LifeNet Health LifeSciences division is uniquely positioned to provide innovative, all-human cell-based research solutions by leveraging LifeNet Health’s established infrastructure and relationships for organ and tissue procurement.
As the only cell and tissue provider with the capacity to manage the entire process – from donor authorization and recovery to handling, preservation, and the isolation and characterization of cells – LifeNet Health ensures the highest quality standards are upheld. This comprehensive approach not only enables groundbreaking therapeutic discoveries that can impact millions of lives but also honors the generosity of donors and their families.
By managing the entire process and maintaining strict quality control, LifeNet Health ensures tissues and cells are utilized to their full potential. This integrated approach enables LifeNet Health’s LifeSciences division to offer a diverse range of comprehensively characterized human cells and tissues, in vitro physiological systems and assay services. These offerings support scientists across various industries, including pharmaceutical, biotech, agriscience, food safety, cosmetics and personal care.
- Ethical Donor Authorization – LifeNet Health prioritizes ethical donor authorization, ensuring that the comfort and respect of both the donor and their family are paramount. The organization adheres to the highest standards of consent, including permissions for genetic testing and unknown future applications. This ethical commitment is reinforced by LifeNet Health’s compliance with the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act and Ethical Legal Social Implications studies, which ensure that donated tissues can serve diverse research purposes.
- Recovery and Procurement Expertise – LifeNet Health stands out as the largest tissue recovery network in the world, working with nearly all Organ Procurement Organizations in the U.S. and accessing over 9,000 donors annually. The organization’s recovery expertise spans both tissue and organ donations, with best practices in biospecimen procurement backed by state-of-the-art training, transplant certifications, and low post-mortem times. Skilled anatomists, transplant coordinators, and recovery technicians ensure that every recovery process adheres to stringent standards, maximizing the viability and quality of biospecimens for research.
- Comprehensive Cell and Tissue Characterization – LifeNet Health’s ability to provide fully characterized cells and tissues is a critical component of its value proposition. Each donor is extensively profiled across various dimensions, including demographics, social and medical history, and genotyping. Rigorous post-thaw assessments of cells such as hepatocytes, stellate cells, and Kupffer cells ensure that researchers receive well-functioning, reliable tools, which are crucial for advancing drug discovery and personalized medicine.
- Innovative Assays and Models – LifeNet Health’s commitment to innovation is exemplified by its advanced in vitro assays and models. TruVivo®, an all-human 2D+ hepatic system, for instance, mimics the microarchitecture of the human liver and supports studies in areas such as hepatotoxicity, drug metabolism, and enzyme induction. LifeNet Health’s exclusive offerings, like the first-ever human 3D thyroid microtissue model and a dynamic multi-organ microphysiological system (MPS) platform, empower researchers to obtain human-relevant in vitro data without relying on animal models.
LifeNet Health’s innovations provide human-relevant alternatives to animal models, streamline research timelines, and enhance the precision of experimental results. LifeNet Health’s unwavering commitment to quality accelerates the journey of new therapies and medical products from the lab to the clinic.
By combining ethical leadership, scientific expertise and advanced technologies, LifeNet Health maximizes the potential of every donor gift and drives groundbreaking research that is shaping the future of medicine.
LifeNet Health is a Washington Hospital Services Preferred Partner. Preferred Partners provide WSHA member hospitals with approved products and services to help improve operational efficiencies, reduce costs, and deliver high-quality care. Each of our Partners go through a comprehensive evaluation process to ensure they meet and maintain high standards of quality and service.
For more information about LifeNet Health or the WHS Preferred Partners Program, contact Cynthia Hay at cynthiah@wsha.org or (206) 216-2526. (Cynthia Hay)
