The UB and Celgene present the Chair on Cell Immunotherapy
The University of Barcelona and the biopharmaceutic company Celgene, from Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS), presented today the UB-Celgene Chair on Cell Immunotherapy. Its aim is to promote training in this field, specially in CAR T-cell therapy, and to improve the wellbeing and survival of oncohaematological patients.
In the presentation, which took place in the Paranimph of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences of the University of Barcelona, the rector of the UB, Joan Guàrdia, highlighted the importance of this agreement, for the support it will give to cell immunotherapy thanks to the training: “The UB aims to become a reference in the field of cell immunotherapy, one of the greatest hopes for improving the prognosis of malignant hemopathies. Weʼll do it with Celegneʼs help”.
The University of Barcelona and the biopharmaceutic company Celgene, from Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS), presented today the UB-Celgene Chair on Cell Immunotherapy. Its aim is to promote training in this field, specially in CAR T-cell therapy, and to improve the wellbeing and survival of oncohaematological patients.
In the presentation, which took place in the Paranimph of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences of the University of Barcelona, the rector of the UB, Joan Guàrdia, highlighted the importance of this agreement, for the support it will give to cell immunotherapy thanks to the training: “The UB aims to become a reference in the field of cell immunotherapy, one of the greatest hopes for improving the prognosis of malignant hemopathies. Weʼll do it with Celegneʼs help”.
The chair will be led by Julio Delgado, lecturer at the Department of Medicine of the UB and haematologist at Hospital Clínic. Delgado said that “the appearance of CAR T-cell therapy and other ways of cell immunotherapy involved a real revolution in cancer treatment. However, the high complexity of the treatment and the potential seriousness of adverse effects require the involved professionals to be specialized in it”.
Also, José Cabrera, medical director of BMS in Spain and Portugal, said: “Cell therapy makes us re-imagine medicine and the future of healthcare. In BMS, we are committed to promote our professionalsʼ training, this chair results from this. We expect to help the multidisciplinary teams in the management of these new therapies in order to continue improving the quality of life and the prognosis of patients with severe diseases”.
The strategical lines of the chair will focus on the implementation of practical courses of clinical training and production of CAR-T cell therapy at the Hospital Clínic de Barcelona.
CAR T-cell therapy
CAR T-cell therapy is a type of cell treatment that can help patients with leukaemia or advanced-stage lymphomas with a life expectancy of just a few weeks. Haematologists, immunologists, neurologists etc. need more knowledge on molecular biology, immunology, prevention and treatment for complications, production of cell products and regulator aspects. The Chair aims to cover these training needs as well.
The presentation of the Chair counted on the participation of Antoni Trilla, dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences of the UB, Josep Maria Campistol, director of Hospital Clínic, and Antoni Castells, medical director of Hospital Clínic.