Updated: September 2026
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CAR-T cell therapy is not yet routinely available in Chile. Chilean hospitals and research teams are developing local manufacturing capabilities and preparing the country's first clinical studies, but these projects do not currently provide broad access to an approved CAR-T treatment program.
For patients with relapsed or refractory lymphoma, leukemia or multiple myeloma, this distinction is important. A laboratory under development or an anticipated clinical trial is not the same as a functioning treatment program with confirmed eligibility criteria, manufacturing capacity and available treatment places.
Some patients from Chile therefore continue to explore CAR-T treatment abroad. When comparing options, they should consider the program's experience with their exact disease, the expected time to treatment, total cost and whether the hospital accepts international patients.
Is CAR-T cell therapy available in Chile?
As of September 2026, CAR-T is not routinely available as an approved treatment pathway in Chile.
This may change in the coming years. Clínica Alemana has announced plans to establish a laboratory capable of producing CAR-T cells in Chile and to conduct the country's first CAR-T clinical trial. Other Chilean academic and biotechnology groups are also developing cellular-therapy research and local production capabilities.
Public reports have discussed an initial clinical trial beginning around late 2026 or 2027. However, the exact opening date, diseases included, eligibility requirements and number of patients have not yet been confirmed publicly. Patients should not delay a medically necessary evaluation based only on an anticipated future program.
What is being developed in Chile?
Chile is working toward the ability to manufacture and administer CAR-T therapies locally.
One initiative at Clínica Alemana is preparing a specialized laboratory and an initial clinical trial for hematological cancers. Separately, researchers at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile have been developing technologies intended to support lower-cost local CAR-T production.
This represents meaningful progress for Chile and potentially for the wider region. Local production could eventually reduce the need for patients to travel abroad and may lower some manufacturing and logistical costs.
Which diseases can be treated with CAR-T therapy?
CAR-T is an established treatment for selected patients with certain blood cancers, particularly:
- B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas, including some cases of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, follicular lymphoma and mantle cell lymphoma
- B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia
- Multiple myeloma
Eligibility differs according to the exact diagnosis, previous treatments, age, disease status, organ function, active infections and the CAR-T product or hospital protocol being considered.
CAR-T is not one treatment for every blood cancer. Therapies developed for leukemia and B-cell lymphoma commonly target CD19. CAR-T therapies for multiple myeloma generally target BCMA or another antigen associated with plasma cells. A CD19-directed product should not be assumed to be appropriate for a patient with multiple myeloma.
CAR-T therapy for blood cancers in Israel >>
Should a Chilean patient wait for a local CAR-T program?
There is no single answer for every patient.
Some patients may be medically stable enough to continue their current treatment while monitoring the development of Chile's local program. Others have aggressive or rapidly progressing disease and may not be able to wait for an anticipated clinical trial whose starting date, eligibility criteria and available capacity remain uncertain.
Before deciding to wait, a patient should ask the treating hematologist:
- Is CAR-T appropriate for my exact diagnosis and disease stage?
- How well is my current treatment controlling the disease?
- Does the planned Chilean trial include my disease?
- Is recruitment open, and is there a realistic treatment place for me?
- What alternatives are available if my disease progresses?
An evaluation abroad does not oblige the patient to travel or proceed with treatment. It can clarify eligibility and provide a concrete option to compare with treatment in Chile.
Why does experience in CAR-T therapy matter?
CAR-T is not simply a single infusion. The treatment pathway includes detailed patient selection, T-cell collection, cell manufacturing, treatment to control the disease while the cells are being prepared when necessary, lymphodepleting chemotherapy, infusion, monitoring and follow-up.
An experienced CAR-T team must be able to:
- Assess whether the patient is likely to benefit and can tolerate treatment
- Coordinate T-cell collection and manufacturing without losing medically important time
- Select bridging treatment when the cancer must be controlled before infusion
- Recognize and manage complications promptly
- Evaluate the response and plan the next step if the disease does not respond or later returns
Major side effects of CAR-T therapy
Israel's experience in CAR-T therapy
Israel was among the earlier countries to introduce CAR-T treatment. Israeli hospitals began treating CAR-T patients in 2017 and have accumulated experience with children and adults with leukemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma.
At Sheba Medical Center, more than 550 CAR-T procedures have been performed across the different indications. At Hadassah Medical Center, more than 200 patients with multiple myeloma have received CAR-T therapy.
This experience includes patient selection, in-hospital CAR-T production, treatment of complex and heavily pretreated patients, management of complications and coordination of the full treatment pathway.
Hadassah's academic BCMA-directed CAR-T therapy, HBI0101, was developed for relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. Published clinical results have shown high response rates in heavily pretreated patients, although results from a clinical study cannot predict the outcome for an individual patient.
CAR-T therapy for multiple myeloma in Israel
When might a patient from Chile consider CAR-T treatment in Israel?
Evaluation in Israel may be relevant when:
- CAR-T is not currently accessible in Chile for the patient's diagnosis
- The disease is progressing and the patient may not be able to wait for a future Chilean program
- The patient has multiple myeloma and needs evaluation for a BCMA-directed CAR-T pathway
- The patient has relapsed or refractory B-cell lymphoma or leukemia and requires a specialist opinion about CAR-T timing
- The family wants to compare an established program with a planned clinical trial
- The case is complex and requires review by a team with substantial CAR-T experience
The appropriate option depends on more than the country. The reviewing hospital must consider the precise diagnosis, previous treatments, current response, disease burden, physical condition and expected treatment timeline.
CAR-T therapy for international patients
Experience supporting CAR-T patients from Chile
The Israeli Hospitals team has experience coordinating medical reviews and treatment pathways for patients and families from Chile.
Support may include organizing medical records for specialist review, communicating with the hospital, explaining the proposed pathway and costs, helping with accommodation and local arrangements, and remaining available to the family during treatment in Israel.
CAR-T evaluation in Israel for patients from Chile
The first medical review can usually be completed without traveling to Israel.
The initial documents normally include:
- A recent medical summary with a complete list of previous treatments
- Recent blood tests
- A description of the patient's present physical condition
The reviewing team may request additional tests, pathology material or a remote consultation before deciding whether CAR-T may be suitable.
Submitting medical documents does not guarantee eligibility, hospital acceptance, manufacturing availability or a particular treatment result.
Request an individual CAR-T review
If you are considering CAR-T treatment and would like to find out whether an Israeli CAR-T program may be suitable, you can submit the patient's medical records to our team for a free, no-obligation review.
Submit medical records for an individual CAR-T review >>
Sources
- Clínica Alemana CAR-T development and planned clinical trial, reported July 2026. The Clinic
- CORFO-supported project to produce CAR-T treatment in Chile, February 2025. CORFO Conecta
- Kfir-Erenfeld S, et al. “Clinical evaluation and determinants of response to HBI0101, an academic BCMA-directed CAR-T therapy for multiple myeloma.” Blood Advances, 2024. Scientific article
