September 2025:
Partial Heart Transplantation Is a Promising Solution for Children Requiring Heart Surgeries
Patient outcomes for the first 19 partial heart transplants performed at Duke have been published, and results show that this procedure enables valve growth after surgery. This could potentially reduce the number of heart surgeries children with valve disease need as they grow into adulthood. MC3 supports the surgeons performing partial heart transplants by screening and consenting potential donors, determining donor eligibility, managing the logistics and documentation of the tissue donation, and creating standard operating procedures that enable the program to comply with the Food and Drug Administration’s guidelines for use of Human Tissue-based Products.
August 2025:
Beth Shaz, MD Receives AABB Foundation 2025 Process Development Grant
Beth Shaz, MD, MBA, was recently awarded a 2025 Process Development Grant from the Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies (AABB). The grant will support her project, "Novel Cord Blood-Derived Immunotherapy for Solid Tumors."
Shaz will develop a manufacturing process for an experimental cancer treatment made from umbilical cord blood. The treatment will use a special type of immune cell, called gamma delta CAR T cells, to target non-small cell lung cancer. These cells are being developed in partnership with Scott Antonia, MD, PhD, director of the Duke Cancer Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, and José Ramón Conejo-Garcia, MD, PhD, professor of immunology and integrative immunobiology, who created this innovative therapy.
What sets this potentially groundbreaking therapy apart is the fact that it is "off-the-shelf"—meaning it can be prepared in advance and used for many patients, rather than being custom-made for each one. This could lead to a new generation of cancer treatments that are more affordable, accessible to patients, and easier to use. Read more.
June 2025:
Building Better Immunotherapy
Dr. Joanne Kurtzberg and Dr. Beth Shaz, are referenced in Duke School of Medicine’s Magnify article, “Building Better Immunotherapy.” The article details the work of José Ramón Conejo-Garcia, MD, PhD, director of the Duke Cancer Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, and Scott Antonia, MD, PhD, professor of immunology and integrative immunobiology, who are tackling the challenge of making immunotherapy work against solid cancer tumors. They are highlighted for their collaborative efforts with Antonia, Ramón to grow and activate delta T cells from umbilical cord blood to target tumors. Read the article here.
Kurtzberg and Filiano to Present at 2025 AABB Conference in San Diego
Joanne Kurtzberg, MD and Tony Filiano, PhD, will be presenting at the 2025 Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies conference this October in San Diego. Kurtzberg's presentation will discuss contemporary controversies and barriers that have prevented the cord blood sector from maximizing its full potential, in terms of impact on the lives of families and patients and in accelerating scientific innovation.
Filiano's session will focus on the expanding role of umbilical cord blood in regenerative medicine, highlighting its potential beyond hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Filiano, along with others, will discuss cutting-edge research, clinical applications, and future directions for using cord blood-derived cells in treating a wide range of diseases.