Is Senolytic CAR T cells legal in Canada?

Living T cells engineered to recognise and kill senescent cells by a surface marker, uPAR. Every result is in mice, and no human trial of senolytic CAR T for ageing or senescence is registered anywhere.

This is the most mechanically interesting senolytic approach in existence and it has never been given to a person for this purpose. Small-molecule senolytics work by tipping already-stressed senescent cells over the edge into apoptosis, which means they are only as selective as the survival pathway they block.

Mechanism: uPAR, the product of the PLAUR gene, is a glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored cell-surface receptor that is broadly upregulated during senescence, which makes it usable as a seno-antigen. A chimeric antigen receptor is a synthetic protein spliced into a T cell so the T cell recognises that surface antigen directly, without needing normal antigen presentation, and kills what carries it.

Regulatory history: No senolytic CAR T product is approved, and none is in a registered human trial for ageing or senescence. CAR T therapy as a class is approved in the United States for certain blood cancers, which is a different target, a different patient and a different risk calculation.

Authorises drugs for sale through a Notice of Compliance and Drug Identification Number. A compound that is not authorised for sale cannot lawfully be sold for human use, and personal importation of prescription drugs is limited.

The classification above is the The Longevity Archive reading of Health Canada, Health Products and Food Branch listings for Senolytic CAR T cells at the reviewed date, not a legal opinion. Rules change, and importing, prescribing and possessing a compound can each be treated differently. Check the regulator directly before acting on anything here.