{"635551":{"#nid":"635551","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Researchers Receive NIH Funds for Adjuvant Research to Boost Coronavirus Vaccines","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EResearchers have received funding from the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.niaid.nih.gov\/\u0022\u003ENational Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases\u003C\/a\u003E, part of the National Institutes of Health, to screen and evaluate certain molecules known as adjuvants that may improve the ability of coronavirus vaccines to stimulate the immune system and generate appropriate responses necessary to protect the general population against the virus.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The adjuvants that we are studying, known as pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs), are molecules often found in viruses and bacteria, and can efficiently stimulate our immune system,\u0026rdquo; explained \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/Krishnendu-Roy\u0022\u003EKrishnendu Roy\u003C\/a\u003E, a professor and Robert A. Milton Chair in the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EWallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University\u003C\/a\u003E. \u0026ldquo;Most viruses have several of these molecules in them, and we are trying to mimic that multi-adjuvant structure.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAdjuvants are used with some vaccines to help them create stronger protective immune responses in persons receiving the vaccine. The research team will screen a library of various adjuvant combinations to quickly identify those that may be most useful to enhance the effects of both protein- and RNA-based coronavirus vaccines under development.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We are trying to understand how adjuvant combinations affect the vaccine response,\u0026rdquo; Roy said. \u0026ldquo;We will look at how the immune system shifts and changes with the adjuvant combinations. The ultimate goal is to determine how to generate the most effective, strongest, and most durable immune response against the virus. There are more than a hundred vaccine candidates being developed for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, and it is likely that many will generate initial antibody responses. It remains to be seen how long those responses will last and whether they can generate appropriate immunological memory that protects against subsequent virus exposures in the long-term.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe parent grant to Georgia Tech is part of a program called \u0026ldquo;Molecular Mechanisms of Combination Adjuvants (MMCA).\u0026rdquo; For the past four years, the agency has been supporting Roy and his research team to pursue studies to understand how adjuvants work, and this additional funding will allow them to apply their research to potential coronavirus vaccines.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cem\u003EFor more coverage of Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s response to the coronavirus\u0026nbsp;pandemic, please visit our\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/helpingstories.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EResponding to COVID-19\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;page.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;It has been difficult to develop safe and durable vaccines against respiratory viruses,\u0026rdquo; explained Roy, who also directs the Center for ImmunoEngineering.\u0026nbsp; \u0026ldquo;Over the past several years, we have been looking mostly at the basic science and understanding how the immune system integrates signals from multiple adjuvants to create a unified immune response in mammals. This new funding will allow us to pursue more translational aspects related to COVID-19 and provide the scientific community with potentially new tools to fight this devastating pandemic.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe team has developed a technique that uses micron- and nanometer-scale polymer particles to present both the vaccine antigen and adjuvant compounds to the mammalian immune system. The medical polymer that is the basis for the particles is used for other purposes in the body.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe synthetic particles, which Roy\u0026rsquo;s team calls pathogen-like particles (PLPs), are designed to mimic real pathogens in terms of how they elicit immune responses \u0026ndash; without causing infection. \u0026ldquo;They have an antigen and multiple synergistic adjuvants on a particle-structure that is very similar to how native pathogens present these molecules to our immune system,\u0026rdquo; he said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe PLPs combined with adjuvants encourage the immune system to develop antibodies and T cell responses that can battle the real pathogen if it attacks. Having existing antibodies and the appropriate virus-fighting T cells to the novel coronavirus will enable the body\u0026rsquo;s immune system to respond quickly to the threat of infection and potentially destroy the virus quickly.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe researchers will first evaluate how the adjuvants affect the interaction of specific immune cells, called dendritic cells and macrophages, with T cells \u0026ndash; a key component of generating immune system response \u0026ndash; and then follow up with animal studies using the promising combinations. Whether or not a vaccine can be created that will provide long-term protective immunity against the coronavirus is still an open question in the research community, and Roy said the research into adjuvants will help provide new tools to answer that question.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Part of the knowledge gap right now is that we don\u0026rsquo;t know how the immune system is influenced by various adjuvants,\u0026rdquo; he said. \u0026ldquo;We need to look at how the vaccine formulations, our particles and the adjuvants affect T cell proliferation and T cell response, and how we can optimize that response to generate durable immunity.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe adjuvant Alum has been used since the 1930s to boost the action of the immune system as it responds to antigens in vaccines that elicit protection against many pathogens. However, for those pathogens that require alternative adjuvants, only a few other adjuvants are currently used in commercial vaccines. Research on modern adjuvants aims to understand the way they specifically activate our immune systems and can be designed to protect against infections. Another approach is to find out if combinations of adjuvants are safe and more effective than a single adjuvant providing highly effective and long-lasting protective immunity.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ERoy and his team will be evaluating existing adjuvants in combination, along with potential protein and RNA-based antigens currently under evaluation. The goal is to develop novel combinations of current adjuvants, including adjuvants approved for use and others that are still in development. \u0026ldquo;In this work, the strategy is to take existing platforms and see how we can pivot them to understand how to make the COVID vaccines better, and do it rapidly.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAs with other research into potential coronavirus vaccines, the work is being accelerated with the goal of creating a safe and effective vaccine against the pandemic virus as soon as possible.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;There are multiple efforts that the NIH and others are funding to really accelerate the pace of the work to see how many different approaches we can come up with and to evaluate the differences,\u0026rdquo; Roy said. \u0026ldquo;The goal is to determine what data we can generate very quickly to move toward a successful vaccine that is safe, durable, affordable, scalable, and effective. Evaluating different approaches will help increase the likelihood that we\u0026rsquo;ll find one or more that meet these criteria.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis research is supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health under supplemental funding to award number U01AI124270. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u003Cstrong\u003EResearch News\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n177 North Avenue\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nAtlanta, Georgia\u0026nbsp; 30332-0181\u0026nbsp; USA\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contact\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon (404-894-6986) (\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E)\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EResearchers have received funding from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, to screen and evaluate certain molecules known as adjuvants that may improve the ability of coronavirus vaccines to stimulate the immune system and generate appropriate responses necessary to protect the general population against the virus.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Researchers have received funding to screen and evaluate adjuvants that may improve the ability of coronavirus vaccines to simulate the immune system."}],"uid":"27303","created_gmt":"2020-05-21 00:44:02","changed_gmt":"2020-05-21 00:47:21","author":"John Toon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-05-20T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-05-20T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"635549":{"id":"635549","type":"image","title":"Vaccine Vials","body":null,"created":"1590021017","gmt_created":"2020-05-21 00:30:17","changed":"1590021017","gmt_changed":"2020-05-21 00:30:17","alt":"vaccine vials","file":{"fid":"241854","name":"GettyImages-154920441-md.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/GettyImages-154920441-md.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/GettyImages-154920441-md.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":122912,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/GettyImages-154920441-md.jpg?itok=Rm31oynt"}},"635550":{"id":"635550","type":"image","title":"Krishnendu Roy Vaccine Adjuvants","body":null,"created":"1590021254","gmt_created":"2020-05-21 00:34:14","changed":"1590021254","gmt_changed":"2020-05-21 00:34:14","alt":"Krishnendu Roy at Marcus Building","file":{"fid":"241855","name":"krish-roy-marcus-005.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/krish-roy-marcus-005.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/krish-roy-marcus-005.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":454373,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/krish-roy-marcus-005.jpg?itok=8lGZY0CE"}}},"media_ids":["635549","635550"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"135","name":"Research"},{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"}],"keywords":[{"id":"173228","name":"adjuvant"},{"id":"184854","name":"vaccine adjuvant"},{"id":"763","name":"vaccine"},{"id":"183843","name":"coronavirus"},{"id":"184289","name":"covid-19"},{"id":"93761","name":"Krish Roy"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71891","name":"Health and Medicine"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJohn Toon\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EResearch News\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E(404-894-6986)\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jtoon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"634347":{"#nid":"634347","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Roy and Temenoff Win Outstanding Achievement in Research Program Development at Georgia Tech","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EProfessors \u003Cstrong\u003EKrishnendu Roy\u003C\/strong\u003E and \u003Cstrong\u003EJohnna Temenoff\u003C\/strong\u003E have won Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s award for Outstanding Achievement in Research Program Development in 2020. They lead the National Science Foundation (NSF) Engineering Research Center for Cell Manufacturing Technologies (CMaT) based at Georgia Tech. The vision of the center is to transform the manufacturing of cell-based therapeutics into a large-scale, lower-cost, reproducible, and high quality engineered process, for broad industry and clinical use. Both are professors in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University, and are researchers in the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EProfessor Krishnendu Roy holds the Robert A. Milton Chair and is the director of the NSF Engineering Research Center for Cell Manufacturing Technologies. He is also the director of the\u0026nbsp; Marcus Center for Cell-Therapy Characterization and Manufacturing, and director of the Center for ImmunoEngineering at Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EProfessor Johnna Temenoff holds the Carol Ann and David D. Flanagan Professorship and is the deputy director of the NSF Engineering Research Center for Cell Manufacturing Technologies.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EShe is also the associate chair for translational research in the Coulter Department.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFor more information about CMaT, visit \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/cellmanufacturingusa.org\u0022\u003Ecellmanufacturingusa.org\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Contact:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:wrich@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EWalter Rich\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCommunications Manager\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nWallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Krishnendu Roy and Johnna Temenoff lead a NSF Engineering Research Center at Tech"}],"uid":"27513","created_gmt":"2020-04-14 14:05:17","changed_gmt":"2020-04-14 14:08:51","author":"Walter Rich","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-04-14T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-04-14T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"634346":{"id":"634346","type":"image","title":"Professors Krishnendu Roy and Johnna Temenoff have won Georgia Tech\u2019s award for Outstanding Achievement in Research Program Development in 2020. ","body":null,"created":"1586873006","gmt_created":"2020-04-14 14:03:26","changed":"1586873006","gmt_changed":"2020-04-14 14:03:26","alt":"Professors Krishnendu Roy and Johnna Temenoff have won Georgia Tech\u2019s award for Outstanding Achievement in Research Program Development in 2020. ","file":{"fid":"241381","name":"Krish and Johnna.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Krish%20and%20Johnna.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Krish%20and%20Johnna.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":318617,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Krish%20and%20Johnna.jpg?itok=4z24v2Tb"}}},"media_ids":["634346"],"groups":[{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"}],"keywords":[{"id":"1612","name":"BME"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWalter Rich\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["wrich@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"633654":{"#nid":"633654","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Linda Ho Makes the Most of the Interdisciplinary Nature of Public Policy","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIn the course of her undergraduate studies as molecular cell and developmental biology major at UCLA,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/linda-d-ho\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 title=\u0022http:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/linda-d-ho\u0022\u003ELinda Ho\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;made an interesting discovery. She loved doing science, sure, but what she really loved was talking to people about science.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHo worked on the\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003EUCLA Undergraduate Science Journal\u003C\/em\u003E, advancing to co-editor in chief, and along the way developed a key interest in the applications of science to policy. When she started looking around at graduate programs, the interdisciplinary nature of Georgia Tech\u0026#39;s \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/spp.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Public Policy\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;appealed\u0026nbsp;to her immediately.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026quot;It\u0026#39;s the only (program) that has a really broad emphasis on science, and I think it\u0026#39;s really unique, because it\u0026#39;s a policy school that\u0026#39;s in a large engineering school,\u0026quot; Ho said. \u0026quot;You don\u0026#39;t really get that anywhere else.\u0026quot;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHo has taken full advantage of the opportunity to work with scientific fields at\u0026nbsp;Georgia\u0026nbsp;Tech, exploring the policy dimensions of innovative medical procedures under the mentorship\u0026nbsp;of Associate Professor\u0026nbsp;Aaron Levine. And after she graduates this spring, she\u0026#39;s set to head to Bethesda, Maryland to work at the National Institutes of Health as part of the prestigious Presidential Management Fellow (PMF) program.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026quot;It\u0026rsquo;s been a real pleasure to work with Linda and see her research ability grow during her two years at Georgia Tech,\u0026quot; Levine said. \u0026quot;Linda\u0026rsquo;s trajectory and success exemplifies the benefits of a Georgia Tech public policy education.\u0026quot;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHo\u0026#39;s main project with Levine, working under the umbrella of the National\u0026nbsp;Science Foundation\u0026nbsp;Engineering Research Center for Cell Manufacturing Technologies (CMaT), has been researching the policy implications of CAR-T cell therapy, which uses genetically modified T cells from a cancer patient to help fight the disease.\u0026nbsp;Ho notes that while\u0026nbsp;the treatment can be quite effective, but it\u0026#39;s also extremely expensive, running in the hundreds of thousands of dollars for the drug and even more for related relocation and rehabilitation expenses.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETo explore the specific sources of expenses for people receiving CAR-T cell therapy, Ho analyzed GoFundMe campaigns and the appeals people were\u0026nbsp;using for funds. The results of that study were published last August in\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003EThe Lancet Oncology\u003C\/em\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026quot;We\u0026#39;re hoping to shed light on this issue for a large number of people, from clinicians to policy makers to insurance companies,\u0026quot; Ho said. \u0026quot;...For example, insurance companies could come up with ways to reimburse patients for all these new expenses, like commuting time, gas money,\u0026nbsp;and relocation expenses. They could offer higher reimbursement for the drug itself, and Medicare and Medicaid could also increase their reimbursement.\u0026quot;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHo has explored a number of other interests at Tech, including regulatory policy in a class taught by Richard Barke and, in another CMaT project, analysis of workforce development in the emerging cell and gene therapy industry.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn the PMF program, Ho is set to work in the NIH\u0026#39;s Office of Rare Disease Research as a\u0026nbsp;health\u0026nbsp;specialist. The program is designed specifically for graduate and professional students entering the federal workforce, so Ho will have access to professional development and training and rotate through another worksite as well.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026quot;The beauty of my program is I get to decide what I want to work on,\u0026quot; she said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe diversity of study at Georgia Tech as a whole brought Ho to campus, and she has found that interdisciplinary collaboration in the School of Public Policy as well.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026quot;I really like how everyone in my cohort, as well as my professors, come from all different disciplines \u0026ndash;\u0026nbsp;not just science and engineering, but also liberal arts,\u0026quot; Ho said. \u0026quot;Everyone is really supportive, and I get to learn from everyone. So it\u0026#39;s a great learning environment as well.\u0026quot;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Linda Ho, a master\u0027s student in the School of Public Policy, has crafted an educational experience with elements of both science and policy studies."}],"uid":"35266","created_gmt":"2020-03-18 18:24:56","changed_gmt":"2020-03-26 18:29:32","author":"ifrazer3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-03-18T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-03-18T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"633653":{"id":"633653","type":"image","title":"Linda Ho","body":null,"created":"1584555363","gmt_created":"2020-03-18 18:16:03","changed":"1584555363","gmt_changed":"2020-03-18 18:16:03","alt":"","file":{"fid":"241112","name":"Linda_2.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Linda_2.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Linda_2.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":671572,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Linda_2.jpg?itok=vFeydhbR"}}},"media_ids":["633653"],"groups":[{"id":"1281","name":"Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"184285","name":"Georgia Tech Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts; school of public policy"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ERebecca Keane\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nDirector of Communications\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nrebecca.keane@iac.gatech.edu\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n404.894.1720\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"612597":{"#nid":"612597","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Microfluidic Molecular Exchanger Helps Control Therapeutic Cell Manufacturing ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EResearchers have demonstrated an integrated technique for monitoring specific biomolecules \u0026ndash; such as growth factors \u0026ndash; that could indicate the health of living cell cultures produced for the burgeoning field of cell-based therapeutics.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EUsing microfluidic technology to advance the preparation of samples from the chemically complex bioreactor environment, the researchers have harnessed electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) to provide online monitoring that they believe will provide for therapeutic cell production the kind of precision quality control that has revolutionized other manufacturing processes.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The way that the production of cell therapeutics is done today is very much an art,\u0026rdquo; said \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.me.gatech.edu\/faculty\/fedorov\u0022\u003EAndrei Fedorov\u003C\/a\u003E, Woodruff Professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.me.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EGeorge W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E at the Georgia Institute of Technology. \u0026ldquo;Process control must evolve very quickly to support the therapeutic applications that are emerging from bench science today. We think this technology will help us reach the goal of making these exciting cell-based therapies widely available.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBy measuring very low concentrations of specific compounds secreted or excreted by cells, the technique could also help identify which biomolecules \u0026ndash; of widely varying sizes \u0026ndash; should be monitored to guide the control of cell health. Ultimately, the researchers hope to integrate their label-free monitoring directly into high-volume bioreactors that will produce cells in quantities large enough to make the new therapies available at a reasonable cost and consistent quality.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDevelopment of the Dynamic Mass Spectrometry Probe (DMSP) was supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Engineering Research Center for Cell Manufacturing Technologies (CMaT), which is headquartered at Georgia Tech. The work was reported September 10 in the journal \u003Cem\u003EBiotechnology and Bioengineering\u003C\/em\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETraditional ESI-MS techniques have revolutionized analytical chemistry by allowing precise identification of complex biological compounds. Because of complex sample preparation requirements, existing approaches to ESI-MS require too much time to be useful for continuous monitoring of cell growth in bioreactors, where maintaining narrow parameters for specific indicators of cellular health is critical. Biological samples also contain salts, which must be removed before introduction into the ESI-MS system.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETo accelerate the analytical process, Fedorov and a team that included graduate research assistant Mason Chilmonczyk and research engineer Peter Kottke used microfluidic technology to help separate compounds of interest from the salts. Salt removal uses a monolithic device in which a size-selective membrane with nanoscale pores is placed between two fluid flows, one the chemically complex sample drawn from the bioreactors and the other salt-free water with conditioning compounds.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe smaller salt molecules readily diffuse out of the sampled bioreactor flow through the nanopores, while the larger biomolecules mostly remain for the subsequent ESI-MS analysis. Meanwhile, chemical additives are at the same time introduced into the sample mixture through the same membrane nanopores to enhance ionization of the target biomolecules in the sampled mixture for improved ESI-MS analysis.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We have used advanced microfabrication techniques to create a microfluidic device that will be able to treat samples in less than a minute,\u0026rdquo; said Chilmonczyk. \u0026ldquo;Traditional sample preparation can require hours to days.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe process can currently remove as much as 99 percent of the salt, while retaining 80 percent of the biomolecules. Introduction of the conditioning chemicals allows the molecules to accept a greater charge, improving the capability of the mass spectrometer to detect low concentration biomolecules, and to measure large molecules.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We can detect really high molecular weight molecules that the mass spectrometer normally wouldn\u0026rsquo;t be able to detect,\u0026rdquo; Fedorov said. \u0026ldquo;The size difference in the molecules of interest can be dramatic, so the improvement in the limit of detection across a broad range of analyte molecular weights will allow this technique to be more useful in cell manufacturing.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBecause they use state of the art microfabrication techniques, the DMSP devices can be mass produced, allowing sampling to be scaled up to include multiple bioreactors at low cost. The small size of the device channels \u0026ndash; which are just five microns tall \u0026ndash; allows the system to produce results with samples as small as 20 nanoliters \u0026ndash; with the potential for reducing that to as little as a single nanoliter.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We need to monitor small concentrations of large biomolecules in this messy environment in a production line in such a way that we can check at any point how the cells are doing,\u0026rdquo; Fedorov said. \u0026ldquo;This system could continuously monitor whether certain molecules are excreted or secreted at a reduced or increased rate. By correlating these measurements with cell health and potency, we could improve the manufacturing process.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBefore the analytical techniques can be applied to quality control, the researchers must first identify biomolecules that indicate health of the growing cells. By sampling the bioreactor content locally in the immediate vicinity of cells and allowing identification of very small quantities of biochemicals, the DMSP technology can help researchers identify changes in molecular concentrations \u0026ndash; which range from pico-molar to micro-molar \u0026ndash; that may indicate the state of cells in the bioreactors. This would prompt adjustment of conditions in a bioreactor just in time to return to the state of healthy cell growth.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;In this situation, we often can\u0026rsquo;t see the trees for the forest,\u0026rdquo; said Fedorov. \u0026ldquo;There is a lot of material available, but we are looking for just a handful of individual trees that indicate the health of the cells. Because the forest is overgrown, the few selected trees we need to examine are hard to find. This is a grand challenge technologically.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe research team also included Research Scientist Hazel Stevens and Professor Robert Guldberg, who is now at the University of Oregon.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECITATION\u003C\/strong\u003E: Mason A. Chilmonczyk, Peter A. Kottke, Hazel Y. Stevens, Robert E. Guldberg and Andrei G. Fedorov, \u0026ldquo;Dynamic Mass Spectrometry Probe (DMSP) for ESI?MS Monitoring of Bioreactors for Therapeutic Cell Manufacturing,\u0026rdquo; (Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 2018). \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1002\/bit.26832\u0022\u003Ehttps:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1002\/bit.26832\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EResearch News\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n177 North Avenue\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nAtlanta, Georgia\u0026nbsp; 30332-0181\u0026nbsp; USA\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contact\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon (404-894-6986) (jtoon@gatech.edu).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EResearchers have demonstrated an integrated technique for monitoring specific biomolecules \u0026ndash; such as growth factors \u0026ndash; that could indicate the health of living cell cultures produced for the burgeoning field of cell-based therapeutics.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Researchers have demonstrated an integrated technique for monitoring specific biomolecules."}],"uid":"27303","created_gmt":"2018-10-10 20:56:00","changed_gmt":"2018-10-10 20:57:13","author":"John Toon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2018-10-10T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2018-10-10T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"612591":{"id":"612591","type":"image","title":"Dynamic Mass Spectrometry Probe","body":null,"created":"1539203332","gmt_created":"2018-10-10 20:28:52","changed":"1539203332","gmt_changed":"2018-10-10 20:28:52","alt":"Image of Dynamic Mass Spectrometry Probe","file":{"fid":"233192","name":"cell-quality-control-012.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/cell-quality-control-012.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/cell-quality-control-012.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":287024,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/cell-quality-control-012.jpg?itok=J_BJ4ABc"}},"612594":{"id":"612594","type":"image","title":"Plasma Etching Probe Device","body":null,"created":"1539203610","gmt_created":"2018-10-10 20:33:30","changed":"1539203610","gmt_changed":"2018-10-10 20:33:30","alt":"Examining device after plasma etch","file":{"fid":"233194","name":"cell-quality-control-010.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/cell-quality-control-010.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/cell-quality-control-010.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":372037,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/cell-quality-control-010.jpg?itok=f_5eJaZ-"}},"612593":{"id":"612593","type":"image","title":"Fabricating Dynamic Mass Spectrometry Probe","body":null,"created":"1539203473","gmt_created":"2018-10-10 20:31:13","changed":"1539203473","gmt_changed":"2018-10-10 20:31:13","alt":"Fabricating a Dynamic Mass Spectrometry Probe","file":{"fid":"233193","name":"cell-quality-control-007.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/cell-quality-control-007.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/cell-quality-control-007.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":585310,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/cell-quality-control-007.jpg?itok=WEKnfbH7"}},"612595":{"id":"612595","type":"image","title":"Testing Dynamic Mass Spectrometry Probe","body":null,"created":"1539203723","gmt_created":"2018-10-10 20:35:23","changed":"1539203723","gmt_changed":"2018-10-10 20:35:23","alt":"Testing probe device","file":{"fid":"233195","name":"cell-quality-control-001.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/cell-quality-control-001.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/cell-quality-control-001.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":640600,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/cell-quality-control-001.jpg?itok=IQwxwTL-"}}},"media_ids":["612591","612594","612593","612595"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"135","name":"Research"},{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"},{"id":"141","name":"Chemistry and Chemical Engineering"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"}],"keywords":[{"id":"93181","name":"Cell Manufacturing"},{"id":"179337","name":"Dynamic Mass Spectrometry Probe"},{"id":"167318","name":"sensor"},{"id":"7341","name":"microfluidic"},{"id":"2781","name":"Andrei Fedorov"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"id":"39491","name":"Renewable Bioproducts"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71881","name":"Science and Technology"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJohn Toon\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EResearch News\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E(404) 894-6986\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jtoon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"611526":{"#nid":"611526","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Summer Lab Experience Helps Launch Industry and Research Careers","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ESof\u0026iacute;a Hern\u0026aacute;ndez-Torres spent her summer working to optimize a testing device that will be used to measure muscle strength in mice that have an animal model of muscular dystrophy. The testing will help a research team at the Georgia Institute of Technology advance cell-based therapies for fighting the disease, an inherited X-linked disorder diagnosed in one in 3,500 people worldwide.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I am in love with the work that I\u0026rsquo;m doing,\u0026rdquo; she said. \u0026ldquo;We are looking at extending the lifespan and improving the quality of life. Being in the lab and working with diseases that are affecting people around the world is what I want to do with my life.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHern\u0026aacute;ndez, an industrial biotechnology major at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayag\u0026uuml;ez, spent 10 weeks this summer in the laboratory of \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.me.gatech.edu\/faculty\/garcia\u0022\u003EAndr\u0026eacute;s Garc\u0026iacute;a\u003C\/a\u003E, the Rae and Frank H. Neely Chair in the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.me.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EGeorge W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E and the executive director of the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/petitinstitute.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EPetit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/a\u003E at Georgia Tech. The opportunity came through the National Science Foundation\u0026rsquo;s Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program, which supported her work through the NSF Engineering Research Center for Cell Manufacturing Technologies (CMaT), also headquartered at Georgia Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAs one of 14 students working in cell therapy and manufacturing labs at the University of Georgia, the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Georgia Tech during the summer, Hern\u0026aacute;ndez received hands-on experience with cutting-edge research, and said she hopes to be part of the health care revolution that CMaT is helping to create.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Cell therapy is an emerging field and CMaT\u0026rsquo;s goal is to make it scalable, high quality and affordable,\u0026rdquo; she explained. \u0026ldquo;Working in a project that aims to make this type of treatment available is very important to me.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWorkforce Development a Key Part of CMaT\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EStudents have traditionally not received much research-based experience until they enter graduate school. The NSF\u0026rsquo;s REU effort is helping to change that by giving undergraduates an opportunity to work in advanced research labs alongside top graduate students and pioneering researchers in a broad range of fields. By giving them an idea of what it\u0026rsquo;s like to participate in the development of cutting-edge therapies and new technologies, the program is helping develop the next generation of research leaders.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Educational programs at all levels are critical, of course, and the REU program bringing undergraduates into CMaT labs is important for introducing these students to the excitement of new cell therapies and cell manufacturing,\u0026rdquo; said \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.iac.gatech.edu\/people\/faculty\/levine\u0022\u003EAaron Levine\u003C\/a\u003E, CMaT\u0026rsquo;s co-director for workforce development and a professor in Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s School of Public Policy. \u0026ldquo;Developing the future workforce has been identified as a critical issue for cell manufacturing to succeed. The CMaT workforce programs are critical to our success \u0026mdash; and for the industry to reach its full potential.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe students applied for the REU at CMaT and were assigned both a university principal investigator and a mentor for the summer. Beyond the lab experiences, the students learn collaboration, networking and other key skills.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;This is a unique and impactful REU program focused on cell manufacturing research that has successfully engaged an impressive cohort of students, many from underrepresented groups in STEM,\u0026quot; said Mary Poats, REU program manager in NSF\u0026rsquo;s Division of Engineering Education and Centers. \u0026ldquo;The students are engaged early on in state-of-the-art ERC research and innovation activities that are directed toward a goal of curing disease and illnesses throughout the world. It is rewarding to hear these students passionately describe how being a part of CMaT\u0026rsquo;s summer REU program has so positively impacted their desire to further pursue related engineering and science academic studies, along with careers in the health care industry.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAfter a summer working in the laboratory of \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/chbe.gatech.edu\/people\/hang-lu\u0022\u003EHang Lu\u003C\/a\u003E, the Love Family Professor in Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Tailynn McCarty, says she\u0026rsquo;d like to get some experience in industry before going on to graduate school. A chemical engineering major from the University of Rhode Island, she hopes her experience with optimizing culture procedures for cellular aggregates \u0026mdash; large groups of cells measured in three dimensions instead of just two \u0026mdash; might open a corporate door.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;CMaT is providing an opportunity to save lives,\u0026rdquo; she said. \u0026ldquo;I\u0026rsquo;ve wanted to help people for a very long time, and I didn\u0026rsquo;t know exactly how I would do that. The work that CMaT is doing will allow me and other people to develop cures for illnesses to reduce the large impact of disease.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ENSF REU Gives Students Early Experience in Research\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EA key goal of the REU program is to give students a taste of what they\u0026rsquo;ll experience working in a research lab, whether that\u0026rsquo;s in a traditional academic setting or in industry. That goal appealed to Eva Gatune, who is working on dual degrees in biology and biomedical engineering at Xavier University of Louisiana.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;As undergraduates, we\u0026rsquo;re looking to the future and to graduate school \u0026mdash; what we\u0026rsquo;ll do next,\u0026rdquo; she said. \u0026ldquo;This is the perfect preview to tell us if this is something we want to do or not.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDuring the summer REU, Gatune worked in the laboratory of Georgia Tech Biomedical Engineering Professor \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/Manu-O-Platt\u0022\u003EManu Platt\u003C\/a\u003E studying cathepsins, enzymes that degrade proteins in the body. Specifically, she worked on how cathepsins and their protein networks affect breast cancer \u0026mdash; and found that experience inspiring.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Not a lot of young people would get an opportunity like this,\u0026rdquo; she said. \u0026ldquo;It\u0026rsquo;s heartwarming and fascinating to be part of something that is bigger than you. In the next 10 years, who knows how far this is going to go?\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFor Yasmine Stewart, a biology major from Savannah State University, the REU program provided an opportunity to participate in one of the most exciting areas of life sciences research today: cell therapies. She worked with graduate students in the laboratory of \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.karumbaiahlab.org\/people\/\u0022\u003ELohitash Karumbaiah\u003C\/a\u003E, assistant professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.caes.uga.edu\/\u0022\u003ECollege of Agricultural \u0026amp; Environmental Sciences at the University of Georgia\u003C\/a\u003E, learning cell culture techniques.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We all have loved ones who suffer from diseases, so I\u0026rsquo;m especially passionate about doing my part to help them,\u0026rdquo; she said. \u0026ldquo;I\u0026rsquo;ve learned a lot of things in the lab, as far as cell culturing, but I\u0026rsquo;ve also learned patience, how to read research articles and to study more. I\u0026rsquo;ve learned how to work with others in the lab.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EStewart had been considering an M.D.- Ph.D. path, but her experience using microfluidics technology to study potential cell treatments made the research track more intriguing. \u0026ldquo;The CMaT program is important because it is going to improve health care,\u0026rdquo; she said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGetting in on the Ground Floor of an Exciting Technology\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EKailyn Cleaves saw the summer REU as an opportunity to \u0026ldquo;get outside my comfort zone and do things I had never done before.\u0026rdquo; A biochemistry and pre-med major from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, she enjoyed the lab experience and, like other students, found involvement in the early stages of cell manufacturing to be both exciting and rewarding.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I felt intimidated at first because I had never worked in a lab before,\u0026rdquo; she said. But she quickly found that graduate students in the laboratory of \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/rbc.uga.edu\/leaders\/Stice.php\u0022\u003ESteven Stice\u003C\/a\u003E, director of the University of Georgia\u0026rsquo;s Regenerative Bioscience Center, enjoyed helping her and providing mentoring.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFor David Frey, a Georgia Tech second-year student majoring in biomedical engineering, working in the lab of \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/Krishnendu-Roy\u0022\u003EKrishnendu Roy\u003C\/a\u003E, CMaT executive director and Robert A. Milton Chair, unlocked a \u0026ldquo;dream come true.\u0026rdquo; Frey worked on a microfluidics project that could lead to improvements in the way cells are cultured. The technology could also help match therapies to a patient\u0026rsquo;s specific disease characteristics.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;It\u0026rsquo;s truly been a dream come true,\u0026rdquo; he said. \u0026ldquo;I\u0026rsquo;ve always wanted to be in the lab all day. But being in school, I could never do that. This program definitely helps you immerse yourself in the research you are doing.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAs with others in the program, Frey was excited about being part of the cell manufacturing initiative in its early stages.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;It\u0026rsquo;s exciting being a pioneer with this specific technology,\u0026rdquo; he said. \u0026ldquo;Every day you want to see what the final product will look like. You want to see that the technology is being used for medical purposes. This could potentially help thousands of people someday.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMaking Cell Therapies Widely Available and Affordable\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe companies that will bring cell therapies to the clinic will create a broad range of new jobs, everything from Ph.D. researchers developing new technologies to production staff and quality control specialists responsible for manufacturing cells of consistent quality and efficacy. Developing a new workforce to handle those divergent tasks is a key element of the CMaT initiative.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Many of the REU students will go into industry, and they will come out of this lab experience with a better understanding of what industry needs and what sorts of skills are important for both industry and academic researchers,\u0026rdquo; Levine explained. \u0026ldquo;We deliberately structure our projects to have faculty and students from multiple institutions, often with industry partners. This is really how the real world works today \u0026mdash; assembling the best teams to advance knowledge.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETherapies based on living cells are different from traditional drug-based treatments, having great promise but also significant challenges.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Most of the medical treatments we have now are much simpler, relying on small molecules or biologics,\u0026rdquo; Levine said. \u0026ldquo;The idea behind cell therapies is that cells can be much more powerful to treat conditions that are currently not treatable. Many of the conditions that we struggle with have to do with cellular dysfunction. The hope is that cell therapy can emerge as a way to replace or repair those cells.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHowever, living cells can be affected by small changes in their environment and as they are transported to the clinics where they will be used. Ensuring consistency is another of the major challenges ahead, one for which Georgia Tech is applying its expertise in manufacturing and process control.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EOnly a small number of cellular therapies have been approved for use in the United States, and many more are in the research pipeline. But these therapies are often expensive \u0026mdash; sometimes costing hundreds of thousands of dollars per patient. Making these affordable for use by ordinary patients is yet another challenge that CMaT is taking on.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;By developing better technologies to manufacture cells more reliably, more safely and more inexpensively, we hope to lower the cost of these therapies and make cell therapy more widely accessible,\u0026rdquo; Levine explained. \u0026ldquo;The students participating in this program will be thrust into a field where the opportunities are growing dramatically. Preparing them to understand what the potential is and what the trends are like in this field is what we believe we\u0026rsquo;ve accomplished this summer.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThe NSF Engineering Research Center for Cell Manufacturing Technologies was established to create new integrated manufacturing innovations and advanced bioprocessing technologies to enable robust, scalable, low-cost bio-manufacturing of high-quality therapeutic cells. CMaT has established cellular testbeds in three areas: (1) Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to repair, regenerate and restore diseased tissues and organs, (2) Engineered T cells to treat some forms of cancer, and (3) Induced pluripotent stem cell (IPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes to treat heart disease.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EResearch News\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n177 North Avenue\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nAtlanta, Georgia\u0026nbsp; 30332-0181\u0026nbsp; USA\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contact\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon (404-894-6986) (jtoon@gatech.edu).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EUndergraduate students from around the United States spent their summer learning about cell manufacturing research. They worked in laboratories at Georgia Tech, the University of Georgia and the University of Wisconsin Madison.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Undergraduate students from around the United States spent their summer learning about cell manufacturing."}],"uid":"27303","created_gmt":"2018-09-15 17:40:51","changed_gmt":"2018-09-17 16:45:37","author":"John Toon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2018-09-15T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2018-09-15T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"611521":{"id":"611521","type":"image","title":"Yasmine-Stewart","body":null,"created":"1537032309","gmt_created":"2018-09-15 17:25:09","changed":"1537032309","gmt_changed":"2018-09-15 17:25:09","alt":"Yasmine Stewart working in UGA lab","file":{"fid":"232795","name":"yasmine-stewart.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/yasmine-stewart.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/yasmine-stewart.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":815975,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/yasmine-stewart.jpg?itok=JNfpRKA8"}},"611522":{"id":"611522","type":"image","title":"Tailynn McCarty","body":null,"created":"1537032429","gmt_created":"2018-09-15 17:27:09","changed":"1537032429","gmt_changed":"2018-09-15 17:27:09","alt":"Tailynn McCarty in Georgia Tech lab","file":{"fid":"232796","name":"Tailynn-mccarty.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Tailynn-mccarty.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Tailynn-mccarty.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1074935,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Tailynn-mccarty.jpg?itok=0wkxDiGu"}},"611523":{"id":"611523","type":"image","title":"Sof\u00eda Hern\u00e1ndez-Torrres","body":null,"created":"1537032547","gmt_created":"2018-09-15 17:29:07","changed":"1537032547","gmt_changed":"2018-09-15 17:29:07","alt":"Sofia Hernendez-Torres","file":{"fid":"232797","name":"sofia-hernandez.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/sofia-hernandez.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/sofia-hernandez.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":713891,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/sofia-hernandez.jpg?itok=hLqKQlJC"}},"611524":{"id":"611524","type":"image","title":"David Frey","body":null,"created":"1537032679","gmt_created":"2018-09-15 17:31:19","changed":"1537032679","gmt_changed":"2018-09-15 17:31:19","alt":"David Frey in a Georgia Tech lab","file":{"fid":"232798","name":"david-frey.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/david-frey.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/david-frey.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":848039,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/david-frey.jpg?itok=8ONV4qvO"}},"611525":{"id":"611525","type":"image","title":"Aaron Levine","body":null,"created":"1537032787","gmt_created":"2018-09-15 17:33:07","changed":"1537032787","gmt_changed":"2018-09-15 17:33:07","alt":"Aaron Levine, professor of public policy","file":{"fid":"232799","name":"aaron-levine.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/aaron-levine.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/aaron-levine.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":464274,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/aaron-levine.jpg?itok=2NCzLuTM"}}},"media_ids":["611521","611522","611523","611524","611525"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"135","name":"Research"},{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"}],"keywords":[{"id":"93181","name":"Cell Manufacturing"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71891","name":"Health and Medicine"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJohn Toon\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EResearch News\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E(404) 894-6986\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jtoon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"607676":{"#nid":"607676","#data":{"type":"news","title":"NSF Appoints CEISMC\u2019s Lizanne DeStefano to STEM Education Advisory Panel","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe National Science Foundation (\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/nsf.gov\/\u0022\u003ENSF\u003C\/a\u003E) \u0026ndash; in consultation with the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.ed.gov\/\u0022\u003EDepartment of Education\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/\u0022\u003ENASA\u003C\/a\u003E, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.noaa.gov\/\u0022\u003ENOAA\u003C\/a\u003E) \u0026ndash; has appointed \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.ceismc.gatech.edu\/about\/staffdirectory\/dr-lizanne-destefano\u0022\u003ELizanne DeStefano\u003C\/a\u003E as one of 18 inaugural members of its STEM Education Advisory Panel.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDeStefano is the executive director of the Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing (\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ceismc.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ECEISMC\u003C\/a\u003E). She is also an associate dean in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cos.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ECollege of Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E and a professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/psychology.gatech.edu\u0022\u003ESchool of Psychology\u003C\/a\u003E at\u0026nbsp; \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDeStefano\u0026rsquo;s research interests include the evaluation and sustainability of innovative science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education programs and initiatives; including those serving special populations, such as students with disabilities or those at-risk for academic failure. She contributes to efforts that improve the quality of teaching and the student experience, such as the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.provost.gatech.edu\/commission-creating-next-education\u0022\u003EGeorgia Tech Commission on Creating the Next in Education\u003C\/a\u003E. DeStefano is a former special education teacher and a clinical and school psychologist.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I am honored to serve on the inaugural panel and look forward to sharing Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s STEM education innovation and learning from other across the country,\u0026rdquo; DeStefano said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESTEM Education Advisory Panel\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ENSF\u0026rsquo;s STEM Education Advisory Panel was created to encourage U.S. scientific and technological innovations in education. Under the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/114th-congress\/senate-bill\/3084\/text\/enr\u0022\u003EAmerican Innovation and Competitiveness Act\u003C\/a\u003E, Congress authorized the creation of the panel to advise a group of federal organizations called the Committee on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education (CoSTEM).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn particular, Congress authorized the panel to help identify opportunities to update the 2013-2018 Federal STEM Education 5-Year Strategic Plan, which CoSTEM developed to improve the efficiency, coordination, and impact of federally supported STEM education investments.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn addition, the panel will assess CoSTEM\u0026rsquo;s progress in carrying out responsibilities mandated by the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/114th-congress\/house-bill\/1806\u0022\u003EAmerica COMPETES Reauthorization Act\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;This new panel has an opportunity to bring fresh eyes and novel approaches to CoSTEM\u0026rsquo;s next five-year strategic plan, which will help enhance the nation\u0026rsquo;s entire STEM ecosystem,\u0026rdquo; said NSF Director France C\u0026oacute;rdova, who co-chairs CoSTEM. \u0026ldquo;NSF continues to generate benefits for society through STEM research. To fulfill that mission, we and our federal partners need to make strategic investments to create new generations of discoverers.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;This advisory panel is another strong step taken by this administration to advance educational options in the STEM fields,\u0026rdquo; said Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, a CoSTEM member. \u0026ldquo;I look forward to working with this exceptional new group of STEM leaders to ensure we are constantly rethinking what education means for America\u0026rsquo;s students.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;STEM is vital for NOAA to protect lives and property, enhance the economy, and conserve natural resources,\u0026rdquo; said NOAA acting undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere, retired Navy Rear Adm. Tim Gallaudet. \u0026ldquo;As a member of CoSTEM, I look forward to working with this distinguished panel and hearing their recommendations that will help advance these efforts.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;NASA is proud of the many ways that its missions inspire the next generation of STEM leaders. Across the spectrum of our work, students and educators have many opportunities to learn from and engage with our work,\u0026rdquo; said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, who co-chairs CoSTEM. \u0026ldquo;We\u0026rsquo;re going back to the moon and on to Mars, and we\u0026rsquo;re going to keep doing the amazing things that will help fill the pipeline of new explorers and create a bright future.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EInaugural Panel Members\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGabriela Gonzalez, Greater Americas Region deputy director of \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.intel.com\/\u0022\u003EIntel Corporation\u003C\/a\u003E, will chair the new panel. David Evans, executive director of the National Science Teachers Association, will serve as vice chair.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe panel is composed of individuals from nonprofit, business, academic and informal education organizations. The members are:\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cul\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EVince Bertram\u003C\/strong\u003E, president, and CEO, Project Lead the Way, Inc.\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDouglas Clements\u003C\/strong\u003E, Kennedy Endowed Chair in Early Childhood Learning, executive director of the Marsico Institute for Early Learning and Literacy, and professor, University of Denver\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ELizanne DeStefano\u003C\/strong\u003E, executive director, Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing (CEISMC), Georgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EArthur Eisenkraft\u003C\/strong\u003E, distinguished professor of science education and director of the Center of Science and Math in Context (COSMIC), the University of Massachusetts, Boston\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDavid Evans\u003C\/strong\u003E, executive director, National Science Teachers Association\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGabriela Gonzalez\u003C\/strong\u003E, Greater Americas Region deputy director, Intel Corporation\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EJacqueline Huntoon\u003C\/strong\u003E, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, Michigan Technological University\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAimee Kennedy\u003C\/strong\u003E, senior vice president for education, Battelle\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ELaurie Leshin\u003C\/strong\u003E, president, Worcester Polytechnic Institute\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ERobert Mathieu\u003C\/strong\u003E, director, Wisconsin Center for Education Research, University of Wisconsin-Madison\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ERay Mellado\u003C\/strong\u003E, chairman of the board and founder, Great Minds in STEM\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EIoannis (Yannis) Miaoulis\u003C\/strong\u003E, president, and director, Museum of Science, Boston\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EK. Renae Pullen\u003C\/strong\u003E, K-6 science curriculum instructional specialist, Caddo Parish Public Schools\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ELarry Robinson\u003C\/strong\u003E, president, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), and director of NOAA\u0026rsquo;s Center for Coastal and Marine Ecosystems at FAMU\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EKimberly Scott\u003C\/strong\u003E, professor of Women and Gender Studies, Arizona State University\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ERobert Semper\u003C\/strong\u003E, associate executive director, Exploratorium\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWilliam (Yslas) Velez\u003C\/strong\u003E, emeritus professor of Mathematics, The University of Arizona\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBruce Wellman\u003C\/strong\u003E, Chemistry, Engineering, and Robotics teacher, Olathe Northwest High School\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\u003C\/ul\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\r\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\r\n\u003C\/div\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"New panel will advise the interagency Committee on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ELizanne DeStefano, executive director of the Georgia Tech Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing, is one of 18 inaugural members of the STEM Education Advisory Panel of the National Science Foundation. The new panel will advise the interagency federal Committee on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Lizanne DeStefano, executive director of the Georgia Tech Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing, is one of 18 members of the inaugural STEM Education Advisory Panel of the National Science Foundation."}],"uid":"28054","created_gmt":"2018-07-12 11:12:40","changed_gmt":"2020-05-20 15:16:55","author":"Steven Taylor","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2018-07-12T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2018-07-12T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"607677":{"id":"607677","type":"image","title":"Lizanne DeStefano - Executive Director, Georgia Tech Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing (CEISMC) CEISMC","body":null,"created":"1531396116","gmt_created":"2018-07-12 11:48:36","changed":"1531398505","gmt_changed":"2018-07-12 12:28:25","alt":"Lizanne DeStefano","file":{"fid":"231802","name":"Lizanne_DeStefano 1.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Lizanne_DeStefano%201.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Lizanne_DeStefano%201.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":4804580,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Lizanne_DeStefano%201.jpg?itok=9QFil-Wp"}}},"media_ids":["607677"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/bit.ly\/2JckPCU","title":"Link to announcement page"},{"url":"https:\/\/nsf.gov\/ehr\/STEMEdAdvisory.jsp","title":"Link to STEM Education Advisory Panel web page"},{"url":"https:\/\/ceismc.gatech.edu","title":"Link to CEISMC web page"}],"groups":[{"id":"361651","name":"Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics and Computing (CEISMC)"},{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"131","name":"Economic Development and Policy"}],"keywords":[{"id":"178531","name":"Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing"},{"id":"139801","name":"Lizanne DeStefano"},{"id":"167487","name":"STEM education"},{"id":"411","name":"CEISMC"},{"id":"178530","name":"STEM Education Advisory Panel"},{"id":"363","name":"NSF"},{"id":"4896","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"6522","name":"CoS"},{"id":"362","name":"National Science Foundation"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBobbie Mixon\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nNational Science Foundation\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n(703) 292-8485\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESteven Taylor\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCEISMC\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nCenter for Education Integrating\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nScience, Mathematics, and Computing\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nsteven.taylor@ceismc.gatech.edu\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["bmixon@nsf.gov"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"607188":{"#nid":"607188","#data":{"type":"news","title":"New Cell Manufacturing Research Facility will Change Approaches to Disease Therapies","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe vision of making affordable, high-quality cell-based therapies available to hundreds of thousands of patients worldwide moved closer to reality June 6 with the dedication of a new cell manufacturing research facility at Georgia Tech aimed at changing the way we think about medical therapies.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe new Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) like ISO 8 and ISO 7 compliant facility is part of the existing \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/cellmanufacturing.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EMarcus Center for Therapeutic Cell Characterization and Manufacturing\u003C\/a\u003E (MC3M). The center was established in 2016 and made possible by a $15.75 million gift from philanthropist Bernie Marcus, with a $7.25 million investment from Georgia Tech and another $1 million from the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.gra.org\u0022\u003EGeorgia Research Alliance\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMC3M is already helping researchers from Georgia Tech and partner organizations develop ways to provide therapeutic living cells of consistent quality in quantities large enough to meet the growing demands for the cutting-edge treatments. The center and this new facility also provide the infrastructural foundation for the Georgia Tech-led National Science Foundation Engineering Research \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.cellmanufacturingusa.org\/\u0022\u003ECenter for Cell Manufacturing Technologies\u003C\/a\u003E (CMaT), which was announced in September 2017.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Marcus Foundation\u0026rsquo;s gift along with the NSF\u0026rsquo;s expected funding over ten years in CMaT, together with potential private-sector contributions and the state of Georgia\u0026rsquo;s investment in infrastructure related bio manufacturing, could result in a combined statewide investment of more than $70 million in cell manufacturing. Beyond developing technologies to help make these life-saving cell therapies broadly available and affordable, the initiative will also help train the specialized workforce needed to manufacture these therapies at large scale.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;This initiative has the potential to change the way we think about medical treatments, to change the way we think about medicine, and the way we approach cures for different diseases,\u0026rdquo; said Georgia Tech President G.P. \u0026ldquo;Bud\u0026rdquo; Peterson, who opened the dedication event. \u0026ldquo;Here, we will develop the tools and technologies to produce these cells at lower cost, more rapidly and for more people.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMC3M is already supporting 23 research projects aimed at all components of the challenge, from understanding cell quality and developing scalable processes, to chip-based disease models for safety and efficacy testing and new models for supply-chain optimization and logistics. The center collaborates with several other institutions, supporting the work of 29 faculty members, and helping train 27 students and fellows for the emerging cell manufacturing industry.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe new facility dedicated on June 6 is a unique \u0026ldquo;sandbox\u0026rdquo; for collaboration among engineers, clinicians, and industry to develop and validate new scalable manufacturing processes for cell therapies under GMP conditions necessary to eventually obtain regulatory approvals. It will serve as the translational arm of the Marcus Center and CMaT to help researchers throughout the state of Georgia translate emerging cell therapies to clinical practice. This facility \u0026ndash; designed to enable real time quality monitoring and control of cell products during manufacturing \u0026ndash; is a one-of-a-kind space that will be instrumental in bringing affordable cell therapies to patients faster.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe new cell-based therapies being approved for use in humans can have dramatic impact. But the therapies are costly, as much as a $500,000 per patient. The MC3M will help develop new technologies and processes to make these treatments consistent in quality and available to the average person.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The center is about providing access for patients and enabling patients to benefit from these incredible therapies that could change their lives,\u0026rdquo; said Krishnendu Roy, who directs both MC3M and CMaT. \u0026ldquo;We need to scale these therapies up to treat hundreds of thousands of patients. This is the vision of Mr. Marcus \u0026ndash; to make this available to everyone regardless of their socio-economic status.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMarcus, who recalled working as a pharmacist before co-founding home improvement retailer The Home Depot, noted that common drugs such as aspirin are chemically consistent around the world, regardless of where they are sold. The consistency of living cell therapies can\u0026rsquo;t be similarly counted on because their properties may depend on the specific skills and facilities of the research center producing them.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Patients receiving these cells need to know that they are getting the right things,\u0026rdquo; Marcus said. \u0026ldquo;This is a very practical question for which we have no answer now.\u0026rdquo; Beyond consistency, the cells also need to be affordable, he said.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe new cell manufacturing facility will connect cell-based therapies being developed in research facilities with the appropriate tools and technologies that ensure consistency in manufacturing and product quality while enabling scalability. \u0026ldquo;There is a gap right now between what we do in the research lab and what we need to do to get these therapies to a hundred thousand or even millions of patients,\u0026rdquo; Roy noted.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBeyond developing quality control and analytical techniques to ensure consistency, the center will also develop novel feedback-controlled automation systems to lower the cost, Roy said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPeterson noted the potential economic impact of building a cell manufacturing industry in Georgia. \u0026ldquo;Working with our partner universities, the Technical College System of Georgia and the private sector, we will be able to attract new industries, create new jobs and help build the economy of the state of Georgia.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe initiative began, he noted, with the development of a national cell manufacturing roadmap, an effort supported by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The Marcus gift built on that foundation, and in turn, made it possible for Georgia Tech to lead a team including the University of Wisconsin, University of Georgia, University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez, and other partners, to win the NSF Engineering Research Center award last fall.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EOther collaborators in Georgia include Emory University and Children\u0026rsquo;s Healthcare of Atlanta.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe NSF ERC could provide up to $40 million over ten years, and attract private and local investment that could boost that amount much higher.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We have incredible momentum,\u0026rdquo; Roy said. \u0026ldquo;We are bonded together by a single goal: getting these therapies to many patients at a lower cost to really help them.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EResearch News\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\n177 North Avenue\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nAtlanta, Georgia\u0026nbsp; 30332-0181\u0026nbsp; USA\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contact\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon (404-894-6986) (jtoon@gatech.edu).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe vision of making affordable, high-quality cell-based therapies available to hundreds of thousands of patients worldwide moved closer to reality June 6 with the dedication of a new cell manufacturing research facility at Georgia Tech aimed at changing the way we think about medical therapies.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"On June 6, Georgia Tech dedicated a Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) like ISO 8 and ISO 7 facility."}],"uid":"27303","created_gmt":"2018-06-19 19:29:10","changed_gmt":"2018-06-19 19:34:11","author":"John Toon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2018-06-19T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2018-06-19T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"607185":{"id":"607185","type":"image","title":"Unveiling Marcus Center plaque","body":null,"created":"1529435842","gmt_created":"2018-06-19 19:17:22","changed":"1529435842","gmt_changed":"2018-06-19 19:17:22","alt":"Plaque unveiling at the Marcus Center","file":{"fid":"231606","name":"MC3M-030.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/MC3M-030.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/MC3M-030.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1451876,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/MC3M-030.jpg?itok=L_MgrRBH"}},"607186":{"id":"607186","type":"image","title":"Touring Good Manufacturing Practice facility","body":null,"created":"1529435987","gmt_created":"2018-06-19 19:19:47","changed":"1529435987","gmt_changed":"2018-06-19 19:19:47","alt":"Touring good manufacturing practice facility","file":{"fid":"231607","name":"MC3M-045.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/MC3M-045.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/MC3M-045.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1628884,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/MC3M-045.jpg?itok=dkf1U53K"}},"607187":{"id":"607187","type":"image","title":"Ribbon-cutting at the new Good Manufacturing Practice facility","body":null,"created":"1529436110","gmt_created":"2018-06-19 19:21:50","changed":"1529436110","gmt_changed":"2018-06-19 19:21:50","alt":"Ribbon cutting at the new facility","file":{"fid":"231608","name":"MC3M-023.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/MC3M-023.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/MC3M-023.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2256077,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/MC3M-023.jpg?itok=erX4-1tV"}}},"media_ids":["607185","607186","607187"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"135","name":"Research"},{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"},{"id":"140","name":"Cancer Research"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"}],"keywords":[{"id":"178386","name":"MC3M"},{"id":"178387","name":"Marcus Center for Therapeutic Cell Characterization and Manufacturing"},{"id":"93181","name":"Cell Manufacturing"},{"id":"169829","name":"cell therapies"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71881","name":"Science and Technology"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJohn Toon\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EResearch News\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E(404) 894-6986\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jtoon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}},"595812":{"#nid":"595812","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Engineering Research Center Will Help Expand Use of Therapies Based on Living Cells","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded nearly $20 million to a consortium of universities to support a new engineering research center (ERC) that will work closely with industry and clinical partners to develop transformative tools and technologies for the consistent, scalable and low-cost production of high-quality living therapeutic cells. Such cells could be used in a broad range of life-saving medical therapies now emerging from research laboratories.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ELed by the Georgia Institute of Technology, the NSF Engineering Research Center for Cell Manufacturing Technologies (CMaT) could help revolutionize the treatment of cancer, heart disease, autoimmune diseases and other disorders by enabling broad use of potentially curative therapies that utilize living cells \u0026ndash; such as immune cells and stem cells \u0026ndash; as \u0026ldquo;drugs.\u0026rdquo; Examples of these highly promising therapies include T cell-based immunotherapies for blood cancers, such as the one developed at the University of Pennsylvania and approved in August by the U.S. Food \u0026amp; Drug Administration, and a gene-modified stem cell therapy recently approved in Europe for a form of the so-called \u0026ldquo;bubble boy\u0026rdquo; syndrome.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETo facilitate the widespread application of these cutting-edge emerging treatments, CMaT will develop robust and scalable technologies, innovative analytical tools, and engineering systems that will enable industry and clinical facilities to reproducibly manufacture efficient, safe and affordable cell-therapy products. The center, one of four ERCs announced September 12 by the NSF, will also develop improved models for a robust supply chain, storage and distribution system for these therapeutic cell products.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;For over 30 years, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nsf.gov\/pubs\/2000\/nsf00137\/nsf00137a.htm\u0022\u003ENSF Engineering Research Centers\u003C\/a\u003E have promoted innovation, helped to maintain our competitive edge, and added billions of dollars to the U.S. economy,\u0026rdquo; said NSF Director \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nsf.gov\/news\/speeches\/cordova\/cordova_bio.jsp\u0022\u003EFrance C\u0026oacute;rdova\u003C\/a\u003E. \u0026ldquo;They bring together talented innovators and entrepreneurs with resources from academia, industry and government to produce engineers and engineering systems that solve real-world problems.\u0026nbsp; I am confident that these new ERCs will strengthen U.S. competitiveness for the next generation and continue our legacy of improving the quality of life for all Americans.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn addition to the consistent manufacture of\u0026nbsp; cell-based therapies, the public-private CMaT initiative will also help develop a skilled, diverse and inclusive bio-manufacturing workforce through extensive education and training activities at the K-12, technical college, undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral levels.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ELiving cells become \u0026ldquo;drugs\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Unlike pharmaceuticals and other products now used in medical treatments, cells are living entities whose properties can significantly change depending on nuances in the way they are grown, stored or otherwise manipulated,\u0026rdquo; said \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\/bme\/faculty\/Krishnendu-Roy\u0022\u003EKrishnendu Roy\u003C\/a\u003E, director of CMaT and the Robert A. Milton chair professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.bme.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EWallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E at Georgia Tech and Emory University. \u0026ldquo;The center will develop new engineering tools and scalable methods to better characterize, expand, differentiate, separate, transport and store high-quality cells so they provide consistent therapeutic effects, allowing them to be used in standardized therapies by clinicians to serve large numbers of patients worldwide.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBeyond Georgia Tech, the center will include major partners \u0026ndash; the University of Georgia, the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus \u0026ndash; as well as affiliate partners such as the University of Pennsylvania, Emory University, the Gladstone Institutes and Michigan Technological University. Additional international academic partners, as well as industry and the U.S. national laboratories, will also be critical collaborators in the effort.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMoving discoveries into application\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Georgia Tech has a long history of building collaborative partnerships with industry, the national labs and other research universities. With the support of the NSF and this new ERC, we will be able to capitalize on expertise in multiple areas, taking transformative research from the laboratory to practice much more quickly,\u0026rdquo; said Georgia Tech President G. P. \u0026ldquo;Bud\u0026rdquo; Peterson. \u0026ldquo;The Center for Cell Manufacturing Technologies will also help us educate, train and prepare the workforce in a new industry, thereby continuing to strengthen the U.S. economy.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EClinical trials have already established the effectiveness of several cell-based therapies and many other trials are underway. But for these exciting therapies to advance into broad healthcare use, the cells will have to be produced in much larger quantities and with more consistent quality than is now available. There are also very few, if any, established industry standards for analytics and processes in cell manufacturing, which hinders consistent production of safe and efficacious cells. Another key limitation identified by industry is the need for a highly-trained workforce.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECMaT would address these barriers through transformative innovations that build upon a series of earlier efforts, including the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.cellmanufacturingusa.org\/\u0022\u003ENational Cell Manufacturing Consortium\u003C\/a\u003E (NCMC) roadmap, infrastructure established at Georgia Tech with support from the Marcus Foundation, quality and other standards programs from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and independent industry-led bodies, and translational activities by industry, entrepreneurs and other partners.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe NSF\u0026rsquo;s multidisciplinary engineering research centers address unique, complex engineering challenges by stimulating knowledge and tech transfer between different sectors, from electronics to energy to infrastructure. Each center takes on a specific engineering research challenge.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The overall goal of the NSF Engineering Research Centers program is nothing less than to revolutionize engineering research and education in the United States,\u0026rdquo; said Dawn Tilbury, NSF assistant director for engineering. \u0026ldquo;We look forward to the exciting advances and outcomes in these important areas.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAccelerating clinical trials\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBeyond established cell-based therapies, the work of CMaT should accelerate the development of new therapies and the testing needed to bring them into the clinic, said \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/rbc.uga.edu\/leaders\/Stice.php\u0022\u003ESteven Stice\u003C\/a\u003E, director of the University of Georgia\u0026rsquo;s \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/rbc.uga.edu\/\u0022\u003ERegenerative Bioscience Center\u003C\/a\u003E (RBC). Regenerative medicine applications could offer new ways of treating diseases for which there are now essentially no treatments, including Parkinson\u0026#39;s, Alzheimer\u0026rsquo;s, heart disease and stroke.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;There are a significant number of cell therapy clinical trials and investments in the field,\u0026rdquo; Stice said. \u0026ldquo;But there is little or no investment in a set of consistent standardization methods to optimize how these therapies should work. For instance, we know that cell therapies will improve human health, but right now it\u0026rsquo;s difficult to guarantee that each dose produced will be as potent as the next. The work done by CMaT researchers will help solve some of these problems.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe University of Pennsylvania develops cellular therapies and has conducted more than 40 clinical trials of cell-based therapies, including those for engineered T cell therapies and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells. An example is recently-approved treatment for relapsed and refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia in pediatric and young adult patients.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The cell and gene therapy fields are on the cusp of multiple regulatory approvals in the near term,\u0026rdquo; said \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.med.upenn.edu\/apps\/faculty\/index.php\/g5455356\/p3504\u0022\u003EBruce Levine\u003C\/a\u003E, Barbara and Edward Netter Professor in Cancer Gene Therapy in the Perelman School of Medicine at the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.upenn.edu\/\u0022\u003EUniversity of Pennsylvania\u003C\/a\u003E. \u0026ldquo;The challenges ahead lie in developing manufacturing and testing processes incorporating automation that can bring costs down and allow access to more patients.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDeveloping broad-based innovations\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECritical innovations often occur at the boundaries of disciplines, and CMaT will bring together relevant specialties for both research and workforce development, noted \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/inqu.uprm.edu\/people\/madeline-torres-lugo\/\u0022\u003EMadeline Torres-Lugo\u003C\/a\u003E, a professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Due to the complexity of cells as living organisms, a team with a strong background in biology, chemistry, physics, materials science, and engineering is required for this initiative,\u0026rdquo; Torres-Lugo said. \u0026ldquo;Our participation and contribution to CMaT will ensure that Puerto Rico not only remains at the forefront of pharma manufacturing, but also supports cell manufacturing technologies here and around the world by educating highly talented engineering students.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECMaT testbeds have been selected to address several cell types that are in early stages of clinical adoption or moving toward clinical applications, but it isn\u0026#39;t yet clear what cell types will have the greatest therapeutic impacts, noted \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/directory.engr.wisc.edu\/che\/faculty\/palecek_sean\u0022\u003ESean Palecek\u003C\/a\u003E, the Milton J. and A. Maude Shoemaker Professor in chemical and biological engineering at the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.wisc.edu\/\u0022\u003EUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison\u003C\/a\u003E. Therefore, one of the center\u0026rsquo;s challenges will be to ensure that fundamental discoveries, and tool and technology development efforts, will apply to multiple cell types.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Our work will provide safer and more potent cell products that will allow clinical studies to establish the effectiveness of these cells as therapeutics,\u0026rdquo; Palecek said. \u0026ldquo;In addition, our work on scaling cell production will enable manufacturing of sufficient numbers of cells to replace damaged organs, such as the loss of heart muscle after a heart attack, at a cost that makes these therapies accessible to broad segments of society. We will also train the future leaders of the emerging therapeutic cell manufacturing industry. These students and their work establishing this industry will be the most significant impact of CMaT.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ENew centers among 19 ERCs\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESince the program\u0026rsquo;s inception in 1985, NSF has funded a total of 74 ERCs and will support 19 in this fiscal year, including four new centers. Each center receives NSF funding for up to 10 years. During this time, centers build partnerships with industry, universities and other government agencies that will sustain them for years to come.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn May, the National Academies published a report, \u0026ldquo;A new vision for center-based engineering research,\u0026rdquo; which was the result of an NSF-funded study to examine the future of the NSF ERC program.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe report identifies and recommends strategies to enable NSF multidisciplinary engineering research centers to continue addressing key research, education and innovation needs of the United States in a changing global context.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;ERCs are widely known as outstanding examples of successful partnerships between universities, private industry and government that have made significant contributions to address national challenges,\u0026rdquo; said Don Millard, acting division director for the NSF Division of Engineering Education and Centers. \u0026ldquo;We are continually working with the scientific and engineering communities, as well as private industry and government partners, to ensure NSF-funded centers and grantees are best-equipped to match societal needs with research abilities.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EResearch News\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E177 North Avenue\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAtlanta, Georgia\u0026nbsp; 30332-0181\u0026nbsp; USA\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contacts\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon (404-894-6986) (\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E) or Ben Brumfield (404-660-1408) (\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:ben.brumfield@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Eben.brumfield@comm.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E).\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded nearly $20 million to a consortium of universities to support a new engineering research center (ERC) that will work closely with industry and clinical partners to develop transformative tools and technologies for the consistent, scalable and low-cost production of high-quality living therapeutic cells.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"A $20 million engineering research center will help expand the uses of cell-based therapies."}],"uid":"27303","created_gmt":"2017-09-11 17:16:38","changed_gmt":"2017-09-12 15:57:54","author":"John Toon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2017-09-12T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2017-09-12T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"595805":{"id":"595805","type":"image","title":"Cell manufacturing lab","body":null,"created":"1505149092","gmt_created":"2017-09-11 16:58:12","changed":"1505149092","gmt_changed":"2017-09-11 16:58:12","alt":"Researchers work in cell manufacturing laboratory","file":{"fid":"227054","name":"cmat-lab.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/cmat-lab.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/cmat-lab.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":405404,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/cmat-lab.jpg?itok=bjjTaq6P"}},"595806":{"id":"595806","type":"image","title":"Cell manufacturing lab2","body":null,"created":"1505149268","gmt_created":"2017-09-11 17:01:08","changed":"1505149268","gmt_changed":"2017-09-11 17:01:08","alt":"Researchers work in a cell manufacturing lab at Georgia Tech","file":{"fid":"227055","name":"cmat-lab2.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/cmat-lab2.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/cmat-lab2.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":359023,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/cmat-lab2.jpg?itok=RWB0PoVE"}},"595807":{"id":"595807","type":"image","title":"Krishnendu Roy, director of CMaT","body":null,"created":"1505149393","gmt_created":"2017-09-11 17:03:13","changed":"1505149393","gmt_changed":"2017-09-11 17:03:13","alt":"CMaT director Krish 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