(Vienna, 22 April 2025) The Department of Transfusion Medicine and Cell Therapy at MedUni Vienna and University Hospital Vienna has received official authorisation to produce CAR T-cells.
a milestone for the development of innovative cell therapies in Austria. This project was supported by a research grant from the City of Vienna as part of the initiative to promote interdisciplinary cancer research, as well as funding from MedUni Vienna and University Hospital Vienna. The ultra-modern form of therapy, in which the patient's own immune cells are genetically modified so that they can specifically recognise and destroy pathological cells, is now to be used in two clinical trials: for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic B-cell leukaemia and severe autoimmune diseases that do not respond to therapy.
The manufacturing licence positions MedUni Vienna/University Hospital Vienna as one of the first university hospitals in Austria that can not only use CAR-T cells, but also produce them itself. The new infrastructure enables more individualised treatment of patients and opens up new perspectives in the treatment of complex diseases.
University cell therapy as a medical model for the future
With the establishment of point-of-care production, MedUni Vienna is taking a decisive step towards patient-centred, university-based cell therapy. This enables the development of customised cell products directly at the clinical site. The particular focus here is on autoimmune diseases, which have hardly been the subject of industrial CAR-T developments to date and will probably only be addressed to a limited extent by commercial providers in the future due to their diversity and complexity.
CAR-T cells: Customised immunotherapy
CAR-T stands for "Chimeric Ant igen Receptor T cells". This involves modifying the body's own T cells so that they can recognise and specifically attack certain target structures on diseased cells. While this therapy was originally developed for certain blood cancers, its further development is now opening up new perspectives in the treatment of severe autoimmune diseases - an area with a large unmet medical need.
First studies to start this year
Two clinical trials with the CAR-T cells produced on site will begin at MedUni Vienna in the course of this year. The entire production process - from cell extraction to genetic modification and return to the patient - will take place at the University Hospital Vienna.
With this development, MedUni Vienna and University Hospital Vienna are emphasising their role as drivers of innovation in translational medicine and sending a strong signal for the establishment of university-based, patient-centred cell therapy in Austria.