Blood & Marrow Transplant and Cellular Therapy Program

MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper is South Jersey's only blood and marrow transplant and cellular therapy program. Our team of specialists provides advanced, personalized treatment for patients with blood cancers and other types of cancer using proven protocols and state-of-the-art technologies—right here, close to home.

Our program is accredited by the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT), the highest standard of quality in cellular therapy. FACT accreditation means every aspect of our program—from cell collection and processing to patient care—has been rigorously evaluated and meets the most stringent national and international standards. This accreditation assures patients and their families that they are receiving care from a program committed to safety, quality, and excellence.

Our program is accredited by FACT for autologous stem cell transplants and cellular therapy.

Understanding Stem Cell Transplants

A stem cell transplant replaces unhealthy or damaged bone marrow with healthy stem cells that can grow into new, healthy blood cells. There are two types of stem cell transplants: autologous, which uses your own cells, and allogeneic, which uses donor cells.

Autologous Stem Cell Transplant

An autologous transplant uses the patient's own healthy stem cells. Before high-dose chemotherapy, stem cells are collected from the patient's blood or bone marrow and safely stored. After treatment, the cells are returned to the patient through an infusion. Once these cells travel to the bone marrow and begin producing healthy blood cells—a process called "engraftment"—the body can begin to recover.

Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplant

An allogeneic transplant uses healthy stem cells from a matched donor—typically a sibling, an unrelated volunteer, or umbilical cord blood. The patient first undergoes chemotherapy (and sometimes radiation) to prepare the body, and then the donor's stem cells are infused into the bloodstream, similar to a blood transfusion. The transplanted cells restore the patient's ability to produce healthy blood cells and create a new immune system. Importantly, the donor's immune cells can also mount an immunologic attack against remaining cancer cells.

Cellular Therapy

Cellular therapy harnesses the power of the body's own immune cells—modified and enhanced—to recognize and eliminate cancer. At MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper, we offer both FDA-approved cellular therapies and investigational treatments for patients with certain cancers.

CAR T-Cell Therapy 

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy is a form of immunotherapy in which a patient's T cells are collected and genetically modified in a laboratory to produce receptors that recognize specific proteins on cancer cells. These engineered cells are then multiplied and infused back into the patient, where they seek out cancer cells and eliminate them. CAR T-cell therapy has shown remarkable results for patients with certain blood cancers, including lymphoma, leukemia, and multiple myeloma.

TIL Therapy 

Tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy represents the next frontier in cellular therapy for solid tumors. Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes are immune cells that have naturally migrated into a patient's tumor and already recognize the cancer. In TIL therapy, these cells are extracted from the tumor, expanded by the billions in a laboratory, and infused back into the patient as a powerful tool to treat that patient's specific cancer.

Our experts have been instrumental in the development of TIL therapy as a treatment for advanced melanoma and other solid tumors and are involved in clinical trials studying this treatment for other types of cancer. Our team was among the first in the nation to offer TIL therapy to patients, and we continue to advance the study of cellular therapies to bring these groundbreaking options to patients in our region.

FACT Accreditation: A Mark of Excellence

MD Anderson at Cooper's Blood and Marrow Transplant and Cellular Therapy Program is accredited by the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT)—a nonprofit organization co-founded by the American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy (ASTCT) and the International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy (ISCT).

FACT accreditation is a voluntary, rigorous, internationally recognized certification that represents the highest standard of quality in cellular therapy. The accreditation process involves a comprehensive peer-reviewed evaluation of every aspect of care—from cell collection, processing, and storage to transport and administration. Only programs that demonstrate excellence in patient care, laboratory practices, and quality management earn this distinction.

Why Choose MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper?

Stem cell transplant and cellular therapy are among the most complex treatments in cancer care, requiring a highly skilled, experienced team. These therapies are only performed at cancer centers capable of delivering the highest level of care.

• The only program in South Jersey offering autologous and allogeneic stem cell transplants and advanced cellular therapies.
• Nationally recognized: MD Anderson at Cooper is recognized as Top Performing by U.S. News & World Report for the care of patients with leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma. Cooper University Hospital has been consistently named one of the top 10 hospitals in New Jersey and is the highest-ranking hospital in southern New Jersey.
• A comprehensive, multidisciplinary team including hematologists, oncologists, medical and surgical subspecialists, transplant coordinators, nurses, behavioral health specialists, and ancillary support—all working together to create a personalized care plan for every patient.
• Convenience: With multiple locations throughout South Jersey, MD Anderson at Cooper offers patients access to advanced, innovative cancer care close to home.

Supportive Services

Throughout your entire journey, your MD Anderson at Cooper team is with you every step of the way. Our nurse navigators, social workers, nutritionists, behavioral health experts, palliative care specialists, financial counselors, and care coordinators work together to ensure every patient and family is supported—with compassion and respect—from diagnosis through treatment and beyond.