The Committee’s first international multi-site study is driving the development of a new standard in cell therapy quality control. This collaborative research, recently published in Stem Cells Translational Medicine (Yasuda et al., 2024), demonstrated the reproducibility of digital droplet PCR (ddPCR) to sensitively detect residual undifferentiated pluripotent stem cells in iPSC-derived therapy products. Residual pluripotent cells are a potential safety concern in regenerative medicine, and reliable tools are essential for minimizing tumorigenicity risk.
Based on these published results and experiences, the Standards Coordinating Body (SCB) recently completed a feasibility assessment to explore the creation of a formal standard for evaluating outcomes of iPSC differentiation using ddPCR. The SCB Feasibility Report stated:
The Health and Environmental Sciences Institute (HESI) Cell Therapy-TRAcking, Circulation & Safety Technical Committee (CT-TRACS) recently completed an international multidisciplinary multisite study on this topic, published in Stem Cells Translational Medicine. The study presents data on detection of residual PSCs in cell therapy products utilizing ddPCR that could be used to form the foundation of a new standard.
SCB has convened experts from across industry, academia, regulatory agencies, standards development organizations and HESI staff to guide the effort to develop a Technical Specification document. This standard will help to ensure quality, consistency, and comparability of measurements.
This initiative underscores HESI’s commitment to advancing science-based solutions that enable safe and effective translation of innovative therapies. By proactively identifying challenges and contributing vetted tools and methods with supporting data, the CGT-TRACS Committee supports the development of harmonized safety practices and international standards development in the rapidly evolving field of cell and gene therapy.