COVID-19 has brought major implications for blood transfusion practices: uncertain demand patterns, reduced donations and loss of staff. A recent publication synthesizes studies that address the transfusion chain and provide guidance during times of potential or actual shortage. Dr. Mindy Goldman, medical director at Canadian Blood Services, is one of the study’s authors.

In 2017, Canadian Blood Services and Héma-Québec launched a research program dedicated to advancing donor eligibility criteria specific to men who have sex with men. In November 2019, the blood operators hosted a knowledge synthesis forum in Toronto to bring stakeholders together and see where this research stands. A report from this forum is now available on blood.ca.

Did you know that there’s a wealth of information available on the Canadian Blood Services’ Professional Education website to help transfusion medicine health-care professionals as they navigate the COVID-19 pandemic?

The 2020 competitions for two of the Centre for Innovation’s most important and impactful research and training funding programs are now open. The Blood Efficiency Accelerator Program supports projects that improve the use of blood products. The Postdoctoral Fellowship Program offers salary support for young investigators undertaking full-time research training in a Canadian research laboratory affiliated with Canadian Blood Services.

Two recent studies from the laboratory of Canadian Blood Services senior scientist Dr. Ed Pryzdial shed light on how viruses interact with the blood coagulation system. These interactions may give viruses an advantage in their ability to infect, but they also provide new avenues to explore in the quest to find effective antivirals.

The Ortho Award is presented each year at the Canadian Society for Transfusion Medicine annual meeting to honour an individual member who has provided a major service or innovation in transfusion medicine. Congratulations to Canadian Blood Services scientist Dr. Alan Lazarus who is the 2020 recipient.

Congratulations to the recipients of funding recently awarded through the Centre for Innovation’s Blood Efficiency Accelerator Program (or BEAP). This funding supports innovators conducting research to improve the efficient and appropriate utilization of blood and blood products while maintaining the safety of the blood system.

World Hemophilia Day, an international awareness day for hemophilia and other bleeding disorders, is held annually on April 17. Hemophilia, an inherited blood disorder that affects mostly men, impairs a person’s ability to clot blood. A study led by a researcher from the McMaster Centre for Transfusion Research suggests more men have hemophilia worldwide than previously thought, highlights the need for improved hemophilia care, and helps predict demand for the plasma protein products used to treat patients.

Congratulations to the recipients of funding recently awarded through the Centre for Innovation’s BloodTechNet Award Program and Graduate Fellowship Program. This funding supports innovators in education and graduate students conducting research in the field of transfusion science.

Donated red blood cell units are a vital component of patient care, supporting patients with a wide variety of disorders. However, not all blood units are the same, and the benefit they can deliver to a patient can vary from unit to unit. Read on to learn about a unique device developed in a research laboratory at the Centre for Blood Research that can sort stored red blood cells based on their “squeezability”. This reflects how well red blood cells can squeeze their way through the circulation after a transfusion and could help identify “super-storers”.