This article describes the feasibility and path to establishing a current good manufacturing practice biomaterial facility in an academic medical center. It presents a solution to overcome the "Valley of Death" in bench to bedside translation of biomaterials-based medical devices. It sets a good and feasible example to those who are interested in joining the path toward clinical practice/commercialization, and helps to spur other institutions and investigators to think about how they could incorporate in-house processes and facilities to help speed up the translation of their work into first-in-human trials.
Keywords: academic center; biomaterials; cGMP; regulatory; translation.