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The Ann Kimball and John W. Johnson Center for Cellular Therapeutics
Visionary Gifts of Hope
Ushering medical breakthroughs from the lab to the clinic takes many years and millions of dollars. Most promising discoveries are lost in the phase of translation called the “Valley of Death.” To help bridge the Valley of Death and to provide our most promising innovations a lifeline, Houston Methodist is drawing on the transformative power of philanthropy.
With generous support from Ann Kimball and John W. “Johnny” Johnson, Houston Methodist has entered a new era of cellular therapeutics that will expand our growing portfolio of immunotherapeutics and RNA therapeutics. Their cornerstone commitment will build a research program and production facility at Houston Methodist that will allow us to design new therapies rapidly and produce experimental therapeutics on-site. The 5,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) facility is located in the Houston Methodist Outpatient Center and will open in 2021.
Stanley H. Appel, MD, the Peggy and Gary Edwards Distinguished Endowed Chair in ALS Research, Stanley H. Appel Department of Neurology, will lead a multidisciplinary team of researchers dedicated to expanding cell therapy research at Houston Methodist. His regulatory T cell therapy for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, is demonstrating promising results in slowing disease progression in some patients. Appel’s cell therapy for ALS will be manufactured on-site as part of the cell therapy program at the Ann Kimball and John W. Johnson Center for Cellular Therapeutics.
