Hudson Institute's Hudson Institute Cell Therapies (HICT) platform is now part of Therapeutic Innovation Australia's (TIA) Pipeline Accelerator scheme, making its specialised cell therapy infrastructure, services and expertise more accessible to researchers and biotechnology developers across Australia.
As part of the TIA facility network, HICT can now be more readily identified by researchers, clinicians and biotechnology companies looking for specialised facilities and support to progress their promising cell and advanced therapy projects towards clinical application.
A key strength of HICT is its ability to bridge the gap between early research and full GMP manufacturing, helping researchers progress cell therapies from preclinical development towards early-phase clinical application.
Supporting cell therapies from research to the clinical application
HICT supports projects across the cell therapy translational pathway, providing specialised expertise and infrastructure in:
- Cell therapy processing - processing and preparation of cellular therapy products, including hematopoietic progenitor cell products and cord blood.
- Cryopreservation and cryostorage - controlled-rate freezing, cryopreservation, long-term storage and management of cellular products.
- Cell therapy logistics - receipt, handling, storage, release and chain-of-custody management of cellular therapy products.
- Quality and regulatory support - quality systems, documentation, regulatory guidance and operational support for clinical and translational cell therapy projects.
- Clinical trial support - facility and technical support for investigator-led early-phase cell therapy trials.
- Translational expertise - practical expertise in process development, workflow design and quality considerations for cell therapy projects.
By combining translational expertise, quality systems and clinical trial support within a single facility, HICT helps researchers navigate critical stages of the translation pathway from laboratory discovery to clinical translation.
This capability fills an important gap between research and clinical application, providing researchers with access to specialised expertise and infrastructure as they work to bring new cell therapies closer to patients.
Connecting researchers with specialised infrastructure
TIA provides voucher opportunities through the Pipeline Accelerator scheme to help researchers access participating facilities, including HICT. By providing subsidies to help offset the cost of access to specialised infrastructure and expertise, these programs reduce barriers for researchers undertaking translational projects.
Dr Mirja Krause-Onwukwe, HICT Service Operations Manager and Senior Quality Manager highlights, "with TIA's voucher scheme currently open, HICT's inclusion in the TIA Pipeline Accelerator scheme provides a timely opportunity for researchers developing cell and advanced therapies to discover our capabilities and explore how the facility could support their projects."
"Through the TIA network, HICT is helping create new pathways for collaboration and supporting the translation of promising cell therapies from the laboratory towards clinical application."
