The Importance of Clean Air in Cell Therapy 

Laboratories of today functioning as tightly controlled and validated cleanroom facilities, are filled with state-of-the-art clean air technology in the form of class II microbiological safety cabinets and isolators, ensuring the air within the work space is clean of any particles.

Air coming into and out of the cleanroom is filtered as well as the air passing into and out of the equipment within. Laboratory personnel pass through a rigorous entry process including wearing multiple layers of protective clothing and sometimes such lengths as wet showers. All to ensure the cleanliness of the facility. The requirement to maintain acute cleanliness is due to the high-profile nature of the cell therapy being performed by the modern-day scientist.

CAR-T cell therapy is the process whereby T cells are extracted from a patient’s body and modified to seek and destroy cancer cells by implanting a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) in the cell. T cells are a type of white blood cell which move round the body searching for abnormalities and infection. They play a huge part in our immune response to any infection or disease, including cancer. There are two types of T cell ‘helper’ and ‘killer’. Killer cells, seek out and destroy infected cells whereas helper cells stimulate our immune system to respond to infection or disease. 

The CAR-T cells are produced in the laboratory and multiplied before being transfused back into the patient’s body. The necessity to keep these cells ‘clean’ is paramount and rely on solid clean air technology to prevent patient infection during transfusion.

CAR-T cell therapy has been used by cancer research bodies throughout the world in ground-breaking work, including that of the Cancer Research Institute who are leaders in the fight against paediatric cancers.

Biopharma Process Systems (BPS) understand the stringent validation requirements of cleanroom facilities, as well as the clean air equipment which must be maintained to meet the expectations of MHRA. 

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