Extraordinary Infrastructure Support

At City of Hope, we have a powerful combination of infrastructure, entrepreneurial spirit and a commitment to realizing improved treatments for patients. We are also devoted to accelerating the process by which innovative new concepts are moved from the lab to the clinic. With the combination of these assets and the profound partnership of the Wanek family, we are poised to make great strides in research toward new cures for people with diabetes.
 
With three on-campus therapeutics manufacturing facilities, as well as a fourth in planning, a promising new idea can quickly go from concept all the way to patient trials. An example of our entrepreneurial spirit in action, these state-of-the-art facilities dramatically reduce the cost and the time it takes to develop a new compound for patient trials. This unique strength greatly enhances our ability to rapidly advance innovative new therapies for cancer.
 
Wanek Project - Infrustructure Support Fig 1- top

Chemical GMP Synthesis Facility

Center for Biomedicine & Genetics (CBG)
The CBG allows scientific and clinical investigators the freedom to test and refine the most promising new therapeutics for patients with diabetes, hematologic malignancies and a range of other cancers. Recognized as one of the nation’s premier academic biologic manufacturing facilities, the center’s multifunctional design accommodates good manufacturing practice production of stem cells and islet cells that will be utilized in cell transplantation protocols at City of Hope and centers across the nation.

Cellular Therapy Production Center
Right now, our researchers are developing methods that enable us to take promising therapeutics from the lab to the clinic — ensuring that they can be manufactured in large quantities and at high quality. The Cellular Therapy Production Center is at the center of discovery and innovation, providing the expertise and technology necessary to realize promising discoveries as treatments for patients diagnosed with cancers. The center manufactures a range of products, including CAR T cells and cardiomyocytes.
 

Wanek Project - Infrustructure Support Fig 1- middle

Chemical GMP Synthesis Facility

Chemical GMP Synthesis Facility (CGSF)
The CGSF provides the specialized and sophisticated infrastructure to produce molecular targeted agents for phase 1 and phase 2 clinical trials. GMP stands for "good manufacturing practice," the standards set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ensure that agents are pure and consistently potent. This facility closes a gap in our ability to bring a full range of novel treatment types from bench to bedside.

We have extensive scientific infrastructure, including 10 major research facilities with core labs ranging from cytogenetics to mass spectrometry, proteomics to bioinformatics. And — we offer centralized support and expertise, with demonstrated skill in moving projects through FDA regulatory processes.

City of Hope Helford Clinical Research Hospital is a centerpiece of our vibrant research program. As one of the few federally designated clinical research centers dedicated to patient research among the free-standing cancer centers in the nation, the hospital allows us to conduct highly controlled and sophisticated studies involving pharmaceuticals, metabolism, nutrition and gene therapy. With prestigious funding from the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine, we established the Alpha Clinic, where cell-based clinical trials are carried out in a highly controlled, patient-centered setting.
 

Wanek Project - Infrustructure Support Fig 1- bottom

Islet cell researchers in the Center for Biomedicine & Genetics Facility

The recently completed Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinic in the Geri & Richard Brawerman Ambulatory Care Center was specially designed to meet the needs of patients receiving care for diabetes. With eight exam rooms, as well as two treatment rooms and three consultation offices, the clinic provides expanded patient care space in one dedicated location, in a setting that brings patients and their families comfort during their visits. The clinic is in close proximity to other outpatient services, including pharmacy and lab services. The result is seamless, high-quality and timely care in an environment that truly meets patient needs.