Yesterday, the foundation stone of the new Advanced Therapies Unit, the so-called Cleanroom, was laid at the Sant Pau Research Institute (IR Sant Pau). The construction of these new facilities is being made with the support of the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute (IJC) and the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Foundation. This cleanroom will be a strategic resource that will enable the development and manufacture of personalised biological medicines within the hospital facilities for treating its patients.

Many prominent figures attended the event, including the Honourable Acting Minister of Health of the Catalan Government, Manel Balcells; the Director of IR Sant Pau, Dr. Jordi Surrallés; the President of the Executive Committee of the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute, Dr. Evarist Feliu; the Head of the Research Group at the Josep Carreras Institute and IR Sant Pau and Director of the Haematology Department at the Hospital de Sant Pau, Dr. Javier Briones; and the Director of Hospital de Sant Pau, Dr. Adrià Comella.

The project, which involves the construction, commissioning, and operation of this new infrastructure, has been made possible through the collaboration with the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute and the contribution of more than 4.5M from the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Foundation. This project constitutes the Sant Pau location of the Josep Carreras Institute, which aims to conduct scientific research related to cancer, leukaemia and other malignant blood diseases, and specifically in immunotherapy, oncogenesis, cellular therapy, and other related areas.

Dr. Jordi Surrallés, Director of IR Sant Pau, highlights that the new facilities will significantly enhance the work of research groups striving to develop new advanced therapies. "This new infrastructure places us at the forefront of research in this field and will help us advance more rapidly towards more effective and personalised treatments for our patients, continuing to contribute to the advancement of scientific knowledge."

Advanced Therapies: Increased Production Capacity

"It is a dream come true. For over 20 years we have been working in immunotherapy, and in the last 10 years we have focused on CAR-T therapies. This new unit will allow us to increase our production capacity and reach more patients, offering personalised treatments for diseases that could not be treated until now," says Dr. Briones. Sant Pau is one of the two hospitals in Catalonia—and among the few worldwide—authorised to produce CAR-T immunotherapy drugs. So far, IR researchers have developed two academic CAR-T drugs: HSP-CAR30 and HSP-CAR19M. "There are very few centres worldwide that develop their own CAR-T therapies, meaning they have the technology, capacity, experience, and facilities to develop these therapies," explains Dr. Briones.

The new Advanced Therapies Unit at Sant Pau will not only enable increased drug production but also centralise the entire development process within the institution, from the production of recombinant viruses to the final manufacture of the drugs. This will ensure greater efficiency and quality control throughout the process. Dr. Briones emphasises that "the new unit will not only boost our production capacity but also allow us to conduct clinical trials entirely from start to finish, with all the advantages that entails."