Pulsations Explain to us what cell therapy is and how it works?
Professor Jean Villard This technique is based on considering the cells, and the tissues they constitute, like drugs. Indeed, cells in our body are real small factories capable of performing precise and effective tasks. But sometimes they malfunction or die. Cell therapy consists in taking specific cells from the sick person (or in a healthy donor person), then reinject them for therapeutic purposes after one or more steps aimed at multiplying or changing them genetically to make them more effective.
Given the endless perspectives, can we speak of a medical revolution?
Rather, this is an evolution, because we do not start from a blank page. We have been working with cell therapy for several years and many programs are developed, especially in the context of diseases for which it is already the most effective treatment. Several of these drugs are even reimbursed by health insurance. However, we indeed understand better and better the functioning of cells and their role in various diseases, which opens the way to new therapeutic options. But the path is long between the concepts observed in the laboratory and the manufacture of an effective drug. The difficulty is due to the fact that each product is specific not only to the cells – or tissues – that it intends to replace, but also to the necessary technical tools and the many stages to be crossed until placing on the market.
What disease does cell therapy already take care of?
It is particularly used in oncology. It is particularly effective for the treatment of leukemia or lymphomas. Anti-tumor vaccination projects (consisting in “educating” the immune system so that it fights against specific targets specific to the tumor, editor’s note) Also have hope for particularly aggressive cancers. In addition to cancers, more and more diseases are treated by cell therapy, such as certain forms of diabetes. Sometimes it is not only cells that are transplanted, but tissues. This is the case for example for corneal transplant, which is to date the most practiced transplant in Switzerland and in the world.
Are promising lines of research in development?
Yes. Advanced in this area go through the development of ATMPs (advanced therapy medicinal products or “innovative therapy drugs”). These complex treatments combine cell, tissue and gene therapies. Recently, a drug based on specific ATMPs, from tissue engineering and developed at HUG, obtained an authorization from Swissmedic for the treatment of chronic wounds.
HUGs are a reference in the field of cell therapy. What are the missions of your unit?
Our institution has a central role in terms of cellular research and transplantation. The platform of cell therapy and HUG transplantation laboratories consists of two recognized entities. On the one hand, there is the national reference laboratory for histocompatibility. He is responsible for carrying out, for all of Switzerland, the genetic tests prior to a transplantation in order to identify the compatibility between the donor and the recipient. On the other hand, several laboratories of cell therapy with specific activities (hemato-oncology, clinical cell therapy, therapeutic tissue bank, etc.) work in synergy to support the development of innovative research programs and the development of drugs from cells or tissues.
________
Article taken from the pulsation site (https://pulsations.hug.ch/article/la-therapie-cellulaire-traite-de-plus-en-plus-de-maladies#gsc.tab=0)
