BST and IGTP promote the use of particles that cells use to communicate as revolutionary future therapies

The Banc de Sang i Teixits (Blood and Tissue Bank, BST) is studying how to manufacture and therapeutically use a type of nanoparticles that are released by the body's cells to communicate with each other. This is one of the most promising research areas at present for future therapies. New medicines or advanced therapies modify cells (defences), genes and tissues to cure diseases such as cancers. However, the next step is to focus on these subcellular packages loaded with biological information, called extracellular vesicles (EVs), which have functions as crucial as tissue regeneration and the modulation of inflammation.

The BST, in collaboration with the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP) and the Reus-based technology company Biosfer Teslab, is driving the development and improvement of these therapies, publishing research to achieve the large-scale manufacturing of regenerative medicine-based drugs thanks to these 'information packages' between cells that are extracellular vesicles (EVs).

Therapies using these nanoparticles are not yet part of routine clinical practice. Many are in the development phase, and it is necessary to demonstrate their safety, the appropriate route, dosage and administration regimen, and efficacy before they can become widely used treatments.

The study, coordinated by the BST and published in one of the most prestigious opinion forums in this scientific field, the Journal of Extracellular Vesicles (JEV), represents a significant boost to the advancement of this therapeutic area. Research demonstrates the potential of one technology in particular: nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) as a process analytical technology (PAT) to monitor, optimise and scale up the manufacturing of these extracellular vesicles (EVs). The EVs used are derived from mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), cells with the unique ability to transform into other body tissues (bone, cartilage or muscle), and which have great potential as a basis for new therapies in the field of regenerative medicine and immunology.

"They could be a genuine revolution for medicine; these nanoparticles could become a kind of nanoscopic drone capable of carrying drugs and regenerative molecules directly to the cells that need them, making treatments more precise and less aggressive," said Dr Joaquim Vives of the BST Research Department. He explained that they could be used, for example, in patients with a myocardial infarction, "injecting these nanoparticles into the infarcted tissue so that the undamaged cells are recruited and processes of revascularisation and regeneration of the damaged tissue are produced," and with a much-attenuated risk of rejection, as they are not cell therapies.

NMR allows for the precise determination of the biochemical state of the cell culture within the bioreactors where these vesicles are secreted; in other words, the assessment of whether the cells' metabolism is optimal and aligned with compliance with the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards required for any of these therapies.

Multiple therapeutic options

The function of these nanoparticles is very broad. They act as communication elements with the immune system, and are involved in processes such as tissue repair and cell growth, among others. Currently, they are used as very useful diagnostic biomarkers for the early detection of diseases, as they are released by tumours and damaged tissues and can be detected directly in blood samples.

Looking to the future, these nanoparticles could become key biological agents for the selective transport of drugs and therapeutic molecules to the cells that need them, as well as for modulating the immune system's response, reducing excessive inflammation or even enhancing the immune response against tumours. They also open the door to applications in gene therapy through the transport of RNA, as well as to the repair of tissues such as the heart, bones or the nervous system.

The research is part of the GALVANO project, an RDI initiative of excellence co-funded by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities with €805,428.00.