Last night’s broadcast on KTVU featured an interview with Dr. Miklos about a new immunotherapy drug, Yescarta. KGO TV also interviewed Dr. Miklos and Dr. Mackall as well as two patients who contributed moving stories about their experience with Yescarta. The KTVU segment can be viewed below.

Yescarta (axicabtagene ciloleucel) is a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy, and is the second gene therapy approved by the FDA and the first for certain types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). More information can be found on the FDA’s press release.

For the next year Stanford will be the only cancer center providing Yescarta in northern California, and one of only three treatment centers on the west coast (the others are Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle WA; and City of Hope, Duarte, CA). Many thanks to the Cancer Cell Therapy team and Dr. Miklos for their work on the Kite Pharma trials studying this drug.