title: Cellular Therapies Clinical Research Roadmap: lessons learned on how to move a cellular therapy into a clinical trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  A clinical research roadmap has been developed as a resource for researchers to identify critical areas and potential pitfalls when transitioning a cellular therapy product from the research laboratory, by means of an Investigational New Drug (IND) application, into early-phase clinical trials. The roadmap describes four key areas: basic and preclinical research, resource development, translational research and Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and IND assembly and submission.
  
  
  METHODS
  Basic and preclinical research identifies a new therapeutic concept and demonstrates its potential value with the use of a model of the relevant disease. During resource development, the appropriate specialists and the required expertise to bring this product into the clinic are identified (eg, researchers, regulatory specialists, GMP manufacturing staff, clinicians and clinical trials staff, etc). Additionally, the funds required to achieve this goal (or a plan to procure them) are identified. In the next phase, the plan to translate the research product into a clinical-grade therapeutic is developed. Finally regulatory approval to start the trial must be obtained. In the United States, this is done by filing an IND application with the Food and Drug Administration.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute-funded Production Assistance for Cellular Therapies program has facilitated the transition of a variety of cellular therapy products from the laboratory into Phase1/2 trials.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The five Production Assistance for Cellular Therapies facilities have assisted investigators by performing translational studies and GMP manufacturing to ensure that cellular products met release specifications and were manufactured safely, reproducibly and at the appropriate scale. The roadmap resulting from this experience is the focus of this article.
authors.affiliation: Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA. Electronic address: ouseph@bcm.edu.
authors.forename: Stacy
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ouseph
authors.affiliation: Center for Human Cell Therapy, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Darah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tappitake
authors.affiliation: Center for Human Cell Therapy, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Myriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Armant
authors.affiliation: City of Hope, Duarte, California, USA.
authors.forename: Robin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wesselschmidt
authors.affiliation: City of Hope, Duarte, California, USA.
authors.forename: Ivy
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Derecho
authors.affiliation: University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Draxler
authors.affiliation: The EMMES Corporation, Rockville, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wood
authors.affiliation: University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.
authors.forename: John M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Centanni
mesh_terms: D035843:Biomedical Research; D064987:Cell- and Tissue-Based Therapy / Q000639:trends*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D014481:United States; D014486:United States Food and Drug Administration
keywords: FDA; GMP; IND filing; NHLBI; PACT; cellular therapy