La Paz Hospital shows for the first time in humans that T cells administered nasally are safe. The phase I trial opens the door to treating children and immunocompromised patients.
La Paz University Hospital has achieved a milestone in respiratory immunotherapy: for the first time in humans, a clinical trial demonstrates that administering memory T cells intranasally is safe and feasible. The results, published in the journal Frontiers in Medicine, pave the way for a new strategy to combat infections such as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza, or SARS-CoV-2 in vulnerable patients.
The study, led by professionals from the centre and the La Paz Hospital Research Institute (IdiPAZ), evaluated nine healthy volunteers who received three increasing doses of these immune cells prepared from healthy donors. All completed the treatment without incidents, and no adverse effects related to the therapy were recorded, even with the highest dose.
Until now, this type of cell therapy was administered intravenously. The novelty of this trial is that the cells are applied directly to the nasal mucosa, the point where most respiratory infections originate. The aim is to strengthen the body's first immune barrier, especially in those with a weakened immune system.
The trial was not designed to measure clinical efficacy but exclusively safety. Nevertheless, the researchers believe that the results justify advancing to phase I/II studies in patients, focusing on children with severe respiratory infections, transplant recipients, oncohaematological patients, and the elderly.
This advancement is supported by a solid track record in cell therapies. The same group was a pioneer during the COVID-19 pandemic with the RELEASE trial, which demonstrated the safety and efficacy of intravenous memory T cells in patients with severe pneumonia due to SARS-CoV-2. They also expanded the strategy to immunocompromised individuals with refractory viral infections using cells from compatible relatives.
La Paz maintains an intense activity in advanced therapies and precision medicine, with milestones such as CAR-T therapies for childhood leukemias. This new step reinforces its position as one of the Spanish hospitals with the greatest experience in cell immunotherapy.
The next challenge will be to verify whether these cells, administered in the nose, can improve the immune response against respiratory viruses in real patients. The results of these future trials will determine whether this route becomes a common preventive or therapeutic tool in Madrid's public healthcare system.
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