NMDP 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.”
Also Read: Galvani Bioelectronics Announces appointment of Dr. Raolat Abdulai as New Chief Medical Officer
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. All of the units were cryopreserved less than 24 hours from collection, feature low nRBC counts, meet CFR 1271 requirements, and are commercially consented.
SOURCE: Businesswire