CCTST

Enabling Technologies and Stem Cell/Gene Therapy Initiatives for Clinical/Translational Research

The Enabling Technologies and Stem Cell/Gene Therapy initiatives identify, support and provide access to novel technologies and resources that catalyze high quality translational research. 

Under the leadership of William S. Ball, MD, Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Radiology and Pediatrics and chair emeritus of the UC Department of Biomedical Engineering, the Enabling Technologies program focuses on:

• Imaging modalities
• Drug discovery
• Proteomics 
• Nanomedicine 
• Translational and molecular disease modeling
  

The Enabling Technologies initiative serves the Academic Health Center (AHC) by:

• Providing a bi-directional portal to identify and coordinate biotechnology faculty to support clinical/translational investigators and clinical/translational investigators to support biotechnology faculty
• Expanding the operational “grid” for key enabling technologies to provide access to these resources, including appropriate service support and a unified financial structure, regardless of investigators’ home institution/department.
• Identifying, developing and providing novel technologies that will support the needs of clinical/translational investigators of the future
• Providing educational programs in the proper use of novel enabling technologies for both new and experienced clinical/translational investigators.
  

Under the leadership of Punam Malik, MD, MS, Associate Professor, Experimental Hematology and Cancer Biology, CCHMC; and James Wells, PhD, Stem Cell Core and Training Facility (SCCTF) director, the Stem Cell/Gene Therapy program focuses on:

• Developing  a Molecular and Cellular Therapy Matrix Program (MCTMP) to facilitate interactive and multidisciplinary science in the area of cellular therapies, including various stem cells, and gene therapy across the AHC.
  
• Supporting the use of human embryonic stem cells (HESC) for basic investigations into the control of stem cell biology as well as for transplantation-based therapies, through the Stem Cell Core and Training Facility (SCCTF).