What Happened
- Researchers at IIT Bombay, led by Professor Prakriti Tayalia from the Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, in collaboration with Monash University (Australia), have developed a simpler and gentler method to recover lab-grown T cells for use in cancer immunotherapy.
- The key innovation: growing T cells on fibrous electrospun scaffolds that mimic the body's natural extracellular matrix environment, and then harvesting them using the mild enzyme accutase instead of the conventional harsh enzyme trypsin.
- T cells grown on fibrous scaffolds demonstrated significantly improved cancer-killing efficacy compared to those grown on conventional flat plastic surfaces — suggesting a dual benefit: scaffold-based growth enhances potency, and gentle recovery preserves therapeutic function.
- The research was published in the journal Biomaterials Science and was selected for the European Society for Biomaterials conference collection.
- Future plans include testing the approach in animal models and exploring the possibility of implanting T-cell-loaded scaffolds directly into tumours.
Static Topic Bridges
CAR T-Cell Therapy — Mechanism and Significance
Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell (CAR T-cell) therapy is a form of adoptive cell immunotherapy in which a patient's own T lymphocytes (immune cells) are extracted, genetically engineered in a laboratory to express synthetic receptors (CARs) that recognise specific cancer cell surface antigens, expanded in large numbers, and then reinfused into the patient to selectively destroy cancer cells.
- CAR T-cell therapy has shown remarkable results for haematological (blood) cancers — particularly B-cell lymphomas, leukaemia, and multiple myeloma — where conventional chemotherapy and radiation have failed.
- The CAR receptor most commonly targets CD19 (a protein on B-cells) or BCMA (B-cell maturation antigen).
- India's first approved CAR T-cell therapy — NexCAR19 — was developed at IIT Bombay and received CDSCO (Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation) approval in October 2023. It is also notable as the world's first humanised CAR T-cell therapy.
- In US clinical practice, CAR T-cell therapy costs approximately $400,000 per infusion; NexCAR19 is priced at approximately $50,000 — a dramatic reduction in cost that has global implications for affordable cancer care.
- Clinical trial data (64 patients): 67% objective response rate; cancer disappeared completely in approximately 50% of patients.
Connection to this news: The IIT Bombay research addresses a critical bottleneck in CAR T-cell manufacturing — cell recovery. If T cells are damaged during harvesting (by harsh enzymes like trypsin), their cancer-killing effectiveness is diminished; this new method preserves cell function and could improve clinical outcomes.
Electrospun Scaffolds and Biomaterials in Regenerative Medicine
An electrospun scaffold is a three-dimensional fibrous matrix produced by forcing a polymer solution through a charged needle, creating nano- to micro-scale fibres that mimic the architecture of the body's natural extracellular matrix (ECM). These scaffolds provide cells with a physical environment more similar to their in-vivo (in the body) conditions than flat laboratory culture dishes.
- The extracellular matrix is a network of proteins (collagen, fibronectin, laminin) and polysaccharides that surrounds cells in the body and provides structural support as well as biochemical signals that regulate cell behaviour.
- Electrospun scaffolds have been used in tissue engineering for wound healing, cartilage repair, bone regeneration, and vascular grafts — and are now being applied to immunotherapy manufacturing.
- The finding that fibrous scaffold-grown T cells are more potent than flat-surface-grown T cells is significant because it suggests cell culture environment is not merely a manufacturing detail but a determinant of therapeutic quality.
- The enzyme accutase (used for gentle cell detachment) preserves surface proteins on T cells that trypsin would digest — these surface proteins include the very receptors and ligands that T cells use to recognise and kill cancer cells.
Connection to this news: By replacing flat surfaces with biomimetic scaffolds and trypsin with accutase, the IIT Bombay team has addressed two simultaneous problems in CAR T-cell manufacturing — cell potency and cell survival during recovery — making the therapy potentially more effective and more scalable.
India's Biotech Research Ecosystem and Cancer Care Policy
India is emerging as a significant player in biotechnology and biopharmaceuticals, with a stated goal (National Biotechnology Development Strategy) of becoming a top-5 global bioeconomy by 2025. Cancer remains a major public health burden — India records approximately 1.4 million new cancer cases annually, with the number projected to rise significantly.
- The National Cancer Grid (NCG) connects over 250 cancer care centres across India to standardise treatment protocols and facilitate research.
- The Ayushman Bharat–PM-JAY scheme covers some cancer treatments under its benefit package, but CAR T-cell therapy at even the reduced NexCAR19 price remains unaffordable for most Indian patients without insurance or subsidy.
- India's National Biopharma Mission (2017, ₹1,500 crore) and the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) have been key funders of indigenous biotech development including immunotherapy research.
- IIT Bombay's ImmunoACT (the spin-off that commercialised NexCAR19) is an example of the academic-industry pathway that the government seeks to replicate across biotechnology domains.
Connection to this news: The IIT Bombay T-cell recovery research builds on the same institutional ecosystem that produced NexCAR19 — if successful at scale, it could further reduce the manufacturing cost and improve the efficacy of India's indigenous CAR T-cell therapy pipeline.
Key Facts & Data
- Institution: IIT Bombay (Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering), in collaboration with Monash University, Australia
- Lead researcher: Professor Prakriti Tayalia
- Key innovation: Electrospun fibrous scaffolds + accutase enzyme (replacing flat surfaces + trypsin) for T-cell culture and recovery
- Published in: Biomaterials Science (also featured in European Society for Biomaterials conference collection)
- India's first CAR T-cell therapy: NexCAR19, approved by CDSCO in October 2023 (developed at IIT Bombay)
- NexCAR19 cost: ~$50,000 (vs. ~$400,000 for US equivalents — approximately one-tenth the global price)
- NexCAR19 clinical trial results: 67% objective response rate in 64 patients with advanced lymphoma/leukaemia; ~50% complete response
- Global cancer burden context: India: ~1.4 million new cases annually
- Cancer cell targets: CD19 (most common), BCMA — surface antigens targeted by CAR T-cells
- Future research direction: Animal model testing; potential in-vivo scaffold implantation directly into tumours