How CAR T-Cell Therapy Works: An Animation for Kids

This animation explains, in simple terms, how scientists harness the power of the immune system to kill cancer cells.

The narrator is Dr. Shannon Maude, a pediatric oncologist at the Cancer Immunotherapy Program at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).

CHOP is where the first pediatric patient in the world received immunotherapy for cancer, in 2012. Since then we’ve treated more children with this revolutionary new treatment than any hospital.

Since Emily Whitehead became the first child to receive T cell cancer therapy (sometimes called CAR T-cell cancer therapy) in 2012, teams at the University of Pennsylvania and CHOP have been at the forefront of research to find effective new immunotherapy treatments.

The experimental therapy she received is now an approved treatment. In (month), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved (therapy brand name) to treat relapsed B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children and young adults ages 3 to 25. It is the first gene therapy to become an approved treatment in the United States.

CHOP has the most experience in providing this treatment to children. CHOP also has the most experience and developed the protocols for managing the side effects of the treatment, including cytokine release syndrome (CRS).

In addition to offering T cell cancer treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia, CHOP has experimental immunotherapy options for treatment-resistant forms of Hodgkin lymphoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma and sarcomas.

Other terms for cancer immunotherapy include cell therapy, cancer immunology, immunotherapy oncology, and immunology oncology.