Department of Cell Therapy

The Department of Cell Therapy (OBT) is a tissue facility authorised by SÚKL to procure, process, store, release and distribute haematopoietic cells for allogeneic and autologous transplantation and starting material for the production of advanced therapy medicines. Some advanced therapy medicinal products are also manufactured directly at the OBT. The Cell Therapy Department is part of the transplantation programme of the IHBT and also provides services for all other Prague transplantation programmes (KDHO FN MOTOL, FNKV, VFN). It also cooperates with the Czech Registry of Hematopoietic Cell Donors (Prague) and through it with other registries of voluntary unrelated donors associated with the World Marrow Donor Association (WMDA). In 2019, OBT received JACIE accreditation as part of the IHBT transplantation programme.

Cell preparations for hematopoietic cell transplantation

Cell preparations for haematopoietic cell transplantation are made from bone marrow (BM) or from patient or healthy donor blood (PBPC). They can also be prepared from cord blood obtained at birth. The OBT involves taking samples for the necessary tests and then processing the collected material into a cell product for administration to the patient. The processing involves thickening or dilution, or in some cases deep freezing to liquid nitrogen temperature. In rare cases, the haematopoietic cells are purified from impurities (so-called CD34-positive cell selection). Cells from healthy donors are usually given fresh, only in some cases are they given cryopreserved.

Donor lymphocytes for cellular immunotherapy

The imminent return of disease after hematopoietic cell transplants from healthy donors can in some cases be averted by using more immune cells from the same donors. Therefore, in indicated cases and in case of sufficient collection of hematopoietic cells, we separate part of the material as so-called donor lymphocytes (DLI) for later use. If necessary, these cells can also be obtained by a new collection, then part is used fresh and the rest frozen.

Advanced therapy medicinal products (LPMT)

OBT is developing its own cell therapy programme: virus-specific lymphocytes (VSL), human mesenchymal stromal cells (hMSC), and is also involved in the preparation of genetically modified so-called CAR-T lymphocytes.

Virus-specific lymphocytes are cells prepared for patients with severe viral diseases after hematopoietic cell transplants from healthy donors. These are mainly viruses that are normally present in our bodies but do not normally cause disease - cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), adenovirus (ADV), BK virus.

Mesenchymal stromal cells are cells present in various tissues of the human body, such as bone marrow or adipose tissue. They are present in large numbers in the placenta and umbilical cord. When multiplied in laboratory conditions, they are able to dampen the excessive immune response after hematopoietic cell transplantation from healthy donors.

Chimeric Antigen Receptor Lymphocytes (CAR-T lymphocytes) are immune cells from cancer patients genetically engineered to seek out and destroy tumour cells. In addition to the Institute's own products (developed by the Immunotherapy Department), patients at the Institute are treated with commercial products that are manufactured in the production facilities of pharmaceutical companies and delivered frozen in liquid nitrogen. The Cell Therapy Department receives, stores and distributes these products to the clinical departments of the Institute of Cellular Therapy, as well as to the General University Hospital and the University Hospital. In some cases, it also processes and freezes peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) collected as starting material for the production of these products.

Cord blood bank

Between 1994 and 2018, OBT ran a programme to collect cord blood (CB) from children whose mothers selflessly agreed to donate it for the treatment of unrelated patients. The collected cells were frozen, stored and offered for use through hematopoietic cell donor registries to patients from the Czech Republic and abroad. In connection with the development of new transplantation methods, the acceptance of new cord blood grafts has been discontinued, but existing grafts are still available in the BPK. Until now, we collect and store sibling grafts from siblings of patients with blood cancers. Freezing and storage of autologous cord blood is not performed by the IHKT.

Newly built cryostorage and clean rooms

Since 2023, the OBT has been using newly built clean rooms and a cryostorage facility with a capacity of 10,000 cell preparations frozen to liquid nitrogen temperature. Both the cleanroom and cryostorage are located on the 2nd underground floor of Building D. Both facilities have successfully passed the necessary qualifications and have been approved as compliant by the State Institute for Drug Control.