Gene & Cell-Based Therapies
Every child’s combination of genetics, biology, lifestyle, and environment is unique. Illness can be caused or influenced by any of these factors. Yet physicians traditionally have had to base treatment plans on what is most typical for an illness. This broad approach doesn’t work for every patient or condition, and families may go years without answers.
Fortunately, WashU Medicine physician-scientists are harnessing new technologies in gene sequencing, data analysis, and cellular-level interventions through our Center for Gene and Cell-Based Therapies.
Our Approach
The Center for Gene and Cell-Based Therapies will be one of a handful of institutions worldwide to focus the power of precision medicine on child heath. It will provide a framework for identifying and implementing highly personalized, targeted treatments based on each patient’s unique genes and biology.
This Center will pioneer methods for new, safe, and effective therapies and make those innovations accessible to thousands of children. Tailored drug therapies can be based on how a child’s body responds to medicine. Drugs can be delivered directly into cells using nanoparticles and gene therapies can replace or deactivate faulty genes that cause illness. We will be a hub for cutting-edge research and provide access to a community of researchers, clinicians, patient advocacy groups, and industry partners.
The path forward
With your help, we will continue advancing innovation in gene and cell-based therapies, empowering some the world’s leading physician-scientists to apply lifesaving research directly into clinical practice.