CAR-T Therapy in Russia: Current Status and Future Outlook

For blood cancers that don't respond well to standard treatments, oncologists and hematologists are turning to the personalized CAR-T approach (chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy). This treatment creates modified T-cells from a patient's own cells that can destroy tumor cells. Russia has been using CAR-T technology since 2018, primarily through research programs at leading state medical centers treating children with acute B-cell lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and B-cell lymphoma.

In April 2023, Russia approved the commercial drug Kymriah (tisagenlecleucel) from Swiss company Novartis. In June 2025, Moscow's Morozov Children's Hospital performed Russia's first commercial CAR-T therapy using this drug to treat ALL in children. Meanwhile, researchers are testing domestically developed treatments for both children and adults. Starting in 2026, Russia will become the first country where citizens can receive CAR-T treatment covered by government healthcare.

Quick Facts About CAR-T in Russia

• 6 medical centers are developing and using CAR-T technology in Russia
• $25,000–46,000 USD is the average cost of creating a cellular product in a laboratory at a medical facility
• $77,000 USD is the total cost of treating adult patients with CAR-T
• 150 children have received CAR-T treatment since 2018 in Russia
• $8.5 million USD is being invested by Russia's largest hematology center to launch its own CAR-T production facility

When CAR-T Is Used

CAR-T represents an innovative treatment approach based on genetic modification of a patient's own T-lymphocytes. The modified cells gain the ability to identify and destroy malignant cells, including those that are resistant to chemotherapy, radiation, and targeted drugs. After intravenous administration, they launch a targeted attack on the tumor.

The method shows the greatest effectiveness for blood cancers: acute B-cell lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL), and multiple myeloma. "CAR-T cell therapy is indicated for leukemia patients who have had at least one relapse after bone marrow transplant, or two to three relapses after other treatments. Basically, we're talking about patients who haven't achieved positive treatment results and have run out of options among traditional methods (chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and bone marrow transplant)," explains Anastasia Melnikova, a clinical laboratory diagnostics physician with the "Onko Wiki" project.

CAR-T therapy is highly effective for these diseases for two key reasons. First, these cancers have a clear molecular target for attack – CD19 – a protein marker present on B-cell surfaces at all stages of development, including cancer cells in ALL and lymphomas. CAR-T cells are specifically programmed to recognize this marker. For multiple myeloma, a different protein called BCMA serves as the target.

The second important advantage is the accessibility of tumor cells. In these blood cancers, malignant cells circulate freely in the bloodstream, bone marrow, and lymphatic system. CAR-T cells, administered intravenously, immediately encounter their targets – they don't need to overcome additional barriers to reach the tumor, unlike with solid tumors like lung or breast cancer.

Currently, Germany and the USA are conducting research on using CAR-T technology to treat autoimmune diseases and solid tumors, but these studies are far from entering routine clinical practice.

CAR-T Availability in Russia

Russia began using CAR-T cell therapy in clinical practice in 2018. The pioneer in this field was the Dmitry Rogachev National Medical Research Center of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology (NMRC PHOI), where doctors first used CAR-T therapy to treat children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

The CAR-T sector in Russia expanded rapidly in the 2020s. During this time, several major federal oncology research and clinical centers, such as the NMRC of Hematology, N.N. Petrov NMRC of Oncology, and N.N. Blokhin NMRC of Oncology, announced development of their own CAR-T products and establishment of domestic production facilities.

Each of these centers periodically announced successful CAR-T treatment cases for adult and pediatric patients, but the NMRC of Hematology made the most progress in establishing commercial production with its product Utzhefra (INN: gemagenleuclecel) for treating ALL and non-Hodgkin lymphomas in adults. The medical center became the first to obtain all necessary licenses in Russia to begin industrial-scale production of CAR-T drugs. It plans to create up to 600 personalized cellular products annually starting in 2026-2027. Currently, Utzhefra is undergoing clinical trials. The first phase involves 60 patients; as of July 2025, 30 of them have received the drug.

In 2023, Russia's Ministry of Health approved the first commercial CAR-T drug, Kymriah from Swiss company Novartis, allowing its use in clinics for specific indications. Treatment with Kymriah for children began in 2025 at Moscow's Morozov Children's City Clinical Hospital through grant support from Moscow's government.

In late 2025, Russia's Ministry of Health announced it would begin covering CAR-T therapy through health insurance. Starting in 2026, Russian citizens with relapsed or refractory forms of CD19-positive B-cell malignancies will have access to treatment, including: acute lymphoblastic leukemia, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, other B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas, and chronic lymphocytic leukemia with unfavorable prognostic factors (with at least 0.1 × 10⁹ CD3+ T-cells/L and at least 10% naive T-cells in peripheral blood by flow immunophenotyping). The full treatment cost is estimated at $77,000 USD – covering white blood cell collection, genetic modification of T-lymphocytes with chimeric antigen receptor creation, cellular product expansion, lymphodepletion chemotherapy, CAR-T cell infusion, and subsequent supportive care with complication management. For medical tourists, this means Russian clinics will be performing CAR-T treatments at scale, gaining experience and improving outcomes.

Russia's Position in the Global CAR-T Landscape

Despite significant progress in developed countries like the USA, China, and European nations, the technology remains largely inaccessible in developing countries like Kazakhstan, Egypt, Algeria, Vietnam, Iraq, and others due to high costs, production complexity, and limited resources for clinical implementation.

"CAR-T cell production is a complex, personalized, and expensive process. It requires collecting T-cells from the patient, genetically modifying them in a laboratory, expanding them, and then reintroducing them to the patient," explains Yulia Vakhabova, an oncologist at European Medical Center. "Treatment can have serious side effects, such as cytokine release syndrome, neurotoxicity, and cytopenia. Therefore, treatment must be conducted only at specialized clinics and only when the patient's body, especially if weakened after chemotherapy, is ready for it."

Russia is among the few developing countries where CAR-T therapy has become available through clinical programs and initial commercial drugs. However, Russia's CAR-T market is still developing, dominated by research-based development and state medical centers with their own CAR-T production facilities. While the USA, for example, has predominantly commercial production with major pharmaceutical companies and widespread implementation, and China conducts 33% of global CAR-T clinical trials, Russian medicine focuses on creating its own cellular products at national medical research centers and similar institutions, providing more accessible treatment but on a limited scale.

1. Which Russian clinics offer treatment?

Cellular therapy is performed at major state medical centers. Marus can help connect you with:

1. NMRC PHOI named after Dmitry Rogachev (Moscow)
2. NMRC of Hematology of the Russian Ministry of Health (Moscow)
3. N.N. Petrov NMRC of Oncology (St. Petersburg)
4. N.N. Blokhin NMRC of Oncology (Moscow)
5. Morozov Hospital DHM (Moscow)
6. R.M. Gorbacheva Research Institute (St. Petersburg)

2. Can I enroll in clinical trials of Utzhefra at NMRC of Hematology?

NMRC of Hematology selects patients for clinical trials through a closed competition among Russian citizens, as trials are funded by the federal budget. However, the medical center can provide consultations about CAR-T treatment. You can review clinical trial status at this link.

3. Can I receive commercial CAR-T from foreign pharmaceutical manufacturers in Russia?

Russia is one of the few countries where the commercial product Kymriah (tisagenlecleucel) from Swiss company Novartis is approved.

4. For which diseases is CAR-T therapy used?

Currently in Russia, CAR-T therapy treats:

• Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in children and young adults
• Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma
• Follicular lymphoma
• Mantle cell lymphoma

This is typically an option for patients where standard treatments haven't worked or the disease has relapsed.

5. What are the possible side effects?

The most serious potential side effects include:

• Cytokine release syndrome (CRS) – high fever, low blood pressure, difficulty breathing
• Neurotoxicity – confusion, headaches, seizures
• Weakened immunity and increased infection risk

Doctors have protocols to minimize side effects and know how to manage complications when they arise.