February 27 2019

Be The Match®, an organization that works globally to provide a cure to patients battling blood cancer and other blood disorders, announced today that Be The Match Foundation  was awarded a $250,000 grant to support the Jason Carter Clinical Trials Program (JCCTP) from Gilead Sciences. The grant was awarded through the Gilead Lift program, an initiative by Gilead Sciences and Kite, A Gilead Company, which supports organizations that improve engagement and educate patients, families and caregivers about cell therapy, as well as those committed to increasing awareness, education and access to clinical trials.

“We are very excited to have been chosen to partner with the Gilead Lift program,” said Scott Kerwin, program manager for the JCCTP. “This funding will enable us to expand our patient education resources for cell therapies and emphasize the importance of clinical trial participation toward the advancement of life-saving cancer therapies.”

In 2016, Jason Carter passed away from leukemia. Treatment for his disease included two clinical trials, which gave him more time with his family. However, finding and accessing clinical trials proved challenging for the Carter family and they were inspired to support other patients in their journey. Through a generous gift from the Carter family to Be The Match Foundation, Be The Match launched the JCCTP in July 2017. 

Currently, the JCCTP offers clinical trial search through an easy-to-use web-based tool, one-to-one support from a clinical trials patient education specialist, and education resources to help patients and families learn about and find clinical trials. The grant from the Gilead Lift program will help expand the patient education and medical writing team, enable the creation of educational materials on cell therapies, and bring broader awareness to the JCCTP and its offerings through a national advertising campaign.

“Our goal since creating the JCCTP has been to improve access to clinical trials for patients with blood cancers and blood disorders,” Kerwin continued. “Cell therapies are a critical part of that, and through this grant, we can improve both education and clinical trial enrollment for patients that have the greatest needs.”

For more information about the Jason Carter Clinical Trials Program, including how to support the program with a financial gift, visit https://www.jasoncarterclinicaltrialsprogram.org/. For more information about blood stem cell donation and how you can join the Be The Match Registry, visit: BeTheMatch.org or follow us on social at @BeTheMatch or https://www.facebook.com/BeTheMatch/.

About Be The Match^®

For people with life-threatening blood cancers—like leukemia and lymphoma—or other diseases, a cure exists. Be The Match connects patients with their donor match for a life-saving marrow or umbilical cord blood transplant. People can contribute to the cure as a member of the Be The Match Registry®, financial contributor or volunteer. Be The Match provides patients and their families one-on-one support, education, and guidance before, during and after transplant. 

Be The Match is operated by the National Marrow Donor Program® (NMDP), a nonprofit organization that matches patients with donors, educates health care professionals and conducts research through its research program, CIBMTR® (Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research®), so more lives can be saved. To learn more about the cure, visit BeTheMatch.org or call 1 (800) MARROW-2.

About Gilead Sciences

Gilead Sciences is a research-basedbiopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops, and commercializes innovative medicines in areas of unmet medical need. The company strives totransform and simplify care for people with life-threatening illnesses aroundthe world. Gilead has operations in more than 35 countries worldwide, with headquarters in Foster City, California. For more information on Gilead Sciences, please visit the company’s website at www.gilead.com.

About Kite, A Gilead Company

Kite, A Gilead Company, is a biopharmaceutical company based in Santa Monica, California. Kite is engaged in the developmentof innovative cancer immunotherapies. The company is focused on chimeric antigen receptor and T cell receptor-engineered cell therapies. For more information on Kite, please visit www.kitepharma.com.