CTMC Awarded $9.1M Through CPRIT Grant for the Advancement of Cell Therapy

Leading cell therapy accelerator will drive the development of novel therapies for Texas cancer patients

HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CTMC, a joint venture between Resilience + MD Anderson Cancer Center, announces that it has been awarded $9.1M in the newly created Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) Texas New Technologies Company grant. The grant will focus on retroviral vector (RVV) manufacturing, an enhanced tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) platform, and a differentiated process development approach to CAR-T manufacturing.

CPRIT created a new grant category called Texas New Technologies Company to fund development projects of promising technologies. The proposal CTMC submitted addressed four of CPRIT’s key priorities: develop novel projects that offer therapeutic benefit, address challenging unmet medical needs, stimulate commercialization of technology developed at Texas entities, and attract promising companies to Texas.

“We are proud to be the first recipient of the New Technologies grant. CPRIT has been forward-looking in supporting the oncology-focused life sciences ecosystem in Texas. By funding innovation in underlying manufacturing technology, we can add further value to our partners' products, reduce risk, and decrease development timelines,” said Jason Bock, CEO, CTMC. “This award provides us with new opportunities to create advanced manufacturing technologies to accelerate cell therapies reaching patients.”

CTMC will utilize this grant to fund three goals:

GOAL 1: Establish an industrial and flexible center for RVV manufacturing focused on reducing overall development times through vertical integration with cell therapy development and an integrated regulatory strategy.

GOAL 2: Develop an advanced, commercializable TIL manufacturing platform to improve process robustness.

GOAL 3: Provide a differentiated process development approach for CAR-T manufacturing by reducing the risk of batch failure and clinical delays.

CTMC’s unique model accelerates the development and manufacturing of innovative cell therapies for patients with cancer. CTMC works in collaboration with both academic faculty at MD Anderson and with biopharmaceutical companies to drive life-saving cell therapies from the pre-clinical stage through regulatory filing to clinical trials.

About CTMC

CTMC – a joint venture between Resilience + MD Anderson Cancer Center – was created to accelerate the development and manufacturing of impactful cell therapies for patients with cancer. CTMC is uniquely positioned within the Texas Medical Center to provide therapies that begin and end with the patient. By leveraging the strengths of MD Anderson and Resilience we start clinical trials faster and provide a clear path to robust commercialization. Learn more at www.ctmc.com.