It sounded like science fiction, yet it exists today and offers innovative treatment opportunities to people who have lost hope.
To explain advanced therapies in the field of cellular and molecular biotechnology, the new YouTube channel “Innovations for life” was born. It is a real information and study hub, promoted by Novartis and dedicated to all those who are being treated with advanced therapy, but also to those who want to know more.
The project was born from listening to the needs of patients and families. The thematic playlist is among the first contents of the new platform CAR-T YOU dedicated to CAR-T therapy, a complex technology that represents the last frontier in the fight against cancer, starting with those of the blood.
Informative videos, insights with experts, patient and family testimonies, but above all the illustrated story, “The stellar adventures of Sun and Toni”, which takes shape starting today with the face and voice of the actress Serena Rossi in a series of seventeen animated video-readings.
Video after video, the advanced CAR-T therapy is explained through the journey of the little girl Sole and Toni, her T lymphocyte, which thanks to technology is taken and taken to the laboratory, where it is genetically modified and becomes a superhero, able to attack Sun’s tumor and save her life.
“The story of Sole and Toni has taught me to believe in the impossible, because even where there seems to be no hope, extraordinary opportunities can open up – commented Serena Rossi – from the first time I leafed through this book I had no doubts. This story moved me and led me with delicacy and imagination to discover a world I did not know, which brings to light the contribution that scientific innovation can make to people’s lives. I am convinced that it is important to explain what science can do, with clear and truthful information, so that more awareness and trust can arise from information. This is why I am happy to have had the opportunity to give voice to a delicate story, for young and old, which deeply touches and which wants to color with hope the difficult journey of so many adults and children against the disease, to rediscover life ” .
CAR-T (Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell) is a highly technological cellular treatment, classified among the innovative therapies by the regulatory authorities. The therapy consists of engineering the patient’s immune system, a process that allows T lymphocytes to recognize and fight cancer cells. To date, these advanced therapies are approved for the treatment of pediatric and young adult patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and for the treatment of diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) in adults who have not responded to previous therapies or who have had a relapse.
“Advanced therapies, such as CAR-T, in the field of haematological neoplasms represent the latest expression of a personalized approach to treatment and are based on cutting-edge genetic and technological knowledge. In this case we can really talk about a window to the future, a future that in some cases has already become a reality – said Paolo Corradini, Director of the Hematology Division of the IRCCS Foundation National Cancer Institute of Milan, University of Milan-I clinical results, in terms of long-term survival, are very encouraging, especially if we think that CAR-T therapies are used in patients with aggressive haematological diseases, in multiple relapses or who have not responded to other treatments. However, the implementation of this therapeutic path requires complex organizational and management structures and the implementation of adequate support programs for patients and their families. This is why information initiatives can be a valid help to offer patients and their families support to face the many doubts and questions related to the therapeutic path they are facing “.
Sergio Amadori, president of AIL (Italian Association against Leukemia, Lymphomas and Myeloma) agrees, who explained how “Those who undertake CAR-T therapy are faced with new needs, linked to the many aspects of this advanced therapeutic path, to starting from the need for many patients to move to a new treatment center, changing all the established points of reference and with logistical difficulties that affect the whole family. To this is added the strong psychological impact, which sees the alternation of hopes and fears, for a therapeutic process that offers opportunities for treatment where other treatments have not given the desired results. Information therefore plays a fundamental role and I hope that this new YouTube channel can offer a valid contribution to adult patients, but also to pediatric patients ”.
A theme, that of information and assistance to pediatric patients, which is at the center of the activities of FIAGOP (Italian Federation of Pediatric Oncohematology Parent Associations Onlus), as claimed by the President, Angelo Ricci: “Children and adolescents who tackle the CAR-T path face a further upheaval in their lives. For this reason, explaining this path in a simple and clear way is the first step to involve the little patients as an active and aware part and to undertake a path of assistance also towards their families. The illustrated story “The stellar adventures of Sun and Toni” goes in this direction and I hope it will help children and adults to better understand the meaning and value of this advanced therapy “.
After CAR-T YOU, in the coming months the “Innovations for Life” hub will be enriched with other thematic playlists, dedicated to other advanced therapies, so as to offer a wide range of information and materials on the most innovative treatment paths for different types of patients, adults and children.
In this complex “sea” Novartis is interpreting medicine in a new way in order to improve and prolong people’s lives. As a global leader in the pharmaceutical industry, it uses innovative scientific and digital technologies to create transformative therapies in areas with significant medical needs.
Committed to discovering new drugs, the Group is among the top companies in the world in investing in research and development. Novartis products reach more than 800 million people globally with the work of approximately 110,000 people to find innovative ways to expand access to the latest treatments.
With approximately 2,330 employees, in Italy Novartis is one of the largest companies in the pharmaceutical sector, with solid leadership in the field of the most innovative therapies and in that of equivalent and biosimilar drugs. On the national scene it is among the companies most committed to Research & Development, in particular in clinical development activities, an area in which it has invested over 200 million euros in the last three years.