CSL Behring, a pharmaceutical company dedicated to the production and marketing of products of plasma and biotechnological origin, has signed an agreement for the donation of 54,000€ for the research group on Infection in Immunosuppressed Paediatric Patients of the Vall d'Hebron Research Institute (VHIR). The team led by Dr. Pere Soler will carry out a project that will optimize the use of immunoglobulins, a scarce resource, as a treatment in paediatric patients with primary or secondary immunodeficiencies.

The donation allows to maintain the contract of a superior laboratory technician, Alba Parra, during the three years that will last this project, that will evaluate in detail the humoral immunological reconstitution after a transplant of hematopoietic precursors in this type of patients. "Being able to have professionals to carry out projects is the most difficult issue at the research level. The donation guarantees us this key contract", explains Dr. Pere Soler.

"Thanks to this donation I will be able to continue my stay in the research group and start this project, which will give me the opportunity to do my doctoral thesis", according to Alba Parra.

Immunoglobulins, a scarce treatment

The pandemic has exacerbated the scarcity of plasma availability, from which immunoglobulins are extracted for the treatment of patients with immunodeficiencies. They are, therefore, a finite resource, which comes from plasma donations and not from production.

The new project aims to better understand the numerical and functional reconstitution of B lymphocytes in patients with immunodeficiencies undergoing a hematopoietic precursors transplant, to define the right time to discontinue immunoglobulin treatment, thus enhancing its good use, minimizing the risk of infectious complications in patients and customizing treatment.

The VHIR Immunosuppressed Paediatric Patients Infection group conducts, among other, research activities related to primary and secondary immunodeficiencies and their application in clinical practice. Primary immunodeficiencies are chronic minority diseases resulting from a genetic defect that alters the different mechanisms involved in the immune response, making patients susceptible to allergies, autoimmune diseases, neoplasms and recurrent and/or severe infections. It affects, globally, one in 2,000 individuals.

CSL Behring

CSL Behring, the world's leading pharmaceutical company in biotechnology, offers innovative solutions to patients, especially those with rare and serious diseases, thanks to its recombinant and plasma-derived therapies. These products treat hemorrhagic disorders and immunodeficiencies, as well as chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, hereditary angioedema, or alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, among other conditions.

"Patient focus is one of CSL's most important values and we seek to represent that value through our ongoing engagement with organizations that care for those suffering from rare and serious conditions, with the goal of learning more about their needs in order to drive innovation to deliver life-saving and life-enhancing therapies", says Maria Jose Sanchez, General Manager of CSL Behring Iberia.

The contribution will take place in two terms, in May 2021 and in July 2022.