New York Blood Center Enterprises and Human Life CORD Sign Letter of Intent to Expand Manufacturing Collaboration for Umbilical Cord -Derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cells

This collaboration will expand Comprehensive Cell Solutions, a business unit of NYBCe, capabilities and geographic reach as a contract development and manufacturing organization.

/EIN News/ -- NEW YORK, Feb. 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- New York Blood Center Enterprises (NYBCe) and Human Life CORD Japan Inc. (Human Life CORD) have signed a Letter of Intent to expand their manufacturing collaboration for mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) through Comprehensive Cell Solutions (CCS), a business unit of NYBCe. This strategic partnership aims to drive innovation and enhance the global supply chain for next-generation umbilical cord tissue-derived MSCs.

Upon finalizing the collaboration, Human Life CORD aims to achieve international harmonization of its manufacturing platform and establish a strong presence in North America. CCS emerges as the ideal partner, having steadily expanded its U.S. manufacturing footprint, invested in cutting-edge manufacturing technologies, and developed deep expertise in stem cell manufacturing. CCS’s Louisville, Kentucky site, as well as the facilities in Houston, Texas, and New York City, propels CCS into a national-scale CDMO equipped with sophisticated technology staffed by talented personnel from the cell therapy industry. By leveraging CCS’s capabilities, the partnership is poised to enhance standardization, reliability, and quality control, ensuring a robust and scalable production process for Human Life CORD’s MSC asset.

“I am excited to collaborate with Human Life CORD on this strategic regenerative medicine program that expands the potential of MSCs in advanced therapeutics,” said Jo Anne Valentino, Senior Vice President, Comprehensive Cell Solutions. “This collaboration will allow CCS to offer its longstanding expertise in stem cell manufacturing to accelerate Human Life CORD’s path to clinic and commercialization.”

CCS has steadily increased its footprint in recent years with state-of-the-art facility expansions, serving global development- and commercial-stage customers across diverse cell therapy programs. With deep knowledge in stem cell and immunotherapy manufacturing—including CAR-T cells, hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), MSCs, and other advanced cell therapies such as natural killer (NK) cells, tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), and macrophages—CCS has positioned itself as a leader in the field.

“We are excited to partner with CCS of NYBCe to expand the manufacturing capabilities of umbilical cord-derived MSCs to a global standard. By combining expertise from Japan and the U.S., we aim to
establish a highly reproducible and scalable platform, making advanced cell therapy more accessible worldwide”, said Masamitsu Harata, Representative Director, President and CEO, Human Life CORD.

With GMP manufacturing capacity continuing to be constrained across the market, CCS has emerged as a global asset offering full-service capabilities—from cell sourcing and patient apheresis to GMP manufacturing, cell cryopreservation, and streamlined logistics. By supporting the development and commercialization of Human Life CORD’s MSC asset, this partnership is poised to advance the field of regenerative medicine and deliver life-changing therapies to patients worldwide.

About New York Blood Center Enterprises

Founded in 1964, New York Blood Center Enterprises (NYBCe) has provided more than 60 years of lifesaving research, innovation, and impact. NYBCe is one of the largest nonprofit blood centers, spanning 17+ states and serving 75 million people. NYBCe operates Blood Bank of Delmarva, Community Blood Center of Kansas City, Connecticut Blood Center, Memorial Blood Centers, Nebraska Community Blood Bank, New Jersey Blood Services, New York Blood Center, and Rhode Island Blood Center, delivering one million blood products to 400+ U.S. hospitals annually. NYBCe additionally delivers cellular therapies, specialty pharmacy, and medical services to 200+ research, academic, and biopharmaceutical organizations. NYBCe’s Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute is a leader in hematology and transfusion medicine research, dedicated to the study, prevention, treatment and cure of bloodborne and blood-related diseases. NYBCe is a vital community lifeline dedicated to helping patients and advancing global public health. To learn more, visit nybce.org. Connect with us on Facebook, X, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

About Comprehensive Cell Solutions

Comprehensive Cell Solutions (CCS), a part of New York Blood Center Enterprises, is a cell and gene therapy-focused development and manufacturing organization that provides critical capacity to an underserved population of early-stage developers, as well as expertise and strategic footprint for hospital treatment centers and pharmaceutical organizations. CCS provides a true vein-to-vein solution, spanning fresh cellular collections and cord-blood derived stem cells as source material, to cell isolation, manipulation and cryopreservation capabilities for preclinical to commercial stage products. CCS boasts a client roster composed of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies, innovative biotechnology organizations and academic medical centers. CCS is headquartered in New York, where it also performs cellular collections and clinical apheresis.

About Human Life CORD Japan Inc.

Human Life CORD Japan Inc. develops and manufactures cell products derived from domestically sourced, storable umbilical cords (“CORD”), with the goal of connecting patients with intractable diseases to innovative treatments, where none currently exist. Looking ahead, Human Life CORD strives to contribute to delivering breakthrough cell therapies to patients suffering from severe diseases and extending healthy lifespans, creating a society where everyone can enjoy a fulfilling life (“Human Life”).

Media Contact:
Jonathan Pappas
jpappas@lifescicomms.com
(857) 205-4403