Chandigarh: In what comes as a ray of hope for cancer patients, PGI administration is actively working towards establishing a Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) laboratory to advance its capabilities in stem cell and gene therapies. The initiative aims at enhancing the institution’s capacity for cutting-edge medical treatments.
In the absence of such a GMP, the institute cannot perform cell therapies, gene editing, stem cell therapy, or even CAR T (immunotherapy in which a patient’s own T cells are genetically modified in a lab to recognise and attack cancer cells, then infused back into the body to fight the cancer).
PGI currently utilises external laboratories in Bengaluru and Mumbai for CAR T-cell therapy. Establishment of a GMP laboratory would allow PGI to provide CAR T-cell therapy on-site, potentially increasing accessibility for patients. Prof Pankaj Malhotra, head of the department of clinical haematology and medical oncology, PGI, said, “Having our own GMP laboratory would provide self-reliance and the ability to provide these therapies to needy patients for free.” He added, “We have treated some eight patients to date and it is costly. With our own set-up, we can be self-reliant and help poor patients.”Development of a GMP laboratory is crucial for PGI to meet current regulatory standards for stem cell and gene therapy procedures. This facility will enable the institute to conduct such complex therapies in-house, reducing reliance on external laboratories. PGI is reportedly collaborating with Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, to facilitate the establishment of the GMP laboratory.
Dr Gaurav Narula, a paediatric haematologist-oncologist at TMH, who played a key role in developing India’s first CAR-T cell therapy, was in PGI on Tuesday during the national conference on current trends in translational research organised by the department of translational and regenerative medicine, PGI. “We are expanding our research into other applications of CAR T-cell therapy, including viral infections after transplant surgery in immunosuppressed patients. While the therapy currently targets haematological cancers, its potential is vast,” said Dr Narula. His team shall guide PGI in developing the GMP laboratory set-up, which can cost over Rs 20 crore.
BOX: Work halted a few years ago
Work on stem cell in PGI for kidney transplant, which started a few years ago came, to a standstill due to new standards for GMP laboratory. Researchers worked on mesenchymal stem cells for kidney transplant, where these cells were removed from patients four weeks before the surgery. MSCs are a type of stem cell found in various tissues, including bone marrow, that have the ability to differentiate into different cell types and play a role in tissue repair and regeneration.
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