The Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT) has once again awarded Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital’s (RWJUH) Transplant and Cell Therapy Program accreditation under the FACT-JACIE International Standards for Hematopoietic Cellular Therapy.
The accreditation is effective for three years beginning April 3, 2024 and applies to all services and facilities that were inspected by FACT, specifically:
Adult allogeneic and autologous hematopoietic progenitor cellular therapy
Immune effector cellular therapy
Peripheral blood cellular therapy product collection
Cellular therapy product processing with minimal manipulation
FACT accreditation elevates the Program’s position as a quality organization, and informs patients, health insurance companies and governments that it is dedicated to excellence in patient care and laboratory practices. FACT is the only accrediting agency that addresses all quality aspects of cellular therapy and cord blood banking including collection, processing, and administration.
FACT accreditation is awarded after successful documentation of compliance with the current standards. Compliance is determined by evaluation of written documents provided by the organization and by an on-site inspection carried out by a team who are qualified by training and experience.
“Achieving this prestigious accreditation for the eighth consecutive time affirms our program’s dedication to providing the highest quality care, and to deliver the best possible outcomes for our patients in a safe and caring environment. Achieving and maintaining this accreditation is a rigorous process. Patients can be assured that as the only program offered in New Jersey at an NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, they have access to outstanding clinical care, researchers, clinical trials, advanced therapies, and cutting-edge treatment that is available at only a small number of elite blood and marrow transplant programs nationally.”
Matthew Matasar, MD, MS Chief of Blood Disorders at Rutgers Cancer Institute and RWJUH
In collaboration with RWJUH, the Transplant and Cell Therapy Program at Rutgers Cancer Institute has been performing autologous stem cell transplant since 1995 and allogeneic stem cell transplants since 2002.
The Program treats patients with a number of illnesses including acute and chronic leukemias, myelodysplasia, both Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, multiple myeloma, amyloidosis, and others. The clinical and research interests of clinicians focus on novel strategies to prevent graft-versus-host disease, improved umbilical cord blood transplants, and the development of cellular therapies that are less toxic than standard transplants such as CAR T-Cell therapy.
In addition to its FACT accreditation, The Transplant and Cell Therapy Program has been rated “Excellent” by the Commission on Cancer. Rutgers Cancer Institute also offers stem cell transplantation for children, adolescents and young adults with cancers and blood disorders through our Pediatric Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapies Program.
(NewsWise/YVH)
