A major new UK study, led by The Christie NHS Foundation Trust and The University of Manchester, has been launched to help patients with cancer better tolerate cutting-edge immunotherapy treatments like CAR-T. It’s the first and largest programme of its kind ever established in the UK and is the culmination of 30 years of worldwide research.
The £8m programme, which aims to recruit up to 100 patients over 5 years, has secured £3.4 million from the Medical Research Council (MRC), with support from industry partners Poolbeg Pharma plc, Johnson & Johnson, Randox Laboratories Ltd and Sanius Health.
The programme, called RISE*, aims to address one of the biggest challenges in advanced cancer immunotherapies – reducing the potentially life-threatening side effects of powerful therapies such as CAR-T and T-cell engaging bispecific antibodies. These next-generation treatments are already transforming survival prospects for patients with blood cancers like lymphoma and leukaemia, but many experience severe immune system overreactions, including Cytokine Release Syndrome (CRS) which can cause ‘flu-like symptoms such as fever, fatigue and muscle ache and can be potentially life-threatening. Approximately two hundred people are given advanced cancer therapies every year, a quarter of whom are treated at The Christie. Nearly a fifth of patients with CRS suffer severe side-effects such as difficulty breathing, organ dysfunction or neurological complications, needing intensive care treatment.
Dr Jonathan Lim, Honorary Consultant Medical Oncologist at The Christie and Senior Lecturer at The University of Manchester and programme lead for RISE said: “RISE brings together experts from across Manchester to understand how powerful new cancer immunotherapies work, and why they sometimes cause serious side effects. Our ambition is to position the UK as a global leader in research focused on the safe delivery of cell therapies.”
Dr Glenn Wells, Medical Research Council Deputy Executive Chair, said: “This project is part of a £9 million public sector investment through MRC’s first Prosperity Partnerships. With additional contribution from industry and close collaboration with key regulatory bodies, we are addressing the safety and toxicity of advanced therapies. This research is critical to improving how gene, cell-based, and nucleic acid-dependent therapies are developed for conditions such as cancers and rare genetic disorders, so we can make meaningful improvements to patient outcomes.”
A patient who welcomes the news about this research is Elkie Mellor, 22, from Bebington in the Wirral, Merseyside who underwent CAR-T treatment for ALL (Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia) in March 2024. This was the third time she’d had leukaemia, having first been diagnosed when she was 14 years old.
Talking about her experience, Elkie said: “CAR-T was basically the only option left for me and without it I wouldn’t be here. I was told my bone marrow was about 90% leukaemia, so my prognosis was very poor. I was given a 20% chance of the treatment being successful and told about the side-effects which scared me, but I didn’t have an alternative. I was in hospital for a month and a half and spent a week in the critical care unit. I got neurotoxicity and my personality changed over-night. I was in and out of consciousness and very confused. I had hallucinations and woke up on Easter Sunday convinced I was Jesus. I became paranoid and thought I was kidnapped and chained up, but it was just the IV tubes around the bed. I even tried to attack my poor mum.
“It was very tough, but the tremendous support from my mum, boyfriend and the whole family got me through, as well as the fantastic Christie medical team. If there’d been a drug available to prevent the side effects, I would have felt less anxiety beforehand and would have had a much better experience altogether. If the researchers find a way of preventing these awful side-effects, that will make a massive difference for patients like me. It could be a real game-changer.
“My memory isn’t what it was, and my immune system is very weak, so I have to have an infusion once a month to give it a boost. I also get tired very easily but I’m now back working part-time at a hair salon and enjoying life with my boyfriend, Christy and the rest of my family.”
In parallel, the Manchester Wearables Research Group and the Christabel Pankhurst Institute at The University of Manchester, core partners of the RISE programme, will deploy a digital monitoring platform to track patients receiving standard-of-care CAR-T therapy. This technology aims to detect early signs of inflammation and enable earlier clinical intervention, before complications escalate.
Professor Alejandro Frangi, Director of the Christabel Pankhurst Institute and co-lead of RISE said: “To push the boundaries of what’s possible in immunotherapy research, we’re embedding artificial intelligence and machine learning from the outset. These high-risk and potentially high-reward tools will help uncover insights that traditional methods might miss – accelerating discovery and enabling smarter, faster solutions.”
Any patients interested in taking part in clinical trials should discuss this option with their consultant or GP. Not all patients will fit the criteria for a specific trial. While clinical trials can be successful for some patients, outcomes can vary from case to case. More information about taking part in clinical trials can be found on our taking part in studies and trials page.
*RISE stands for ‘Reducing Immune Stress from Excess Cytokine release in advanced therapies’.