AABB 2019 – A knowledge infusion for our trainees!


Thursday, November 14, 2019
The AABB Annual Meeting is a must-attend event for those in the fields of transfusion medicine and cellular therapies. AABB 2019 took place last month in San Antonio, Texas. Canadian Blood Services trainees Dr. Narges Hadjesfandiari and Dr. Olga Mykhailova were there and report back on meeting highlights.

The science behind young blood


Thursday, October 31, 2019
Drinking the blood of the young, and thereby somehow capturing their youth, is a common literary trope. The ghoulish notion speaks to our cultural fascination with youth, but also to our dread of aging. There’s no evidence-based therapy using the blood of young people to counteract or prevent the effects of aging, but young blood is an area where science might be beginning to imitate art — at least, sort of. “When we talk about young blood, we’re really talking about two streams of work,” says Dr. Jason Acker, a senior scientist at Canadian Blood Services’ Centre for Innovation and professor

Dr. Donald Branch honoured by AABB for his career achievements


Thursday, November 07, 2019
Last month, Dr. Donald Branch, a scientist at Canadian Blood Services’ Centre for Innovation and professor at the University of Toronto, received a prestigious international award honouring his more than 40 years of major contributions to transfusion medicine and hematology.

Lay Science Writing Competition open for submissions!


Tuesday, October 01, 2019
Stories underlie all research experiences, but these stories are rarely told. The Centre for Innovation is excited to launch its second annual Lay Science Writing Competition and give our research trainees the chance to tell those stories!

Centre for Innovation scientist recognized for his contributions to the field of cryobiology


Thursday, September 19, 2019
Centre for Innovation scientist Dr. Jason Acker was recently inducted as a Fellow of the Society for Cryobiology, a prestigious international award that recognizes individuals who have had an exemplary impact on the field of cryobiology. Congratulations to Dr. Acker, who received this award over the summer at the Society for Cryobiology’s annual meeting in San Diego.

From artificial intelligence to whale poop, and everything in between


Thursday, September 12, 2019
Always an engaging and informative event, this year’s partnership with the University of British Columbia’s School of Biomedical Engineering meant the Centre for Blood Research’s 2019 Research Day touched on an astonishing array of topics...

Research trainees on why eligibility, donor care, and science blogging matter to them


Friday, September 06, 2019
On the May 30, an eager group of Canadian Blood Services trainees gathered In Calgary, Alta. for the Centre for Innovation’s Research Trainee Workshop. The attendees spent the day at the Eau Claire donor centre to learn about donor selection criteria, the blood donor experience, and the art of science blogging.

Research supports equipment change and process improvements


Thursday, August 22, 2019
Canadian Blood Services recently updated the equipment it uses to produce components (red blood cells, plasma and platelets) from whole blood donations. In May 2019, the mammoth task of implementing the new equipment at manufacturing sites across the country was completed. But how did the organization choose which equipment to implement in the first place? Let’s look back at some early research work that helped the organization gather the evidence it needed to support this change.

2018-2019 Centre for Innovation annual progress report now available


Thursday, August 15, 2019
The Centre for Innovation’s annual progress report details the achievements made over the past year by Canadian Blood Services’ network of scientists, medical experts, research partners, and collaborators.

Highlights from the Canadian transfusion community’s annual conference


Thursday, July 18, 2019
The Canadian Society for Transfusion Medicine’s annual conference took place in Calgary, Alberta in early June. The Centre for Innovation’s Geraldine Walsh was there and shares her highlights.