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About Us

The BioBridge Global family of nonprofits includes South Texas Blood & Tissue, QualTex Laboratories, BBG Advanced Therapies and The Blood & Tissue Center Foundation. For 50 years, we have worked with the healthcare community to provide lifesaving therapies to patients and to support advances in advanced therapies. 

South Texas Blood & Tissue supplies blood components to more than 100 hospitals in South Texas and supports tissue, umbilical cord blood and birth tissue donations.

QualTex Laboratories screens millions of blood and plasma donations every year and provides other biological testing for national and international biomedical customers. 

BBG Advanced Therapies delivers a fully integrated and custom portfolio of innovative solutions, including collection and processing of starting materials, testing and manufacturing services that bring transformative therapies to patients across the globe.

The Blood & Tissue Center Foundation raises awareness and funds to support the lifesaving activities of BioBridge Global.

Mother holding baby in superhero costume, symbolizing the life-saving impact of blood donation.
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Leadership

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Commitment to Quality

Two hands holding a small red paper heart to symbolize donors saving patients lives through the power of human cells and tissue

Our Mission:

To save and enhance lives through the healing power of human cells and tissue.

Concern for local patients in the 1970s helped launch the organization that would become BioBridge Global.

BioBridge Global History

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The South Texas Blood and Tissue Center, formerly known as South Texas Regional Blood Bank, has a paper cutout titled “Blood Bank Plan Told” from 1973.
Members of the Bexar County Medical Society, led by Dr. Robert Gossett, decide San Antonio should have a locally based blood bank, one that could respond more quickly to patient needs.
Historic photo of The South Texas Regional Blood Bank.
The South Texas Regional Blood Bank opens its doors in a small facility in downtown San Antonio.
Woman standing in front of The South Texas Blood and Tissue Center Blood Bank BloodMobile in 1975.
With the donation of a new motor home adapted for blood donations, the blood bank begins welcoming donors at local shopping centers.
Three individuals smiling for a historic black and white photo, representing the move of the organization, The South Texas Regional Blood Bank, now known as BioBridge Global.
The South Texas Regional Blood Bank moves into a larger building on San Pedro Avenue and names it in honor of Gossett.
A historic photo of Dr. Norman Kalmin accepting a document from a gentleman representing the City of San Antonio on behalf of BioBridge Global.
Dr. Norman Kalmin joins the blood bank as Medical Director. He will go on to serve the organization for 31 years as Medical Director, Chief Executive Officer, and President/CEO of QualTex Laboratories.
The historic YWCA building in downtown San Antonio Bio Bridge Global moved here in 1984.
The center purchases the historic YWCA building in downtown San Antonio and, following renovations, moves there in 1984.
Be The Cure, Be The Match marrow registry drive at UTRGV
The South Texas Regional Blood bank joins the National Marrow Donor Program registry program and begins collecting umbilical cord blood.
Anonymous male arm donating blood at South Texas Blood and Tissue Center
The blood bank moves into its current facility on Interstate 10 West and changes its name to the South Texas Blood & Tissue Center to reflect its newly expanded mission into posthumous tissue collection.
Image- city of San Antonio Texas Text: "South Texas Blood and Tissue Center becomes the first North American blood and tissue center to achieve ISO 9000 certification."
STBTC becomes the first North American blood and tissue center to achieve ISO 9000 certification.
The Blood & Tissue Center Foundation is formed to provide financial support to the blood bank’s expanding programs.
Gloved hands measuring the weight of cord blood for the The Texas Cord Blood Bank program.
The Texas Cord Blood Bank, authorized and funded by the Texas Legislature, opens as a registry and depository for umbilical cord blood donations, which began in 1998.
BioBridge Global staff working on blood, tissue, cell donation, collection, storage, testing, and research.
QualTex Laboratories is formed to handle testing of blood and plasma donations in San Antonio, Texas.
The South Texas Blood and Tissue center Donor Pavilion.
The South Texas Blood & Tissue Center opens the Donor Pavilion as a new location for blood donors and the center’s staff.
BioBridge Global Medical Staff helping Blood or Platelet donor with the donation process in 2008. Peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) collection center.
The center becomes an official peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) collection center to help streamline the search service for patients and donors.
GenCure researcher wearing full personal protective equipment, standing in front of research equipment and the GenCure logo.
GenCure is formed to support regenerative medicine and cellular therapies.
QualTex facility in Norcross, Georgia. For Biomanufacturing, research and testing services.
QualTex launches a facility in Norcross, Georgia, to serve testing customers in the South and East Coast.
BioBridge Global conference announcing as the parent organization to The South Texas Blood and Tissue Center, BBG Advanced therapies,QualTex Laboratories, GenCure and The Blood & Tissue Center Foundation.
BioBridge Global is created to serve as the parent organization for the South Texas Blood & Tissue Center, QualTex Laboratories, GenCure and The Blood & Tissue Center Foundation.
The South Texas Blood and Tissue Center Donor Pavilion.
The blood center welcomes its 1 millionth donor.
Three GenCure’s researchers in the facility, offering large-scale expansion of adult stem cells and expertise to advanced therapies customers around the world.
GenCure’s biomanufacturing facility opens, offering large-scale expansion of adult stem cells and expertise to advanced therapies customers around the world. QualTex expands into testing services for adult stem cells.
Testing for Advanced Therapies
QualTex Laboratories launches testing services for advanced therapies.
Community Labs testing
After just eight weeks of preparation, Community Labs is launched to provide fast, accurate and inexpensive COVID tests to schools and businesses across South Texas. BioBridge Global operates the laboratory in the BBG Headquarters Building.
Apheresis donor chairs
The South Texas Blood & Tissue Apheresis Center obtains accreditation from the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy, which sets worldwide standards for care in cellular therapy.
All of Us Research Program logo
South Texas Blood & Tissue announces its partnership with the National Institutes of Health’s All of Us Research Program, to recruit and engage participants in one of the nation’s largest and most diverse health information databases.
BioBridge Global 50th Anniversary logo
BioBridge Global celebrates 50 years of service to the community.
BBG Advanced Therapies is launched to provide innovative, custom solutions designed to accelerate the development of lifesaving therapies.

Meet Valentina

Valentina is alive and happy today because of multiple donors. Diagnosed with a rare blood disorder as a baby, she needed numerous transfusions to battle her condition – then a cord blood transplant to beat it.
Building connections to make a lasting impact.
BioBridge Global in the Community
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