Medical Biotechnology Master’s Programmes
at the University of Pécs and at the University of Debrecen
Identification number: TÁMOP-4.1.2-08/1/A-2009-0011
CLINICAL TRIALS (1)
Dr. Judit Pongrácz
Three dimensional tissue cultures and tissue engineering – Lecture 23
Medical Biotechnology Master’s Programmes
at the University of Pécs and at the University of Debrecen
Identification number: TÁMOP-4.1.2-08/1/A-2009-0011
Definition of a clinical trial
Health related research studies performed in human beings
Types of clinical trials
• Treatment trials
• Prevention trials
• Diagnostic trials
• Screening trials
• Quality of life trials
Participants in a clinical trial
• To gain access to novel research treatment
• Provide information on drug efficacy and potential toxicity
Benefits of taking part in a clinical trial
• Gain access to novel therapies
• Obtain expert medical care
• Contribution to medical research
Risks of clinical trials
• Unpleasant or life-threatening side effects
• The experimental treatment may not be effective
Process of clinical trials
• Based on research results
• Based on a specific protocols
• Participants are continuously monitored
• Results assessed and statistics are performed
Phases of clinical trials
• Phase I – small group of people (20-80)
• Phase II – larger group of people (100-300)
• Phase III –large group of people (1000-3000)
• Phase IV – marketing studies
Stem cell therapy and clinical trials
Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is the first stem cell based therapy strategy that has gone into clinical trials
Stages to reach a marketable cell- based therapeutic product
Research Animal tests
Market research Marketable
product
Clinical trials
Production
Phase I, II, III, IV
CLINICAL TRIALS (2)
Dr. Judit Pongrácz
Three dimensional tissue cultures and tissue engineering – Lecture 24
Medical Biotechnology Master’s Programmes
at the University of Pécs and at the University of Debrecen
Identification number: TÁMOP-4.1.2-08/1/A-2009-0011
Clinical trials for cellular therapy of liver failure
• Autologous BMSC – not ready for routine clinical therapy
• Differentiated BMSC using HGF
Liver dialysis
• Ammonia causes encephalopathia
• Extracorporeal detoxification
• Dialysis-like solutions
Bioartificial liver
Patient’s plasma
Oxygen
PKM-19 Liver cells Plasma
filter
Bioreactor
ELAD
®bioartificial liver
Blood circuit
Ultrafiltrate circuit Glucose
ELADTM
ELADTM ELADTM ELADTM
Plasma filter
Oxygenator
Pumping system
Reservoir
Blood pump
Ultrafiltrate pump
Recirculation pump
Glucose infusion pump Priming
infusion line
Heparin infusion
Incubator
Cell filter
Cell-free ELAD: MARS
MarsFlux Dialyzer diaMarsFlux Adsorption columns
diaFlux Dialyzer Blood circuit Mars-Albumin circuit Dialysate circuit
Blood pump
Albumin pump Activated
charcoal Anion
exchange resin
Skin grafting and replacement
• Burn injuries
• Chronic wounds, e.g. diabetic or PAD ulcers
• Cosmetic surgery
Structure of the skin
Artery
Nerve
(Adipose tissue) Epidermis
Dermis
Fat
Sweat gland
Erector pili muscle Hair
Sebaceous gland Stratum corneum
Stratum lucidum
Stratum mucosum Stratum granulosum
Stratum germinativum
Purpose of skin grafting
• Restore the barrier function-keratinocytes
• Recently no nerve, vascular, sweat glans or hair follicles can be included into tx skin
Skin grafts
• Full thickness burns - dermis and epidermis are both lost
• Partial thickness burns - epidermis is largely intact
• If more, than 30-40% body surface is burnt
• Smaller surface burns may be cured with split thickness autografts
Autologous skin grafts
Skin is meshed to cover a large wound
Graft taken from patient’s healthy skin
Wound
Cultured Epithelial Allograft (CEA) I
• CEA alone
• Intagra combined with CEA
Cultured Epithelial Allograft (CEA) II
Transplantation of autologous cultured epidermis
Patient
Injured area Skin biopsy
Skin specimen
Isolation of keratinocytes
Feeder cells Cell seeding/
Inoculation Culture
Sheet formation
Grafting
Tissue engineered skin methodology
The epithelial sheets are removed for clinical use 9x
9x
Enzymatic removal of 3T3s
Proliferation and
differentiation of multilayer epithelial sheets
9x
P2
P2
Medium change
P0
P0
P1 Dermis
Epidermis
Isolation of keratinocytes
Feeder 3T3 fibroblasts Enzymatic
segregation
24hr
Tissue engineered skin products available for clinical use
Type Products
Epidermal cover
• CEpicell (Genzyme) –cultured epitermal sheets
• Epidex (Modex Therapeutics)- epidermal sheets from hair biopsies
• Myskin (CellTran)- cells in a synthetic carrier
• C3- cells in a spray
• Cultured allogenic keratinocytes
• Cultured autologous keratinocytes
Dermal replacement
• Integra (Integra)
• Alloderm (Lifecell)
• Permacol (Tissue Science Labs)
• Dermagraft (Advaced BioHealing)
• Transcyte (Advanced BioHealing) Epidermal/dermal
replacement
• Permaderm (Cambrex)
• Apligraf (Novartis)
• Orcel (Ortec International)