Vitalant Launches New Analytical Capabilities in Pittsburgh Lab Expansion as Part of National CGT Strategy
Vitalant, one of the nation’s largest nonprofit blood and biotherapies healthcare organizations, today announces the launch of expanded testing capabilities within the Vitalant Coagulation Laboratory in Pittsburgh to support biotherapy development, marking a key milestone in its broader strategy to advance lab services across its national network.
The Pittsburgh lab has long supported research, diagnosis and treatment of blood coagulation disorders. With this expansion, it now adds next-generation sequencing (NGS) as part of a coordinated, hub-and-spoke approach to cell and gene therapy (CGT), including advanced testing capabilities.
“This launch is an important step in a larger strategy to bring together advanced testing capabilities across our laboratories in Phoenix, San Francisco and Pittsburgh,” said Becky Cap, senior vice president of biotherapies, Vitalant. “By aligning specialized services to support the development, validation and delivery of molecular and cell-based assays, and investing in key sites like Pittsburgh, we are building a more connected and scalable platform to support patients, healthcare providers and therapy developers.”
The expansion also reflects Vitalant’s ongoing efforts to consolidate and integrate laboratory services, building on existing capabilities across its network, including centralized analytics initiatives in Phoenix. This approach enables greater standardization, operational efficiency and access to advanced testing, while supporting consistent quality and regulatory alignment. Through this integrated hub-and-spoke model, Vitalant supports a wide range of analytical needs, including donor and starting material testing, in-process monitoring and release testing. The services are critical to transfusion medicine, transplantation, and the development of cell and gene therapies.
“The Pittsburgh expansion shows more than just the advance of a single laboratory, but how we are leveraging a highly coordinated system to expand these capabilities everywhere, creating a comprehensive testing ecosystem,” said Angela Verdoni, scientific director, coagulation and MID laboratories, Vitalant. “Our goal is to ensure that advanced diagnostics and analytics are accessible and responsive to the evolving needs of healthcare and research.”
The addition of NGS testing in Pittsburgh enhances support for patients with inherited bleeding disorders and those in critical care settings, while advanced genetic testing and immunophenotyping capabilities provide deeper insights into cellular characteristics and function. Together, these services expand Vitalant’s ability to deliver high-value, data-driven support across multiple therapeutic areas.
Vitalant is also evaluating future opportunities to highlight how these expanded capabilities may support patients with sickle cell disease, with current work primarily focused on red cell exchange transfusion and related services.
About Vitalant
Vitalant is one of the nation’s largest nonprofit blood and biotherapies healthcare organizations, providing hospitals and patients across the U.S. a safe blood supply, specialized laboratory services, transfusion medicine expertise and world-renowned research. Our biotherapies program addresses a critical gap in the rapidly evolving cell and gene therapy landscape, bridging the space between patient needs and the current capabilities of the healthcare environment. We connect hospitals, therapeutic developers and patients, enabling the delivery of care to the communities where patients live. Learn more at biotherapies.vitalanthealth.org.