The University of Texas MD Anderson CARTOX Program is First to Achieve Accreditation Under the FACT Standards for Immune Effector Cells
By Mikaela VanMoorleghem, FACT Education and Training Coordinator
The University of Texas MD Anderson CARTOX Program received accreditation for immune effector cellular therapy by the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT) at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. The University of Texas MD Anderson CARTOX Program, directed by Elizabeth Shpall, MD, and Sattva S. Neelapu, MD, is the first program to be recognized by FACT for compliance with the new FACT Standards for Immune Effector Cells independent of a bone marrow transplant program. The program received accreditation on April 19, 2018.
Dr. Elizabeth Shpall states, “We are very excited to receive the accreditation for the first stand-alone immune effector cell program. It was a major effort of so many people at MD Anderson to coordinate the many different departments and clinical care teams with such broad expertise. We are very grateful for the FACT IEC Standards which we used extensively as a guide for the development and continued operation of our CARTOX program.”
Dr. Phyllis Warkentin, FACT Chief Medical Officer states, “I welcome the University of Texas MD Anderson CARTOX Program to a network of cellular therapy programs and experts that promote the highest quality in the delivery of cellular therapy and care to the patients they serve. Accredited cellular therapy programs such as the CARTOX program have met rigorous standards and I commend them on this tremendous success.”
The FACT website lists all FACT-accredited immune effector cellular therapy programs, which includes bone marrow transplant programs also providing these services.
