Biomedical Research Centre developing enhanced cells as therapies

An increased understanding of the role of the body's immune system in the development of diseases such as prostate cancer, squamous cell carcinoma, type 1 diabetes, autoimmune liver disease and in the rejection of some transplanted organs has paved the way for a research programme that aims to develop "enhanced" cells as therapies.

The £1 million research programme is being carried out at the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) comprehensive Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) at Guy's and St Thomas" and King's College London, working in partnership with King's College Hospital.

Researchers hope to find ways to extract specific cells which play a role in these diseases from patients, then activate or modify them in the laboratory and transfer them safely back into patients so that they can fight the diseases from within their own body. The first clinical trials in patients are expected to be conducted within the next few years, the "enhanced" cells being manufactured in new licensed premises at Guy's Hospital.

The work will focus on the cells that cause unwanted immune responses as well as the cells that do not respond adequately in preventing certain cancers from developing. These include:

gamma delta T cells in the fight against prostate cancer tumour development
chimaeric antigen receptor-grafted T cells for squamous cell carcinoma
islet-specific Treg cells for type 1 diabetes
hepatocyte specific Treg cells for autoimmune liver disease
alloantigen-specific Treg cells in organ transplantation

Working with blood samples, the researchers aim to find ways to extract these cells, activate them or gene modify them in sufficient quantities to provide effective treatments. They will seek to identify methods to achieve this in a laboratory setting, and then to assess whether they can safely control and manage the manufacture of these novel cell-based therapies so they can be tested in patients.

Key to the success of this programme will be the application of leading-edge cell selection systems and use of new GMP premises within the Clinical Research Facility at Guy's Hospital, which is due to open next year, along with the GMP facility already operating at King's College Hospital.

"We need to find ways to replicate procedures that work in the laboratory in a clinical setting, so that the cells can be manufactured safely in the quantities we need to test them in patients," said Professor Frank Nestle, Director of the Clinical Research Facilities. "We look forward to doing this within our hospital environment, in state-of-the-art facilities that are being purpose-built for innovative clinical research."