News & stories, Introducing CAR T-cell Therapy at the Saint John Regional Hospital!
February 2025
With your help, we'll soon be
Introducing CAR T-cell Therapy at the Saint John Regional Hospital!
You might be surprised (and impressed) to hear that the Saint John Regional Hospital offers a stem cell transplant program — the only one of its kind in New Brunswick.
Directed by Dr. Terrence Comeau, this program provides vital support to many patients battling blood cancers such as leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma, as well as other serious blood disorders and neurological conditions.
Stem cell transplants are a critical treatment option, especially for patients who have undergone high doses of chemotherapy or radiation therapy, which can destroy the body’s immune system. By replacing these damaged or destroyed cells with healthy ones, stem cell transplants offer a chance for recovery and a better quality of life.
The program has seen remarkable success, with many patients experiencing significant improvements in their health and well-being.
However, to continue providing these life-saving treatments and to integrate new advancements such as CAR T-cell therapy, the hospital urgently needs to upgrade its medical equipment.
Securing the Future of Life-Saving Treatments
The Saint John Regional Hospital relies on apheresis machines for stem cell transplants and other cancer treatments, like CAR-T therapy. Without new apheresis machines, the hospital cannot perform life-saving stem cell transplants.
How Do Apheresis Machines Work?
Apheresis machines work by separating and collecting certain parts of the blood, like stem cells, which are then used in treatments.
These machines are also vital for CAR T-cell therapy, a new cancer treatment that uses a patient’s immune cells to fight the disease.
What is CAR T-cell Therapy?
This process involves taking T cells from the patient’s blood, altering them to make special proteins called chimeric antigen receptors (CARs), and then putting them back into the patient. These CARs help the T cells find and destroy cancer cells more effectively.
What are the Benefits?
These innovative treatments offer numerous benefits to patients, including:
- Improved Survival Rates: CAR T-cell therapy has shown remarkable success in treating certain types of blood cancers, improving survival rates for patients who have exhausted other treatment options.
- Enhanced Quality of Life: Stem cell transplants and CAR T-cell therapy can significantly improve the quality of life for patients by offering a chance for recovery and reducing the burden of cancer-related symptoms. Many patients report feeling better, having more energy, and happily returning to their normal lives.
- Access to Cutting-Edge Treatments: By providing access to advanced medical technologies, the Saint John Regional Hospital ensures that patients in the region receive the best possible care without having to travel long distances.
And, with your help, coming soon, Horizon Health Network will offer CAR T-cell therapy to eligible patients at the Saint John Regional Hospital, marking a significant advancement in cancer treatment in the region!
Exciting News: Your Gift to Radio-thon Will Go 2x Further!
Thanks to a generous $100,000 matching gift from the John T. McMillan Jr. Memorial Foundation, every donation made to the Love Your Hospital Radio-Thon will be doubled, amplifying the impact of your contribution. This incredible opportunity means that if we reach our $100,000 fundraising goal, we can fully leverage the matching gift, doubling our resources to purchase this life-saving apheresis technology.
Thanks to a generous $100,000 matching gift from the John T. McMillan Jr. Memorial Foundation, every donation to the Love Your Hospital Radio-Thon will be doubled.
That means any amount you can give between now and midnight on February 13th will go twice as far to help purchase two new apheresis machines and kickstart the innovative CAR T-cell therapy program at the Saint John Regional Hospital!
Your kindness helps advance our hospital's capabilities and ensures every patient receives the best possible care. Your gifts help countless patients battling cancer and bring them closer to a future filled with health and happiness.
