The ability to genetically modify a cell is a powerful tool. Genetically modified cells have advanced our understanding of how the body works and how diseases develop. They are currently used to treat a range of diseases, from cancers to bleeding disorders. Yet, not all cells are easily modified. Dr. Stefanie Novakowski’s joint 3rd place entry to our Lay Science Writing Competition explains more.

Red blood cells are like delivery trucks that deliver oxygen to the vital organs in our body. Iron is the flatbed of the truck which holds the oxygen in place. Our body loses iron when we lose blood, and women are at the highest risk for low iron since blood is lost monthly during childbearing years. Dr. Heather VanderMeulen’s joint 3rd place entry to our Lay Science Writing Competition dissects these issues.

Dr. Jason Acker was recently awarded the University of Alberta Graduate Students’ Association (GSA) Graduate Student Supervisor Award. We chatted to Dr. Acker to find out what this award means to him.

Lily Park’s entry was awarded 2nd place in our Lay Science Writing Competition. It describes research by a group at The Ottawa Hospital to improve patient outcomes following liver surgery, while reducing blood loss and the need for blood transfusion.

The 2018 award named for lawyer and tireless blood activist James Kreppner, will fund much-needed research into legal and regulatory issues around the long-term storage and use of biological samples.

Recipients of the Canadian Blood Services Lifetime Achievement Award are individuals whose landmark contributions are recognized as both extraordinary and world class in the field of transfusion or transplantation medicine, stem cell or cord blood research in Canada and/or abroad.

In the delicate balance between clotting and bleeding, current laboratory research being undertaken by our partners is evolving our knowledge of how anticoagulant drugs work

The results of our first-ever Lay Science Writing Competition are in, read-on to discover who gets top-prize and what happens next.

This primer is part I of our new series exploring the future of blood banking. Given that D is also for Development: Canadian Blood Services and the Centre for Innovation have been following the development of pathogen inactivation technologies and how they can be used to improve safety. Read-on to learn more about these technologies and their potential to shift the blood safety paradigm.

This month’s Research Unit describes efforts by researchers to create a simulation and modelling study to understand how the risk of transfusion-transmission of HTLV would change if the screening were modified.