Northwest Biotherapeutics Announces Establishment Of the Company's Own Dedicated Leukapheresis Clinic
BETHESDA, Md., April 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Northwest Biotherapeutics, Inc. (OTCQB:NWBO) (the "Company" or "NWBio"), a biotechnology company developing DCVax® personalized immune therapies for solid tumor cancers, announced that it is establishing its own dedicated clinic for leukapheresis procedures at The London Welbeck Hospital. The Company is doing so in order to proactively address potential constraints in available leukapheresis capacity. The Company anticipates that this will facilitate scale-up of the Company's programs and will also enable provision of these services for other parties.
A leukapheresis procedure is a specialized blood draw that is necessary to collect a patient's immune cells for immunotherapies such as DCVax as well as CAR-Ts and other T cell therapies, and for certain other types of therapies. The procedure takes about 4 hours and involves filtering the patient's blood through special equipment that collects the white blood cells and returns the red blood cells and plasma to the patient.
The London Welbeck Hospital has a well-established and respected reputation of nearly 40 years, as a private medical facility, in London's renowned Harley Street medical district. The Company has obtained dedicated clinical space at the Welbeck, and is currently building out its facility and preparing regulatory license applications. The plans and initial equipment purchases were made in Q4 2025. The buildout is expected to finish by June, and the license applications are being pursued in parallel. The first leukapheresis machine has been delivered and the initial personnel have been selected.
This strategic investment has arisen out of the Company's experience in its compassionate use program. The Company has found that it can often be difficult to obtain a timely leukapheresis appointment slot, due to general shortage of leukapheresis capacity in the UK. Patients may have to wait extended periods for a leukapheresis appointment, and their clinical condition may decline while waiting for a slot.
The Company's Welbeck facility is designed to support a substantial volume of patient treatments, with built-in flexibility to scale operations further as demand grows. The facility will be able to provide leukapheresis procedures for 4 patients per day, and may also offer extended hours and weekend operations. In combination with the Company's ongoing activities to expand its manufacturing capacity, the Company is working to build a strong internal foundation capable of supporting a significant number of patients.
About Northwest Biotherapeutics
Northwest Biotherapeutics is a biotechnology company focused on developing personalized immunotherapy products that are designed to treat cancers more effectively than current treatments, without toxicities of the kind associated with chemotherapies, and on a cost-effective basis. The Company has a broad platform technology for DCVax® dendritic cell-based vaccines. The Company's lead program involves DCVax®-L treatment for glioblastoma (GBM). GBM is the most aggressive and lethal form of primary brain cancer, and is an "orphan disease." The Company has completed a 331-patient Phase III trial of DCVax-L for GBM, presented the results in scientific meetings, published the results in JAMA Oncology and submitted a MAA for commercial approval in the UK. The MAA is currently undergoing review. The Company has also developed DCVax®-Direct for inoperable solid tumor cancers. It has completed a 40-patient Phase I trial and plans to pursue Phase II trials this year. The Company previously conducted a Phase I/II trial with DCVax-L for advanced ovarian cancer together with the University of Pennsylvania.
Disclaimer
Statements made in this news release that are not historical facts, including statements concerning plans for DCVax® are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "expect," "believe," "intend," "design," "plan," "continue," "may," "will," "anticipate," and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Actual results may differ materially from those projected in any forward-looking statement. Readers should not rely upon forward-looking statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated, including, without limitation, risks related to delays or uncertainties in regulatory processes and decisions, risks related to the Company's ability to achieve timely performance of third parties, risks related to whether the Company's products will be viewed as demonstrating safety and efficacy, risks related to the Company's ongoing ability to raise additional capital, and other risks included in the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") filings. Additional information on the foregoing risk factors and other factors, including Risk Factors, which could affect the Company's results, is included in its SEC filings. Finally, there may be other factors not mentioned above or included in the Company's SEC filings that may cause actual plans, results or timelines to differ materially from those projected in any forward-looking statement. The Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or developments, except as required by securities laws.
CONTACTS
Northwest Biotherapeutics
Dave Innes
804-513-4758
[email protected]
SOURCE Northwest Biotherapeutics, Inc.
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