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New Frontiers of Cell Therapy

Cell therapy is a powerful approach for turning cells into living medicines

Over the past several decades, scientists have made many leaps forward in the quest to develop more effective medicines to treat or prevent disease – for example, small molecules that change the inner workings of cells; therapeutic antibodies that precisely target proteins on the surface of cells; and gene therapy that provides cells with instructions to make specific proteins. Each of these modalities focuses on changing the function of cells in our body.

But what if we could alter and deploy cells themselves to help us fight disease more effectively? What if we could transplant cells to regenerate tissue and restore lost function? Revolutionary advancements in science are now enabling us to explore the full potential of this novel approach and turn cells into living medicines.

This area of therapeutics, known as cell therapy, aims to replace or enhance cells so they can effectively carry out vital roles and treat – or even cure – diseases. Over the past several years, cell therapy has become a powerful treatment option for certain hematologic cancers, but this area is in its infancy; much work will be required to realise its broader potential. Research and early development units at Genentech (gRED) and Roche pharma (pRED) are committed to advancing biological research, technology innovations and clinical development to accelerate the discovery and development of new cell therapies in oncology, ophthalmology, neurology, haematology, and immunology.

Cell therapy has the potential to change how we treat disease

James Sabry

Global Head of Roche Pharma Partnering.

“At Roche and Genentech, our interest in cell therapy is directly tied to our commitment to inventing pioneering medicines with substantial patient benefit. To complement our own efforts, we are bridging different scientific approaches and expertise through collaborations that will provide us with the toolkit necessary to tap into the full potential of cell therapy.” says James Sabry.

By working together, we are enabling scientists to make potentially groundbreaking discoveries that may address key obstacles in cell therapy – including genetic modification, scalability and limits on what diseases can be treated.

“In pRED we have been working on novel molecular engineering to better engage T cells to fight cancer. While most of our efforts so far have been on off-the-shelf biologics, we believe some of these constructs can be applied to develop next generation cell therapies too. We look forward to contributing in the future to the overall Roche effort in cell therapy,” says Pablo Umaña, Head of Oncology Discovery, pRED.

Read on to learn more about our collaborations and the future of cell therapy.

Interested in partnering with us?