Focal points
Research and development focuses on the safety of blood product use and the development of innovative cell-based medicinal products (e.g. mesenchymal progenitor cells for the immune regulation and bio-engineering of autologous and allogeneic ex vivo expanded T lymphocytes).
Publications are available here.
If blood products are to be used safely, then unambiguous rules and responsibilities are required in the field of blood product use which are clearly communicated to everyone involved. Thus the risk of infection associated with blood products can be reduced further by, for instance, introducing and developing a pathogen reduction stage. Papers have been written on this subject within clinical studies following the clinical use of pathogen-inactivated erythrocyte and thrombocyte concentrates.
The activities of the Working Party on Cellular Therapies of the International Society for Blood Transfusion (ISBT) include establishing an international consensus on minimum standards of quality, meeting optimal regulatory requirements, and improving access to evidence-based clinical data.
Publications are available here.
As part of our cooperation with the Department of Haematology and Cell Therapy, Medical Oncology and Haemostaseology and with the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI), we are developing an integrated approach to topics and projects related to the advance of cell-based medicinal products for immunological development.
Preliminary works on the topic are available here.
The Working Group discovered that mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSC) are able to circulate following intravenous injection into the bloodstream, and use specific adhesion molecules to interact with endothelial cells. We have been able to identify new factors which initiate or modulate the mobilisation of haematopoietic stem and precursor cells (HSPC) into the blood, including cleavage products of the chemokine SDF-1/CXCL12. In the murine model of leukaemogenesis, our status as a Core Facility made it possible for us to help investigate numerous oncogenes which play a part in the development of leukaemia, including what are known as chromosomal translocation products, within multidisciplinary collaborative ventures and research associations.
