A 28-year-old patient with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, has become the first patient in the UK to be treated on the NHS with an innovative personalised therapy at Manchester Royal Infirmary.
The CAR-T treatment, known as obe-cel, has been developed, researched, and manufactured in the UK and specialists at Manchester Royal Infirmary have been the first to deliver this clinical breakthrough.
Oscar, aged 28 from Bury, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) in March 2025. He’d been feeling run down after caring for his mum who’d been recovering from surgery. He returned to work feeling fatigued but thought nothing more of it. When a colleague told him to contact 111 given how ill he looked he was admitted to hospital and diagnosed with ALL three days later.
Since his diagnosis, he has been receiving standard treatment for ALL, including chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant at Manchester Royal Infirmary (MRI), with the aim of achieving a cure. Following his transplant in July, Oscar’s treatment initially appeared to be working well.
Sadly, in early November, he suddenly became very ill and received the devastating news that his leukaemia had returned, despite having undergone the most powerful and effective treatments available.
In response to this heartbreaking news, staff on Ward 44 at MRI organised a special wedding for Oscar and his partner, Lauren, in early December.
Consultant Haematologist, and Director of the Adult Stem Cell Transplant, CAR-T and Gene Therapy Unit at MRI, Dr Eleni Tholouli, had played a key part in the trials of obe-cel, recruiting the most trial patients at a single site and working closely with regulators. NICE approved for treatment for use in November 2025. She recommended Oscar for the new treatment, due to the successes it had shown in trial for people in his situation.
Oscar received his obe-cel treatment on Friday, 2 January 2026. He said: “When I first heard about this new treatment on offer, I did feel very apprehensive. It all happened so quickly and it’s a lot to take in. It is scary to hear about something so new, I saw it all over the news when it had been approved and it really hit home how life changing this is for people just like me.
“I’ve had great support around me from my fiancé, my family and the staff here at MRI. My consultant, Eleni, has explained the treatment to me and the success they’ve had in trials so I’ve a lot of hope in this innovative new treatment and it feels surreal to be the first person to be treated with this since becoming accessible to patients on the NHS.”
Obe-cel is a next-generation CAR-T therapy that works by reprogramming a patient’s own immune cells to more effectively recognise and destroy cancer cells. Because it uses the patient’s own cells, it is a highly personalised treatment that can only be used for that individual. The reprogrammed cells are then infused back into the patient in two separate doses.
Dr Eleni Tholouli, said: “Having treated the most patients as a single centre on the early-phase trial, our unit was inspected by medical regulators from both the United States and Europe ahead of the product’s licensing and subsequent NICE approval. This marks a proud day for UK clinical research, and for Manchester Royal Infirmary, bringing this new therapy to patients.
“We’ve been delighted to play such a key role in the research and development of this treatment by running this clinical trial at our centre. It is also incredibly fulfilling to be the first UK centre to deliver a therapy that offers not just hope, but a real chance of long-term remission for patients. We cannot underestimate the significant breakthrough for patients here.”
