The Impact and Promise of the Rush Cell Therapy Lab at RUSH MD Anderson Cancer Center with Mahzad Akbarpour, PhD

The Rush Cell Therapy Lab provides stem cell transplants, bone marrow transplants and other advanced cell therapy treatments for patients with leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and other hematological malignancies. In addition, the lab will soon function as a contracted manufacturing facility partner for the production and quality control and release of cell and gene therapies, representing a significant leap in decentralized hospital based cellular therapeutic manufacturing.

Mahzad Akbarpour, PhD, is the Director of the Rush Cell Therapy Lab at RUSH MD Anderson Cancer Center and is also an Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine in the Division of Hematology, Oncology, and Cell Therapy.

“When CAR-T cells first came on the market a few years ago, Rush was one of the first centers in the nation to provide this therapy to its patients. We’ve also been involved in several clinical trials to advance care and we’ll soon be able to manufacture our own cells on-site.”