Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy can be scientifically powerful yet highly complex to deliver. At Bristol Myers Squibb, our Product Development & Supply team works across geographic boundaries to help move patients’ cells safely and reliably while ensuring the highest standards of chain of custody and quality are met along the journey.
This Science with Purpose story highlights how putting patients first inspires new ways to deliver medicines to patients to ensure they reach them at the right time.
A new way to deliver for patients
For someone receiving chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy for cancers such as multiple myeloma and lymphoma, the journey is personal and time matters. Treatment begins with their own immune cells, which are collected, reprogrammed at a specialized facility to recognize and fight cancer, and then returned for infusion. At every step, there is a patient waiting for a therapy made specifically for them, with the hope of more time and meaningful moments ahead.
That urgency became even more important as demand for CAR T cell therapy grew in Japan. BMS faced an important challenge: how could we help more patients receive this highly personalized therapy as quickly as possible? Our team responded by creating a transpacific pathway connecting Japan with manufacturing sites in the U.S. Through coordinated air transport and dedicated couriers, the team provides careful handling of each patient’s cells across continents, maintaining an unbroken chain of custody and helping ensure these highly personalized medicines reach patients when they need them.
What began as a response to the growing need for CAR T cell therapy in Japan has created a new model for delivery, opening up the potential to bring this treatment to more patients around the world.
