Cancer-Free for 12 Years! The First Child Cured by CAR-T Therapy Starts a New Life!

Recently, Emily Whitehead, the first child in the world cured of leukemia through CAR-T cell immunotherapy, celebrated her 12th anniversary of being cancer-free.

Unlike previous years, Emily did not share her cancer-fighting photos on social media this time. Instead, she posted on the official website, “Emily is alive today because of cancer research,” indicating that she has embarked on a new life after saying goodbye to cancer.

Last year, when she shared her cancer-free photo, Emily expressed, “This will be the last one.” She stated, “I am incredibly grateful for everything I have experienced over the past eleven years. Although this will be the last official cancer-free photo, it certainly will not mark the end of my life without cancer. It’s time to do bigger things, think about what I want to do without cancer, and continue to support patients like me. After all, we are all human—not just cancer survivors. I’m so excited; I’ve figured out my next chapter in life!”

Now, Emily has become a college student at the very university that developed the therapy that gave her a “new life,” the University of Pennsylvania. On May 11th, to reassure her followers around the world, Emily's parents shared updates on social media, revealing that she had just completed her freshman year at Penn’s College of Arts and Sciences, where she is majoring in English.

Outside of her studies, she volunteers with local dogs and has a keen interest in photography. Although she had visited Pennsylvania as a child and is familiar with Philadelphia, she still makes time to explore the city, especially its cafes and bookstores. She describes herself as “someone who really loves cafes,” and calls “Last Word Bookstore” the most popular spot nearby.

Looking ahead, Emily hopes to continue exploring the city through Penn and study abroad.

“Whenever you have a story like mine, it can be tough to find your identity outside of it. I think it’s important to learn how to balance that.”

Meanwhile, the Emily Whitehead Foundation, named after her, is actively promoting research into new therapies like CAR-T through fundraising and various charitable events.

The Emily Foundation funds CAR-T research at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Emily has said, “I hope immunotherapy can be the future of cancer treatment, and I look forward to seeing it become a frontline treatment for cancers like leukemia during my lifetime, benefiting all cancer patients.”  

Emily’s story has helped many around the world understand what CAR-T therapy is and why supporting research is essential. We look forward to a future where cell therapies represented by CAR-T can reach their full potential, allowing more cancer patients to say goodbye to their pain and enjoy life, just like Emily.

What is CAR-T Cell Therapy?

You may know that immune T cells can kill cancer cells. CAR-T is a type of T cell. If cancer cells have specific antigens on their surface, immune T cells can be activated to attack and kill them.  

In simple terms, CAR-T allows immune T cells, which would typically not recognize cancer cells, to gain the ability to identify them. How is this achieved? It involves giving immune T cells a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) that can recognize the antigens on the surface of cancer cells.  

The following diagram illustrates a straightforward CAR-T treatment process. First, blood is collected, usually from the patient. It can also be collected from umbilical cord blood or other donor sources to obtain T cells. Then, using genetic engineering techniques, artificial surface receptors are added, and these T cells that can specifically recognize cancer cells are massively expanded and prepared for reinfusion back into the patient.

The First Child to Try CAR-T Therapy

The first clinically successful and commercially available CAR-T therapy targets CD19, which means a receptor that recognizes the CD19 protein is added to T cells. The results of CAR-T therapy have been remarkable; in one study involving 75 children and young patients who had failed standard treatments (61% of whom had undergone bone marrow transplants), the remission rate reached 81% within three months, and the one-year survival rate was 76%. This is a significant breakthrough.  

The first child to try this groundbreaking treatment was Emily, mentioned earlier. In 2012, after failing two chemotherapy treatments, she was about to give up on treatment altogether when she encountered the CAR-T therapy clinical trial in the United States, making her the first child in the world to try CAR-T.

Emily's story has helped many around the world understand what CAR-T therapy is and why supporting research is essential. We look forward to a future where cell therapies represented by CAR-T can reach their full potential, allowing more cancer patients to say goodbye to their pain and enjoy life, just like Emily.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports

Title Note: Emily Whitehead is the first child to be cured of cancer through treatment at the University of Pennsylvania. She has returned with a new life.

Video Translation | Jiayu  

Article Author | Li Zhizhong  

Some images and content sourced from the internet  

Formatting | Xia Yu  

Proofreading | Jiani