The greatest project of ELPIDA, after its foundation in 1990 and the creation of the first Oncology Hospital for children in Greece in 2010, is the Cell and Gene Therapy Center for children and teenagers that was inaugurated on Friday, 21 February 2020.
For the first time in Greece, and specifically at the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit of the “Marianna V. Vardinoyannis-ELPIDA” Paediatric Oncology Hospital, a Cell and Gene Therapy Center has been created, with the goal of saving 4 out of 4 children that are affected by cancer, since this innovative method is the last hope in those cases where conventional treatments had no results.
The Cell and Gene Therapy Center is a milestone in the history of ELPIDA and the history of our country’s Healthcare center. With an investment exceeding 1 million euros, ELPIDA is on the forefront once again. After the creation of the first Bone Marrow Transplant Unit (1993), the first Children’s Oncology Hospital in Greece (the “Marianna V. Vardinoyannis-ELPIDA” Paediatric Oncology Hospital (2010)), the ELPIDA Guest House (1999) and the Volunteer Bone Marrow Transplant Bank (2014), ELPIDA offers the Greek people and the children battling cancer, one of the most advanced workshops internationally.
The inauguration event was attended by the Vice-president of the Government, Mr Panagiotis Pikrammenos, the wife of the President of the Hellenic Republic, Mrs Sissy Pavlopoulou, the Minister Health, Mr Vassilis Kikilias, the Minister of Interior, Mr Panagiotis Theodorikakos, the Archbishop of Thyateira and the United Kingdom, Mr Nikitas, the representative of the Archbishop of Athens and all Greece, Mr Ieronymos, the Bishop of Roges Filotheos, the representative of Kinima Allagis, Mr Pavlos Christidis, the Regional Governor of Attica, Mr Giorgos Patoulis, the Mayor of Athens, Mr Kostas Bakoyannis, members of the Boards of the ELPIDA and ORAMA ELPIDAS Associations, as well as the medical and nursing staff of the Children’s Oncology Hospital.
“When we founded ELPIDA 30 years ago to fight childhood cancer, the goal was one: to save the life of each and every child! With the help of science, God and the entire Greek society, currently 3 out of the 4 children battling cancer which are hospitalised in our Oncology Unit, are cured. The Cell and Gene Therapy Center, which ELPIDA is offering to the Children’s Oncology Hospital, is a leap into the future. Through this work we can now hope that 4 out of our 4 children, even those who did not respond to conventional treatments, will be fully cured. What 30 years ago seemed impossible to mankind and to the entire family of ELPIDA, is now becoming a reality. And I would like to extend my thanks to the doctors and nurses of this Unit for the great fight they are fighting on a daily basis on the side of the children and their families. Their work is exceptionally difficult, and that is why the immediate objective of ELPIDA is to find ways to support the doctors and nurses and to assist them in their great fight”, the President of the ELPIDA Association, Mrs Vardinoyannis, visibly moved, stated at the inauguration ceremony of the Center.
The Director of the “Agia Sofia” and “P.&A. Kyriakou” Children’s Hospitals, Mr Manolis Papasavvas, spoke extensively about ELPIDA’s contribution to the Children’s Oncology Unit and about how significant the creation of the Cell and Gene Therapy Center is: “We have now spent more than €50,000,000, which are the donation of the ELPIDA Association, and our Oncology Hospital now ranks among the top Oncology Centers of the world. Its state-of-the-art equipment, unique machinery and highly trained medical staff, ensure the necessary conditions in order to provide to the children the same treatments as those they would receive in large centers abroad”.
The Vice-president of the Government, Mr Panagiotis Pikrammenos, on his part, noted: “Mrs Vardinoyannis, I would like to congratulate you, as well as the medical and nursing staff of the Unit, for your invaluable contribution. And, Mrs Vardinoyannis, I would like to congratulate you for what you just announced, namely that you will ensure that the doctors and nurses will be supported in their difficult work. The new Cell and Gene Therapy Center, which is inaugurated today, is addressed to 20% of the children that do not respond to conventional treatment. We all want to warmly embrace these children and to see them smiling once again”.
The wife of the President of the Republic, Mrs Sissy Pavlopoulou, spoke with emotion about the overall contribution of ELPIDA and in fact mentioned that she has had the opportunity to witness this work and its people up close, and that every time she comes here she feels the love and warmth that permeates this environment. “The work of ELPIDA is a life lesson for all of us”, Mrs Pavlopoulou underlined.
The Minister of Health, Mr Vassilis Kikilias, thanked Mrs Vardinoyannis for her exceptional contribution, noting that the State will be by the side of ELPIDA supporting the work of the Association against childhood cancer: “As you know, when healthcare technology advances, developments follow. The percentages that you have achieved in the hospital with the help of ELPIDA are outstanding, they are exceptional. If there is any possibility that this last part of these very difficult cases will be treated with these gene therapies, and this takes place in our country, this is also our political intention. To have the know-how, support, certification, correct method and resources, in order for Greece to soon be able to meet its needs, even in diseases that are not very prevalent, and therefore medical technology cannot do much, and the State and state agencies must meet them. This is not always possible. Especially as we come out of 10 years of restrictive fiscal policies, Mrs President, you are giving us this opportunity and we sincerely thank you for this. At the Ministry of Health, on our part, we are already doing and we will do everything possible to support your effort. I want the Ministry of Health to remain in the background and not in the spotlight, and to shine the light on all these people who are doing this exceptional work, and all you who envelop these children and their families with so much love”.
The Minister of Interior, Mr Panagiotis Theodorikakos, on his part noted: “I would like to warmly thank you for being here today, and I feel great emotion because above all I am a parent, the father of two children. And I feel that the Greek society and the political world owe you gratitude, because it is so important that the children of our country who are battling cancer no longer have to travel to other countries to be hospitalised”.
The representative of the Kinima Allagis party, Mr Pavlos Christidis, in his address stated: “I listened carefully to all the data. We are talking about a project with an 80% success rate. I was thinking that if we said that we have an 80% success rate in the political world of the country, we would say that it is highly successful. Nevertheless, in such a serious matter, that of children’s health, you aim for 100%, and this is great, this is enormous. And we all wish you success with this goal”.
The Regional Governor of Attica, Mr Giorgos Patoulis, noted:
“Today, one of our fellow citizens, Mrs Marianna Vardinoyannis, gave hope to many Greek children and through her own continuous effort gave the gift of life. And we, as the scientific community, but mainly as a society, acknowledge this hope and state that we are always here for you”.
The Mayor of Athens, Mr Kostas Bakoyannis, said:
“In view of what is happening here today, I feel words failing me, despite having such a rich language. The secret of ELPIDA is this unprecedented empathy. ELPIDA embraces – reconciles – unites. Mrs Marianna Vardinoyannis knows every child by its first name, she raises them, she baptises them and she marries them. So the least we can do is to stand by your side with all our powers.”
After that, the Scientific Director of the Cell and Gene Therapy Center, Mr Evgenios Gousetis, presented in detail the Center’s operation and thanked the ELPIDA Association for this great donation: “All the trials we have been performing all these years in the laboratories to cure patients, today become a reality thanks to the ELPIDA Association, which gave us what was missing. Mrs Vardinoyannis is always on our side all these years and listens to our needs. By creating this laboratory with such state-of-the-art equipment we are now ready to launch better trials. We are here! Our Hospital is now on an equal standing with other centers abroad. Today we got what we were lacking.”
What is the Cell and Gene Therapy Center:
Despite the great progress in the treatment of childhood cancer, in around 20% of young patients the disease does not respond to conventional treatment. By implementing new innovative treatments, such as Gene and Cell Therapy, we can hope today that this percentage of difficult cases can be successfully treated. These are treatments that are based on injecting genetically modified cells with the purpose of eliminating the resistant disease. Specifically, these cells are isolated from the patient’s blood and are genetically modified by adding genes, so that when they are returned to the patient they can recognise and destroy the remaining disease that has resisted conventional treatment.
The genetic modification and processing of the cells requires the existence of special laboratories which are appropriately designed and equipped, to ensure conditions of safe production of advanced cell and gene therapies according to the directives of the European Medicines Agency. Such laboratories, known as Cell and Gene Therapy Centers, are developed in bone marrow transplant units and are dedicated to the production of customised treatments for malignant and serious genetic diseases. The scientific staff of the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit of the “Marianna V. Vardinoyannis – ELPIDA” Children’s Oncology Hospital has the necessary experience in the field of cell-gene therapies and in combination with the support and cooperation of the John’s Hopkins University is prepared to support the operation of the Cell and Gene Therapy Center for childhood diseases.
Moreover, the possibility of producing advanced treatments in our Center will result in a significant reduction in costs. To give an example, a CAR-T cell therapy using the commercially available product prepared in specialized Centers Abroad costs € 350,000. Having now the capacity to produce advanced cell therapies in our Center, in the framework of clinical protocols, this cost will dramatically drop to € 20,000.
There is no similar center in Greece specializing in advanced cell and gene therapies for children. The center is yet another donation from the ELPIDA Association, which has fully undertaken the cost of its creation and equipment, coming close to € 1,000,000, at the initiative of its President, Mrs Marianna Vardinoyannis, who stands daily on the side of the children who are giving their most difficult fight – the fight for life! The purpose of the center will be the customised treatment of serious paediatric diseases, which do not respond to conventional treatments involving medicines or transplants and will come to fill a vacuum in our country, so that no child will need to go abroad for such treatments.
30 years of ELPIDA – 30 years of contribution:
This contribution of the Association of Friends of Children with Cancer “ELPIDA” is added to the great work that the Association has been performing in the fight against childhood cancer since 1990.
This year, the Association of Friends of Children with Cancer “ELPIDA” is celebrating its 30th anniversary since its founding, 30 years of selfless contribution for children suffering from childhood cancer.
This year the “Marianna V. Vardinoyannis-ELPIDA” Paediatric Oncology Hospital is reaching its 10th anniversary. An Oncology Hospital, which at the initiative of the President of ELPIDA, Mrs Marianna V. Vardinoyannis, was built and dedicated to the Greek people aiming to fill a serious gap that existed up to then in the area of childhood cancer treatment. An Oncology Hospital in Greece, that meets the standards of leading oncology centers abroad.
More than €50,000,000 have been donated overall by the Association since its foundation and to this day for infrastructure, state-of-the-art medical equipment and numerous activities, to support the children and their families in a holistic approach to childhood cancer.
In the last five years alone, the Association has offered more than € 5,000,000 for the supply of specialized and state-of-the-art medical equipment to enable the Children’s Oncology Unit to operate as a Center of Excellence, equivalent to the largest centers abroad. Already, 3 out of 4 children treated at the Children’s Oncology Unit are being cured.