Alliance for Advancement of Cellular Therapeutics Calls for Registry

Working at the University of Illinois College of Medicine as a professor of surgery and pediatrics, Dr. Mark Holterman has an interest in the field of biotechnology. Mark Holterman, MD, serves on the board of several organizations, including the Alliance for the Advancement of Cellular Therapies (AACT).

One of the leading organizations supporting a Registry of Cell Therapy, AACT believes that establishing a well-curated registry will help address many of the common criticisms about the use of cell therapy, such as concerns about incomplete patient data and the variable quality of stem cells. The proposed registry would also ensure that stem cells are used only for valid treatment strategies according to review board protocols. 

With a registry, researchers also could address concerns about unreliable data by identifying standardized metrics to apply at uniform points in time by objective observers. Finally, the registry would allow the Food and Drug Administration to audit every aspect of stem cell research data to evaluate safety and efficacy.