MTF Donor Criteria Changes Reflect Recovery
Partner Feedback and Safe Tissue Processing Standards.

In an effort to meet tissue transplantation demands and to respond to feedback from our Recovery Partners, MTF has developed an alternate processing pathway which is more robust in inactivating bacteria. This alternative pathway allows MTF to expand our donor criteria in certain areas and to simplify the donor screening process. 

Effective October 1, 2008, MTF will be accepting a subset of donors 12-65 years of age for musculoskeletal and dermal recovery previously excluded for clinical symptoms of acute infection.

In addition to the expanded criteria change, MTF will no longer accept musculoskeletal or skin tissues from donors 71 years of

age and above. This change also will take effect October 1, 2008. The primary reason for this change in criteria is that the tissues from these non-standard donors will no longer be needed to fulfill our agreement with Osteotech, Inc. which expires at the end of 2008.

To review all specific details, MTF will be holding a series of conference calls with appropriate recovery partner staff prior to implementation, and will be issuing a technical service bulletin with complete details. 

If you have any questions prior to the scheduled conference calls, please contact Michael Real, MTF Director of Procurement at 732-661-2521. mike_real@mtf.org, or your Regional Director.

Dr. Corr Receives MTF DonorCARE Award

Dr. Charles A. Corr (“Chuck”) has been awarded the 2008 MTF DonorCARE Award for his outstanding teaching, research, publication, and professional service in the field of death, dying and bereavement. Chuck is currently Professor Emeritus, Dept of Philosophical Studies, at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

Chuck is a past recipient of a Fulbright Research Grant for study in Germany, the Children’s Hospice International Award for Outstanding Contributions to the world of hospice support for children, two awards from the Association for Death Education and Counseling, and the Dr. Robert Fulton CDEB Founder’s Award from the Center for Death Education and Bioethics at the University of Wisconsin.

He was nominated by the Past-Chairs of the National Donor Family Council (NDFC), the National Kidney Foundation staff, and the Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation, each of whom cites Chuck as a true champion for donor families and their needs.

As an author and researcher in death, dying and bereavement education, Chuck’s principles and programs for donor families are employed as far away as Japan and Denmark. With his associates, he has helped to create resources and a community for donor families around the world.

Chuck’s input was instrumental in the development of a philosophy of care for donor families and potential donor families, and his influence in the area of donor family care has directly impacted all aspects of family support. Suzy Ball, current Chair of the NDFC writes: “Today, donor family services are routinely incorporated into donation organizations and families are given support for up to three years post donation.”

Established in 2000, the MTF DonorCARE Award is presented biennially through the National Kidney Foundation to an individual or group that provides consistent and comprehensive care to all donor families they serve.

MTF Senior Regional Director, Betty McNamara (left) presents Dr. Charles A.Corr (“Chuck”) with 2008 DonorCARE Award at recent U.S. Transplant Games.

MTF Leadership Summit Attendees Make Questions Work

• Investing significantly in Research and Development to produce a steady stream of new tissue forms
• Satisfying surgeon needs by keeping older lines of tissues current with new generations of differentiated tissue forms
• Looking for new applications for tissue in growing areas of surgery, including vertebral compression fractures, nucleum pulpous, and cartilage repair
• Continuing to invest in field and in-house staff to bring the allograft message to surgeons
• Conducting surgeon and nurse education programs across the country.

Other challenges to MTF and the tissue banking industry include pricing pressures, rising recovery costs, and increase in donor rejections. MTF strives to meet these challenges with supply and labor cost reduction initiatives, changes in MTF donor criteria, and expansion into new value-added solutions, such as Tissue TrackCore, an automated system that tracks tissue from receipt at the hospital to implantation.

MTF Announces 2007 Achievement and Technical Award Winners

Mark Reiner, Director of Partner Relations MTF is pictured with LifePoint’s case management group, communications center and technical staff. LifePoint won the 2007 Hourglass Award in recognition of their excellence in the facilitation of donor releases. Winners of achievement and technical awards for 2007 were announced in May at this year’s Technical Symposium in New Orleans, LA. These awards are given to MTF  recovery partners in acknowledgement of their excellence in tissue donation and recovery services.

Achievement

LifeAlaska was recognized for the highest number of MTF donors recovered per million, 123.

MTF Tissue Services-Wisconsin was recognized for the highest percentage increase in donors recovered from the previous year, 58.1%.

Technical Awards

Lifeline of Ohio & Carolina Donor Services Lifeline of Ohio & Carolina Donor Services were awarded the Golden Glove

Award in recognition of excellence in the sterile recovery of musculoskeletal allografts for transplantation.

LifeChoice Donor Services & MTF Tissue Services-Wisconsin were awarded the Golden Scalpel Award in recognition of superior surgical technique for soft tissue allografts.

LifePoint was awarded the Golden Hourglass Award for their excellence in the facilitation of donor releases.

MTF Tissue Services Illinois (Split Thickness) and OneLegacy (Dermal) were awarded the Golden Graft Award for their excellence in recovering skin grafts.

MTF Honored as Outstanding Business of Year

The Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation (MTF), headquartered in Edison, NJ, was awarded the honor of Outstanding Business of the Year by the Edison Chamber of Commerce. MTF President and CEO Bruce Stroever accepted the award, saying the Foundation is in Edison to stay.

The 300-member Chamber of Commerce recognized MTF during the Chamber's annual awards dinner in June. Members of the

community nominated award recipients throughout the spring. The awards are designed to recognize the accomplishments of business leaders in various enterprises.

“MTF is honored to receive this distinguished award from the Chamber,” said Stroever. “We have always strived to be a vital and contributing part of the Edison community, and we look forward to future partnerships."

New 30,000 Square Foot Facility Up and Running

British film crew captured Bruce Stroever as he cut the ribbon at the new storage and shipping facility

June 27 was a big day for MTF. Our new distribution center opened with a ribbon cutting ceremony and a visit from a British film company. The ceremony featured a ribbon cutting by MTF President and CEO Bruce Stroever and remarks by other MTF employees who helped start the new distribution center. The new building, which is only a short distance from the Jessup, PA processing facility, is 30,000 square feet and houses all tissue distribution from the East Coast and all donor log-in functions. Ted Bender, Director of Processing Services for MTF Jessup, says: “The new site helps us to further accomplish the MTF mission by providing customer services and quality tissue for recipients.”

The film company, TwoFour Productions, was visiting MTF as part of a documentary about the recent BTS criminal incident where human tissue was taken from donors without consent and medical records were forged. MTF participated in filming at Jessup, PA in order to show how legitimate tissue banking works. The documentary will be broadcast in the United States, Australia and the UK at a date to be determined. 

Orthofix International and MTF Enter Partnership Agreement

MTF is pleased to announce a new partnership agreement with Orthofix International to develop and distribute a cryo-preserved, cancellous tissue form containing viable adult stem cells. The area of cell-based therapies has been the subject of tremendous research over the last few decades. Clinical use of materials utilizing the benefits of adult stem cells has grown significantly in the last few years as surgeons have sought to harness the healing potential of these cells. Under the terms of the agreement Orthofix will fund a milestone-based program to develop a bone growth matrix designed to provide beneficial properties comparable to an autograft in spinal and orthopedic surgeries.

Bruce Stroever, President and CEO of MTF, stated, “We are

pleased to be working with Orthofix to develop a stem cell-based tissue form. This is a new area for MTF that helps us fulfill our mission to supply life changing grafts for transplant that are derived from the gift of human tissue.”

Under the terms of the agreement MTF will focus on the procurement of donor tissue, the processing of the bone growth matrix, and the distribution of all tissues.  Orthofix will be responsible for marketing the new allograft. MTF looks forward to embarking upon this new partnership and to delivering these exceptional new grafts to physicians and transplant recipients in the coming years. 

2008 Crystal Heart Award Honors the Media

Meet Tissue Recipient
Barbara Gentile-Crary

The “Ray of Hope” story on E:60 and ESPN.com received the prestigious Crystal Heart Award, presented annually by the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations and Donate Life America. The award recognizes national broadcast and print media who have accurately and compassionately portrayed the stories of donation and transplantation.  The award is sponsored by the Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation (MTF).

“MTF is pleased to continue our 9th year of sponsorship of this award. We have long emphasized the value and need of maintaining and preserving the public trust in organ and tissue donation,” stated MTF Executive Vice President, Martha Anderson.  Myra Burks-Davis from the New Jersey Sharing Network, added: “Both the online and broadcast version of this story resulted in close to 50,000 new donors who registered on the www.donatelife.net website.  It is estimated that these new donors could result in saving over 163,000 peoples’ lives.”

Barbara Gentile-Crary stood poised at 11,036 feet on the tip of Mammoth Mountain in California for a ski run down the hill. The next thing she knew she was falling several hundred feet, head first backwards. She sustained a serious injury to her knee requiring ACL transplant surgery, but she feels lucky to be alive.

“I remember and honor the person and the family who so generously donated, and I have dedicated my recovery effort to their memory,” said Barbara. 

Through the hard work of physical therapy, Barbara has returned to her active life of travel, hiking, mountain biking, skiing, running and teaching scuba diving. She looks forward to the ski season ahead.

New Jersey resident and Donor wife Jane Luther-Umstadter witnessed Senate President and Acting Governor Richard Codey sign three very important bills this summer. They are the New Jersey Hero Act, the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act (UAGA) and the Anatomical Research Recovery Organization Act. This legislative package represents a significant milestone for the state of New Jersey and will have a tremendous impact on the number of organs and tissues transplanted and lives saved. MTF, along with the NJ Sharing Network and Gift of Life Philadelphia worked to ensure rapid passage of these three Acts.