UC San Diego receives $8 million in CIRM funding to accelerate stem cell therapy clinical trials

UC San Diego receives $8 million in CIRM funding to accelerate stem cell therapy clinical trials

Stem cells hold particular promise in treating diseases for which there are few other effective treatments. These therapies involve introducing stem cells into the body, where they develop into specialized cells that repair, restore, replace or regenerate cells damaged by disease.

As part of a nationwide effort to advance stem cell therapies, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) has awarded the UC San Diego Alpha Stem Cell Clinic $8 million. The funding will support the clinic's mission to bring new stem cell-based therapies to patients with difficult-to-treat diseases.

The Alpha Clinics -; named after the first of their kind -; are a network of clinics throughout the state of California designed to bridge the gap between stem cell research and clinical application. The system brings together clinical, research, regulatory and administrative teams to accelerate clinical trials and optimize the patient experience.

We're trying to change the way we do medicine. The Alpha Clinic helps experts from science and industry join forces to bring world-class technologies directly to patients.”

Catriona Jamieson, MD, PhD, director of the UC San Diego Alpha Stem Cell Clinic and chief of the Division of Regenerative Medicine at the UC San Diego School of Medicine

The grant is part of a series of recent CIRM grants totaling $72 million to expand the Alpha Clinics network. UC San Diego was one of three founding institutions when the project launched in 2015. The new funding will expand the program to nine locations across the state.

In the seven years since its founding, the UC San Diego Alpha Stem Cell Clinic has launched 59 clinical trials and treated 277 patients with new therapies for neurodegeneration, diabetes and various cancers. The trials largely test cell, gene and immune therapies developed through growing partnerships between UC San Diego and local biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies.

Neuroscience eBook

Compilation of the top interviews, articles and news from the last year. Download a free copy

Recent milestones include the completion of a Phase I trial of neural stem cells for the treatment of spinal cord injuries, where patients showed improved motor function after treatment, as well as approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a Phase III registration trial of a monoclonal antibody targeting blood cancer stem cells.

The latest funding will help expand clinical trials at La Jolla and Hillcrest medical centers and create a clinical fellowship program to train additional physicians in advanced regenerative medicine therapies.

Another important goal of the clinic is to improve the accessibility and awareness of stem cell research. A portion of the funding will go toward new patient education programs and efforts to make treatments more accessible to historically underserved communities in San Diego and Imperial Counties.

“Patients come to us when nothing else has worked, so we are excited to be able to offer our community new treatments that are not available in other parts of the country,” Jamieson said. “Alpha Clinics’ highly collaborative infrastructure will help us develop and validate high-quality stem cell therapies at an unprecedented pace, and the impact will be seen throughout California and beyond.”

Source:

University of California – San Diego

.