A cell therapy prevents rejection in children with heart transplants

0
97
A cell therapy developed by Spanish scientists can prevent rejection in children who have received a heart transplant and indefinitely prolong the survival of the organ, as shown by a clinical trial.

A cell therapy prevents rejection in children with heart transplants

The rejection of a transplanted organ by the immune system of the recipient is the main obstacle to overcome for the intervention to be a success, since it can not only occur in the short term, but at any time the immune system of the patient who has received the transplant can detect that there is a foreign element in the body and attack it.

That is why the preliminary results of a clinical trial showing that a new cell therapy could prevent immune rejection in children with heart transplants are so encouraging. The study is being carried out by professionals from the ImmunoRegulation Laboratory of the Gregorio Marañón Health Research Institute, with the collaboration of the Pediatric Heart Transplant and Cardiac Surgery Units of the Gregorio Marañón Maternal and Child Hospital, and the Cell Therapy Unit.

This is the first clinical trial in the world in which a therapy with regulatory T cells (Treg) that have been obtained from tissue from the thymus (thyTreg) is tested and the initial results in patients who have received the treatment have confirmed that it is possible and safe, as well as its potential efficacy.

The preliminary results of the study have been presented at the 7th Congress of the Spanish Transplant Society (SET), and its authors state that this therapy could induce immune tolerance and indefinitely prolong the survival of the transplanted organ and the life of the patient .

Four heart transplant children have received this therapy

The clinical trial by Spanish researchers has evaluated a pioneering strategy that uses tissue from the thymus that has been discarded in pediatric cardiac surgeries (thyTreg) as an alternative source of Treg cells. The thymus is the organ of the lymphatic system in which the T lymphocytes of our immune system grow and multiply and which is sometimes removed in surgery, while the regulatory T cells (Tregs) regulate, control and decrease inflammatory responses inadequate and, according to the preliminary results of this study, may completely inhibit or greatly reduce the immune response that causes the transplant to be rejected.

Heart transplant children who have received this therapy have shown no signs of rejection in their new heart

Four heart transplant children have received this therapy and have been administered doses of thyTreg with very high viability and purities greater than 94%. Thus, it has been possible to confirm the possibility of performing this procedure and its safety, and the first evidence has been obtained that a single infusion of Treg cells from thymic tissue (thyTreg) can preserve the reserve of Treg cells capable of preventing organ rejection, even in these pediatric patients, who have had their thymus removed and have been treated with immunosuppressive therapy.

Researchers at the Gregorio Marañón have developed and patented a protocol that allows large quantities of Treg cells to be obtained from thymic tissue suitable for use in humans, which have been administered after their quality was verified and they received authorization from the Agency Spanish Medicines and Health Products (AEMPS) and the Medicines Research Ethics Committee (CEIm).

Children with heart transplants who have received this therapy have shown no signs of rejection in their new heart and maintain adequate levels of regulatory cells, which is a key factor in preventing rejection of the organ, so it is expected that this new therapeutic strategy to help prevent rejection in pediatric heart transplant patients.

.

Previous articleHow can I get my shipment to be free on Rappi with Rappi Prime?
Next articleWhat is a delivery and what does delivery mean in Spanish?

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here