Protecció del procés de mort cel·lular programada en cultius in vitro de cèl·lules animals

Consultable des del TDXTítol obtingut de la portada digitalitzadaDavant la impossibilitat econòmica i física de controlar enginyerilment tots els paràmetres involucrats en la pèrdua de viabilitat en cultius in vitro de cèl·lules animals quan es dóna una limitació en el subministrament de nutrients, així com per la presència d'elevades concentracions de subproductes tòxics del metabolisme, en aquest treball s'ha explorat la modificació tant de la formulació del medi com genètica de cèl·lules d'hibridoma amb l'objectiu de perllongar la seva supervivència dins els bioreactors i rendibilitzar el procés d'obtenció d'anticossos monoclonals. La reformulació del medi va permetre alentir la proliferació cel·lular i retardar l'exhauriment de nutrients essencials. Tanmateix, aquests canvis induïen la mort cel·lular per apoptosi. El bloqueig de l'apoptosi mitjançant l'ús d'inhibidors peptídics específics de Caspases va permetre no només retardar la pèrdua de viabilitat dels cultius si no també recuperar-los 36 hores després d'haver induït la mort per manca de glutamina. Resultats similars es van obtenir en la inhibició genètica de l'activació de les Caspases sobreexpressant gens protectors de la família de Bcl-2, tant d'origen endogen com víric. A més a més, els cultius d'aquestes noves línies cel·lulars d'hibridoma poden ser recuperats després d'haver estat sotmesos fins a 48 hores sota condicions inductores de l'apoptosi. Aquests resultats demostren la viabilitat d'incorporar una vàlvula de seguretat genètica que permet retardar el procés de mort per apoptosi de cèl·lules que, en altres circumstàncies, moririen i s'acumularien en el bioreactor. A més a més, la sobreexpressió de gens antiapoptòtics fa les cèl·lules més resistents i permet recuperar cultius que, per causes accidentals inherents a la metodologia emprada en el monitoratge i control del bioprocés o per limitacions físiques de subministrament de nutrients, factors de creixement i oxigen, es vegin sotmeses a condicions inductores de l'apoptosi. D'aquesta manera, aquest treball de tesi contribueix a la creació d'un sistema de cultiu més robust que evitaria l'enorme pèrdua de rendibilitat en els processos d'obtenció del producte desitjat quan els cultius entren en la fase de mort per apoptosiDue to the economical and physical unavailability to control a number of parameters involved in the loss of viability of animal cell cultures as a result of a limitation in nutrient supply, as well as high levels of toxic byproducts, we have explored the effect of medium modification on cell viability as well as the genetic manipulation of hybridoma cells with the aim of prolonging the life span of these cultures in bioreactors and therefore optimize the productivity of monoclonal antibodies. Reformulation of culture medium allowed a decrease in cellular proliferation and therefore delay nutrient exhaustion. However, these changes induce cell death by apoptosis. The use of caspase inhibitors has enabled to mantain cell viability during a significant period of time, when glutamine depletion was maintained in the culture. Two caspase inhibitors partially suppressed the progress of PCD under glutamine deprivation: Ac-DEVD-cho and z-VAD-fmk. Indeed, as a consequence of this protection, the number of viable cells decreased by 10% (for z-VAD-fmk) and by 80% (for Ac-DEVD-cmk) after 36 hours of culture, while it decreased by 90% for a control culture in absence of protective compounds. However, when the culture was exposed to non-apoptotic conditions after this period of time under apoptosis protection conditions, normal growth pattern was not recovered. Interestingly, the simultaneous use of both inhibitors made the recovery of the cell culture possible even after a period of 36 hours under glutamine depletion, indicating that the inhibition of the effector caspases occurs upstream of the point in which hybridoma cells enter into the commitment step of the death programme. Similar results were obtained by genetic inhibition of the Caspase cascade activation by means of overexpression of protector genes of the Bcl-2 family: Bcl-2, Bcl-XL, and viral homolgues BHRF-1 and KSBcl-2. Moreover, cultures of these genetically modified hybridomas could be rescued from cell death phase after a significant period of time (i.e., 24 and 48 h) under apoptosis inducing conditions. These results show the viability of the incorporation of a security valve that could delay the cell death process by apoptosis in cell cultures which, under other circumstances, would die and be accumulated in the bioreactor. Moreover, overexpression of Bcl-2 homologues make hybridomas more resistant to apoptosis and allow the recovery of viability of cultures deprived from glutamine after 48 hours of apoptosis inducing conditions. Thus, the present work help towards the creation of a more robust culture system that will avoid tremendous loss of cost-effectiveness of biotechnological processes when cultures of animal cells trigger apoptosis

The Quality Management Ecosystem in Cell Therapy in Catalonia (Spain): An Opportunity for Integrating Standards and Streamlining Quality Compliance

Integrated management system; Quality compliance; Quality standardsSistema de gestión integrado; Cumplimiento de la calidad; Estándares de calidadSistema de gestió integrat; Compliment de la qualitat; Estàndards de qualitatCell therapies are required to meet with compulsory regulations that co-exist with other optional standards and guidelines that together compose a complex quality management system. Indeed, reliable insights on the mechanisms of action and safety of novel cell-based therapies require adherence to solid quality management structures in all steps of the value chain, from early research and tissue procurement to clinical trials and biovigilance, thus guaranteeing reproducibility and solid foundations for better science and improved clinical practice. Herein we present the concept of the quality ecosystem as a tool to understand and assist all stakeholders involved in developing and structuring the integration of standards as novel developments are taking place. We conclude that the various quality management initiatives can all be thought about under the umbrella of an ecosystem.Work in JV’s laboratory is supported by the Spanish Advanced Therapy Network (TERAV, expedient No. RD21/0017/0022), awarded by the Generalitat de Catalunya as Consolidated Research Group (ref. 2017SGR719) and funded by Ministerio de Ciencia Innovación y Universidades de España (Instituto de Salud Carlos III, expedient No. PI19/01788)

Compliance in Non-Clinical Development of Cell-, Gene-, and Tissue-Based Medicines: Good Practice for Better Therapies

Non-clinical safety; Product development; Quality complianceSeguridad no clínica; Desarrollo de productos; Cumplimiento de calidadSeguretat no clínica; Desenvolupament de productes; Compliment de la qualitatThe development of cell-, gene- and tissue engineering (CGT)-based therapies must adhere to strict pharmaceutical quality management standards, as for any other biological or small-molecule drug. However, early developments often failed to fully comply with good laboratory practices (GLP) in non-clinical safety studies. Despite an upward trend of positive opinions in marketing authorization applications, evidence of adherence to the principles of GLP is not openly reported; therefore, their relative impact on the overall quality of the product development program is unknown. Herein we investigated the actual degree of GLP implementation and the underlying factors impeding full compliance in non-clinical developments of CGT-based marketed medicines in the EU and USA, including (i) the co-existence of diverse quality management systems of more strategic value for small organizations, particularly current Good Manufacturing Practices n(GMP); (ii) lack of regulatory pressure to pursue GLP certification; and (iii) the involvement of public institutions lacking a pharmaceutical mindset and resources. As a final reflection, we propose conformity to good research practice criteria not as a doctrinaire impediment to scientific work, but as a facilitator of efficient clinical translation of more effective and safer innovative therapies.The authors received no specific funding for this work, which has been developed in the context of Red Española de Terapias Avanzadas (TERAV, expedient no.’s RD21/0017/0015 and RD21/0017/0022) funded by Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) in the context of NextGenerationEU’s Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan

Preclinical Development of a Therapy for Chronic Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury in Rats Using Human Wharton’s Jelly Mesenchymal Stromal Cells: Proof of Concept and Regulatory Compliance

Animal model; Cell therapy; Mesenchymal stromal cellsModelo animal; Terapia celular; Células estromales mesenquimalesModel animal; Teràpia cel·lular; Cèl·lules estromals mesenquimàtiquesBackground: the use of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells (MSC) in emerging therapies for spinal cord injury (SCI) hold the potential to improve functional recovery. However, the development of cell-based medicines is challenging and preclinical studies addressing quality, safety and efficacy must be conducted prior to clinical testing; (2) Methods: herein we present (i) the characterization of the quality attributes of MSC from the Wharton’s jelly (WJ) of the umbilical cord, (ii) safety of intrathecal infusion in a 3-month subchronic toxicity assessment study, and (iii) efficacy in a rat SCI model by controlled impaction (100 kdynes) after single (day 7 post-injury) and repeated dose of 1 × 106 MSC,WJ (days 7 and 14 post-injury) with 70-day monitoring by electrophysiological testing, motor function assessment and histology evaluation; (3) Results: no toxicity associated to MSC,WJ infusion was observed. Regarding efficacy, recovery of locomotion was promoted at early time points. Persistence of MSC,WJ was detected early after administration (day 2 post-injection) but not at days 14 and 63 post-injection. (4) Conclusions: the safety profile and signs of efficacy substantiate the suitability of the presented data for inclusion in the Investigational Medicinal Product Dossier for further consideration by the competent Regulatory Authority to proceed with clinical trials.This work has been developed in the context of the Spanish Cell Therapy Network (TerCel, expedient No.’s RD16/0011/0014, RD16/0011/0028 and RD16/00111/0036) and supported by Fundació La Marató de TV3 (grant No. 616/2012) and BST internal funding. Work in J.G.-L.’s laboratory is supported by the Spanish Advanced Therapy Network funded by Ministerio de Ciencia Innovación y Universidades de España (Instituto de Salud Carlos III (TERAV, expedient No.’s RD21/0017/0008 and RD21/0017/0022), CIBERNED (CB06/05/1105), and J.V.’s laboratory is a Consolidated Research Group (ref. 2017SGR719) by the Generalitat de Catalunya

A pilot study of circulating levels of TGF-β1 and TGF-β2 as biomarkers of bone healing in patients with non-hypertrophic pseudoarthrosis of long bones

Regeneración ósea; Células estromales mesenquimales multipotentes; PseudoartrosisRegeneració òssia; Cèl·lules estromals mesenquimals multipotents; PseudoartrosiBone regeneration; Multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells; PseudoarthrosisBackground Pseudoarthrosis or non-union is a complication with an incidence of 5–10% of bone fractures, most frequently located in the diaphysis of long bones. The management of this complication is addressed by means of complex surgical procedures and is a concern for orthopaedic and trauma surgeons nowadays. The use of biomarkers for diagnosing patients at risk of non-union would help us to establish special measures for early corrective treatment. Methods Prospective exploratory pilot study with a cohort of 20 patients diagnosed of non-hypertrophic pseudoarthrosis of long bones who were treated surgically with either autologous bone graft or a Tissue Engineering Product composed of bone marrow-derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cells. Patients were followed for 12 months and plasma blood samples were obtained to determine circulating levels of Transforming Growth Factor Beta 1 and Beta 2 (TGF-β1 and TGF-β2, respectively) at inclusion, and at 1 week, 2 weeks, and months 1, 2, 3, 6 and 12 after surgery. Radiological bone healing was evaluated by the Tomographic Union Score (TUS). Results Basal levels of TGF-β1 and TGF-β2 were determined in the twenty patients (26,702 ± 14,537 pg/mL and 307.8 ± 83.1 pg/mL, respectively). Three of them withdrew from the study, so complete follow-up was conducted on 17 patients (9 successfully healed vs. 8 that did not heal). Statistically significant differences between the bone healing group and the non-union group were found at month 12 for both TGF-β1 (p = 0.005) and TGF-β2 (p = 0.02). Conclusions TGF-β1 and TGF-β2 are biomarkers that correlate with clinical evidence of bone regeneration and may be used to monitor patients, although early predictive value after intervention needs to be further studied in combination with other molecules

HLA-DR expression in clinical-grade bone marrow-derived multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells : a two-site study

Altres ajuts: BST is a member of the Spanish Cell Therapy Network (Red de Terapia Celular, TerCel, expedient No. RD16/0011/0028), awarded by the Generalitat de Catalunya as Consolidated Research Group and developed in the context of AdvanceCat with the support of ACCIÓ (Catalonia Trade & Investment; Generalitat de Catalunya) under the Catalonian ERDF operational program (European Regional Development Fund) 2014-2020.Background: Contrary to the minimal criteria proposed by the International Society for Cell and Gene Therapy for defining multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC), human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DR expression is largely unpredictable in ex vivo-expanded clinical-grade cultures. Although activation of MSC in culture does not appear to affect their functionality, a large study investigating the impact of HLA-DR expression on cell identity and potency is still missing in the literature. Methods: A retrospective analysis of HLA-DR expression in 130 clinical batches of bone marrow (BM)-MSC from two independent Good Manufacturing Practice-compliant production facilities was performed in order to identify the consequences on critical quality attributes as well as potential activation cues and dynamics of MSC activation in culture. Results: HLA-DR cells in culture were confirmed to maintain fibroblastic morphology, mesenchymal phenotype identity, multipotency in vitro, and immunomodulatory capacity. Interestingly, the use of either human sera or platelet lysate supplements resulted in similar results. Conclusions: HLA-DR expression should be considered informative rather than as a criterion to define MSC. Further work is still required to understand the impact of HLA-DR expression in the context of product specifications on BM-MSC qualities for clinical use in specific indications

Optimized reagents for immunopotency assays on mesenchymal stromal cells for clinical use

Immunomodulation; Mesenchymal stromal cells; Quality & regulatory complianceImmunomodulació; Cèl·lules estromals mesenquimàtiques; Qualitat i compliment normatiuInmunomodulación; Células estromales mesenquimales; Calidad y cumplimiento normativoMultipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) offer new therapeutic opportunities based on their ability to modulate an imbalanced immune system. Immunomodulatory potency is typically demonstrated in vitro by measuring the presence of surrogate markers (i.e., indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase, IDO; tumor necrosis factor receptor type 1, TNFR1) and/or functional assays in co-cultures (i.e., inhibition of lymphoproliferation, polarization of macrophages). However, the biological variability of reagents used in the latter type of assays leads to unreliable and difficult to reproduce data therefore making cross-comparison between batches difficult, both at the intra- and inter-laboratory levels. Herein, we describe a set of experiments aiming at the definition and validation of reliable biological reagents as a first step towards standardization of a potency assay. This approach is based on the co-culture of Wharton’s jelly (WJ)-derived MSC and cryopreserved pooled peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Altogether, we successfully defined a robust and reproducible immunopotency assay based on previously described methods incorporating substantial improvements such as cryopreservation of multiple vials of pooled peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from 5 individual donors that enable a number of tests with same reagents, also reducing waste of PBMC from individual donors and therefore contributing to a more efficient and ethical method to use substances of human origin (SoHO). The new methodology was successfully validated using 11 batches of clinical grade MSC,WJ. Methods described here contribute to minimize PBMC donor variability while reducing costs, streamlining assay setup and convenience and laying the foundations for harmonization of biological reagents usage in standardized immunopotency assays for MSC.Open Access Funding provided by Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona. This work has been developed in the context of Red Española de Terapias Avanzadas (TERAV, expedient no. RD21/0017/0022) funded by Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) in the context of NextGenerationEU’s Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan and by the Commission for Universities and Research of the Department of Innovation, Universities, and Enterprise of the Generalitat de Catalunya (2017 SGR 719)

Compliance with Good Manufacturing Practice in the Assessment of Immunomodulation Potential of Clinical Grade Multipotent Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Derived from Wharton’s Jelly

Cell culture; Cellular therapy; Good manufacturing practiceCultiu cel·lular; Teràpia cel·lular; Bones pràctiques de manufacturaCultivo celular; Terapia celular; Buenas prácticas de fabricaciónThe selection of assays suitable for testing the potency of clinical grade multipotent mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC)-based products and its interpretation is a challenge for both developers and regulators. Here, we present a bioprocess design for the production of Wharton's jelly (WJ)-derived MSCs and a validated immunopotency assay approved by the competent regulatory authority for batch release together with the study of failure modes in the bioprocess with potential impact on critical quality attributes (CQA) of the final product. Methods: The lymphocyte proliferation assay was used for determining the immunopotency of WJ-MSCs and validated under good manufacturing practices (GMP). Moreover, failure mode effects analysis (FMEA) was used to identify and quantify the potential impact of different unexpected situations on the CQA. Results: A production process based on a two-tiered cell banking strategy resulted in batches with sufficient numbers of cells for clinical use in compliance with approved specifications including MSC identity (expressing CD73, CD90, CD105, but not CD31, CD45, or HLA-DR). Remarkably, all batches showed high capacity to inhibit the proliferation of activated lymphocytes. Moreover, implementation of risk management tools led to an in-depth understanding of the manufacturing process as well as the identification of weak points to be reinforced. Conclusions: The bioprocess design showed here together with detailed risk management and the use of a robust method for immunomodulation potency testing allowed for the robust production of clinical-grade WJ-MSCs under pharmaceutical standards

Adapting cord blood collection and banking Standard Operating Procedures for HLA-homozygous induced Pluripotent Stem Cells production and banking for clinical application

In this article, we will discuss the main aspects to be considered to define standard operation procedures (SOPs) for the creation of an induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) bank using cord blood (CB)-or similar cell type-bank guidelines for clinical aims. To do this, we adapt the pre-existing SOP for CB banking that can be complementary for iPSCs. Some aspects of iPSC manufacturing and the particular nature of these cells call for special attention, such as the potential multiple applications of the cells, proper explanation to the donor for consent of use, the genomic stability and the risk of genetic privacy disclosure. Some aspects of the iPSC SOP are solidly established by CB banking procedures, other procedures have good consensus in the scientific and medical community, while others still need to be further debated and settled. Given the international sharing vocation of iPSC banking, there is an urgent need by scientists, clinicians and regulators internationally to harmonize standards and allow future sample interchange between many iPSC bank initiatives that are springing up worldwide

First-in-human PeriCord cardiac bioimplant : scalability and GMP manufacturing of an allogeneic engineered tissue graft

Altres ajuts: La Marató de TV3 Foundation, Government of Catalonia, Catalan Society of Cardiology, "La Caixa" Banking Foundation, Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, Institute of Health Carlos III, and the European Regional Development Fund.Small cardiac tissue engineering constructs show promise for limiting post-infarct sequelae in animal models. This study sought to scale-up a 2-cm 2 preclinical construct into a human-size advanced therapy medicinal product (ATMP; PeriCord), and to test it in a first-in-human implantation. The PeriCord is a clinical-size (12-16 cm 2) decellularised pericardial matrix colonised with human viable Wharton's jelly-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (WJ-MSCs). WJ-MSCs expanded following good manufacturing practices (GMP) met safety and quality standards regarding the number of cumulative population doublings, genomic stability, and sterility. Human decellularised pericardial scaffolds were tested for DNA content, matrix stiffness, pore size, and absence of microbiological growth. PeriCord implantation was surgically performed on a large non-revascularisable scar in the inferior wall of a 63-year-old male patient. Coronary artery bypass grafting was concomitantly performed in the non-infarcted area. At implantation, the 16-cm 2 pericardial scaffold contained 12·5 × 10 6 viable WJ-MSCs (85·4% cell viability; <0·51 endotoxin units (EU)/mL). Intraoperative PeriCord delivery was expeditious, and secured with surgical glue. The post-operative course showed non-adverse reaction to the PeriCord, without requiring host immunosuppression. The three-month clinical follow-up was uneventful, and three-month cardiac magnetic resonance imaging showed ~9% reduction in scar mass in the treated area. This preliminary report describes the development of a scalable clinical-size allogeneic PeriCord cardiac bioimplant, and its first-in-human implantation. La Marató de TV3 Foundation, Government of Catalonia, Catalan Society of Cardiology, "La Caixa" Banking Foundation, Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, Institute of Health Carlos III, and the European Regional Development Fund