VA Opens Stem Cell Processing Lab in Tennessee

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Tennessee Valley Health Care System (TVHS) opened a stem cell processing lab on Oct. 1, becoming the only VA facility in the country with a complete stem cell transplant program. Located at the Nashville VA Medical Center, the lab aims to enhance TVHS’s ability to treat aggressive blood cancers and autoimmune diseases and expand biotherapy options for veterans.

This new facility enables TVHS to conduct the full transplant process in-house, including apheresis, processing and infusion. The lab’s expanded capacity will support more stem cell transplants and advanced therapies, including chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy. Previously, TVHS contracted stem cell processing services through Vanderbilt University Medical Center, with whom it will continue collaborating.