California-based bioengineering company Ossium Health has partnered with the National Marrow Donor Program/Be The Match to develop a bank of bone marrow collected from deceased organ donors. The collaboration aims to increase access to lifesaving bone marrow transplants by expediting the industry’s ability to provide deceased donor marrow at scale. The partnership has initiated a clinical trial, called PRESERVE I, to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Ossium’s bone marrow product in patients with hematologic malignancies. Currently, up to 45% of patients in need of a transplant do not receive one due to difficulties in finding a suitable donor.
Erin Leckrone, VP of Clinical Trials at National Marrow Donor Program, expressed excitement about partnering with Ossium and their innovative product that could potentially meet the unmet needs in transplantation. The collaboration is seen as an opportunity to close the disparities gap in accessibility to transplant, particularly for ethnically diverse patients. Kevin Caldwell, CEO of Ossium Health, highlighted the advantages of their cryopreserved bone marrow, including reduced wait time, optimized dosing, and lower risk of graft-versus-host disease. The outcomes of the PRESERVE I trial will determine the incorporation of Ossium’s products into NMDP/Be The Match’s registry and the long-term implications of the study.
