The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute-funded Production Assistance for Cellular Therapies (PACT) program: Eighteen years of cell therapy

The Production Assistance for Cellular Therapies (PACT) Program, is funded and supported by the US Department of Health and Human Services’ National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) to advance development of somatic cell and genetically modified cell therapeutics in the areas of heart, lung, and blood diseases. The program began in 2003, continued under two competitive renewals, and ended June 2021. PACT has supported cell therapy product manufacturing, investigational new drug enabling preclinical studies, and translational services, and has provided regulatory assistance for candidate cell therapy products that may aid in the repair and regeneration of damaged/diseased cells, tissues, and organs. PACT currently supports the development of novel cell therapies through five cell processing facilities. These facilities offer manufacturing processes, analytical development, technology transfer, process scale-up, and preclinical development expertise necessary to produce cell therapy products that are compliant with Good Laboratory Practices, current Good Manufacturing Practices, and current Good Tissue Practices regulations. The Emmes Company, LLC, serves as the Coordinating Center and assists with the management and coordination of PACT and its application submission and review process. This paper discusses the impact and accomplishments of the PACT program on the cell therapy field and its evolution over the duration of the program. It highlights the work that has been accomplished and provides a foundation to build future programs with similar goals to advance cellular therapeutics in a coordinated and centralized programmatic manner to support unmet medical needs within NHLBI purview.