ICAT is an innovation hub that develops scalable healthcare solutions by uniting diverse expertise and infrastructure to standardize manufacturing processes and bridge the gap between research and clinical practice. It supports global stakeholders in accelerating the translation of regenerative treatments and advanced therapies into patient-specific care.
ICAT is unique in that it offers a place for excellence in research, but also clinical perspectives and collaborations with businesses. The center consists of three parts:
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Biofabrication Pilot Facility.
Organs and living tissues have very complex structures that cannot be reproduced well with existing technology. Biofabrication brings (engineered) cells and biomaterials together, for example with the aid of 3D bioprinting, in a natural or simulated environment to create functional 3D tissue. The aim of this biofabrication facility is to use patient’s own material and to implant it back into the patient after reprocessing. A second application is the validation, standardization, and automation of organ and patient-specific in vitro models to predict the effectiveness and safety of therapies in a specific patient or patient population.
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GMP Simulation Facility.
In a GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) simulation facility it is possible to efficiently develop, validate and optimize production protocols and to train employees, so that the development and scaling up of production technology and processes can be significantly accelerated and improved.
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GMP Production Facility.
The availability of a GMP production facility with sufficient capacity is necessary to optimize the translation to the clinic and to continue to provide the patient with the best and most innovative care. The current Cell Therapy Facility at UMC Utrecht has four cleanrooms for the production of both stem cell therapies and ATMPs. This facility will be expanded to nine cleanrooms in order to meet the increasing demand for ATMPs in particular.