Applied Gene and Cell Therapy Center

Turning Breakthrough Science into Real Treatments

The Applied Gene and Cell Therapy Center at Cincinnati Children’s represents a major investment in the future of medicine, designed to accelerate how life-changing discoveries become real treatments for patients. As a premier cell and gene therapy contract development and manufacturing organization (CGT CDMO), the center also expands our ability to partner with academic and industry innovators to bring new therapies to the clinic.

This advanced facility expands our ability to take promising research in gene, cell and immunotherapy and move it into clinical trials, where it can begin to impact lives. For children and families facing cancer, genetic disorders and rare diseases, that translation from lab to patient is critical.

Expanding What’s Possible in Clinical Trials

As scientific breakthroughs in gene and cell therapy accelerate, one challenge has become clear. There are more promising therapies than there is capacity to produce them.

The Applied Gene and Cell Therapy Center directly addresses that gap.

With 55,000 square feet of highly specialized space, the center is built to manufacture clinical-grade therapies under strict regulatory standards, supporting early and mid-phase clinical trials. It builds on more than 15 years of leadership from Cincinnati Children’s in translational research and therapeutic development.

By significantly increasing production capacity, the center enables more clinical trials, larger trials and faster progression of therapies that might otherwise stall before reaching patients.

A Launchpad for Next-Generation Therapies

Inside the facility, dedicated environments support two of the most promising frontiers in medicine:

Cell therapies, including CAR-T approaches, reprogram a patient’s own immune system to target disease.
Gene therapies use engineered viral vectors to deliver corrected genetic material directly into cells.

These technologies are already transforming outcomes for some cancers, blood disorders and inherited conditions, and they offer the potential to replace more toxic treatments with safer, more targeted approaches.

The center is designed not just to support discovery, but to produce therapies at the level required for human use, ensuring each dose meets rigorous standards for safety, purity and consistency.

Advancing Care for Rare and Complex Diseases

For many rare diseases, the barrier is not scientific understanding. It is the ability to produce treatments at scale.

Cincinnati Children’s is uniquely positioned to address this challenge. With deep expertise in rare and genetic conditions, and a long history of developing clinical trial therapies, the organization can move promising ideas forward even when commercial incentives are limited.

This center strengthens that mission, enabling therapies to be developed, manufactured and delivered to patients who otherwise may have no options.

Built for Scale, Precision and Collaboration

The Applied Gene and Cell Therapy Center represents a significant expansion of Cincinnati Children’s manufacturing capabilities:

Increased cleanroom capacity for cell and gene therapy production
Advanced bioreactor systems to scale therapeutic output
Highly controlled environments that exceed traditional clinical standards
Infrastructure designed for regulatory compliance and continuous operation

The facility will support a growing team of scientists, engineers and operations experts working at the intersection of research, clinical care and advanced manufacturing.

It also creates new opportunities to collaborate with academic institutions, biotech companies and industry partners, extending Cincinnati Children’s impact well beyond its own walls.

A Strategic Investment in the Future of Medicine

The Applied Gene and Cell Therapy Center reflects a $60 million investment in advancing pediatric research and innovation.

More importantly, it represents a long-term commitment to accelerate discovery, expand access to clinical trials and bring new therapies to patients faster.

As gene and cell therapies continue to redefine what is possible, this center positions Cincinnati Children’s at the forefront, where science becomes treatment and treatment becomes hope.

Visit the Applied Gene and Cell Therapy Center Website