NMDP BioTherapies and the NMDP BioTherapies Cord Blood Bank Alliance Introduce Optimal Cord Blood Units for Manufacture of NK Cell Therapies And Other Cord Derived Cell Therapies

Leveraging the Power of the NMDP BioTherapies Cord Blood Bank Alliance, Readily Accessible Cord Blood Units That Meet the Criteria Established in Marin, et al in Nature Medicine for Production of CAR-NK Cells

NMDP BioTherapies^SM (formerly known as the Be The Match BioTherapies), a leader in cell and gene therapy development support, and the NMDP BioTherapies Cord Blood Bank Alliance (CBBA), a partnership between NMDP BioTherapies and nine public cord blood banks, are making available pre-identified cord blood units that are optimized for manufacture of cord-derived cell therapies, and in particular cord-derived NK cell therapies. The identification and supply of these units leverages the over 200,000 cord blood units in the inventory of the CBBA as well as NMDP BioTherapies’ cord unit search platform, through which individual cord blood units that meet specific requirements can be rapidly identified.

“It’s already known that cord blood units can be an excellent source of starting material for manufacture of cell and gene therapies. Dr. Katayoun Rezvani’s presentation at ASH in December 2023 and subsequent Nature Medicine paper advanced the field substantially, identifying cord blood unit attributes that correlated with excellent manufacturing and clinical outcomes for therapeutically administered cord blood derived CAR-NK cells,” said Joy Aho, Director of Product Management at NMDP BioTherapies. “These units can be difficult to find, but through our partnership with the members of the Cord Blood Bank Alliance, we are able to quickly search, identify, and make available units that fit Dr. Rezvani’s criteria, making it easier for cell and gene therapy industry partners to further advance the field and pursue our shared mission of improving outcomes for patients.”

The CBBA brings together leading cord blood banks with decades of experience managing the development, production and distribution of allogeneic products in a regulated environment. Initially, the CBBA included eight NMDP member banks that have demonstrated commitment to serving the needs of patients and providing high quality cord blood units for the development and commercialization of emerging cell and gene therapies.

“We are excited to help advance the manufacture of high quality and clinically effective cell and gene therapies,” said Jill Thomas, Director of Operations, Bloodworks Bio. “The field is still early in its development, and the cord blood unit criteria shared in the Nature Medicine paper are a compelling advance, one that should translate into significant positive clinical impact for patients receiving cord blood derived NK cell therapies and potentially other types of cell therapies as well.”

Specific cord blood units that meet the Rezvani criteria have been identified using NMDP BioTherapies’ cord search platform, and member CBBA banks have set the units aside for rapid delivery after orders are placed through the NMDP BioTherapies website (https://nmdpbiotherapies.com/cord-blood/). All of the units were cryopreserved less than 24 hours from collection, feature low nRBC counts, meet CFR 1271 requirements, and are commercially consented.

About NMDP BioTherapies

NMDP BioTherapies is the only cell and gene therapy solutions provider with customizable services to support the end-to-end cell therapy supply chain. Backed by the industry-leading experience of NMDP℠ and a research partnership with the CIBMTR® (Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research®), the organization designs solutions that advance the development of cell and gene therapies across the globe.

NMDP BioTherapies is dedicated to accelerating patient access to life-saving cell and gene therapies by providing high-quality cellular source material from the NMDP Registry℠, the world’s most diverse registry of more than 7 million potential blood stem cell donors. Through established relationships with apheresis, marrow collection, and transplant centers worldwide, the organization develops, onboards, trains, and manages expansive collection networks to advance cell therapies. NMDP BioTherapies uses a proven infrastructure consisting of regulatory compliance and managed logistics experts and cell therapy supply chain case managers to successfully transport and deliver regulatory-compliant life-saving therapies across the globe. Through the CIBMTR, NMDP extends services beyond the cell therapy supply chain to include long-term follow-up tracking for FDA-approved CAR-T therapies.

For more information, follow NMDP BioTherapies on LinkedIn or Twitter.

About Bloodworks Northwest

Bloodworks Northwest provides a lifesaving blood supply and services to 95% of Western Washington and Oregon hospitals. Since 1944, Bloodworks has served the Pacific Northwest as a local, nonprofit, independent, volunteer-supported and community-based blood center and research institute. Our Bloodworks Bio division offers a complete ecosystem of blood-based biological products and cellular therapy to support global biomedical research and discoveries. As experts in all things blood, Bloodworks Bio’s vision is to accelerate discoveries by providing comprehensive blood products, manufacturing services, and quality support for our biomedical and research partners in support of their research, clinical and commercial programs. Bloodworks Research Institute, the research division of Bloodworks Northwest, performs leading-edge research in blood biology, transfusion medicine, blood storage and treatment of blood disorders. Patients with traumatic injuries, undergoing surgeries or organ transplantation, or receiving treatment for cancer and blood disorders all depend on its services, expertise, laboratories and research. For more information, visit bloodworksbio.org.

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