Innovative CAR T-Cell Therapy in Israel
CAR T-cell therapy is a revolutionary, highly specialized and individualized treatment for leukemia and lymphoma (“blood cancer”) offered by a limited number of cancer centers worldwide. We are pleased to offer CAR T-cell therapy to patients from the UAE, at the Sheba Medical Center’s Hemato-Oncology Department. Our campus is located in closer proximity to the UAE than Europe and the United States, with new treatment solutions that are more affordable.
CAR T-cell therapy transforms the patient’s own white blood cells, programming them to kill cancer cells. It has led to many positive outcomes, putting cancer into remission in many patients who did not respond to other treatment methods. At Sheba, we have all of the advanced facilities necessary for delivering CAR T-cell therapy, including a laboratory to engineer the T-cells.
How Does CAR T-cell Therapy Work?
CAR-T treatment for leukemia and lymphoma is an innovative process that uses your own immune cells to seek and destroy cancerous cells.
Blood is taken from the patient, and advanced technology is used to separate the white blood cells (an essential part of the immune system) from the rest of the blood cells. The white blood cells are then sent to a specialized laboratory, where they are engineered to produce specific chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) on their surface. These CAR T-cells are then reinjected back into the patient’s bloodstream. Now, the new CARs can help the modified cells latch on to the coordinating antigen on tumor cells – effectively hunting down and killing cancerous cells.
While the modified T-cells grow in our laboratory, the patient receives chemotherapy to suppress their immune system, creating a more efficient setting for the CAR T-cells to do their job and eliminate malignant cells.
A significant benefit of CAR T-cell therapy is that it not only instructs the T-cells to kill the cancer, but it also triggers the T-cells to grow and multiply. Therefore, after just one treatment, the cells continue to attack the tumor for months or even years.
Why Come to Sheba Medical Center from the UAE??
Presently, the UAE sends many complicated patient cases to other countries, and now, Sheba offers a solution that is closer than Europe and more affordable than the United States. Many members of the medical staff also speak Arabic, creating a comfortable atmosphere – like a home away from home.
CAR T-cell therapy in Israel provides patients from the UAE with a personalized, advanced treatment administered by world-renowned cancer specialists. Not only is Sheba the largest, most comprehensive hospital in the Middle East, but for the past two years it was ranked by Newsweek as one of the top 10 hospitals in the world. As a leading international force in medicine and biotechnological innovation, Sheba offers many treatments and technologies that are unavailable elsewhere. Presidents, VIPs and top-level executives regularly choose Sheba for medical treatment.
Joining forces to advance patient care: Sheba Medical Center and APEX National Investment, based in Abu Dhabi, recently signed a memorandum of agreement, laying the groundwork for medical tourism, medical training and digital healthcare innovation. To encourage startups, Sheba and APEX will set up a collaborative healthcare hub for the UAE modeled after the ARC Innovation Center on Sheba’s campus in Israel.
Benefits of CAR T-cell Therapy at Sheba
Convenient on-site care
We feature full CAR-T facilities under one-roof (including cell harvesting, chemotherapy, genetic engineering laboratory, T-cell injections, and patient observation), creating an efficient experience.
Full accreditation
We are fully accredited for international healthcare by the Joint Commission International (JCI)
Affordable fees
Medical expenses are generally lower than in the US, and we offer full transparency with no hidden costs
Patient- friendly
A coordinator from the Global patient services will assist with everything from travel to translation
World-renowned specialists
A coordinator from Global Patient Services team will assist with everything from travel to translation
Holistic care
Our staff includes some of the most qualified and experienced oncologists, hematologists, and immunologists in the world
Patients Share Sam Turel’s Treatment with CAR-T Therapy
In his native India, Sam Turel began receiving treatments in 2009 for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). After spending seven years in remission, he suffered a relapse and was treated with targeted therapy. Unfortunately, his cancer took a turn for the worse and transformed from CLL to diffuse large b-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). After attempts to treat it with chemotherapy failed, Sam began to research other options, and eventually turned to Sheba Medical Center for CAR T-cell therapy. Fast forward to the present day, Sam is healthy, happy and enjoying his retirement years.
The Director
Prof. Arnon Nagler, MD
Director of the Division of Hematology, Director of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cord Blood Bank
Prof. Nagler specializes in hematology, bone marrow transplantation, and internal medicine. He has pioneered numerous treatments for malignant and non-malignant blood disorders in Israel. Not only that, but Prof. Nagler also established the first public cord blood bank at Sheba in 2001, and he performed the first cord blood transplantation in Israel. In addition to his role at Sheba Medical Center, Prof. Nagler is a Professor of Medicine at Tel-Aviv University. After graduating from the Hebrew University’s Hadassah Medical School, in Jerusalem, Israel, Prof. Nagler then completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University in the United States. In addition to receiving numerous awards, Prof. Nagler is widely published and a world-renowned speaker, who also holds over 40 patents and trademarks. He is a member of the EHA Scientific Program Committee, and Chair of the European Leukemia Subcommittee on Transplantation.
Read MoreHolistic healing at Sheba
At Sheba, cancer patients benefit from world-class medicine provided with a personal touch. Our care professionals look beyond disease – considering all aspects of well-being, including physical, emotional, and social needs. We care about every patient’s experience, offering all-inclusive services under one roof on our vast campus. Every patient is also assigned a personal medical coordinator from the Global Patient Services, who provides assistance throughout every step of the treatment.
Sheba Medical Center A Recognized Leader in Global Healthcare
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Sheba Medical Center provides innovative, personalized medical care to patients from around the world. We are the largest, most comprehensive hospital in the Middle East and dedicated to providing advanced and compassionate medicine for everyone.
We welcome all cases, including the rarest and the most challenging. Our medical teams collaborate to provide the best possible health outcomes. From your initial inquiry through the long-term follow-up care, we are here for you.
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