Introduction

The present invention relates to a population of amniocytes with phagocytic activity against pathological cells, the process for their preparation and their use in the medical field. Particularly, the invention refers to a population of amniocytes with phagocytic activity against pathological cells, such as cancer cells or cells of other cellular diseases, for example, proliferative vitreoretinopathy, the process for its preparation and its use in the medical field.

Technical features

The method enables amniocytes to acquire a selective phagocytic activity against pathological cells, which can be advantageously employed in the treatment of cellular pathologies. In particular, amniotic cells (or amniocytes) are CD68+ like macrophages. Moreover, amniotic cells cultured together with pathological cells, such as, pathological hyalocytes from the vitreous excised from patients with proliferative vitreoretinopathy, acquire, and maintain over time, an ability to phagocytise the pathological cells they were co-cultured with previously. The same phenomenon of acquisition of phagocytic activity by amniotic cells has been observed in co-culture with tumour cells of different types of tumours, such as, breast cancer and neuroblastoma. Following activation of the phagocytic ability, if the “activated” amniocytes are placed in contact with cells of the same pathology, they act immediately by phagocytising the pathological cells in half the time compared to the first co-culture times. Therefore, the amniocytes in which a phagocytic ability has been activated acquire a memory of the pathology whose cells they were co-cultured with. Thus, it is possible to prepare a database in which discarded amniotic fluids, previously used for diagnosis by amniocentesis, can be activated with the cells of a whole variety of pathologies and cryopreserved until use. It can be affirmed that the phagocytic ability of amniocytes is effective against the cellular proliferation of tumours such as leukaemia, myeloma, malignant prostate cancer and tumours of endocrine origin. This invention relates to a population of amniotic cells having phagocytic activity against pathological cells, obtained by co-culturing with pathological cells for a period of time,  equal to  time that elapses until the amniotic cells show phagocytic activity. The population of amniotic cells according to the present invention can be advantageously used in the medical field.

Possible Applications

• Antitumor therapy for in situ tumors;
• Therapy of degenerative diseases, such as proliferative vitreoretinopathy.

Advantages

• Easy availability of cells;
• Ease of cultivation of the amniocytic population;
• Ability to perform in vitro tests and evaluations;
• Personalized therapy;
• No side effects.