Blueprint for Breakthroughs is a LinkedIn newsletter published by Adrienne B. Mendoza, MHA, SVP BioBridge Global and Chief Operating Officer (COO), BBG Advanced Therapies
Originally published on LinkedIn on April 22
Let’s Not Wait: Reimagining Access from a Place Too Often Overlooked
While wrapping up my last article, Tariffs and a Changing World in Advanced Cell Therapies, I was closely monitoring the ripple effects of shifting trade policies when I saw Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong address his parliament.
He described his country as “a little red dot on the map”—a phrase that acknowledges both the vulnerability and the determination of smaller systems in a dynamic world. In his speech, PM Wong didn’t call for a trade war, but called for resolve and said:
“We must be mentally prepared for a new, volatile world… and stay united, pool our resources, and act with grit and gumption.”
That mindset applies to healthcare too.
It means not letting complex logistics or circumstances stop us from moving forward, or limit our ability to launch clinical trials in overlooked regions. It means asking harder questions about where patients participate, and why some aren’t. And it means inviting more hands to help build a system that can thrive, even as our world is in constant flux.
South Texas might not be the first place you think of for advanced therapy innovation or access, but it’s exactly the kind of place that can prove what’s possible. Here’s why…
The First Step Is the First Step
In most advanced cell therapies, everything begins with a single critical action: collecting the patient’s or donor’s immune cells—a process called leukapheresis.
But that step is typically tied to major academic medical centers and research hospitals and cancer care hubs. For many patients across South Texas, this means long drives, disrupted lives, or missed chances for treatment altogether.
So we asked: What if the first step came to them?
At BBG Advanced Therapies, we’ve spent decades bringing care to communities through mobile blood collection as part of our legacy with South Texas Blood & Tissue. We’ve also operated a fixed-site leukapheresis center in San Antonio for over a decade. We took what we knew—and reimagined it for what’s next.
The result? The world’s first mobile leukapheresis center—a fully self-contained, accreditation-ready platform that brings immune cell collection to the communities where people live, work, and receive routine care.
And it’s not just the platform that’s mobile—it’s the people. Our expert team travels with the unit, flawlessly integrating this service into locations throughout our vast region to ensure a seamless, consistent experience for patients, sponsors, and providers alike.
Having everything needed onboard to perform leukapheresis in a consistent, controlled and validated state, also supports a more consistent level of quality in the cells (leukopaks) collected. We believe that leukopaks are a critical manufacturing input that should be controlled to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) – reducing variability, therefore supporting and benefiting any clinical or commercial program.
It’s a solution built for flexibility to support what’s next.
Why South Texas?
South Texas brings something powerful to decentralized clinical trials: diverse, resilient communities that have historically been underrepresented in trials.
By conducting research here, and using mobile infrastructure to expand reach, we can help sponsors close diversity gaps, accelerate enrollment, and generate richer insights across broader populations.
And beyond the trial phase, infrastructure can grow. With the right collaborators, we can layer in local infusion and post-acute care support as well as educational tools for clinicians and care teams.
Together, these elements create a full ecosystem of access, from vein to vein, and from research to real-world impact.
A Hub for Reimagining Care Delivery
This isn’t the first time South Texas has stepped forward to redefine the standard of care.
Our region has long been a proving ground for bold medical innovation. This is the birthplace of the prehospital whole blood program—a revolutionary initiative that brought whole blood back into trauma care before patients reach the hospital, now adopted nationally. We’ve translated battlefield medicine into civilian trauma systems, led burn and critical care advancements at Brooke Army Medical Center, and driven Hispanic-focused genomic and Alzheimer’s research through UT Health San Antonio.
These programs didn’t just serve our community—they reshaped what’s possible across the country and beyond.
At BBG Advanced Therapies, we’re proud to carry that legacy forward. This mobile leukapheresis platform is more than a service—it’s a signal: That the most advanced cell therapies shouldn’t be reserved for the few. They should be available wherever the need exists.
But We Can’t Do It Alone
To realize the full potential of this model, we need a team of collaborators:
- Pharmaceutical partners ready to reimagine trial models
- Oncology groups willing to expand the care continuum
- Hospitals and health systems committed to reaching beyond their walls
- Policy and funding leaders who believe that healthcare can—and must—adapt
I’ve already had early conversations with forward-thinking institutions here in San Antonio, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive. People see the urgency. They recognize the opportunity.
⭐️ If you’re reading this and thinking, “This is the future—I want to be part of it,” we want to hear from you! Please connect with me, or the BBG Advanced Therapies team at bbgat.org ⭐️
See It for Yourself!
We’ll be debuting this platform at ISCT, International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy and American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy (ASGCT) in New Orleans this May. We hope to see you there!!
Built to solve a real-world problem, and intended to spark new ideas, and solutions reverberating beyond our region.
