The carbon footprint of Chimeric Antigen Receptor-T cell manufacturing processes

Chimeric Antigen Receptor T (CAR-T) cell therapy is an established treatment for haematological malignancies, yet the environmental impact of its manufacturing and administration remains unexplored. As healthcare systems aim to reduce their carbon footprint, understanding the climate impact of CAR-T cell manufacturing is essential. The objective of this study was to quantify the carbon footprint, expressed in CO₂-equivalents (CO₂e), of CAR-T cell manufacturing and identify process steps that contribute most to CO₂-emissions. A systematic life cycle assessment (LCA) comparing centralized and point-of-care (PoC) CAR-T cell manufacturing processes was conducted, according to ISO14044:2006 standards. All major processes were assessed, including leukapheresis, cryopreservation, transport, manufacturing, background facilities, quality controls, and infusion. Emissions were calculated using openLCA and open-access databases. Transport was the dominant contributor to total emissions, accounting for the higher footprint of centralized manufactured CAR-T cells (355.75 kg CO₂e) compared to PoC CAR-T cells (72.85 kg CO₂e). In addition, open system background facilities emitted substantially more CO₂ compared to closed system background facilities (85.16 vs. 25.00 kg CO₂e). Reducing travel distance and optimizing cleanroom use offer the greatest potential for emission reduction. This study provides the first assessment of differences in the carbon footprint of two established CAR-T cell manufacturing platforms and offers a framework that can be applied across a broad range of CAR-T products. It highlights transport and cleanroom energy use as key drivers of emissions, causing PoC manufacturing to substantially reduce the environmental impact by limiting long-distance transport.