For many in the field of cell and gene therapy, 2020 had a singular theme: COVID-19. Dozens of clinical and preclinical trials were launched in labs around the world to test the efficacy of cell therapies to target complications from COVID-19 infection. But while the pandemic drew most of the media attention, it wasn’t the…
Travel disruptions caused by COVID-19 have meant little more than delayed holidays or missed work meetings for most of us. They’re inconveniences, but hardly life-threatening challenges. But for patients who depend on cell therapies to provide potentially curative treatments, the pandemic’s canceled flights and closed borders have posed a real threat to their wellbeing. In…
During the COVID-19 pandemic, couriers from the National Marrow Donor Program® (NMDP)/Be The Match® have been a key link in the cell therapy supply chain. They’ve delivered thousands of time-sensitive therapies to waiting patients around the world. Kelley Steffens became an NMDP/Be The Match courier during COVID-19. Here she shares the story of her first…
As your cell or gene therapy operations scale from early-phase clinical trials to larger populations in late-stage trials and commercialization, your supply chain complexity — and risk — increases. Anticipating common setbacks and actively planning for their solution requires a specialized and collaborative approach with your supply chain partner. Keep these key considerations top of…
There is no question the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted cell therapy logistics like never before. Supply chain challenges are no longer the exception, but the norm. So how can companies overcome autologous cell therapy logistics challenges to deliver time-sensitive source material and manufactured therapies on time? It’s not easy in our current environment, but it…
This piece written by Joy Aho, PhD, Senior Product Manager, Be The Match BioTherapies®, was originally published on CellandGene.com in April 2020. We’re living through unprecedented times, both as individuals and as a nascent cell therapy field. The COVID-19 pandemic has had negative implications for manufacturing and shipping across nearly all industries, including very pronounced…
Updated July 29, 2021 Allogeneic cell therapy developers face a challenge as the cell and gene therapy industry grows. How can they meet the future demand for allogeneic donors that allows them to scale their capabilities to reach larger numbers of patients while maintaining consistency? Some companies suggest the use of a dedicated donor pool…
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…
The emergence of novel cell therapy technologies has led to questions about the necessity of human leukocyte antigen matching (HLA matching) in the development of potential “universal” allogeneic cell therapies. After all, if you can eliminate alloreactive responses, what role would HLA matching play? Martin Maiers, MS, is the Vice President of Biomedical Informatics for…