The first patient to receive a breakthrough treatment on the NHS for his aggressive form of leukaemia has said it was “fantastic” and “very sci-fi”.
Oscar Murphy, 28, was given the “living drug”, called CAR-T therapy, for his blood cancer, at Manchester Royal Infirmary.
BBC News was present on 2 January when Oscar received the first of two infusions of his own immune cells, which had been genetically modified to recognise and target his cancer.
NHS England has agreed to fund the immunotherapy at several centres across the country. About 50 NHS patients a year are likely to benefit from it.
Aggressive cancer diagnosis
Oscar was diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (B-cell ALL) in March 2025.
He underwent chemotherapy and a donor stem cell transplant in July but in November was told that his cancer had returned.
“The leukaemia I’ve got is so fast-acting,” the car salesman from Bury said. “It needs an even quicker response to stop it. And we’ve now got an answer for that.”
In a clinical trial, 77% of patients went into remission after treatment, with half showing no signs of cancer after three and a half years.
On average, the treatment gave patients 15.6 additional months of life.
‘Revolutionising the way we tackle this cancer’
Oscar’s haematologist, Dr Eleni Tholouli, said the CAR-T therapy was safer than existing treatments, with fewer side-effects and much more effective.
“Usually, this type of leukaemia is very aggressive and adult patients don’t live beyond six to eight months. With this therapy, we are able to offer them years and potentially a cure.
“It’s very significant and is revolutionising the way we tackle this cancer.”
CAR-T therapy has been available on the NHS for several years for certain types of leukaemia and lymphoma but has only now been extended to adults with B-cell ALL, with this new form of the treatment.
How the ‘living drug’ works
Last month, Oscar had T-cells – a type of white blood cell – removed and sent to a lab in Stevenage.
The cells were then reprogrammed using a harmless virus to introduce a genetic sequence that enables them to identify the cancer.
New surface receptors can then recognise and attach to cancer cells – like a lock and key – and mark them for destruction.
They become “chimeric antigen receptor T-cells”, or CAR T-cells, and their numbers are greatly expanded in the lab.
Oscar’s personalised treatment was cryopreserved and sent back to Manchester Royal Infirmary.
The tiny bag containing Oscar’s treatment held 100 million CAR T-cells in just three teaspoons of liquid and took only minutes to infuse.
“It’s very sci-fi, but if it means it gets rid of the cancer permanently and my own cells can do it it’s just fantastic,” Oscar said.
He had a second infusion of 300 million cells yesterday, marking the end of his CAR-T therapy.
As this is a “living drug”, the cancer-killing T-cells remain in the body and continue to grow and work after the final infusion.
NHS rollout and costs
The CAR-T therapy is manufactured by Autolus, a spin-out company from University College London.
During clinical trials, patients’ cells had to be sent to the US.
The list price is £372,000 per infusion, though the NHS has negotiated a confidential discount.
It will be available to patients over 26 whose B-cell ALL has not responded to treatment or has returned, at centres including Cambridge, Newcastle, Sheffield, Plymouth and London. Patients from Wales and Northern Ireland will need to travel to England. It has not yet been approved in Scotland.
‘A landmark moment’
Prof Peter Johnson, NHS National Clinical Director for Cancer, said it was a “landmark moment” for people with aggressive blood cancer.
He added it was “remarkable” the treatment now delivered at NHS centres had been developed from scientific research within the UK.
“It will help more people like Oscar live longer and healthier lives.”
Another patient’s story
Chris Williams, 29, from Belfast, was diagnosed with the same aggressive leukaemia in 2021.
When his cancer returned, he received CAR-T therapy in Manchester while it was still experimental. He has now been in remission for nearly three years.
“A few years ago I was very unwell and now I’m able to live a full life,” he said.
Looking to the future
Oscar and his fiancée Lauren were married at Manchester Royal Infirmary last month.
“I want children and the white picket fence with my amazing wife – I just want that normality,” he said. “This is my gateway to doing it and I can’t wait.”
Source: BBC News
