California Awards $27 Million to Expand Cell and Gene Therapy Access to Underserved Communities
Key Insights
The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) has approved $27 million in grants to establish three Community Care Centers of Excellence (CCCEs) across California, marking the first program designed to bring regenerative medicine clinical trials to underserved communities far from major medical centers.
The three centers will be located at Lundquist Institute in Torrance, Loma Linda University, and Community Health System in Fresno/Clovis, focusing on treatments for conditions ranging from cancer and Parkinson's disease to sickle cell disease and rare genetic disorders.
The CCCEs will launch by early 2026 and will provide CAR T-cell therapy, onsite cell manufacturing capacity, and comprehensive patient support services to address geographic and socioeconomic barriers to clinical trial access.
The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) has approved awarding $27 million through three grants to create a groundbreaking network of Community Care Centers of Excellence (CCCEs), the first program of its kind designed to make regenerative medicine clinical trials accessible for Californians living far from major medical centers. The initiative addresses a critical gap in healthcare access, bringing cutting-edge cell and gene therapies to underserved communities across the state.
Three Strategic Centers Target Geographic Barriers
The funding will establish three centers across California, each receiving approximately $9 million to serve distinct regions. The Lundquist Institute in Torrance will receive $9 million to create the South Los Angeles Community Center of Excellence for Regenerative Medicine, focusing on ambulatory gene and cell clinical therapies for hemoglobinopathies, autoimmune diseases, and rare diseases in geographically dispersed and culturally diverse communities.
Loma Linda University will receive $9 million to establish the Inland Empire and Desert Region CIRM Community Care Center of Excellence, which will feature onsite cell manufacturing capacity and offer treatments for cancers, sickle cell disease, and various neurological and immune disorders. This center will serve as the first and only provider in the Inland Empire and Desert Region for advanced regenerative medicine therapies for both children and adults.
The Community Health System in Fresno/Clovis will receive $8,996,101 to establish a center in California's Central Valley, delivering CAR T-cell therapy for blood cancers and making advanced cellular and gene therapies accessible across the region for conditions including blood disorders and neurodegenerative conditions.
Addressing Social Determinants of Health
The CCCE program emerged from a statewide needs assessment and community feedback that identified significant barriers to regenerative medicine access. CIRM found that expanding access would require addressing social determinants of health, including non-medical factors like location, income, insurance coverage, and other social and economic conditions that vary across regions and populations.
"It is essential that we bring access to clinical trials, treatments, and cures resulting from CIRM-funded research to people in underserved areas," said Maria Gonzalez Bonneville, CIRM Chair of the Access & Affordability Working Group and Board Vice Chair. "Ensuring every Californian, regardless of their background or socioeconomic status, has access to these life-changing treatments is a core part of CIRM's vision."
Comprehensive Treatment Scope
The clinical trials offered through the CCCEs will span a wide range of conditions, from prevalent diseases like Parkinson's and cancer to rare diseases including sickle cell disease, autoimmune diseases, and ultra-rare genetic diseases. Each center will also provide training and career development for both treatment delivery and patient support services required in the expanding field of regenerative medicine.
The CCCEs will launch by early 2026 and will involve community-based partnerships designed to address informational, economic, or social determinants that impact access to or participation in research.
Integration with Existing Infrastructure
The new centers represent an expansion of CIRM's Clinical Infrastructure program, which currently includes Alpha Clinics and a Patient Support Program. The existing network comprises nine world-class medical centers throughout California that streamline and accelerate the delivery of cell and gene therapies to patients. The majority of CIRM-funded clinical trials currently enroll patients at one or more Alpha Clinic sites.
"Expanding the reach of CIRM's clinical programs is essential to engaging more patients in clinical trials," said Rosa Canet-Avilés, PhD, Chief Science Officer at CIRM. "The CCCEs will be another crucial part of the infrastructure for accelerating the delivery of therapies to patients that complement our existing Alpha Clinics Network and CIRM Patient Support Program."
Funding and Mission
CIRM was created by California voters in 2004 through Proposition 71 and extended in 2020 through Proposition 14, with $5.5 billion in total funding allocated to accelerate treatments for patients with unmet medical needs. The agency supports stem cell and gene therapy research from inception through clinical trials, trains a workforce for California's biotech industry, and creates infrastructure to make clinical trials accessible throughout the state.
The CCCE program addresses a fundamental challenge in clinical trial access: people in remote areas often have less experience with clinical trials or regenerative medicine and may lack regular access to medical professionals who could provide referrals to clinical trials. By establishing these regional hubs, CIRM aims to overcome these barriers and ensure equitable access to next-generation treatments across California's diverse geographic and demographic landscape.