Harvard University has recently completed a license agreement with Magenta Therapeutics, a newly launched start-up in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in order to continue research and development related to new approaches to blood stem cell transplantation. The deal will help transform this science from that of a “last resort” into safer, more effective therapy for patients who suffer from blood diseases, cancers, and immune disorders. The license agreement has given Magenta the opportunity to utilize a platform of technologies developed at Harvard, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), and Boston Children’s Hospital.
This revolutionary technology has been most recently advanced in the laboratory of David Scadden, the Gerald and Darlene Jordan Professor of Medicine and professor of stem cell and regenerative biology at Harvard, and director of the Center for Regenerative Medicine at MGH. Scadden’s lab has made advances in how donor cells are selected, harvested, and prepared for transplant, improving projected outcomes for patients. For more information, read the Harvard Gazette and Boston Business Journal articles.