New York State Unites to Accelerate Cellular Therapy development
research institutions across New York State have joined forces to form the Empire State cellular Therapy Consortium, a collaborative initiative aimed at expediting the development of novel cellular therapies for challenging cancers, including breast, lung, and pancreatic tumors. The consortium will leverage shared data and research expertise to drive progress, with Roswell Park Cancer Institute contributing its 20-clean-room Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) Engineering & Cell Manufacturing Facility as a shared resource.
Wilmot Cancer Institute, a regional leader in advanced cellular therapy, has been at the forefront of CAR T-cell treatment, a type of “living drug.” In 2017, Wilmot became one of the first institutions globally to offer this therapy to adult patients diagnosed with an aggressive form of lymphoma. Since then, Wilmot has expanded its CAR T-cell clinical offerings, and its researchers have secured grants to investigate methods for enhancing the precision of immune cells targeting cancer cells.
Patrick Reagan, MD, an associate professor of Hematology/Oncology at the University of Rochester and director of Wilmot’s Stem Cell Transplant and Cellular Therapy program, expressed enthusiasm for the statewide collaboration. He anticipates that the consortium will foster efficiency and accelerate the discovery of innovative treatments for patients.
“Collaboration on this level is so significant because it will bring about efficiency as we make faster progress toward new,innovative treatments to benefit our patients,” Dr. Reagan stated.”The consortium also provides a lot of opportunity for basic scientists and junior investigators and trainees to learn by having access to this cutting-edge facility and a large team.”
For more details, the full news release is available on the Roswell Park Cancer Institute website.