IMAGINE … better treatments. superior outcomes. a cure. We can.

Center for Stem Cell and Cell Therapy Research. The Campaign for a Center for Stem Cell and Cell Therapy Research

“We can’t wait. Patients continue to die from diseases we should be able to treat with cell therapy. We need to speed our pace of discovery to move these treatments forward so that more patients can receive – and be saved by – these cutting-edge treatments.”

– Gilbert C. White, II, MD, Ambassador for Versiti Blood Research and Director Emeritus

Your gift will make this a reality. An investment in our research will facilitate the hiring of 10 new investigators, the creation of new laboratories, and the advancement of research breakthroughs. Philanthropy will allow us to continue the exceptional work that we do – advancing into the forefront of stem cell and cell therapy research.

“An investment in the Blood Research Institute is one of the best investments I can make in this community. The extraordinary work of the researchers who will make up this Center for Stem Cell and Cell Therapy Research will ensure we are at the forefront of cellular therapy – which is the future of health and medicine. With the crucial support of the philanthropic community, we will transform healthcare globally.” – John J. Stollenwerk, Co-Chair for the 2018 Imagine Gala, supporting the Blood Research Foundation Mitch Arnold Approximately every 9 minutes, someone in the U.S. dies from a blood .

– and Lymphoma Society

Stroke accounts for 1 in 19 deaths in the U.S.

– United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Cancer is the second-most common cause of death among children ages 1-14 years in the U.S., after accidents.

– American Cancer Society

Mitch was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic treatment options now were more limited and leukemia when he was 10 years old. For three consisted of even more toxic , or long years, he endured chemotherapy but finally transplantation – both painful, achieved a lasting remission, enabling him to difficult paths during which patients often spend spend time walking his family’s pet boxer, and months in the hospital and experience profound to join his high school’s improvisational comedy side effects, even if they are fortunate enough to team, the Jolly Pranksters. Unfortunately, as be long-time survivors of their diseases. happens too often, Mitch relapsed in 2017. His Tia Wilson

Multiple sclerosis organizations estimate that 2.3 million individuals worldwide are living with MS.

– National Multiple Sclerosis Society

About 1 in 13 African-American babies is born with sickle cell trait.

– United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Tia is a bubbly young girl who loves to dance her sickle cells with large numbers of normal and spend time with her family. She was born cells. There is no cure for sickle cell disease, with sickle cell anemia, a disease that causes which affects 1 in 400 African Americans. red blood cells to become misshapen and break Patients have a greatly shortened average life down, resulting in debilitating pain crises and expectancy in the mid-40s, and many do not potentially causing devastating organ damage. make it to adulthood. Tia has already lost a At just 3 years old, she suffered a stroke, which brother, cousin and aunt to this terrible disease, resulted in multiple extended hospital stays and and her mother Mickey is desperate to find a countless blood transfusions aimed at diluting treatment that will cure her sweet little girl. Michael Robinson

Heart disease accounts for 1 in 7 deaths in the U.S. About 2,300 Americans die of cardiovascular disease each day – an average of 1 death every 38 seconds.

– American Association

1 in 3 people will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime.

– American Cancer Society

Michael was 39 when he was diagnosed with conquer cancer and get a second chance at life. chronic lymphocytic leukemia. He underwent “CAR-T research is important, because it works five different types of chemotherapy treatment, and it gives hope,” says Michael. and currently receives CAR-T cellular therapy to turn his own cells into cancer fighters. While Michael might still need a bone marrow transplant to survive, he is hopeful that new research and discoveries into CAR- treatment can help him and other patients Imagine!

IMAGINE if there were another way to targeting and killing abilities. Others treat Mitch’s cancer – a way that did not pharmacologically manipulate signaling require toxic chemotherapy, and instead pathways in immune cells to increase their used a patient’s own natural defenses. killing ability. Versiti’s immunology team What if we could create targeted agents is working urgently to develop and refine that only killed cancer cells, sparing these approaches for treating cancer, normal cells and preventing organ understanding that blood and other damage? Versiti researchers are working kill hundreds of patients, from on such techniques. newborns to grandparents, every day. uses a patient’s own healthy cells to fight cancer cells. Still in its infancy, immunotherapy takes several forms, some involving genetic manipulation of immune cells to enhance their Imagine!

IMAGINE further advancing treatment Finally, IMAGINE finding new ways to for an illness like hemophilia or Tia’s harvest a patient’s own stem cells, family’s sickle cell disease. Not just grow new ones in a test tube, and use managing patients’ symptoms and those to repair damaged tissue or pain crises through regular blood organs. This limitless thinking is exactly transfusions, but preventing them what is needed to help millions of forever. Preventing pain and potential patients like Michael and drive medical organ damage would enable patients innovation and discovery. Stem cell to live happy, healthy and productive and regenerative medicine have the lives that are not controlled by their enormous potential to do just that. disease. Gene therapy is a special But medical science is not quite there form of cellular therapy in which yet; and more research is needed to aberrant gene sequences can be understand how cells develop and how replaced – or even repaired – for they can be controlled. The more we blood disorders like hemophilia and know, the better treatment options we sickle cell disease, and autoimmune are able to provide for patients suffering disorders like Multiple Sclerosis. from conditions like Michael’s as well as many other conditions including heart attacks, stroke, kidney failure and more. The time is now

“Community support is vital to our mission; we “Cellular therapy is giving patients the types of cells can’t do it alone. These kids really do deserve they need to fight off certain diseases. To help my better treatments that will help them go on to be research advance, we will need a lot of help from our productive and happy adults. And that’s something community to get the resources we need to help us that I am truly passionate about. It’s why I come to to move the project forward. My long-term goal in work every day. I am blessed; I get to see kids every my career is to help patients and offer them a new day overcome the worst.” – Sridhar Rao, MD, PhD, hope.” – Weiguo Cui, MD, PhD, Investigator Associate Investigator Versiti Timeline

1959 1981 1983 1987 1992-93 We developed a national We helped facilitate We were awarded the first National Discovered that Discovered tissue repository that is now the nation’s first Heart, Lung and Blood Institute platelets, similar to histocompatibility known as the National unrelated bone research grant to study AIDS, red blood cells, have markers to Marrow Donor Program. marrow transplant after finding immune system specific types that type patients on a patient with abnormalities in patients with can be matched for prior to organ aplastic anemia. hemophilia receiving clotting factor a safer transfusion. transplantation. concentrates. “There is a pressing need for better therapies for “As a center for scientific excellence in hematology patients. Through our research, the Blood Research Institute gives me the research, we strive to provide leads to potential opportunity to conduct cutting-edge research in novel therapies. For me, every day is a step closer to leukemia. Witnessing our research being translated unlocking the mysteries of leukemia—a step closer from bench to bed and how it transforms the lives of to finding new ways to fight this terrible disease.” – people in our communities gives me great pleasure Nan Zhu, PhD, Associate Investigator and motivation for further research. That’s why I am highly passionate about our research.” – John Pulikkan, PhD, Associate Investigator

2010 2011 2012 2016 We became the only center in the The Adult Sickle Investigators discovered a way Investigators discovered a new nation to provide a comprehensive Cell Clinic—the to control during gene therapy technique to use the range of life-saving services when it only one of its kind immunotherapy for cancer. combination of a patient’s own expands to include Wisconsin Donor in Wisconsin—was Molecular control of cell processes immune cells and standard vaccine Network, Wisconsin Tissue Bank and established. may hold the answer to saving lives technology to fight solid tumors. the Medical Sciences Institute. during cancer treatments. Cellular therapy is a remarkable new field of research that will transform the way diseases are treated.

Versiti’s focus on blood health innovation has positioned us as a leader in cellular therapy. Blood transfusions and bone marrow transplants are the original cellular therapies, and our investigators have been at the forefront of making them a reality. At this crucial juncture in biomedical advances, patients and research partners are relying on us to invest in and advance our knowledge of stem cell and cellular therapy research to enable our investigators and physicians to improve outcomes and save more lives. The collaborative environment of blood health innovators at the Blood Research Institute ensures interdisciplinary, multiplicative effects in blood health innovations. Recruiting additional researchers and expanding lab space will help us build additional critical mass, ensuring lifesaving discoveries will come at a quicker pace.

“The discoveries we make today are the basis of better treatments that can save lives tomorrow,” says Gilbert C. White, II, MD, Ambassador for Versiti Blood Research and Director Emeritus. “We are, at our heart, a cell therapy organization, and always have been. That’s why continuing to research life-saving cures for blood diseases and disorders is a natural progression.” IMAGINE … better treatments. superior outcomes. a cure. We can. versiti.org/CellTherapyCampaign

Support our lifesaving mission. To make a gift or learn more, contact: Kelley McCaskill Vice President of Philanthropy 414-937-6229 [email protected]

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