IPMM Revitalization Activity

IPMM is Philippine’s First DOH Accredited Cellular Therapy Program and Facility


The Medical City’s Institute of Personalized Molecular Medicine (IPMM) is the first fully accredited Human Stem Cell and Cell-based Therapy Program in the country, with accreditation granted by the Department of Health in November 2014.


TMC President and CEO Dr. Alfredo R.A. Bengzon shared this development during the IPMM Revitalization Activity held on April 24, 2015 at the 4th Floor Conference Room. Dr. Bengzon talked about the road to accreditation – the learnings and struggles of TMC and IPMM during the past two years.


“The setting up of IPMM is a reflection of The Medical City’s recognition of the necessity to understand and act on health and disease at the molecular level with central attention to the immune system. In taking this initiative we are animated by these two considerations – that all of your learnings will be useful to you as medical practitioners and health professionals, and that the opportunities brought to us by this defining and rapidly developing field simultaneously remind us of our responsibilities to the individuals we serve and to the nation at large,” said Dr. Bengzon.



IPMM applied for accreditation in August 2013. The DOH Bureau of Health Facilities and Services and Food and Drug Administration conducted a facility visit. After the visit, laboratory facilities were upgraded to comply with the DOH recommendations. In March 2014, the Bioethics Advisory Board also visited IPMM. The certificate of accreditation for the IPMM facility was awarded on November 17, 2014. Approval and accreditation of the IPMM program was given on January 21, 2015.

During the Revitalization activity, IPMM Director Dr. Michelle De Vera also discussed and revisited the first three certificate courses on Molecular Medicine given by IPMM in collaboration with the Ateneo School of Science and Engineering. She also presented preliminary outcomes data on the patients being treated at IPMM for cancer and other non-cancer diseases.


Moving forward, Dr. Samuel Bernal, IPMM consultant and adviser, presented trends in globalization and technology in health care including advancements in stem cell therapy and the use of molecular medicine, molecular profiling and immune cell therapy in answering the challenges of cancer treatment today.


“Moving forward with confidence, realizing how far The Medical City has gone in spite of the opposition, not surprising because TMC is the pioneer, The Medical City is doing its job when it shakes people up,” said Dr. Bernal.



Dr. Bernal added that there is definite and clear basis for using this form of therapy in all levels – scientific and medical, ethical, and even legal.

He also lauded IPMM’s multidisciplinary approach, innovative practice and data gathering, service to patients, and the institutional commitment of TMC to its patient partners, and even more opportunities for IPMM in the global setting now that is has been accredited as a human stem cell and cell based therapy program and facility.