The Connell and O'Reilly Families Cell Manipulation Core
Director: Jerome Ritz, MD
Location: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Jimmy Fund Building (JFB) 313 44 Binney Street Boston, MA 02115
| Core Summary: |
The (Connell and O'Reilly Families) Cell Manipulation Core Facility (CMCF), at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) was created in 1996 to be the manufacturing facility which produce safe and effective novel cellular component therapy that would meet regulatory guidelines for clinical use and also facilitate research to be "translated" from the bench to the bedside. The goal of this facility is to assist DF/HCC investigators in developing new cell-based therapies for cancer and to support clinical research studies designed to evaluate the toxicity and efficacy of these novel treatments.
In November 2004, CMCF moved to a newly constructed 6,700 square feet facility on the third floor and ground floor of the Jimmy Fund Building (JFB) at DFCI. The new facility is dedicated to the production of clinical grade cellular products for patients who participate in clinical trials conducted by DF/HCC investigators. All procedures are performed in environmentally controlled conditions according to current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) for cell and tissue processing. The third floor accommodates all of the production areas while space on the ground floor is devoted to the long-term storage of cellular products, tissues and samples in liquid nitrogen and mechanical freezers.
The CMCF is available to both clinical and laboratory investigators at all DF/HCC institutions and will provide services to patients at all DF/HCC affiliated hospitals. The staff of the CMCF are committed to working with DF/HCC investigators at all levels of clinical trial development and execution, including pre-clinical development, trial design, DF/HCC and FDA review, data management, quality control, internal and external audits as well as reports and publications. The Cell Manipulation Core Facility (CMCF) has been accredited by the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT). The CMCF services as a Regulatory Core for Center for Human Cell Therapy and is also a member of the Joint Program in Transfusion Medicine.
| Categories and Institutions: |
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| Personnel/Contact Information: |
Director: Jerome Ritz, MD
Email
Member: Darlys Schott
Phone: 617-632-2251
Email
Member: Gerry Miceli
Role: Administrative Assistant
Phone: 617-632-2251
Email
Member: Grace Kao, MD
Role: Assistant Medical Director
Email
| Facilities and Equipment: |
Location of Core: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Jimmy Fund Building (JFB) 313 44 Binney Street Boston, MA 02115
Major Equipment:
- Baxter, Cytomate Cell Harvester
- Baxter, Isolex 300i Cell Selection device
- Miltenyi, Clinimacs Cell Selection device
| Services: |
- Adoptive immunotherapy
Protocols in this area involve the isolation, expansion, and ex vivo modification of defined lymphoid populations for infusion to boost specific immunity.
- Dendritic cell vaccines
Dendritic cells are generated from cultured monocytes with cytokines. They are further genetically modified to encode tumor antigens, pulsed with tumor-associated peptides or tumor cell lysate, or combined with adoptive immunotherapy to enhance tumor rejection.
- Hematopoietic progenitor cell (HPC) components
The CMCF processes HPC components requiring no manipulation, minimal manipulation and also more extensive processing including the purging of tumor cells from autologous HPC, the positive selection of CD34+ progenitor cells or depletion of subset of lymphocytes using the Isolex 300i or the Miltenyi Clinimac systems.
- Pre-clinical IND Preparation
- Tumor cell vaccines
The generation of tumor vaccines involves the production of autologous tumor cells genetically modified to secrete immune-stimulating cytokines such as GM-CSF to enhance tumor immunogenicity.
- Validation consultation
| Departmental Web Link: |
http://www.dfhcc.harvard.edu/core-facilities/cell-manipulation/