Study Finds New Cell Therapy Promising For ARDS Patients

The findings of a research indicate that a novel form of cell treatment could enhance the outlook for patients in critical condition due to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) triggered by severe Covid-19.

Professor Justin Stebbing from Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) is one of the main authors of a recent study published in the journal Nature Communications. The study focuses on the utilization of agenT-797, an allogeneic, unmodified invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cell therapy developed by MiNK Therapeutics.

The iNKT cell therapy helps replenish T cells and triggers an anti-inflammatory cytokine response. This may boost antiviral immunity, aiding patients in battling infections while also lessening severe lung inflammation.

The latest study, conducted at three medical facilities, discovered that agenT-797, currently being studied in cancer trials, can be produced quickly, has an acceptable safety record, and seems to have a beneficial impact on the survival of severely ill COVID-19 ARDS patients in intensive care.

The preliminary study involved 20 patients on mechanical ventilation suffering from severe ARDS caused by Covid-19. Out of the 20 patients, 14 (70 per cent) survived after 30 days, in contrast to only 10% in the control group. Additionally, there was an 80 per cent reduction in the incidence of bacterial pneumonia among those who were administered the highest dose of agenT-797, compared to those who received lower doses.

A total of 21 patients received treatment, with 16 in the main trial and one through compassionate use. Among them, five were undergoing veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV-ECMO), which is considered the most aggressive salvage therapy for critically ill patients with ARDS. VV-ECMO involves pumping deoxygenated blood through a membrane lung and returning it to the body through a cannula.

This experiment is thought to be the initial use of immune cell therapy in severely ill patients receiving VV-ECMO. The survival rates for patients in the VV-ECMO group were 80 per cent after 30 and 90 days, and 60% after 120 days. These rates are better than the overall 51 per cent survival rate for Covid-19 patients treated solely with VV-ECMO at the same institution during the same period.

Senior co-author Justin Stebbing, who is a Biomedical Sciences Professor at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) in Cambridge, England, stated that in a preliminary study, they noticed that MiNK's iNKT cell therapy, which is also being developed for cancer patients, induced an anti-inflammatory reaction in individuals with ARDS.

"Despite a poor prognosis, critically ill patients treated with this therapy showed favourable mortality rates and those treated at the highest dose also had reduced rates of pneumonia, underscoring the potential application of iNKT cells, and agenT-797 in particular, in treating viral diseases and infections more broadly.

"AgenT-797 was manufactured rapidly and as opposed to using patients' cells, it is 'off-the-shelf' and made from healthy donors' cells. The potential of this therapy to be used across a number of severe infections warrants randomised controlled trials."

Dr. Marc van Dijk, the Chief Scientific Officer at MiNK and a co-author of the research, mentioned, "These published findings reinforce the unique power and potential of iNKT cells to mitigate severe acute respiratory distress.

"The data demonstrate agenT-797's encouraging survival benefit, ability to help clear secondary infections, and tolerable administration in ventilated patients and those on VV-ECMO support."

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