First leukaemia patient to get pioneering drug on NHS says it is ‘very sci-fi’

The first leukemia patient to receive a groundbreaking treatment since it became available on the NHS has said it is “fantastic” and “very science fiction”.

Oscar Murphy, 28, who has an aggressive form of blood cancer, received the ‘living drug’, called CAR-T therapy, at Manchester Royal Infirmary.

BBC News was there on January 2 when Oscar received the first of two infusions of his own immune cells, which had been genetically modified to recognize and target his cancer.

NHS England has agreed to fund immunotherapy at several centers across the country. Around 50 NHS patients are likely to benefit each year.

Oscar was diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-cell ALL) in March 2025.

He underwent chemotherapy and a donor stem cell transplant in July, but in November he was told his cancer had returned.

“The leukemia I have works very quickly,” the car salesman from Bury said. “We need an even faster response to stop it. And now we have an answer to that.”

In one clinical trial, 77% of patients went into remission after treatment, and half had no signs of cancer after three and a half years.

On average, the treatment gave patients an additional 15.6 months of life.

Oscar’s hematologist, Dr Eleni Tholouli, said CAR-T therapy was safer than existing treatments, with fewer side effects and much more effective.

“Usually this type of leukemia is very aggressive and adult patients do not live beyond six to eight months. With this therapy we are able to offer them years and potentially a cure.

“This is very important and it revolutionizes the way we fight this cancer.”

CAR-T therapy has been available on the NHS for several years for certain types of leukemia and lymphoma, but has only now been extended to adults with B-cell ALL.

Last month Oscar had his T cells – a type of white blood cell – removed and sent to a laboratory in Stevenage.

The cells were then reprogrammed using a harmless virus to introduce a genetic sequence that allowed them to identify cancer.

New surface receptors can then recognize and attach to cancer cells – like a lock and key – and mark them for destruction.

They become “chimeric antigen receptor T cells” – or CAR T cells – and their numbers are dramatically increased in the laboratory to make millions of copies.

Oscar’s personalized treatment, or living medicine, was cryopreserved and sent to Manchester Royal Infirmary.

The small bag containing Oscar’s personalized treatment contained 100 million CAR-T cells in just three teaspoons of liquid, and it took only minutes to infuse it into his bloodstream.

Oscar said he was surprised that the treatment could have such a powerful impact with such a small dose.

“It’s very science fiction, but if it means it eliminates cancer for good and my own cells can do it, that’s just fantastic.”

Oscar received a second infusion of 300 million cells yesterday, marking the end of his CAR-T treatment.

As it is a “living drug”, the anti-cancer T cells remain in the body for a long time and will continue to grow and work inside the patient after the last infusion.

CAR-T therapy is manufactured by Autolus, a spin-off company from University College London.

During clinical trials, patients’ cells had to be sent to laboratories in the United States.

The list price of the treatment is £372,000 per infusion, but the NHS has a confidential discount.

It will be available to patients aged over 26 whose B-cell ALL has not responded to treatment or has returned at several centers in England, including Cambridge, Newcastle, Sheffield, Plymouth and London.

Patients from Wales and Northern Ireland will have to travel to England for treatment. It has not yet been approved in Scotland.

NHS England estimates around 50 patients a year could benefit, but Tholouli told the BBC she thought it could be more and predicted it would eventually be used as a first-line treatment instead of a stem cell transplant.

Professor Peter Johnson, NHS national clinical director for cancer, said it was a “historic moment” for people with aggressive blood cancer.

He added that it was “remarkable” that the treatment now delivered in NHS centers was developed from scientific research in the UK.

“This will help more people like Oscar live longer, healthier lives.”

Chris Williams, 29, from Belfast, was diagnosed with aggressive leukemia of the same type as Oscar in 2021.

When the cancer returned, he received CAR-T therapy in Manchester while it was still an experimental treatment. He has now been in remission for almost three years.

“A few years ago I was very ill and now I can live fully. I was able to return to work. I also met Chloe and now we are engaged.

“I have fantastic support from my family and they are over the moon.”

Oscar and his fiancée Lauren were married at Manchester Royal Infirmary last month.

He told the BBC he wanted to “do it” due to uncertainties surrounding his condition, but the couple have planned another ceremony for October.

“I want kids and the white picket fence with my wonderful wife. I just want that normalcy. This is my gateway to getting there and I can’t wait.”