July 2024
BIOTHERAPIES NEWS: Highlights and Top Stories
BIOTHERAPIES AT AABB: Community and Association News
Cell Notes: A Monthly Column by Christina M. Celluzzi, PhD, MS, CABP(H), Director, Biotherapies at AABB
Cord Blood Awareness: Opening Doors to Understanding?
Stephen Hawking once said, “The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance; it is the illusion of knowledge.”
His words underscore the importance of true understanding. Knowledge often begins with awareness, acting as the key that unlocks doors to deeper insights. But which doors do we aim to open, and when??
Cord blood? Ideally, cord blood awareness should extend throughout the year. However, there is a designated time—Cord Blood Awareness Month, celebrated every year in July—when we intensify our efforts. During this month, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ’ National Health Information Center encourages us to spotlight cord blood's potential. By dispelling illusions and fostering genuine awareness, we empower expectant parents, health care professionals and the wider community to recognize the life-saving properties and potential of cord blood.?
AABB24: Vitalant, Dark Horse Consulting Join Biotherapies Pavilion at 2024 AABB Annual Meeting?
AABB is pleased to announce that Vitalant and Dark Horse Consulting Group Inc. will join the Biotherapies Pavilion at the 2024 AABB Annual Meeting, taking place Oct. 19-22 in Houston, Texas.?
Vitalant, an AABB corporate partner based in Arizona, is one of the nation’s largest nonprofit blood and biotherapies health care organizations. Dark Horse Consulting is a specialized firm that provides expert consulting services to the cell and gene therapy industry, focusing on technical, regulatory and strategic support to accelerate the development and commercialization of advanced therapies.?
These companies join several other participating organizations in the 2024 Biotherapies Pavilion and networking space:?
Returning to the Biotherapies Pavilion this year are industry expert open-mic conversations. A highlight from the 2023 meeting, these engaging 45-minute events drew audiences of up to 50 people for unscripted and interactive conversations focusing on a range of biotherapies topics. This year’s open-mic sessions will focus on the cell and gene therapy workforce, advanced therapy product transport, artificial intelligence in GXP settings and more.?
AABB is offering limited availability Biotherapies Pavilion connection packages and sponsorship opportunities and encourages interested organizations to register their interest while availability lasts.?
Biotherapies Pavilion Participant Spotlight: Versiti?
This month, AABB interviews Dan Waxman , MD, vice president and senior medical director at Versiti Inc. , a returning participating organization in the Biotherapies Pavilion at the 2024 AABB Annual Meeting.?
“As a blood center, Versiti is naturally positioned to continue to provide high quality starting materials to enable the development of novel therapies. We must continue to lead the way in developing robust registries of highly characterized donors to meet the coming needs in cell therapy, particularly in the allogenic space. As expert cell collectors, we need to expand our apheresis capabilities to support more Day 0 processing for current autologous therapies while partnering with our community health service providers to bring new therapies closer to the patients.” said Waxman.?
Waxman continues, “AABB’s largest advocacy can come in the same way it has brought value historically: standardization and accreditation. AABB must continue to use its influence to help drug developers to see the value of its members as starting material providers and the expertise we provide to the industry.”?
AABB Employee Spotlight: Jeff Wren, Vice President, Biotherapies??
In a new employee spotlight interview, AABB spoke with Jeff Wren , vice president, biotherapies, about his background and role at AABB.?
"AABB's impact on blood banking and transfusion medicine is remarkable, and it's been just as influential in the field of cell therapy for nearly 30 years." said Wren.??
AABB Foundation Launches New Process Development Grant and AABB 2025 Foundation Research Grants Now Open?
The AABB Foundation is pleased to announce the launch of the Process Development Grant , a new funding opportunity that aims to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of blood- and biotherapies-related processes and operations in donor and patient care settings.??
This grant, made possible by contributions from the AABB Foundation’s Council on Research and Development (CORD) and other Foundation supporters, will provide up to $100,000 for a one-year project and focuses on supporting improvements to business operations through the development, implementation and analysis of innovative processes, techniques or technologies.?
“Fostering innovation is a core element of AABB Foundation’s mission, and the new Process Development Grant will enable blood banks, clinical labs, and other medical centers to optimize the important work they do every day for the benefit of patients and donors,” said AABB Foundation President Jose A. Cancelas, MD, PhD , MD, PhD, CABP. “It is only with the extremely generous support of our many individual and organizational partners that we’re able to offer funding for a new initiative like the Process Development Grant.”?
The AABB Foundation invites professionals from across the blood and biotherapies community, including those at any career level and those working outside of the United States, to apply . Applicants need not be AABB members to qualify and the application period closes Dec. 1.?
The AABB Foundation also encourages researchers worldwide to apply now for the Early-Career Scientific Research Grants Program’s 2025 cycle .?Applications will be accepted through Dec. 1. Foundation grant recipients each receive an award of up to $100,000 to further investigator-initiated, original research in blood banking, transfusion medicine or biotherapies.?
“Recognizing the increased cost of conducting research, the AABB Foundation Board of Directors approved an increase in the grant amount from $75,000 to $100,000 each,” said AABB Foundation President Jose Cancelas, MD, PhD, CABP. “We are thrilled to provide greater support to the community of researchers in blood and biotherapies thanks to the generosity of many individual and institutional funding partners.”???
Since 1983, the AABB Foundation has awarded more than $11 million in grants to fund the research work of more than 200 scientists, many of whom have gone on to become expert leaders in the blood and biotherapies field. For more information about the AABB Foundation grant eligibility criteria and application process, visit the Early-Career Scientific Research Grants Program web page.? ?
AABB BIOTHERAPIES NEWSFEED: More Updates From the Field?
Read more from the AABB Newsfeed , an essential resource offering the latest news, analysis, commentary and updates on critical topics for the blood and biotherapies community.
AABB MEMBERS ZONE: Biotherapies Resources and Events
AABB Member Vasiliki Kalodimou Writes: How Cord Blood Banks Protect their Storage Tanks
Assist. Professor Dr. Vasiliki E. Kalodimou BSc (Hons), CABP (H), MSc, PhD , is the director of flow cytometry and a professor of regenerative medicine at the IASO Maternity and Research Hospital in Athens, Greece. She is also acting chair of the European University Cyprus branch in Frankfurt, Germany, a member of Board of Directors of the National Hellenic Research Foundation (Ε.Ι.Ε.), and a founding member and board member of the IARMES International Regenerative Medicine Experts Society (IARMES). ?Kalodimou has been active in AABB for many years. She serves as an AABB assessor, AABB cell therapy mentor, on the AABB Cell Therapy Accreditation Committee, and on the AABB Cellular Therapies Section Coordinating Committee. ?
Visit the Parent's Guide to Cord Blood Foundation website to read her latest article, “How Cord Blood Banks Protect their Storage Tanks .”?
AABB Update on Cellular Therapies Subsection Activities?
As a benefit , AABB members can enroll in subsections that meet monthly to enrich their professional experience and to keep informed about happenings in the field of cellular therapy. Some recent highlights of a few of the subsections include:?
Asia Pacific Group (APG): Mary Grable McLeod, MLS(ASCP)cmSBBcm, SSGB (ASQ), CABP(H), quality manager, Blood and Marrow Transplant Cellular Therapy Facility, Stanford Health Care, Stanford, Calif., presented “Onboarding New Products- Clinical Trials .”?
Quality, Regulatory & Management (QRM) Subsection: Erica Agy, senior manager, CTP Quality?
Cellular Therapeutics, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, presented “Tracking and Traceability – Requirements & Best Practices.”?
Spanish Language Subsection (SLS): ?The SLS is led by Maria De Los Angeles Muniz , MD; co-leader in transfusion medicine JOSE ARNULFO PEREZ CARRILLO , MD, PhD, MSc, specialist in clinical pathology and epidemiology and director of the blood bank of Clínica Colsanitas , Colombia; and Carlos Ferrari Rebolledo , laboratory head at Vidacel , Chile. ?
The SLS discusses transfusion medicine and cell therapy to include topics of interest to all our members. We invite Spanish-speaking members of the blood and biotherapies community to become a member of AABB and continue to grow the SLS . Past presentations can be viewed by AABB members on the AABB subsection projects web page.?
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Not an AABB Member?
Join AABB to gain access to essential benefits, including professional development opportunities, critical tools and resources, and opportunities to collaborate with leaders in the field. Be a part of a diverse community of health care professionals working to make transfusion medicine and biotherapies safe, available and effective worldwide. Find out more on the AABB website.