Cell and Gene Therapy

In cell therapy, specific cell types are transplanted into the body to treat a disease or repair damage. Cell therapy is often discussed in conjunction with gene therapy because many times these cells are genetically engineered.  In one example, CAR-T cell therapy, T cells are engineered to produce a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) on their surface.   CARs are made by fusing a gene for T cell activation with a gene for an antibody specific to a tumor protein. Once CAR-T cells are injected in the body, they use this new receptor to bind to tumor cells and destroy them.       

Gene therapy can also be carried out with engineered viruses such as Adeno Associated virus (AAV) or lentiviruses.

Students enrolled in the Cell and Gene Therapy Certificate program at Montgomery College (Maryland) must be able to:

• Define and explain the principles, concepts, and techniques used in cell and gene therapy

• Demonstrate the technical skills needed for producing and characterizing components of such as nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and cells

Courses and / or skills that might be included in a Cell and Gene Therapy certificate or degree are likely to include:

• Aseptic Technique and cell culture skills

• Flow cytometry - preparing and loading samples, calibrating the instrument, using the flow cytometer, data collection and analysis

• Protein biotechnology

• Nucleic acid principles

• Laboratory fundamentals for Cell and Gene therapy

• Mammalian Cell Culture