Clinical trials in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering that are required to validate pre-clinical studies and to bring new therapies closer to patients are now possible at the new Clinical Translation Unit (CTU). Formally opened on September 28, 2007, the CTU is a joint project between Research and Development RA SA and Hospital Universitario Austral in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in partnership with the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine in Pittsburgh, USA.
The main concept of the unit lies on having a state-of-the-art cell culture facility inside the operating room, a first-of-its-kind, to facilitate the translation of bench top technologies to the bedside. Together with a strong regulatory expertise at the Hospital Universitario Austral, the CTU allows validation of pre-clinical studies. This represents a good opportunity for tissue engineering companies and university-based projects to acquire clinical data and move forward in their implementation of innovative clinical protocols.
For the grand opening, Professor Masayuki Yamato from Tokyo Women’s University gave a lecture on Cell Sheet Tissue Engineering and recognized the significance of the CTU. He honored all by cutting the ribbon during the inauguration. Also participating in the program in Argentina was McGowan Institute faculty member Alejandro Nieponice, MD, Director, CTU, and via a video presentation, Alan Russell, PhD, Director, McGowan Institute.
Illustration: Alejandro Nieponice, MD.
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Clinical Translation Unit website
Podcast #36: Alejandro Nieponice, MD