Our research donors
A hugely important part of Anthony Nolan’s work is our provision of stem cells to researchers working in hospitals, universities, and pharmaceutical companies. This contributes to the development of groundbreaking new treatments for patients. It wouldn’t be possible without our amazing research donors, who provide their stem cells for research that could go on to help countless patients.
With the astounding growth of cell and gene therapies in recent years, there is more demand than ever for human blood stem cells to help develop new treatments for patients; especially for blood cancers and blood disorders.
It can sometimes be harder to grasp the impact of research donation compared to transplant donations – while a donation to a single person can save their life, a donation for research has the potential to contribute to a new treatment which may go on to improve the lives of many patients. Here are a few examples of recent projects that our research donors have contributed to.
Clinical trials
Clinical trials are the final important step for a new treatment to gain approval by medical regulatory bodies. You can imagine clinical trials like the final exam a new treatment has to pass before it can be offered to patients through the healthcare system. They’re designed to test that a treatment is both safe and effective in humans.
Cells from our research donors can be used in clinical trials of cellular therapies, where they can directly treat patients and could potentially lead to a new therapy becoming approved for wider use.
The Great Ormond Street Hospital trial into a unique CAR-T treatment for children with T cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia is the highest profile that we’ve been involved in. One of the first patients to be given the treatment, 13-year-old Alyssa, saw her cancer go into remission. The cells used to create Alyssa’s CAR-T therapy came from an Anthony Nolan research donor, and this trial could lead to treatments like Alyssa’s becoming available to thousands more children.
Another CAR-T clinical trial that benefits from Anthony Nolan research donors is the KCAT19 trial at University College London Hospital, which aims to develop a new type of CAR-T therapy with a reduced risk of harmful side effects. Cord blood from Anthony Nolan donors is used in the trial to create the personalised CAR-T cells for each patient. The trial is ongoing and we expect results in the next few years, but it has huge potential.
Read Claire’s story of participating in a CAR-T clinical trial, and what it meant for both her and future patients.
Pre-clinical research
Our research donors also contribute to early stage scientific studies that could help lead to new treatments in the future. While it may take a bit longer for these studies to benefit patients, this work is crucial in laying the foundation for big medical breakthroughs.
Last year, researchers at Queen Mary University used cord blood from Anthony Nolan donors to discover a potential new treatment for the rare blood disorder myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). A particular subtype of this blood disorder is caused by mutations in red blood cells that can lead to the development of the blood cancer acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). The researchers discovered that a common medicine – vitamin B5 – could be used to slow down the progression of this form of MDS by helping red blood cells work more like normal, offering a potential new treatment option for patients.
A research project in Amsterdam that also used donated cord blood from Anthony Nolan has helped scientists understand more about how the cells of the immune system work together. The research focused on an important class of immune cells known as ‘natural killer’ cells – and how they can help boost the cancer-killing ability of other cells in the immune system. This understanding can help in the development of new cellular therapies that use these cells to fight cancer.
Our own researchers at the Anthony Nolan Research Institute also investigate the potential of natural killer cells in cancer treatment, thanks to cord blood donations. Our Immunotherapy Group are undertaking several projects designed to better understand how these cells can be best harnessed to fight blood cancers, with the aim of contributing to groundbreaking new cell therapies that could complement or even replace stem cell transplants.
Technology development
Donated cells can also help pharmaceutical companies develop new technologies that could help bring cell therapies to patients faster and with less cost.
These technologies include better ways to prepare cells for use in exciting new therapies, and techniques to keep cells alive and potent for longer.
Often, biotechnology manufacturing companies develop these technologies and then provide them to the pharmaceutical industry to assist in the production of cell therapies, helping them get to patients faster and with less overall cost to smaller biotech companies.
Join us!
If you’re interested in donating your cells for medical research and treatments, and potentially helping countless patients, sign up to our register here and then contact our research donor team: researchdonors@anthonynolan.org
If you’re a researcher or industry professional looking for expert advice or bespoke cellular materials, learn more about working with us here.