The growing popularity of using allogeneic cord blood transplantation for reconstituting hematopoiesis in lieu of bone marrow and the emerging use of allogeneic cord blood and derived products for additional indications such as stroke, cardiac disease and diabetes, represent significant opportunities for cord blood banks, transplantation centers, treating physicians and industrial partners.

An accurate, timely matching process is imperative as a cord blood unit (CBU) must perfectly match the histocompatibility antigens and genetic needs of the patient and must be delivered within days. Cytolon has developed a state-of-the-art, global, internet-based high-performance cord blood brokering platform in close coordination with transplantation centers (TC) and cord blood banks (CBB) termed CordMatch^®. This platform guarantees for the first time a speedy and effective collaboration between TC, donor registries, CBB and, more recently, other participating industries such as pharma and biotech companies.

The platform is unique, as it integrates product search and matching, selection and logistics in addition to billing and follow-up CordMatch^® provides solutions and services for today and the future so world-wide transplant centers can talk efficiently and effectively to world-wide cord blood banks, registries, industry partners and service providers.

Clinics and physicians can define search profiles according to their specific medical or transplantation requirements.  Due to the use of platform-based processes, physicians and clinic coordinators can easily drive the whole process including search, selection and shipping of the most appropriate CBU. Additionally, for the first time, clinical outcome data can be provided to the CBBs and the treating clinics in a high-security system.

CordMatch^® is protected to date by five patents and has the following advantages:

• Offers TC and coordinators a transparent, user-friendly interface that allows an accurate and integrated search and order process without the need for complex, tedious in-service programs
• Can be used non-exclusively in addition to public service matching entities
• Cost-free for cord blood banks and registries.
• Available for a fee to transplant centers only after a CBU or additional service is ordered
• Accompanied by Cytolon's software up-dates, in-servicing and technical support
• A central tool for CBB to build a valuable, unique relationship with TC across all continents and cultural areas

To learn more about Cordmatch^® features and/or request your accreditation, please contact: cordmatch@cytolon.com

Figure 1: Central processes performed by the Cordmatch^® platform

The figure above shows the central processes performed by the Cordmatch^® platform. The search center coordinator starts a new patient case with the corresponding patient data, e.g. the HLA values, and assigns it to a physician or clinic. He/she also defines a search profile, setting the preferences for cell number, matching criteria, number of CBUs and other criteria or the default settings can be used. For the 1.0 release of CordMatch^®, search and sorting of the results can be performed by CBU and CBB master data.  In later releases, further parameters will be added, i.e. cost and time factors, outcome probability and the reliability of the CBB and their CBUs.  Subsequently, either an automatic or manual searching process starts. In the automatic search, the user is presented with a set of proposed solutions for either single or multi cord solutions according to the search profile previously chosen. The solutions are prioritized and shown in a table including the criteria used for scoring.  All the data used by the platform for the selection of the various solutions can easily be retrieved; hence it is clearly distinguishable how and why these solutions were chosen.

In the manual search, the user receives a sorted list with suitable CBUs and she/he compiles one or more self-chosen solutions from the results. In the manual compilation of a solution, the user initially chooses a primary CBU from the list of matching results. The platform then indicates to what extent the chosen CBU covers the number of cells needed by the patient as well as the additional CBUs that match the patient and the already chosen CBU, in case the number of cells is not sufficient. If, according to the coordinator, the first CBU is insufficient for the patient, she/he can add a second CBU to the solution.  At this point, e.g. the coverage of the cell number needed by the patient is updated.

The search coordinator can also perform several requests to the offering CBB, in order to complete the information needed for a certain CBU.  This may include, e.g. high-resolution typing, a request for a DNA-test or reserving the CBU and other requests. Finally, the search coordinator can set up a request for ordering a chosen CBU at the CBB. CordMatch^® builds on state-of-the-art design and dialog-oriented user interfaces, which enormously facilitate the workload of the transplant center coordinators.

After successful delivery and transplantation, the coordinator can document the outcome and other information with help of the platform.  For the follow-up, the saved data can be automatically delivered to the partners.

Figure 2: High-level architecture of the CordMatch^® platform.

Cytolon AG © 2010 – Matching the Power of Stem Cells | CordMatch^®