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Department of Stem Cell Preparation

doc. Ing. Čestmír Altaner, DrSc.
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About the Department

Department of Stem Cells Preparation was established at the St. Elisabeth Oncological Institute in 2012. The foundation of the Department was inspired by the fact that the worldwide research of stem cells arrived at a stage, where stem cell therapy was starting to be tested in clinical trials for the treatment of many diseases that did not have satisfactory standard therapies or were not treatable.

Principle of stem cell therapeutic effect

In the human body adult stem cells are in small numbers in every organ. They are also called mesenchymal stem cells/stromal cells (MSCs) because they form a stroma of the body’s organs and tissues. Their main role is to regenerate worn or damaged tissues through biological factors they excrete. The most important part of their secretome besides growth factors, cytokines, and chemokines are extracellular vesicles – exosomes (30-150nm). Stem cell exosomes are responsible for cell-to-cell communication and keep cell homeostasis by excreting ineligible compounds from the body. It was found that the MSCs can be isolated and expanded from various human tissues in the laboratory to such a number that is needed for therapeutic use. When the stem cells are delivered in sufficient numbers to the damaged site of the body, they induce endogenous repair processes through the action of its secretome and repair the damage. The process of repairs takes several months. To use stem cells clinically it is necessary to prepare and expand them in a sterile environment in GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) conditions. The GMP facility was built in the St. Elisabeth Oncological Institute, it is approved for the production of stem cells for clinical application.

The highly qualified specialists of the Department of Stem Cell Preparation are experienced to prepare MSCs from bone marrow, adipose tissue, dental pulp, umbilical cord, placenta, and other tissues. The quality of expanded mesenchymal stem cells is tested by their ability to be induced to differentiate into adipocytes, osteoblasts, and chondrocytes, for the presence of cell surface markers, and other features, internationally recognized standards of these cells. The expanded and characterized MSCs are preserved as living cells by freezing them in liquid nitrogen at -180 °C in the biobank. In case of an acute need, the stored MSCs can be revived for clinical applications.

The worldwide research showed that mesenchymal stem cells and their exosomes could be used in regeneration medicine for treatment of various illnesses. In many clinical trials, researchers try to find the optimal dose of the cells. as well as their novel applications in various diseases. By intensive research, it was found that the secretome of mesenchymal stem cells mediates the tissue regeneration similarly to the cells, and the application is regarded as safer. The scientists from the Department in agreement with the world trend intend to widen their therapeutic use of mesenchymal stem cells for so-called civilizing illnesses. In the Department, the research is done to elucidate the possibility to use mesenchymal stem cells and their exosomes in the innovated treatment of those tumors, which have not yet an effective standard therapy.

Allogenic mesenchymal stem cells from the bone marrow of healthy donors are prepared in GMP conditions for the National Institute of Children Diseases for the Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Unit, where children with oncologic diseases are treated. The cells are needed to treat acute steroid-refractory graft-versus-host disease (GvHD), which is a life-threatening complication. With the consent of the Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic, the cells are being delivered to Hungary for similar use.
In the field of regeneration medicine at the St. Elisabeth Oncological Institute, we produce mesenchymal stem cells, which are used for patients with jaw aseptic necrosis in the Department of Maxilla-Facial Surgery.

Mapa areálu

Onkologický ústav sv. Alžbety, s.r.o.
Heydukova 10
812 50 Bratislava

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