Chamber Member Update

Boca Raton, FL, November 17 Every three minutes a person in the United States is diagnosed with a blood disease such as leukemia, immunodeficiencies and sickle cell. To deliver cutting-edge, lifesaving therapy services for stem cell transplantations and improve patient outcomes, the Gift of Life Marrow Registry has announced the newly opened the Gift of Life Center for Cell and Gene Therapy.

Located at Gift of Lifesheadquarters in Boca Raton, Fla., theCenter will provide transplant physicians, researchers, and cell and gene therapy developers with the donor cell products they need to help more patients than ever before. One of the Centers signature services will be a biobank of off-the-shelf, on-demand cell therapy products available for transplantation, as well as those for engineering and ethical research. The inventory will be comprised of products collected from super donors with high frequency genetic characteristics sourced from the Gift of Life Marrow Registry. These cells will be tested, processed and cryopreserved by the Centers cellular therapy laboratory.

Another specialty service is the Centers innovation program, which will collaborate with world-renowned South Florida research institutions to improve transplant outcomes, develop processes for cell expansion and much more.

While many advancements have been made in stem cell treatments for those with blood diseases, there are still critical barriers that can impeded success, said Gift of Life CEO and Founder Jay Feinberg.

The only registry in the world started and run by a transplant survivor, Gift of Life has pioneered key innovations in the stem cell transplantation and donation process. Last April, the organization become the first registry to operate an in-house stem cell collection center that has not only helped to bring stem cell donors to collection faster, but also greatly improves the experience for donors. Gift of life is also the first registry to use buccal cheek swabs at recruitment drives instead of blood draws and the first to do mobile registration, including the creation of a smart phone app to register individuals quickly and effectively.

Gift of Lifes overarching mission isto democratize celltherapy and ensure that every patient has an equal opportunity to receive the treatment that can save their lives, said Feinberg. Doing so requires innovation, passion and an entrepreneurial approach to the challenges at hand and we are excited to draw upon our 30 years of expertise as we embark on this next phase of our work.

About Gift of Life Marrow RegistryGift of Life Marrow Registry is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Boca Raton, Fla. The organization, established in 1991, is dedicated to saving lives by facilitating bone marrow and blood stem cell transplants for patients with leukemia, lymphoma, and other blood-related diseases. To learn more about Gift of Life Marrow Registry, visitwww.giftoflife.org.

Excerpt from:
gift of life marrow registry announces new center for cell and gene therapy - The Boca Raton Tribune