Don’t overlook histocompatibility in allogeneic cell therapy
Many allogeneic cell therapy developers believe they can overcome HLA barriers. However, HLA is only one factor to consider, and the issue of histocompatibility should not be overlooked.
HLA, histocompatibility and the science of cell source selection
Allogeneic cell therapy development has been top-of-mind in recent years as autologous cell therapies see continued success. For more than three decades, the largest group of HLA experts in the world has worked to create a unique cell source selection expertise. That expertise holds value for allogeneic cell and gene therapy developers, too.
Managing donor collections during the COVID-19 pandemic
Even before COVID-19 reached pandemic levels, teams at the National Marrow Donor Program® (NMDP)/Be The Match® had their eye on an important part of the cell therapy supply chain—donor collections. Collections from allogeneic donors are critical to getting time-sensitive life-saving cell therapies to patients around the world. But donors often must fly to the apheresis…
Navigating a time-sensitive cell therapy supply chain during the coronavirus outbreak (Updated)
Updated March 27, 2020 (original story follows) Editor’s note: It’s been just over one month since we first shared how established relationships have helped our organization navigate the impacts of the coronavirus on the cell therapy supply chain. Since then, much has changed. Just a few days after we posted the story, reports from Italy…
Better match, better outcome: When it comes to UCB transplant, the precision of the match is important
For years, umbilical cord blood (UCB) transplant was considered an acceptable alternative unrelated donor graft for the treatment of leukemia including reconstituting a patient’s immune system. Typically UCB transplants could be performed without the worry of precise patient-donor HLA-compatibility. To date, more than 35,000 cord blood transplants have been conducted worldwide. As use of the…