The growing demand for accelerating the benefits of cell and
gene therapies led to the establishment of The Centre for Cell
and Vector Production (CCVP) in partnership with the Centre for
Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine (CCRM). CCVP features
cutting-edge equipment and world-class Good Manufacturing
Practice (GMP) requirements, including those set by U.S. Food
and Drug Administration, Health Canada and the European
Medicines Agency.
Over the last few months, The Centre for Cell and Vector
Production (CCVP) has enabled the UHN Islet Cell Transplantation
Program to successfully perform two total pancreatectomy auto
islet transplantation (TPAIT) procedures. TPAIT procedures are
designed for patients suffering from pancreatitis wherein the
patient’s islet cells are isolated from their diseased pancreas
and transplanted back into them, allowing the patient to get
much-needed relief from debilitating pain caused by the disease.
The procedure also helps maintain functioning islet cells and
reduces patients’ need for additional insulin to control blood
sugar. This was the first time that TPAIT procedures were
performed in Ontario. As such, CCVP has accelerated further
studies on the complexities of diabetes, which will ultimately
lead to the advancement of the next generation therapeutics for
diabetes care.
Moving forward, CCVP will be supporting the wealth of knowledge
and know-how arising from the Bone Marrow Transplant-Immune
Effector Cell (BMT-IEC) program at the Princess Margaret Cancer
Centre for the conduct of Phase 1 immune effector cell clinical
protocols to accelerate the execution of cell manufacturing
campaigns.
As an innovative UHN Research core facility, CCVP welcomes UHN
and non-UHN investigators to take advantage of its capabilities
in the production of clinical-grade cells and viral vectors for
clinical trials.
For more information on CCVP, please visit:
https://www.uhnresearch.ca/service/centre-cell-and-vector-production-ccvp
