NW Bio Teams With The American Red Cross In DCVax® Program

 

BETHESDA, Md., Feb. 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Northwest Biotherapeutics (OTC.BB: NWBO) (NW Bio) today announced that it has entered into an agreement with the American Red Cross to provide blood collection services through which immune cells are obtained to make DCVax®-L treatments for brain cancer patients.  The services are focused initially on the Company's ongoing Phase II clinical trial for newly diagnosed Glioblastoma multiforme, the most lethal form of brain cancer.

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DCVax®-L is an active immune therapy made from two main ingredients:  master immune cells (dendritic cells) from the patient's own immune system, and biomarkers from the patient's own tumor tissue collected at the time of surgery.  Precursors of the dendritic cells are in regular circulation in a patient's blood.  These precursor cells are collected through a blood draw (leukapheresis). To make DCVax®-L, the precursor cells are matured into a fresh set of master immune cells (dendritic cells) that have not been compromised by the patient's cancer. 

The Red Cross is the largest single supplier of blood and blood products in the United States, collecting and processing more than 40 percent of the nation's blood supply and distributing it to some 3,000 hospitals and transfusion centers nationwide. With a nationwide network of approximately 250 fixed blood collection sites across the United States, the Red Cross covers a wide geographic area and provides expertise in blood collection.

"We are excited to join forces with the American Red Cross to bring the benefits of their expertise and broad network to our patients," commented Linda Powers, CEO of NW Bio.  "Our Company's plan is to bring DCVax® not only to major medical centers but to patients all across the country, in the communities where they live, both in our current clinical trial and when DCVax® reaches the market. Adding the extensive network of Red Cross blood centers adds another major building block towards our goal."

Rich Feliciano, Red Cross Vice President, Business Development and Integration for Biomedical Services, commented, "The Red Cross is pleased to support Northwest Biotherapeutics' Phase II clinical trial of DCVax®-L for patients with Glioblastoma multiforme. We believe that the field of cellular therapy has great potential to have a positive impact on the lives of patients, and we look forward to working together during Northwest Biotherapeutics' study and potentially into the future. With our extensive network of fixed blood collection sites, the Red Cross can provide blood collections in support of Northwest Biotherapeutics' clinical trial across the United States."

 

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