AM25-SN-07-L - Expanding CGT Access: The Role of Blood Centers in Last-Mile Delivery

Proposed Session Description: As cell and gene therapies (CGTs) continue to transform patient care, ensuring equitable access beyond major Centers of Excellence (COEs) remains a critical challenge. While large academic hospitals have established infrastructure to handle CGTs, many community hospitals and treatment centers lack the necessary resources, knowledge, and workflows to support these therapies effectively. Blood centers, with their existing expertise in biologics handling, donor management, and cryopreservation, are uniquely positioned to bridge this gap and facilitate CGT distribution and administration at scale.
This session will explore how blood centers can expand their role in CGT delivery, addressing key infrastructure requirements, workforce considerations, and process standardization. The discussion will focus on how the industry can evolve to enable broader patient access while maintaining product quality and compliance.
Key discussion points will include assessing infrastructure and equipment readiness to support CGT collection, processing, storage, and distribution; clarifying roles and responsibilities across blood centers, hospitals, and pharmacies in CGT handling and administration; and identifying opportunities for standardization and process optimization to simplify last-mile logistics, cryopreserved product handling, and infusion workflows.
Why Now?
As CGTs move from niche treatments to mainstream care, the industry must develop a sustainable framework for broader access. By leveraging the expertise of blood centers, we can reduce logistical barriers and improve patient outcomes.