New operation begins with four dedicated employees, specialized clean rooms and capabilities supporting personalized medicine and cancer treatment
SHREVEPORT, La. — LifeShare Blood Center is expanding its longtime blood collection mission into cellular therapies and personalized medicine with the launch of LifeShare Biologics, a new nonprofit subsidiary.
LifeShare Biologics, or BLX, will collect, manufacture, develop and distribute human-sourced biological materials. The operation includes state-of-the-art ISO 6-rated clean rooms with capacity to add working and processing space as demand grows.
The new subsidiary currently has four dedicated employees, with dozens of additional employees across LifeShare providing laboratory science expertise, organizational support and medical oversight, according to Monica Kalvelage, president and CEO of LifeShare Biologics.
“Our forecast is growth,” Kalvelage said.
LifeShare did not disclose a dollar amount for its investment in BLX but said it has invested in developing the clean-room and laboratory capabilities needed for the operation.
BLX can provide GMP-grade leukopaks — collections of white blood cells used in research and the development of cellular therapies — for applications including orthopedics, inflammation, wound therapy and topical treatments, Kalvelage said.
The operation can also support CAR-T and other vendor-mediated therapies used to treat cancer, while its biological products can be used in medical research.
The move represents an expansion of the role traditionally played by LifeShare, which was established in Shreveport in 1942 and operates centers and blood drives across Louisiana, East Texas and South Arkansas.
“Our mission is to serve patients by tailoring donated human cells into specialized medical therapies,” Kalvelage said. She said the work builds upon the role blood centers already perform by collecting donated cells, some of which require additional manufacturing before they can be used in personalized medical treatments.
LifeShare President and CEO Dr. Chad A. Douglas said the organization’s board views growing demand for cellular therapies as an opportunity to expand LifeShare’s mission.
“We are creating an organization uniquely positioned to focus on, and create access to, cellular applications in research and medicine,” Douglas said.
Kalvelage previously served as LifeShare’s chief operations officer before being selected by the board as the first president and CEO of LifeShare Biologics. She holds a master’s degree in transfusion medicine and Specialist in Blood Banking licensure.
LifeShare Biologics is organized as a Louisiana-headquartered 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Its laboratory operation is designed to expand as additional projects are identified.
Kalvelage said the organization sees an opportunity to make emerging treatments more accessible throughout LifeShare’s service area as BLX grows.
“We plan to positively impact healthcare in our service footprint by providing access to the latest and emerging cellular and biological therapies,” Kalvelage said.