Antiviral cell therapy saves lives where standard treatment fails. It is now covered by insurance.
Cell therapy represents one of the most advanced treatment approaches of our time. It brings back to life patients for whom there has previously been no effective treatment without lasting consequences. Doctors, in collaboration with the team from the Center for Cell and Tissue Engineering at ICRC, use it primarily for patients after bone marrow transplants, but also after organ transplants, to treat viral infections where traditional antiviral treatments fail. The therapy, which costs approximately 800,000, is now covered by insurance.
The innovative form of treatment through antiviral cell therapy in the Czech Republic has been brought to a wide range of patients by the Center for Cell and Tissue Engineering of the International Clinical Research Center (ICRC), a joint facility of the University Hospital in Brno and the Faculty of Medicine at Masaryk University, led by Assoc. Prof. RNDr. Irena Koutná, Ph.D. The treatment program was established in collaboration with the Internal Hemato-Oncology Clinic of the University Hospital in Brno, under the guidance of Prof. MUDr. Jiří Mayer, Ph.D., and the Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion in Prague, led by Dr. Robert Pytlík, Ph.D. A significant role in the availability of treatment can be attributed to the General Health Insurance Company, which was the first to highlight the meaningfulness and positive socio-economic benefits of the treatment. Today, this treatment is provided by transplant centers in Prague, Hradec Králové, Ostrava, and, of course, in Brno.
“Cell therapy is one of the most progressive treatment methods in modern medicine. It offers hope for the treatment of conditions for which no effective therapy has previously existed,” explains Irena Koutná, head of the Cell and Tissue Engineering team.
Doctors use this cell therapy with virus-specific lymphocytes for patients after bone marrow or organ transplants, where patients have non-functional or suppressed immunity following these complex procedures—infection with various viruses is life-threatening for them. “If antiviral treatment fails for these patients, there has been no other solution until now. Cell therapy with virus-specific lymphocytes can induce a therapeutic effect within three weeks,” continues Koutná. In the Czech Republic, about thirty patients annually can be saved by cultivated virus-specific lymphocytes.
The treatment has been available in the Czech Republic for two years now, and this year, insurance companies have started reimbursing it for those in need. Experts consider this a tremendous success. “There are patients who have no other alternative; it is a matter of life-saving. One cycle of such treatment for a viral infection costs approximately 800,000 crowns. After undergoing the disease and treatment with antivirals, patients often suffer various degrees of consequences, and subsequent care represents a burden for the healthcare system. Patients who have undergone cell therapy quickly return to normal life, including work,” points out the center’s head.
Cell therapy is a treatment based on human cells, either from the patient’s own body or from a donor. The collected cells are cultivated, modified, or activated to perform their original functions, such as defending the body, using techniques from molecular biology, tissue engineering, and genetic manipulation. The resulting cell material is then directly implanted into the patient’s body.
“We utilize the natural potential of cells. Our body can regenerate remarkably well. However, under the influence of various factors, which are most often stress, illness, aging, genetic predispositions, or damage to the organism, cells lose their regenerative abilities,” describes Koutná. The actual collection of cells for therapy with virus-specific lymphocytes does not pose a significant burden for the donor. “It takes two to three hours; I would compare it to donating blood. However, we only extract the necessary cells and return the collected blood back to the donor’s body.” Before the collection itself, it is necessary to undergo a medical examination, which is again very similar to that required before blood donation. “The collection of cells is nothing that 99% of the population cannot handle,” she adds.
Irena Koutná, head of Cell and Tissue Engineering Facility
“We have learned to work with even a minimal number of cells; we can multiply them. For this type of treatment, it is best if the donor is a close relative, such as a parent, sibling, or offspring,” she continues, “but we also look for donors in donor registries.” If T-lymphocytes are absent at the time of a viral infection, the human body has no chance of defending itself. When the body receives these donated and trained cells for treating a specific infection, its immune system reaction is triggered automatically.
The fact that cell therapy has successfully moved from scientific laboratories to patients in Brno is an enormous achievement. “It’s no longer just science; it’s an effective treatment,” concludes Irena Koutná.
Martina Jelínková
martina.jelinkova@fnusa.cz
