NMDP Cryopreservation Service
Providing physicians, patients and donors a predictable path to transplant
Many obstacles can stand in the way of achieving your patient’s desired transplant timeline. Uncertainty that a donor’s collection can happen when you need it. Financial risks if issues arise with a patient’s insurance. Scheduling conflicts if your patient’s transplant needs to be postponed.
You’ve told us you need more certainty that donor collection and cell delivery will happen when you need it. That’s why we established our NMDP cryopreservation service.
Our cryopreservation service reduces the risk that those obstacles will put your patient’s treatment timeline in jeopardy. When you use our cryopreservation service, you can have confidence that you’ll receive the product you requested when your patient is ready for transplant.
Explore the service below. Then, request our cryopreservation service for your patient through your case manager. Or contact the cryopreservation service team at cryoservice@nmdp.org.
Benefits for patients, transplant centers and donors
Through our cryopreservation service, our goal is to:
- Increase donor availability by giving donors, donor centers or registries, apheresis centers and collection centers more flexibility in scheduling the donation date
- Secure a reliable graft source
- Offer transplant center physicians a reliable transplant experience with little financial risk
Navigating treatment timelines
Our cryopreservation service allows the donor’s collection to proceed before your patient’s transplant. The donor’s cells are cryopreserved and stored at one of our partner facilities until you request the product for shipment. That means a high-quality and characterized product is available when needed for your patient.
If your patient’s health status changes and they are unable to proceed to transplant, the donor product can be listed in MatchSource® and made available for other searching patients if the donor consents.
Offering more flexibility in the scheduling of collection
When you choose to cryopreserve the donor product for your patient’s hematopoietic cell transplant, you allow for more flexibility in scheduling the donor’s donation. Offering this flexibility can increase the likelihood a product is available for transplant because donation can happen on a date that works best for the donor.
This allows the donation to occur even if the transplant is delayed. It is an added benefit for the donor, donor center or registry, and apheresis or marrow collection center because they avoid scheduling changes that often occur when a fresh product is requested for a patient.
Cryopreservation through our service allows for more flexibility in the donor collection, the product delivery and, ultimately, your patient’s transplant.
Reducing financial risk
There is little financial risk to your center to use our cryopreservation service. Unless noted on the fee schedule and/or notified otherwise prior to product collection, you will not be charged for donor workup, product procurement (collection and courier), or cryopreservation processing, storage, and shipment until after the cryopreserved product has shipped from our partner facility to your center.
In the unlikely event your patient cannot proceed to transplant after product collection, your center will not be responsible for donor workup, collection, courier, cryopreservation, storage, and shipment costs except in rare cases.
We’re reducing your financial risk because we know how critically important it is to meet your transplant timeline.
To request cryopreservation through our service, contact your case manager or email cryoservice@nmdp.org.
How the NMDP cryopreservation service works
The process starts after you’ve selected a donor for workup. If a cryopreserved product is best for your patient, simply provide the patient’s anticipated conditioning start date and transplant date to your case manager.
Your case manager will work with the donor center or registry to confirm collection and that cryopreservation through our service is an option. If so, the donor will proceed with their donation when it works best for them and the apheresis center or marrow collection center.
After collection, a National Marrow Donor Program® (NMDP)/Be The Match® courier will take the fresh product to one of our partner facilities for cryopreservation, product characterization and storage. You will receive the product cell counts and characterization results as they become available. A final product comprehensive report will be emailed to your center upon completion of all testing.
The product will be held in storage until it is shipped to your center. Our NMDP/Be The Match Logistics team will arrange product shipment to ensure the donor cells arrive at your center on time.
Our partner cryopreservation labs
We partnered with three labs to provide our cryopreservation service:
- Marcus Center for Cellular Cures (MC3)/Carolinas Cord Blood Bank at Duke University
- Molecular and Cellular Therapeutics Program, M Health Fairview at the University of Minnesota
- Vitalant Cellular Therapy Laboratory (Tempe, Ariz.)
All programs have vast experience and expertise in cryopreserving hematopoietic stem cells for patient transplant.
If you have questions about the cryopreservation process, such as processing or product characterization, email our cryopreservation service team at cryoservice@nmdp.org.
Contact your case manager to request cryopreservation through our service.
Frequently asked questions
Download the frequently asked questions here.
What is the NMDP cryopreservation service?
Our cryopreservation service allows donors to donate prior to your patient’s transplant. By collecting and cryopreserving a donor’s product before transplant, you can be assured a quality product will be available for your patient when you need it.
Contact your case manager once you have selected a donor for workup and have determined moving forward with cryopreservation is best for your patient.
In the past, our transplant center needed to receive approval from the NMDP/Be The Match if we wanted to cryopreserve the entire donor product. Do I need to request special permission to use your cryopreservation service for my patient?
Your transplant center will still need to obtain approval from the NMDP/Be The Match to proceed with cryopreservation. The donor center or registry and donor will also need to provide approval. However, additional approval to use the NMDP cryopreservation service is not needed. Please contact your case manager after you’ve selected a donor for workup and determined cryopreservation is the best option for your patient.
Let your case manager know as early as possible if you plan to use our cryopreservation service. This allows enough time for the donor center or registry to counsel the donor and gain consent for cryopreservation. The donor center or registry will also request permission from the donor to use their cells for a different patient in the unlikely event your patient does not proceed to transplant.
How much does the NMDP cryopreservation service cost?
Your center will be billed for workup and product procurement. These costs are dependent on the donor supplier and according to the current NMDP/Be The Match fee schedule.
Your center will also be charged a fee for processing, storage and shipment of the cryopreserved product. Please reference the fee schedule for specific fee amounts.
Does the donor’s collection location make a difference in the storage/shipping price?
No, the price difference applies only to the location of the transplant center, not where the donor is collected. The courier cost will, however, be different depending on supplier.
When is my center charged?
Unless noted on the fee schedule and/or notified otherwise, donor workup, product procurement (collection and courier), cryopreservation processing, storage, and shipment charges are delayed until after the cryopreserved product has shipped from our partner facility to your center.
In rare cases, charges may be posted at the time of collection or pre-shipment, regardless of product disposition. The fee schedule accounts for these instances and/or your case manager may notify you about this possibility for your center’s consideration at the time of your service request.
What happens if the collection occurs, but my patient’s health status changes and they will not proceed to transplant?
We are committed to eliminating barriers to a patient’s transplant. Removing financial risk for our transplant center partners is one way we can help.
In the unlikely event your patient is unable to proceed to transplant, your center will not be charged for the product procurement or cryopreservation processing and storage, unless noted otherwise.
As part of the consent process for donors, the donor center or registry will ask the donor for consent to keep their cells stored and available for use by a different patient. If your patient cannot use the product and the donor has consented, the product will be listed in MatchSource so it can be used by another suitable patient.
Can I use NMDP’s cryopreservation service for an international donor?
Yes. We can freeze product from any donor, domestic or international, assuming the donor and donor center or registry approve.
Is the NMDP cryopreservation service available for related donor collections?
We are able to extend our cryopreservation services through Be The Match BioBank when our Related Donor Services program supports your related donor workup and collection.
However, charges for the donor workup, collection, courier, cryopreservation, storage, and shipment will be passed along to your center regardless of product disposition because we are unable to use related donor collections for other searching patients.
Will donors be notified that their donated cells will be cryopreserved?
Yes. The donor center or registry will have a conversation with the donor and get their consent for cryopreservation during the workup process. In addition, the donor will be notified if their cells are not used for the first intended patient.
We have cryopreservation capabilities at my transplant center. Why should I use the NMDP cryopreservation service instead of cryopreserving the cells here?
There are several advantages for your center. In cases where you have identified a donor but have concerns about scheduling their donation to align with your patient’s transplant timeframe, consider proceeding with our cryopreservation service.
With our cryopreservation service, in most cases we will defer donor workup, collection, courier, cryopreservation, storage, and shipment charges until after the frozen product is shipped to your center. If your patient is unable to proceed to transplant and the cells have not been shipped, your center is not responsible for the above-mentioned charges unless stated differently on the fee schedule and/or notified by your case manager. This reduces the financial risk to your center.
Additionally, our cryopreservation service may be a good option if your center lacks the capacity to accept donor product for cryopreservation—such as during staffing transitions or training periods—or does not have experience with cryopreserving bone marrow.
Can I receive day-of collection samples from the donor?
Yes. Donor samples can still be collected on the day of donation and shipped directly to your lab. In addition, the cryopreserved product will ship with a minimum of 3x 0.5ml cryovials of the product.
How does the NMDP cryopreservation service cryopreserve products?
We understand patient and donor situations can vary and take this into account when cryopreserving products. Our goal is to serve as a reliable resource for transplant centers, so it is important to communicate with your case manager to ensure the needs of your patient are met.
There are minimum requirements for our products that include the use of validated freeze methods, with freeze curves available upon request, and products are frozen in multiple bags with attached segments. Cryopreservation SOPs are available upon request for your review.
Request the NMDP cryopreservation service
To request our cryopreservation service, contact your case manager or email cryoservice@nmdp.org.