CELLULAR THERAPEUTICS

JOHNSON CENTER FOR CELLULAR THERAPEUTICS

Cell therapy, the practice of transplanting human cells to replace or repair damaged tissue and/or cells, has the potential to yield new treatment options for a wide variety of diseases and disorders. Thanks to a transformational lead gift from Ann and John W. “Johnny” Johnson, Houston Methodist can stand at the forefront of this medical renaissance. “This is a unique opportunity to truly lead medicine worldwide,” says Dr. Stanley H. Appel, the Peggy and Gary Edwards Distinguished Chair in ALS Research in the Stanley H. Appel Department of Neurology, director of the Ann Kimball and John W. Johnson Center for Cellular Therapeutics and co-director of the Neurological Institute at Houston Methodist. “My hope is Houston Methodist will be a global destination for game-changing cell therapies.” The Ann Kimball and John W. Johnson Center for Cellular Therapeutics will open a new 5,000-square-foot facility on the third floor of the Houston Methodist Outpatient Center in late 2021. Daniel J. Kota, PhD, managing director, and Christopher Lincoln, PhD, director of the Office of Translational Production and Quality in the Houston Methodist Research Institute, co-lead the Center. The Center will equip researchers and clinician-researchers in Houston Methodist’s Centers of Excellence, the Houston Methodist Academic Institute and programs throughout the Houston Methodist system with the resources needed to develop new cell therapybased therapeutics. The researchers and clinician-researchers can also manufacture those therapies in-house, eliminating an extra step that adds significant time and expense. The new facility has six independent production rooms and a dedicated quality control laboratory. It also boasts a large mechanical area that contains instruments and tools needed for the operation of the facility.

“Cell therapy is among the most promising treatment options in the new era of personalized medicine,” says Dr. Kota. “This Center will serve as the leading research and development lab for cell therapy at Houston Methodist.” The state-of-the-art facility was designed with the flexibility to inspire innovation and produce FDA-approved cellular therapies. Its dollar-for-dollar matching Challenge Fund established by Ann and Johnny Johnson continues in that tradition of innovation. Several benefactors have already made gifts to this fund to support the various Centers of Excellence, which exemplifies how the community can make a larger impact together.