The Cell Therapy group is dedicated to the development of therapeutics approaches based on the use of human mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) and their secreted factors. MSC secretome is recognized as a novel booster for regenerative medicine, harnessing the body’s innate regenerative capacity by promoting endogenous repair mechanisms. As a cell-free therapy approach, secretome-based therapy offers distinct advantages over conventional cell therapy, particularly in terms of safety, as it can avoid the need for cell transplantation. The bioactive molecules present in secretome can be release freely or packed within nanoparticles, known as extracellular vesicles (EVs). Similarly to secretome, EVs derived from MSCs recapitulate the therapeutic effects of their parental cells of origin and are regarded as next-generation therapeutics.

FOCUS

• Mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC)-based therapy
• Cell-free therapy based on secretome and extracellular vesicles
• Polymer-based delivery systems
• Chronic liver diseases (NASH, fibrosis, cirrhosis)
• Chronic skin wounds

AIMS

• Establishment master cell banks in Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) compliance
• Production of cell products (secretome and EVs) in GMP compliance
• Optimization of cell-free therapy through polymer-based delivery systems

MAIN RESEARCH ACTIVITIES

• Isolation, characterization and banking of human primary cells
• Isolation and characterization of secretome and EVs
• Analysis of miRNA cargo
• In vitro cell-based assays
• Design, synthesis and characterization of polymeric (delivery) systems
• In vivo preclinical studies of biodistribution and efficacy

Team