World’s first recipient of Car-T cancer therapy is now 17

Dr Gillian Hendy (left) of Avectas, the Irish cell engineering company, meets Emily Whitehead, who, as a seven-year-old, was the first child patient worldwide to have her cancer successfully treated by Car-T cell therapy, where her own cells were re-engineered to fight her cancer. Ten years on, she was in Dublin to meet companies, oncologists and patient advocates working in the area. Car-T cell therapy this week became available to Irish children with leukaemia. In the background are Emily's parents, Tom and Kari. Photograph: Fennells