Blood cancer and blood disorder patients around the world will benefit from a new cell collection centre in Nottingham, stem cell charity Anthony Nolan has announced.
The Anthony Nolan Cell Collection Centre will ensure life-saving stem cells can reach patients when they need them for a transplant and will also enable cutting edge research into new cell therapies for future generations.
Opening in the coming months, it will be run in partnership with the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Nottingham Clinical Research Facility (CRF) at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and will be located at Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham.
A stem cell transplant is a life-saving treatment for thousands of patients with blood cancer and blood disorders which involves replacing a patient’s stem cells with those from a healthy donor.
Cells donated at the centre will also support the research and development of new cell and gene therapies, which could treat other life-threatening diseases.
A longstanding global shortage of cell collection facilities means some patients do not receive a transplant at the best possible time for them. In 2022-23 Anthony Nolan’s data suggests only a fifth of donors on the UK aligned registry were able to donate on the date requested by the patient’s medical team due to capacity issues.
Not having a transplant at the right time can be distressing for a patient and their loved ones as their condition could deteriorate while they are waiting. It is anxiety-inducing and can have an irreversible and sometimes life-threatening impact on a patient’s physical health.
Claire Gardella and her daughter Sofia, from Nottinghamshire, experienced a long, stressful delay while waiting for Sofia to receive treatment. Sofia, who was only two years old when she underwent her first stem cell transplant from a German donor, was born with congenital amegakaryocytic thrombocytopenia (CAMT) – a condition that made it difficult for her body to clot blood:
Claire Gardella said: “We waited for a whole year before Sofia was able to have her first transplant – the wait was agonising to say the least. It’s wonderful to know this new centre will eliminate that stress and uncertainty for so many patients and families like us.”
The Anthony Nolan stem cell register was the first in the world, established in 1974. The charity has decades of expertise in providing cells to patients in the UK and internationally and is the first point of contact for any hospital in the UK who is looking for an unrelated donor transplant for a patient.
People called upon to donate by the charity currently do so at hospitals and independent centres with specialist equipment. However growing demand for cell-based therapies, like CAR-T treatments, mean these centres are under more pressure than ever.
By managing its own dedicated cell collection centre, Anthony Nolan will be able to collect high-quality cells from donors at a time that meets the needs of the patient, while ensuring donors have the best possible experience. The centre will also support and expand the charity’s work in providing special cell donations for research, helping to develop new therapies that have the potential to save countless lives in the future.
The Anthony Nolan Cell Collection Centre will add to the charity's existing presence in Nottingham, with its Cell Therapy Centre located on Nottingham Trent University’s Clifton campus. This site houses the charity’s umbilical cord blood bank and a research facility that looks at new ways to use cord blood in medical treatments.
Nicola Alderson, chief operating officer at Anthony Nolan, said: “Ever since Shirley Nolan created the world’s first stem cell register 50 years ago, the charity named after her son has continued to innovate and respond to the needs of the patients of today and tomorrow.
“A growing demand for cell-based therapies has put increasing strain on cell collection and means life-saving treatment risks being delayed. The UK healthcare system is working hard to meet this demand and Anthony Nolan is proud to play a role in expanding cell collection capacity.
“Our new cell collection centre will help ensure patients receive their treatment at the best possible time, give donors the best possible experience and will help drive forwards research and the development of new treatments with the potential to save more lives in the future. We look forward to opening our doors to the centre’s first donor soon.”
Donors from across the UK will travel to Nottingham to donate their life-saving cells, for transplant or for research, at the Anthony Nolan Cell Collection Centre. The cell collection process is performed by using a cell separation machine that filters stem cells from the blood. Cells collected for transplant are then couriered to the patient, who may be anywhere in the world waiting for their transplant.
Cells collected from donors who have agreed to donate for research are delivered to scientists working on new and innovative treatments, maximising the impact Anthony Nolan donors can provide for patients.
Professor Stephen Ryder, co-clinical director of research & innovation at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, said:
“We’re delighted that Anthony Nolan will be working with our clinical team in Research & Innovation to launch the charity’s first stem cell collection centre, at our NIHR Nottingham Clinical Research Facility.
“Not only will this new facility ensure patients can receive life-saving cells when they most need them, the Anthony Nolan Cell Collection Centre meets with our ambition to drive
forward our programme of experimental research which aims to both transform - and potentially save - many lives in years to come.”