SAN ANTONIO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BioBridge Global (www.biobridgeglobal.net) was announced today as the name of the non-profit holding company that includes South Texas Blood & Tissue Center (STBTC), QualTex Laboratories and GenCure. The new name reflects the organization’s mission to bridge the critical needs in the medical industry and build global partnerships that save lives, according to Board Chair Dennis Stahl and Linda Myers, CEO of BioBridge Global.
“The name BioBridge Global reflects both the life-saving connections that our organization has made for 35-plus years as well as our focused direction for the future,” Stahl said. “The bridges we build connect donors with patients, solutions with healing opportunities, and opportunities with growth, especially in terms of the collaborations we are establishing to support new therapies and medical research.”
The organization’s board created the holding company in 2012 to oversee and support its main business units, which include STBTC, QualTex Laboratories and GenCure, as well as the Blood and Tissue Center Foundation. The new structure and corporate name reflect the organization’s evolution and expansion in scope in recent years, and signals the Board’s intent that the new company will serve as a means to grow the enterprise, building and leveraging its capabilities in blood, tissue, bone marrow, cord blood, regenerative medicine, research and biologic testing.
“As we’ve finalized this new structure, we’ve also focused on developing a comprehensive strategic plan that identifies the best opportunities for continued growth and success,” Myers said. “BioBridge Global – with STBTC, QualTex and GenCure – is positioned to take advantage of a great collection of strengths that exist within our operation, and to build partnerships and collaborations that match these strengths with growing opportunities in the areas of healthcare services and biomedical research.”
Since it was founded in 1973 as the community blood bank, the South Texas Blood Center has grown to provide blood, plasma, platelets and other blood components to 67 hospitals in 43 South Texas counties. STBTC has locations in Victoria and New Braunfels as well as its San Antonio headquarters.
QualTex Laboratories was established in 2007 to provide patient, donor and biological testing services. Today, it is the nation’s largest, independent, not-for-profit laboratory testing blood and plasma products, screening more than 8 million samples annually for infections agents each year for biotechnology customers across the globe. In addition to San Antonio, QualTex also has a major testing facility in Norcross, Georgia, near Atlanta.
GenCure was established in 2011 to support the organization’s expansion into providing cell and tissue services for regenerative medicine. Under the new structure, GenCure will encompass marrow donor services, tissue services, peripheral stem cell collection, cord blood cellular therapy programs and all aspects of regenerative research. GenCure has collaborated with medical institutions and companies in San Antonio and around the world, including Scripps Research Institute; the National Disease Research Interchange (NDRI); Cytonet; University of Texas Health Science Center; University of Illinois; Lonza Walkersville, Inc.; StemBioSys, Inc.; and Saneron CCEL Therapeutics, Inc.
South Texas Blood & Tissue Center
The South Texas Blood & Tissue Center (STBTC) is a not-for-profit community blood center specializing in a variety of blood services. STBTC provides blood, plasma, platelets and other blood components to more than 67 hospitals in 43 South Texas counties. STBTC is affiliated with the American Association of Blood Banks and America’s Blood Centers. It is one of the first blood centers in the country to be registered by the International Standards Organization.
QualTex Laboratories
QualTex Laboratories provides patient, donor and biological testing services. QualTex screens millions of whole blood and plasma donations for infectious agents each year for its global biotechnology customers. It is the nation’s largest, independent, non-profit laboratory testing blood and plasma products.
GenCure
GenCure focuses on regenerative medicine. It encompasses marrow donor services, tissue services, peripheral stem cell collection, cord blood cellular therapy programs and all aspects of regenerative research. GenCure collaborates with medical institutions around the world.
