Pioneering research by Spanish researchers has proven to be efficient for the clinical improvement of critical cases of COVID-19. The work, the largest so far, has been published in the journal The Lancet EClinicalMedicine, after demonstrating that an advanced treatment based on cell therapy, tested in 13 patients intubated in mechanical ventilation, reduces the mortality of critically ill coronavirus patients from 85% to 15%, that is, 70%.

This is the first results of the BALMYS-19 project, co-led by a professor at the Miguel Hernndez University (UMH) in Elche and researcher at the Alicante Institute of Health Research (ISABIAL) Bernat Soriatogether with the teacher Damin Garca-Olmo from the Jimnez Daz Foundation (Autonomous University of Madrid). In addition, six other Spanish universities and six hospitals have participated in the study.

The therapy tested is based on stem cells with regenerative, anti-inflammatory and immunoregulatory properties and it is the first cell therapy for COVID-19, developed and produced entirely in Spain. During the pilot study, critical coronavirus patients who did not respond to conventional treatments were treated with the cellular medicine, made up of allogeneic stromal mesenchymal cells at doses of 1 million cells per kilogram of weight in one or more doses.

The results of its application in coronavirus patients admitted to ICUs were compared with the clinical evolution and mortality of similar cases. Cell treatment does not produce adverse reactions, but it does lead to generalized clinical and radiological improvement. Patient mortality decreased from 70-85% to 15% (2 patients). Most of the people treated with the cellular medicine were disinfected during the data collection period. Their markers of inflammation (C-reactive protein and ferritin), coagulation (D-dimer) and tissue damage (lactic dehydrogenase) decreased. In addition, it was found that the drug does not decrease the lymphocyte count. In fact, the results suggest that the new treatment increases the presence of T lymphocytes (which directly attack the virus) and B lymphocytes (which synthesize the antibodies).

The study authors explain that cellular medications, unlike other treatments, they are live drugs and must be used by qualified medical personnel and produced by units accredited by the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products. Knowledge of the biological scientific foundations of these treatments, as well as the physiology of the interaction between the drug and the host, are essential for their correct handling.

July 10, 2020

Originally posted here:
The first cell therapy for COVID-19 reduces mortality in critically ill patients - Explica