Backing a cure: How Chubb Life is helping bring CAR T-cell therapy home

Imagine being told that a treatment that could save your life exists, but you'd need to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars and fly overseas to access it. For many New Zealanders with aggressive blood cancers, that's been the reality. The Malaghan Institute, based in Wellington, is working to change that, and Chubb Life is proud to be part of this remarkable journey to bring life-changing cancer treatment home. 

From the first concept in the late 1980s to its early trials in 2010, CAR T-cell therapy has come a long way, and is now considered one of the most exciting breakthroughs in modern cancer treatment. 

In simple terms, CAR T-cell therapy works by taking a patient's own immune cells (T-cells), modifying them in a lab so they can recognise and target cancer cells, then returning them to the patient's body to attack the disease from within. 

It's proven particularly effective for blood cancers such as certain leukaemias, lymphomas and myelomas, with researchers actively exploring its potential for solid cancers and autoimmune diseases. And now, an independent research institute in New Zealand is working not only on its own version of this revolutionary treatment, but on making the treatment available to Kiwis here at home.  

A New Zealand first 

In 2019, the Malaghan Institute brought CAR T-cell therapy to Aotearoa for the first time, treating patients with B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma through its ENABLE trial. Early results of the trial were promising: over half of the 30 participants showed no signs of cancer just three months after treatment, with a safety profile better than many overseas alternatives. 

Now, researchers at Malaghan are midway through ENABLE-2, a larger trial treating 60 patients across Wellington, Auckland and Christchurch hospitals. It's no longer just a clinical trial, it's the foundation for a national service, including the infrastructure to manufacture this and other advanced treatments for the New Zealand health system.  

"This trial is about breaking ground,” says Malaghan Clinical Director Professor Robert Weinkove. “It’s building the systems, pathways and clinical expertise required to deliver CAR T-cell therapies in New Zealand." 

Because CAR T-cell therapy is a personalised therapy made from each patient's own cells, it can't be mass-produced like a normal drug. Every batch has to be manufactured from scratch, which traditionally makes it slow and expensive. To solve this, Malaghan has introduced automated manufacturing and spun out a company, BioOra Limited, to scale up manufacturing – a key step to making the treatment affordable for New Zealand's public health system. 

“The main barriers to CAR T-cell therapy globally are the burden of managing side effects and the cost of the CAR T-cells themselves,” says Prof Weinkove. “By combining an improved safety profile with cost-effective manufacturing, we aim to address both issues.”

The cost of running a trial like this comes with a hefty price tag of more than $17 million, but it’s an investment that goes even further than treating the patients directly involved – building the capability to treat many more. The ENABLE-2 trial is expected to complete in 2027, with the results shaping next steps on whether the therapy can move into broader clinical use. 

The details are endless and the challenges are many, but the ultimate goal is simple: make this powerful new form of cancer therapy readily accessible right here in Aotearoa, so patients don’t have to travel thousands of kilometres overseas at great personal and financial cost to access treatment. 

Proud to support 

Since 2024, Chubb Life has partnered with the Malaghan Institute to help make the vision of more accessible cancer therapy a reality. Our support goes toward a range of initiatives across the institute's cancer research programmes, including this year's Go the Distance Challenge, a fitness fundraiser inspired by the long distances patients currently have to travel for CAR T-cell therapy.  

Supporting our community, offering a hand-up in times of struggle, and protecting people and the environment is central to the way we operate at Chubb Life. We’re a team with big hearts and the drive to make a difference, and that’s why we’re proud to work alongside a range of incredible organisations, including the Malaghan Institute, through Chubb Life Gives Back.  

 Keep up to date with the Malaghan Institute here