How are our normal blood clotting systems affected by viral infections? Could clues to the successful treatment of some of the world’s most challenging viral infections come from understanding how viruses interact with our body’s clot-creating proteins? These are the kinds of questions that Dr. Ed Pryzdial, Canadian Blood Services senior scientist and his laboratory team at the Centre for Blood Research (CBR) in British Columbia have dedicated research efforts to answering; efforts that have recently earned them project funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), based on a

What is your role in Innovation and Portfolio Management and what led you to take on this role? I joined Canadian Blood Services in 2021 as the associate director of portfolio management with the goal of developing and leading the product and portfolio management team. This team oversees product lifecycle activities for our collection of fresh blood products (red blood cells, platelets, and plasma), stem cells and diagnostic services. Prior to joining Canadian Blood Services, I spent nearly a decade leading product management activities in the biotechnology industry, overseeing the launch of

What is pathogen inactivation? Canadian Blood Services’ commitment to blood safety is paramount, which is why many measures are in place to protect transfusion recipients from getting an infection through a blood transfusion. Pathogen inactivation, the latest measure being introduced at Canadian Blood Services, adds an extra layer of protection. By effectively damaging the nucleic acids of a number of pathogens, including viruses and bacteria, pathogen inactivation further reduces the risk of pathogen transmission—an especially important safeguard against new or emerging pathogens, or

For the 2021-2022 competition, we were delighted to once again partner with the Centre for Blood Research at the University of British Columbia and our friends at Science Borealis. This year’s competition challenged trainees to get creative in telling stories that help demystify science to those who may not experience it firsthand. With our theme of “Science behind the scenes”, we were looking for stories that shed light on conducting research or working in a laboratory, or stories about the interesting technologies and tools scientists work with. And new this year, we asked applicants to

Red cell antigen genotyping Red cell antigen genotyping is a type of genetic testing offered through Canadian Blood Services at the National Immunohematology Reference Laboratory (NIRL). Available to healthcare providers across the country, this precise and comprehensive testing provides detailed information about specific antigens that may be present in a patient’s blood. Antigens may cause the immune system to produce antibodies, so understanding a patient’s unique combination of antigens is critical to selecting appropriate transfusion strategies. Patients who may benefit from red cell