Program will allow central Missouri patients and caregivers to receive treatment close to home

University of Missouri Health Care has launched the region’s only Blood and Marrow Transplant and Cellular Therapy Program.

MU Health Care now offers blood and marrow transplants and chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR)-T cell therapy for adults with certain types of blood cancers including lymphomas, leukemias and multiple myeloma.

A blood and marrow transplant uses healthy cells collected from either the patient or a donor to replace the patient’s damaged or diseased bone marrow. CAR-T therapy is a type of cancer immunotherapy that uses a patient’s immune cells to enable them to destroy cancer cells more effectively.

The new program at MU Health Care’s Ellis Fischel Cancer Center in Columbia allows patients and caregivers to remain close to home during their treatment, instead of traveling to St. Louis or Kansas City for extended visits.

MU Health Care’s program is led by hematologist and oncologist Dr. Gerhard Hildebrandt, who is an internationally recognized bone marrow transplant physician with more than 15 years of experience. He has led bone marrow transplant and cellular therapy programs at two NCI Cancer Centers and started a CAR-T cell therapy program at the University of Kentucky.

“We are committed to moving cancer care forward by bringing innovative cancer treatments to our local communities,” Hildebrandt said. “This new program allows us to provide novel and potentially life-saving therapies and clinical trials for our patients.”

When patients complete their treatment at Ellis Fischel, their care team will work to create a seamless transition for patients back to their local cancer care providers, ensuring continuity and the best outcomes.

“Our top priority is to provide patients with the most effective oncology treatment, tailored to their needs,” Hildebrandt said. “We believe local care is often the best care, which is why we collaborate closely with our referral partners throughout the treatment process, so together we can offer our patients these highly advanced cancer therapies closer to home.”

Learn more about the new Blood and Marrow Transplant and Cellular Therapy Program.

Dr. Gerhard Hildebrandt is the director of the Ellis Fischel Cancer Center, chief of the Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology and a NextGen Precision Health investigator. He is a graduate of the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz School of Medicine in Germany and completed his residency in internal medicine and fellowships in hematology and oncology at the University Hospital Regensburg.
 

Contact: Eric Maze, mazee@health.missouri.edu, 573-884-3656