclerosis at this stage And in fact, we don't have a lot of therapies for those patients So if this patient if this trial is to prove safe and hopefully the future effective then it will be a game changer”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.