Cancer remains one of the leading causes of death. Conventional treatment methods, including radiation and chemotherapy, have limited effectiveness. Therefore, the development of novel approaches to cancer treatment is an urgent challenge. Biomedical cell products (BMCPs) which include adoptive cell therapy (ACT) and dendritic cells vaccines (DCVs) are considered a promising area of research. The aim of the study was to review current ideas about the principles of BMCP therapy, as well as clinical experience with cell-based products used for cancer treatment. The paper summarises the results of clinical use of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL-therapy), genetically modified T-cells that express tumour antigen-specific receptors (TCR/CAR T-therapy), as well as DCVs. The use of human immune cells genetically modified ex vivo is a novel and promising approach to cancer treatment. The main analysed ACT approaches which are based on the use of genetically modified T-lymphocytes have some benefits and drawbacks. The paper discusses the methods of BMCP production, provides data on the effectiveness of ACT and DCVs. It pays special attention to safety concerns associated with each treatment method, as well as to other factors limiting their clinical use. It is expected that the main areas of further research will be aimed at increasing BMCP efficacy and reducing adverse reactions.

The rotavirus infection causes acute gastroenteritis and is a major cause of lethal severe dehydrating diarrhoea in children under 5 years of age worldwide. Live attenuated rotavirus vaccines are the only means of preventing severe forms of the disease. The aim of the study was to analyse the twenty-year international experience of prophylactic immunisation against rotavirus infection. The paper summarises safety and efficacy data on the long-term use of Rotarix® (Belgium) and RotaTeq® (USA) for the prevention of rotavirus infection in the WHO European Region, the European Union and other countries. It addresses the development of correlates of immune protection for vaccines as well as evaluation of efficacy and safety of the new vaccines Rotavac® and Rotasiil® (India) in clinical trials. The authors analysed international experience of using the vaccines in countries that do not keep records of infant mortality from diarrhoea. The study summarises the results of clinical studies on the use of new vaccines prequalified by WHO in 2018 in regions with high rates of infant mortality from diarrhoea. It was demonstrated that vaccination not only reduces the rates of hospital admission of immunised children, but also contributes to the development of herd immunity. Rotarix® and RotaTeq® vaccines are authorised or included in the national immunisation schedules of many countries, but this type of vaccination is not mandatory in most of these countries. Vaccination coverage in the EU countries is about 24 %. Alternative vaccination schemes using live attenuated vaccines based on strains derived from newborn children, and parenteral rotavirus vaccines which do not replicate in the intestine may help reduce existing risks. It was concluded that the introduction of live rotavirus vaccines in immunisation schedules should be accompanied by the analysis of incidence of intussusception of the small intestine before and after the introduction of mass immunisation, and by active pharmacovigilance.

Genetic diseases are often progressive in nature, and without proper treatment may result in disability or death. Difficulties with diagnosis of genetic diseases and lack of effective treatment are global public health challenges. Medical care for patients with genetic diseases is often confined to symptomatic and palliative care. Starting from the 2000s, great hopes have been placed on cell-based medicinal products (which are referred to as biomedical cell products in the Russian legislation) and gene therapy products. The aim of the study was to review current trends in the development of biomedical cell products for the treatment of genetic diseases. The paper focuses on cell-based products for the treatment of monogenic genetic diseases, such as severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB), beta-haemoglobinopathies, alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency, haemophilia A, and Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Such drugs are being developed in many countries and are now entering preclinical and different stages of clinical trials. Products based on various types of viable cells, including differentiated cells, stem cells, induced pluripotent cells, as well as cells genetically modified ex vivo, may be developed for the treatment of one and the same disease. The main priority is the creation of such products that will obviate the need for replacement therapy or palliative care, and that will significantly increase life expectancy and quality of life.

Bacteriophages are novel safe and efficacious medicinal products that are used for treatment of intestinal infections and purulent inflammations. The fact that virulent phages can be adapted to fight antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains makes this group of medicines a promising means of treatment of infections associated with medical interventions. The elaboration of quality standards for bacteriophage products will enable alignment of the quality requirements and test methods. There are no monographs on bacteriophage products in pharmacopoeias of other countries, therefore, the development of general chapters on groups of test methods used in bacteriophage quality control and monographs on bacteriophages for the State Pharmacopoeia of the Russian Federation (Ph. Rus.) was a very relevant and timely initiative. The aim of the study was to elaborate pharmacopoeial quality standards for bacteriophages approved in the Russian Federation for therapeutic and prophylactic indications. The authors of the study analysed product specification files and master production records for bacteriophages produced in the Russian Federation. They determined common GMP-compliant production steps, the selection criteria for bacteriophage strains and bacteria production strains, and cultivation and storage conditions. The authors standardised bacteriophage quality parameters and brought the test methods in line with the test procedures described in the Ph. Rus., 14th ed. The study summarised test methods used for identification of bacteriophages and determination of their specific activity. The main results of the study were included into the general monograph «Bacteriophages» and individual monographs on bacteriophage products that were included into the current edition of the Ph. Rus. Further studies and elaboration of new quality standards for mono- and multicomponent bacteriophage products, and the use of such products in clinical practice will improve prophylaxis and treatment of various infectious diseases.

Glioblastoma is the most common and most aggressive type of brain tumor, with an almost 100 % mortality rate over 5 years. The search for new effective approaches to the treatment of this disease requires the development of adequate experimental models. Objective: to develop and put into practice an orthotopic model of mouse glioblastoma. Materials and methods: GLi-261 mouse glioma cells were orthotopically inoculated into the putamen of C57Bl/6 mice brain. Tumor dynamics was investigated by Preclinical MRI System 7.0T/17cm (Flexiscan) highfield magnetic resonance imager (MR Solutions, UK). Temcital® (temozolomide) was used as a positive control in the treatment of experimental glioblastoma. The neurological status of animals in the course of tumour development was assessed by specific tests. Results: a GLi-261 cell-based mouse glioblastoma orthotopic model was developed using stereotactic equipment for accurate inoculation of tumour cells, magnetic resonance imaging for non-invasive determination of tumour volume and dynamics, and special tests for determination of the neurological status of the biological test systems. This model was used to demonstrate the effectiveness of temozolomide (the «gold standard» for glioblastoma treatment). Conclusions: this model has been introduced into practice at the IBC Generium, LLC, and can be used as an in vivo test system for preclinical evaluation of efficacy of new antitumour drugs being developed, as well as brain cancer treatment regimens using combination therapy.

Short tandem repeat analysis (STR) is a well-established international method of authentication and genetic stability testing of cell lines (CLs). Therefore, the development and introduction of this method into routine practice of cell banks and cell culture collections is a pressing concern. In addition, the expansion of the field of cell-line based biomedical cell products (BСPs) necessitates the implementation of STR as a tool of identification testing during quality control. The State Pharmacopoeia of the Russian Federation does not require mandatory use of STR for cell line identification, while other countries have been using this method for cell line quality control for about a decade. The use of identified CLs in medical practice will ensure the efficacy and safety of BCPs. The aim of the study was to assess the possibility of using STR analysis for authentication and genetic stability testing of CLs using U937, WISH, WIL2-S, NK-92, and Jurkat Clone E6-1 CLs as examples. Materials and me­thods: the following human CLs were used in the study: U937 (ECACC), WISH (ATCC), WIL2S (ATCC), NK-92 (ATCC), and Jurkat Clone E6-1 (ATCC). The CL allelic profiles were determined by STR using the COrDIS Plus kit (Gordiz, Russia). The electrophoretic separation was performed using a Genetic Analyzer 3500 Series instrument. The data provided on the websites of the European Collection of Authenticated Cell Cultures and American Type Culture Collection were used to compare the CL profiles. Results: the AuthentiFiler PCR Amplification Kit (Thermo Fisher Scientific, USA) and the GenePrint 10 System (Promega Corporation, USA) intended for CL authentication by STR were compared with the characteristics of the COrDIS plus kit (Gordiz, Russia). The results of the comparison demonstrated that the COrDIS plus kit includes all the loci found in the foreign kits, as well as the loci recommended by the International Cell Line Authentication Committee. The U-937, WIL2S, and NK-92 CLs demonstrated genetic identity with the reference profiles available on the websites of the international collections. The Jurkat Clone E6-1 CL was found to be genetically instable due to the loss of the amelogenin gene. Conclusions: it was demonstrated by the examples of U937, WISH, WIL2-S, NK-92, and Jurkat Clone E6-1 CLs that STR and the COrDIS plus kit could be used for authentication and genetic stability testing. The obtained results suggest the feasibility of using the COrDIS plus kit for the analysis of CLs used in BCPs, for BCP quality control, and biomedical research.

Haemorrhagic fever caused by the Ebola virus is a highly hazardous infectious disease with a mortality rate of 50– 90 %. Heterologous immunoglobulins with a high virus-neutralizing titer are an important element of the WHO-endorsed set of measures for emergency prevention and treatment of the disease. Specific activity of these products is largely determined by their fractional composition, and, in particular, by molecular mass distribution (MMD). The size-exclusion-high-performance liquid chromatography (SEC-HPLC) has traditionally been used for determination of the MMD of the target protein in human immunoglobulin-based products. The use of this method for evaluation of molecular parameters of heterologous immunoglobulin requires confirmation of its specificity, accuracy and precision, and establishment of the chromatographic system suitability criteria in the context of a new test object. The aim of the study was to test the applicability of the SEC-HPLC method to the assessment of molecular parameters of anti-Ebola immunoglobulin derived from horse serum. Materials and methods: three batches of purified equine anti-Ebola immunoglobulin were used in the study. Normal equine and human immunoglobulins of the IgG isotype were used as reference standards. The HPLC test procedures described in the European Pharmacopoeia 9.6 and State Pharmacopoeia of the Russian Federation, 14th ed., were used for determination of monomers and other immunoglobulin fractions. An Agilent 1260 Infinity (Agilent, USA) HPLC system with a diode array detector and an Agilent Bio SEC-3 HPLC column were used for quality evaluation of the tested products. Results: the resolution factor between IgG monomer and dimer peaks (1.69 and 2.10), and the chromatographic column efficiency (>2000) make it possible to use the SEC-HPLC system for evaluation of molecular parameters of heterologous immunoglobulin. The study demonstrated reproducibility of the test procedure. Conclusions: the study confirmed the applicability of the SEC-HPLC procedure for evaluation of molecular parameters of anti-Ebola immunoglobulin derived from horse serum. It demonstrated the compliance of the purified immunoglobulin to the national and international quality requirements in terms of «Molecular parameters».