Final answer:
To prepare for CAR T-cell therapy, a patient typically undergoes lymphodepletion with chemotherapy, which creates a more favorable environment for the engineered T cells to function effectively upon reinfusion.
Step-by-step explanation:
Your cousin's preparation for CAR (chimeric antigen receptor) T-cell therapy will likely involve a process known as lymphodepletion prior to the infusion of the engineered T cells. This is because the body's existing immune cells can compete with the CAR T cells for resources and may reduce their effectiveness.
Lymphodepletion often involves the administration of chemotherapy agents and sometimes additional radiation to reduce the number of lymphocytes in the body. A commonly used chemotherapy regimen includes fludarabine and cyclophosphamide. This regimen helps to create a more favorable environment for the CAR T cells to expand and function once they are infused back into the patient.
The actual process begins with collecting T cells from the patient's blood, engineering them to create CAR T cells that will target cancer cells, followed by multiplying these cells in culture. After the lymphodepletion, these engineered T cells are reintroduced into the patient's bloodstream.