HemaCare has expanded its portfolio of disease state materials in response to increased demand from therapeutic and diagnostic developers. Recent additions to the portfolio include serum from rare diseases such as Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis (GPA), and Mixed Connective Tissue Disease (MCTD), Dermatomyositis and Polymyositis (PM/DM), as well as plasma or serum from infectious diseases including HIV, Hepatitis, Zika and Dengue Fever. HemaCare continues to expand its biorepository of cryopreserved peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), popularly used for drug discovery and development projects. The disease state cells in greatest demand include various leukemias and lymphomas (including AML and CLL), multiple myeloma, solid tumors (including breast and lung cancer), and common autoimmune diseases (including Multiple Sclerosis, Lupus, and Rheumatoid Arthritis). Researchers utilize immune cells or plasma and serum from patients with a diagnosed disease for pre-clinical research and testing for new therapies, including drug target discovery and effectiveness in the patient population. In addition to freshly collected blood products, HemaCare offers “matched sets” of cryopreserved PBMCs and plasma and/or serum from a variety of in-stock disease state samples.
“We continue to respond to market demand for high quality blood cells to address increasingly diverse applications of cell therapy and diagnostics,” said Pete van der Wal, HemaCare’s Chief Executive Officer. “We have secured our access to cells from donors with various disease states through partnerships with specialty physicians and clinics across the country. These partnerships will expand our customer base as well as serve new initiatives for our existing customers in cell therapy and bio-pharmaceutical companies.”