MD Anderson Cancer Center unveils cell therapy research institute that will work with biotech, pharma

With more than $80 million in hand, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has launched its own cell therapy institute.

Dubbed the Institute for Cell Therapy Discovery & Innovation, the organization will lead discovery work and clinical research in immunology and cell engineering to develop new treatments for cancer, autoimmune diseases, infections and other conditions, according to a Nov. 8 release.

The institute will also partner up with external researchers, biotechs and Big Pharma companies to speed up the development process.

The center has raised $80 million in philanthropic and institutional funds thus far, much of which will go toward clinical trials. The institute will continue raise funds, with the aim of securing $150 million total.  

Katy Rezvani, M.D., Ph.D., vice president and head of the newly emerged institute, will lead the charge. Rezvani’s team previously developed cord-blood-derived CD19 CAR natural killer (NK) cell therapies that MD Anderson moved into clinical trials, making the organization the first to advance CAR NK cells into clinical studies for lymphoid malignancies, according to the release.

While the institute will mainly focus on cancer, researchers will also evaluate the potential of certain cell therapies in autoimmune diseases and infections. Rezvani’s team has previously developed cell therapies that are being tested in rare brain infections plus viral infections tied to stem cell transplants.

“Through our discoveries, we aim to provide many more patients with effective cell therapies that are available as off-the-shelf treatment options, limiting the need for lengthy hospital stays and associated costs,” Rezvani said in the release.