HOUSTON, TEXAS — The Center for Cell and Gene Therapy at Baylor College of Medicine (www.bcm.edu), Texas Children’s Hospital (www.texaschildrens.org) and The Methodist Hospital (www.methodisthealth.com) has been renewed as a National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (www.nhlbi.nih.gov/) cell processing facility. The facility assists scientists and physicians in the production of cellular therapies that help fight infection or repair tissues and organs damaged by disease.
The Center for Cell and Gene Therapy (www.bcm.edu/genetherapy) was one of three original facilities involved in a program called Production Assistance for Cellular Therapies, or PACT, which was established five years ago. The center has been renewed for an additional five years and will receive $12 million.
The objective of the PACT program is to advance cellular therapy research in the areas of regeneration of damaged/diseased tissues, organs, and biologic systems, and targeted treatments for serious diseases without effective therapies. The cell processing facilities will support translational research in novel cell therapies, to advance the field of cellular therapy and to enable basic science research to reach the clinical trial stage.
“Before this program, scientists and physicians had major issues getting cellular therapies into the clinics,” said Dr. Adrian Gee, principal investigator of The Center for Cell and Gene Therapy lab. “To produce these cell therapies, you need specialized labs that are regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The process was very difficult.”
Dr. Cliona Rooney, professor of pediatrics – hematology and oncology at BCM, will serve as co-investigator of the lab.
To advance this process, while still complying with regulations, the NHLBI established national cellular therapy manufacturing labs that physicians and scientists can contract to produce their products.
“The network turned out to be very successful,” said Gee, also a professor of medicine and pediatrics – hematology and oncology at BCM. “It has established a great deal of collaboration between institutions in the Texas Medical Center and across the United States.”
Over the past five years, Gee said the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy has produced cells used in clinical trials including cardiac stem cell therapies for the Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital, stem cells therapies for childhood brain injuries for Memorial Hermann Hospital, and therapies to eradicate viral infections following a transplant used in a large multi-institutional trial that included BCM, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Duke University, the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Childrens Hospital Los Angeles.
Cell processing facilities must apply and be approved by the NHLBI to become one of these special labs and submit a renewal application every five years.
With the second phase of the project, there are a total of five centers, including the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, Center for Applied Technology Development at the Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope in Duarte, Calif.; Center for Human Cell Therapy in Boston; Molecular and Cellular Therapeutics Facility at the University of Minnesota in St. Paul; Waisman Clinical BioManufacturing Facility at The University of Wisconsin in Madison; The EMMES Corporation in Rockville, Md.
A new goal for the second phase is to bridge the gap in translational research by helping basic scientists get therapies into clinical trials faster, Gee said.
“We are very excited with continuing to support the cell therapy community and implementing new initiatives aimed at advancing the development of new cell therapies,” said Dr. Traci Heath Mondoro, a project officer at the NHLBI .
Local News
Center for Cell and Gene Therapy renewed as NIH center
- Local News
-
-
Lakeland chamber holds annual banquet
Projections on future growth and the presenting of community awards were the main highlights of Thursday night’s 12th Annual Lakeland-Lanier County Chamber of Commerce Banquet Dinner.
-
Cook, Lake Park men arrested in child sex sting
Two Cook County men and a Lowndes County man have been arrested as part of an Internet child sex sting in Florida, according to reports.
-
Lake Park in Limbo
LAKE PARK — Lake Park citizens will have to wait several months before being able to attend another City Council meeting following Tuesday’s resignation of two council members.
Deb Cox, Lowndes County elections supervisor, said Georgia state law dictates that another special election cannot be held until July 31. -
Colo. court says fugitive sibling has plea deal
WALSENBURG, Colo. — One of the three Dougherty siblings accused in a multi-state crime spree, including a Valdosta bank robbery, has reached a plea deal with prosecutors, a spokesman for the Colorado court system said Wednesday.
-
Airport Authority tours True Flight Aerospace Plant
VALDOSTA — The Valdosta-Lowndes County Airport Authority toured the True Flight Aerospace Plant after their meeting Wednesday morning. True Flight President and CEO, Kevin Lancaster, lead the tour through the facility which is located in the largest hanger at the Valdosta Regional Airport. -
Lake Park: Council members resign
Immediately following the Citizens to be Heard portion of the regular Lake Park council meeting Tuesday night, council members Eric Schindler and Paul Mulkey tendered their resignations.
-
Valwood goes global
Valwood School has hosted several international guests for the past several weeks.
-
City cuts ribbon on new home
With a snip of some over-sized wooden scissors, the City of Valdosta took another step in eliminating substandard housing.
-
Berrien clinic director loses job
Speaking to The Valdosta Daily Times about the possible discontinuation of the Berrien Elementary School MED Clinic led to the program’s executive director losing her job Monday morning.
-
From the CIA to man about town
Meet Jack Pruden, former member of the Central Intelligence Agency.
- More Local News Headlines
-
Obama Scraps Birth Control Mandate
US Airmen's Killer Sentenced to Life in Germany
Raw Video: Deadly Blasts in Syria
Romney Slams President Obama at CPAC
Gingrich: Pres. Obama 'waging War on Religion'
Navy Names Ship for Gabrielle Giffords
5 Killed in Wrong-way Crash on I-10 in La.
Denver's Largest-Ever Drug Bust Nets Dozens
Marines: No Punishment for Nazi-like Flag
Vets Look to Translate Military Skills Into Jobs
Raw Video: School Bus Burst Into Flames
LA School Reopens Amid Sex Abuse Scandal
$25B Settlement Reached Over Foreclosure Abuses
Pentagon: Allow Women Closer to Front Lines
LA School in Sex Abuse Scandal Reopens
Raw Video: Italy's Mount Etna Bursts Into Life
Greeks March; Angry Despite Debt Deal
Air Force Airlines: Leaders Get Polished Service
Ga Girl Fights Off Kidnapper at Walmart
Skip the Coffee Cup and Inhale Your Caffeine Fix
