Modern and gene therapy in ÚHKT

History of Cell Therapy and Immunotherapy
The development of cell therapy represents a key advance in modern medicine; the roots of cell therapy date back to the mid-20th century, when the basic principles of immune response and the possibilities of cell manipulation were first discovered. The first significant milestone was bone marrow transplantation, which revolutionized the treatment of hematological malignancies. The gradual development of knowledge about individual types of cells involved in the immune response naturally brought with it attempts to use these cells in treatment, for example

• Administration of immune cells (T lymphocytes) isolated from a donor and specifically recognizing selected viruses for gentle treatment of infection.
• Training antigen-presenting cells (dendritic cells) to recognize tumor cells so that they can trigger an immune response against the tumor.
• In-vitro multiplication of cells that create an immune response against a tumor (NK cells, some types of T lymphocytes) and their administration to the patient.
• Administration of specific cells (e.g., mesenchymal stem cells, regulatory T lymphocytes) that can suppress immune response and graft-versus-host reaction.

In the 1980s and 1990s, genetic engineering technologies began to develop, enabling direct manipulation of cellular functions. A significant breakthrough came with the discovery of the possibilities of using the patient's own immune cells, which can be genetically modified to target specific types of diseases. This path led to the development of CAR-T therapy, the first approved therapy of this type, which in 2017 changed the treatment of leukemias and lymphomas.

Development at UHKT
The leadership of UHKT launched a comprehensive immunotherapeutic program in 2014, which aims to bring UHKT's capabilities closer to leading world hematooncology centers. It built clean rooms for the production of modern therapeutic preparations and later also gene therapy and gradually adjusted the organizational structure, in which specialized departments were created to ensure research, production and clinical evaluations.

Currently, UHKT is capable of manufacturing for its patients all types of immunotherapeutically active therapeutic preparations of modern therapy, including its own innovative CAR-T cells, designed by researchers from UHKT. All of these preparations are currently part of clinical evaluations, in which UHKT doctors participate.