Open Access Cell and gene therapies: moving from research to clinic | Stroncek and Puri Journal of Translational Medicine 2010 8 31 http content 8 1 31 JOURNAL OF TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE EDITORIAL Open Access Cell and gene therapies moving from research to clinic David F Stroncek1 Raj K Puri2 Editorial Cell and gene therapy clinical trials began more than 40 years ago. At some institutions cellular therapy laboratories were started to support marrow transplantation. These early laboratories removed red blood cells and plasma from aspirated bone marrow that was used for allogeneic transplants cyropreserved autologous marrow depleted T cells from allogeneic grafts and depleted leukemic or cancerous cells from autologous grafts 1 . At other institutions cellular therapy laboratories were started to isolate and expand tumor infiltrating lymphocytes TIL that were used as investigational treatments for patients with melanoma or to prepare transfected autologous lymphocytes to treat severe combined immune deficiencies. For many years cellular and gene therapies were primarily highly experimental therapies which were developed and used in highly specialized academic health care centers. Now these forms of therapies are used in numerous clinical trials throughout the US and worldwide. While the field has advanced progress has been slow. Some therapies have not been effective and some have been associated with unacceptable adverse out comes. However both cell and gene therapies have now become important potential therapies for incurable diseases. Hematopoietic stem cell transplants have changed dramatically and have become very successful for hematopoietic reconstitution. Hematopoietic stem cell transplants now make use of marrow mobilized peripheral blood stem cells and umbilical cord blood for transplants involving HLA matched siblings and unrelated subjects as well as autologous transplants. Recently there have been important advances in immune therapy of cancer. Immune therapy for melanoma protocols that .
