OhioHealth Blood and Bone Marrow Transplant and Cell Therapy Program

with OhioHealth Blood and Bone Marrow Transplant and Cell Therapy Program We are soon approaching our 100th transplant. Dr. Bassem WilliamThe OhioHealth oncologist shared the advances he's making to achieve just that.

“We're really excited,” Dr. William said of the program's growth and impact. “We started in October 2022, we did our first transplant, and this week we're going to do our 85th transplant…We should be on track,” our certification. ”

We are now ushering in a new era with the introduction of cell therapy programs. The program includes traditional transplant methods, including autologous transplants from patients to themselves, allogeneic transplants from donors, and “exciting new technologies like what we call CAR-T.” Dr. William said.

This therapy uses the body's own modified immune cells to better recognize and attack cancer cells.

“Clinical trials of the same cells in solid tumors are also currently underway,” he said. “There are a number of products approved for leukemia and lymphoma. There's really a lot of excitement in this space, and we're bringing all of that here to OhioHealth.”

Dr. William addressed misconceptions regarding eligibility for cell therapy and emphasized the program's individualized approach.

“Each patient is different. If a patient needs to be considered for a transplant or cell therapy, we would be happy to see them and assess and tell them if they are really OK.” ” he said. Candidate or not? ”

Dr. William said their team has seen many successful transplants in patients who are older and have a variety of comorbidities.

“With new advances in treatments and technology, between me and Dr. Efebera, we have nearly 40 years of combined experience and have made a life-changing difference for these patients. ”

Click here to learn more about OhioHealth's blood and bone marrow transplant and cell therapy programs. here.