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Cell therapy, which uses specific types of stem cells to repair damaged tissues, is one approach in the regenerative medicine tool kit. The Center for Regenerative Medicine works closely with the Human Cellular Therapy Laboratory to develop and produce safe cellular products for research and patient care purposes.

Occupying more than 6,000 square feet at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., the Human Cellular Therapy Laboratory, which is compliant with current good manufacturing practice (cGMP) regulations as they apply to cell manufacturing, includes scientists, regulatory specialists and laboratory technologists with expertise in cell biology, protocol development, clinical trial monitoring and the regulatory environment.

Regenerative medicine applications

Development of regenerative cellular therapies is under way in the Human Cellular Therapy Laboratory for more than a dozen conditions. For each disease, the cellular product is being made "from the patient, for the patient" — the patient's own cells are being expanded or activated to treat his or her specific disease.

In nearly all cases, these regenerative therapies are intended for people for whom there are no other treatment options available.

The Center for Regenerative Medicine and Human Cellular Therapy Laboratory have cellular therapies in development for:

• Acute myocardial infarction (heart attack)
• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease)
• Anal fistulas
• Breast cancer
• Critical limb ischemia
• Diabetes
• Hypoplastic left heart syndrome
• Intracranial saccular aneurysms
• Liver repair and tolerance induction
• Lymphoma
• Ovarian cancer
• Renal stenosis
• Stage IV glioblastoma

In addition to supporting the Center for Regenerative Medicine, the Human Cellular Therapy Laboratory also provides cellular products for the Blood and Marrow Transplant Program, Islet Cell Transplant Program, Cancer Center, Division of Transfusion Medicine and individual Mayo Clinic investigators.