At Gift of Life, our mission as a leading stem cell registry is to support the advancement of stem cell transplantation and related therapies that save lives. Recently, our team, including Founder and CEO Jay Feinberg, and our Co-Medical Directors Dr. Bruce Lenes and Dr. Yen-Michael Hsu, attended the 6th annual Miami Cancer Institute Global Summit on Immunotherapies for Hematalogic Malignancies. This esteemed international conference brought together experts in oncology and hematology to discuss groundbreaking developments in immunotherapies and cellular therapies for the treatment of blood cancers. Gift of LIfe was the Platinum Sponsor for the event, which was held at the J.W. Marriott Miami.
Conference participants explored recent breakthroughs in the treatment of hematologic malignancies (blood cancer), including optimized therapeutic antibodies, gene therapies, and immune effector cells. Experts presented clinical trial results for single and combinational agents aimed at treating and curing blood-related cancers like leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and myelodysplastic syndrome. Other topics included reducing the adverse effects of treatment and the emerging role of cellular therapies in transforming future approaches to these diseases. Importantly, the event fostered collaboration through dynamic discussions between attendees and world-renowned experts.
As a key stakeholder in the field, Gift of Life plays a pivotal role by providing high-quality human cells for transplants, immunotherapies, and research. Participating in this conference ensured that Gift of Life remains a leader in stem cell and cellular therapies by staying engaged with cutting-edge advancements.
“We had the opportunity to network with major transplant physicians and corporate sponsors, strengthening relationships critical to our mission,” said Dr. Bruce Lenes. “This kind of networking allows us to maintain our knowledge base and the relationships needed to remain at the advance edge of this developing field.”
With the successful treatment of oncological diseases (cancer) and the role of cellular therapy, stem cell and marrow transplants in treatments is progressing at breakneck speed. Knowledge and research that once took decades to complete is now being presented within one to two years.
“It has been recently shown that the quality and quantity of immune effector cells, that is, T-lymphocytes (immune system T-cells) from the group of mononuclear cells (which also includes natural killer and monocyte cells) are critical for the success of graft versus leukemia effects,” said Dr. Michael Hsu. “In short, the more T-Cells in a stem cell transplant and the healthier the cells are, the better they are at detecting and eliminating deadly leukemia cells in a patient.”
These insights reaffirmed Gift of Life’s commitment to the high quality of work done at our headquarters in Boca Raton, Fla. within the registry, the Adelson Collection Center and the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy.
“What we currently do is unlikely to be the only thing we do in five years,” said Dr. Lenes. “Gift of Life constantly seeks to understand its role in both the current and future of this field and provide the excellent cellular products that save patients’ lives. Our vision is to exceed the expectations of future patients, physicians and researchers – as has always been the hallmark of the organization.”
With developments in cellular therapy progressing rapidly, Gift of Life recognizes the need to anticipate and adapt to the future of liquid cancer treatments. Our leadership is actively preparing to meet these advancements with the excellence and expertise that define our organization.
One of the greatest challenges in treating blood cancer is that of making stem cell transplants happen faster. We know that patients who receive transplants soonest have the best chance of survival, but the process of identifying a donor, performing needed health tests to ensure a safe donation, then scheduling the collection can lead to a transplant needing four to six weeks to take place.
The conference was also an opportunity for the Gift of Life team to network with attendees from major transplant centers to discuss ways to shorten this time gap. Gift of Life is already working to shorten time to transplant through innovative donor retention initiatives to improve availability and insourcing the donation process through its fully owned and operated high-volume stem cell collection center, CLIA moderate and high complexity testing and cellular therapy processing and cryopreservation laboratories in Boca Raton, Florida.
“Centralizing the donation lifecycle through our vertically integrated infrastructure has been a game changer for us,” said Jay Feinberg about Gift of Life’s 50,000+ square foot facility in Boca Raton. He added, “And we are not stopping there. Plans are underway for a ‘super donor’ program making transplant products readily available ‘off-the-shelf,’ reducing time to transplant significantly for patients in urgent need.”
The field of cellular therapies is advancing at an unprecedented pace, with early-phase clinical trials showing exciting potential for allogeneic cell and gene therapies, such as CD19+ CAR-T. Gift of Life’s affiliate spinout, Gift of Life Biologics, is committed to supporting these breakthroughs by providing donors and cellular starting materials to biopharmaceutical firms and institutions powering essential research and development leading to potential future commercialization of next generation therapies. As Dr. Hsu noted, “the goal of off-the-shelf cell and gene therapies represents a ‘holy grail’ for the field.” Dr. Lenes emphasized that Gift of Life’s “unwavering dedication to speed, quality, and innovation makes it an integral part of this transformative era.”