Cell Therapies

The overall goal of the Cell Therapies Core (CTC) is to provide service to members to facilitate translation of promising therapies for patients with cancer. The CTC manufactures safe therapeutic cellular products in support of novel, investigator-initiated clinical studies, while maintaining compliance with standards set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other accrediting bodies. 

To accomplish this goal, the CTC’s Specific Aims are to:

Aim 1: Develop new technologies for translation of cellular therapies
Aim 2: Provide regulatory assistance in support of cellular therapies
Aim 3: Educate and train scientists and clinicians committed to careers in cellular therapies
Aim 4: Produce the highest quality cellular products for immunotherapy clinical trials

The CTC’s key areas of activity are:

• New product development, wherein new cell therapy products undergo pre-clinical scale-up, testing, and validation
• Cell collection and cryostorage to obtain mononuclear cells, lymphocytes, and antigen presenting cells for production of cell therapy products and immune monitoring studies
• Cell therapy product manufacturing, including dendritic and tumor cell-based gene-modified and unmodified vaccines and purification and/or expansion of T lymphocytes
• An analytic laboratory that performs the dual functions of product quality testing and post-treatment immune monitoring

CONTACTS

Cell Therapy Management Team

Technical Director:
Linda Kelley, PhD

Medical Director:
Claudio Anasetti, MD

Facility Manager:
Renee Smilee, MT (ASCP) - (813) 745-3961

Quality Assurance Director:
Deborah Griffin, MSc, ASQ CPGP

Experimental Cell Therapies Assistant Manager:
Cheryl Cox, MT (ASCP)

Analytic Laboratory and Immune Monitoring Supervisor:
Linda McIntosh, MT (ASCP)

The core is supported in part by the National Cancer Institute (P30-CA076292, Cancer Center Support Grant).