Translational Therapy Shared Resource

Translational Therapy Shared Resource Summary The mission of the Translational Therapy Shared Resource (TTSR) is to provide state-of-the-art translational research support services to Masonic Cancer Center (MCC) members to facilitate the monitoring of clinical trials and the development of novel GMP-grade cellular and immune-based therapies. These services are essential to the mission of the MCC because transitioning sophisticated laboratory assays and the manufacturing of biotherapeutic products to the clinic can be difficult and often represents a significant hurdle in translating laboratory studies to patient care. TTSR works directly with members of the scientific programs at the preclinical, clinical, and laboratory levels, with the goal of developing clinical trials to test novel therapies. The TTSR is led by Dr. Martin Felices, PhD, and Dr. John Wagner, MD, with support from Drs. Julie Curtsinger, PhD; David McKenna, MD; and their personnel. It has 2 major components, the Translational Therapy Laboratory (TTL) and Molecular and Cellular Therapeutics (MCT). The TTL provides immune monitoring and biorepository management; it is the central laboratory that receives and processes research blood samples from patients enrolled in clinical trials. MCT is a cGMP-compliant production facility capable of generating GMP-grade cellular and molecular products. The 2 components synergize to help translate promising new therapies into the clinic and to assess biologic outcomes once in patients. The resource has undergone the following changes since the 2013 renewal: • David McKenna was awarded an NHLBI grant to assist with Production Assistance for Cellular Therapies (PACT). This assists with MCT operational funding. • Our clinical partner, Fairview, increased its investment in TTSR, highlighting their continued commitment to the Resource. This investment is critical for maintaining TTSR personnel and operations going forward. • The number of TTL-supported studies has gone up 40% since the last CCSG competing renewal application, resulting in an uptick in the number of clinical samples being processed and managed by this component of the core. • TTL expanded its biorepository capabilities and now supports a number of solid-tumor studies with processing and storage. • With the departure of Michael Verneris, Martin Felices assumed the role of Co-Director in 2016. Dr. Felices is an Assistant Professor of Medicine who is well versed in basic and translational immunology and has worked extensively with TTL, first as a researcher and later as part of the core leadership.