Vision

CMaT's vision is to transform the manufacture of cell-based therapeutics into a large-scale, lower-cost, reproducible, and high-quality Quality-by-Design (QbD)-driven engineered system for broad industry and clinical use. In the past six years, CMaT has become a globally-recognized visionary and strategic international resource and an exemplar for developing new knowledge, transformative technologies, an inclusive and well-trained workforce, and for enabling standards for cell production and characterization processes. With re-alignment of thrusts and test-beds at the end of Y5, in Y6 and beyond CMaT has enabled convergent research in three synergistic research and technical innovation Thrusts which are integrated in three Engineered Systems (Test-Beds): 

Thrusts: 

• Data science and AI in cell manufacturing, including deep characterization of therapeutic cells through for the discovery of in-culture correlative/predictive quality and process attributes, as well as supply chain and cost modeling (Thrust 1) 

• Tools and technologies for rapid and reliable assessment of process and product (cell) quality, i.e., process analytical technologies (PATs), preferably in real time (at-line or in-line), and innovative, physiologically relevant product potency and safety assays, (Thrust 2) 

• Automation, process and systems engineering for scale-up or scale-out manufacturing and reliable production and storage (Thrust 3) 

Test-Beds: 

• Mesenchymal Stromal Cells (MSCs) for immune modulation and tissue regeneration (Test-Bed 1) 

• T cell and NK cell-based immunotherapies (Test-Bed 2) 

• iPSC-derived cells, including cardiomyocytes, immune cells and neural cells (Test-Bed 3).