Intermountain Health First in Nation to Expand Stem Cell Collection for CAR-T Cell Therapy

May 15, 2025 at 12:01 PM EDT

Innovative cancer procedure CAR-T Cell Therapy coming to Southern Utah at Intermountain Health St. George Regional Hospital Cancer Center

(PRUnderground) May 15th, 2025

A national first-of-its kind CAR-T Cell Therapy expansion is now being offered by Intermountain Health, bringing cutting-edge cancer care closer to patients in Southern Utah and Nevada.

Intermountain’s new CAR-T Cell satellite clinic on the campus of St. George Regional Hospital marks a significant milestone to improve access to FDA approved CAR T-cell therapies at a regional clinic – and is the first time in the United States that CAR T-Cell collections are now available at a remote site away from a primary treatment center.

Before expanding the CAR T-Cell therapy program, patients in southwest Utah, Nevada and beyond, had to travel hundreds of miles to Intermountain Health LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City for collection, transplant, and follow-up care.

This innovative expansion of stem cell collection and CAR T-cell collection procedures at the Intermountain Health St. George Cancer Center provides advanced cancer treatment options closer to home for patients in the region.

“Expanding CAR-T Cell Therapy to Intermountain St. George Regional Hospital is a testament to our commitment to providing accessible, state-of-the-art cancer treatment,” said Brad Hunter, MD, medical oncologist and director of the CAR T-cell program at Intermountain LDS Hospital. “This clinic will significantly enhance the quality of care for patients in Southern Utah and beyond our state boarders, offering them hope and healing without the need to travel long distances.”

CAR-T Cell Therapy is a form of immunotherapy that harnesses the power of a patient’s own immune system to fight cancer by genetically reprogramming T-cells to target and destroy cancer cells.

“This therapy has shown remarkable success in treating certain types of leukemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma and we’re grateful for the chance to make it more accessible,” said Dr. Hunter.

This process is customized to each individual oncology patient and involves collecting the patient’s immune cells or T cells, which are then sent to a different location and re-engineered.

About two to three weeks later the patient will travel to Intermountain LDS Hospital for the re-programmed cells to be transplanted back to the patient. The new cells then target and kill the cancer cells by binding to the specific proteins or antigens on the cancer cells.

The patient is observed to confirm the treatment is working and then sent home, with follow up appoints close to home.

Jacqueline, 68, from Las Vegas, Nevada, received CAR-T therapy for her Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma last year at Intermountain LDS Hospital and says it saved her life.

“It was really miraculous,” said Jacqueline. “I could see the back of my throat and see the lymph nodes, so swelled up and then within two weeks of the treatment, all of a sudden, they were just gone. They even scanned me and everything was gone.”

Jacqueline and her husband had to travel to Salt Lake numerous times and stay for a month, they say the new Intermountain Health St. George CAR-T Cell satellite clinic will save some miles and will be nice for future cancer patients to have treatment, “just down the street.”

CAR T-Cell therapy is currently FDA approved for patients who have a variety of hematologic cancers, including acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), B-cell lymphomas, and multiple myeloma.

For more information about the Intermountain Health CAR-T Cell Therapy program and services, go to Intermountain Health.

About Intermountain Health

Headquartered in Utah with locations in six states and additional operations across the western U.S., Intermountain Health is a not-for-profit system of 34 hospitals, approximately 400 clinics, medical groups with some 4,600 employed physicians and advanced care providers, a health plans division called Select Health with more than one million members, and other health services. Helping people live the healthiest lives possible, Intermountain is committed to improving community health and is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes at sustainable costs. For up-to-date information and announcements, please see the Intermountain Health newsroom at https://intermountainhealthcare.org/news.

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