FACT Regenerative Medicine InterCHANGE Generates Actionable Ideas
On September 17, 2018, FACT hosted a Regenerative Medicine InterCHANGE meeting in conjunction with the Cord Blood Connect congress in Miami Beach, Florida. Lessons learned from the commercialization of immune effector cells indicate that proactive change management is key to linking the needs and interests of all involved in advancing regenerative medicine. The purpose of the meeting was to create awareness and discuss challenges identified with the development, testing, and commercialization of novel cellular therapies in regenerative medicine.
The first half of the meeting was allocated to organizational introductions, during which each participating organization briefly presented information about its mission and initiatives related to regenerative medicine. Presenters mentioned several examples of collaboration with other attendee organizations, and audience members stated that the presentations enhanced their awareness and understanding of other stakeholders and their complementary objectives.
During the second half of the meeting, Dr. Ian McNiece, chair of the FACT Regenerative Medicine Task Force, moderated a discussion of challenges related to implementation of novel cellular therapies. Common themes throughout the discussion included data, standardization, accreditation, gaps in legislative policies, cost of goods and reimbursement, relationships between academia and industry, and early professional education.
The FACT Regenerative Medicine Task force will draft a summary of the meeting and distribute this document to all participating organizations for review and input. After all organizations complete this review, the summary will be distributed to stakeholders.
