The importance of having a blood supply from ethnically diverse donors—one that can meet the needs of all patients—is brought sharply into focus for patients with sickle cell disease (SCD). Sickle cell disease is an inherited life-threatening condition that is more common in Black and other racialized people. People living with SCD need regular blood transfusions and, like all patients who need blood transfusions, the safest blood for them comes from donors whose blood type matches their own. But unlike other transfusion patients, patients with SCD are especially vulnerable to the risks of

This post was originally published on July 22, 2021, on the Centre for Blood Research blog. Dr. Ed Conway is a Canadian Blood Services’ adjunct scientist. Canadian Blood Services and the Centre for Innovation are proud to partner with the Centre for Blood Research to deliver training and education events. At the end of 2020, Dr. Ed Conway’s tenure as director of the Centre for Blood Research (CBR) concluded after 11 dedicated years. His directorship was characterized by boundless energy and enthusiasm, and under his leadership, the CBR has grown and flourished. To honour Dr. Conway and his

“ISBT In Focus”, which took place virtually in June 2021, offered themed sessions in two time-zones to ensure as many delegates as possible could take part, and used state-of-the-art lectures and interactive sessions. I chatted to two Canadian Blood Services delegates who attended the congress: senior scientist, Dr. Sandra Ramirez-Arcos, and postdoctoral fellow in Ramirez-Arcos’ laboratory, Dr. Sylvia Ighem Chi. Sandra Ramirez-Arcos Why do you find it important to attend the ISBT congress? The ISBT congress is a highlight for me every year, I always look forward to attending because of the

Despite the critical and increasing demand for platelets within the health-care system, they remain the most commonly discarded blood component in Canada. Why are they so frequently wasted? Improper storage outside of the hospital blood bank is the main reason that platelets get discarded before they’ve reached the end of their 7-day shelf life. The goal of a study conducted by our team at the University of Toronto QUEST research program and supported by Canadian Blood Services was to decrease platelet discards by introducing use of a Platelet Transport Bag. To understand why platelet storage

The 10th Norman Bethune Symposium was held in May 2021. This annual Centre for Blood Research symposium honours the work of Dr. Norman Bethune, and features scientists and clinicians discussing hemostasis, blood transfusion and critical care. A virtual event for the second year, the symposium was attended by speakers and participants from across North America. Among them was Dr. Basit Yousuf, a trainee in Dr. Sandra Ramirez-Arcos’ laboratory, who is supported by a Canadian Blood Services Postdoctoral Fellowship award. Canadian Blood Services and the Centre for Innovation are proud to partner

Editor’s note: this story and the details shared are with the permission of Dr. Catherine Jenkins. Content warning: please be aware this article contains references to transphobia. As Canadian Blood Services moves toward more inclusive screening criteria for donors, Dr. Catherine Jenkins is bringing her perspective to that work as a scientist, LGBTQ+ advocate and trans woman. She’s involved with a research grant, through Canadian Blood Services, studying plasma donation and alternative donor screening questions for gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, and some trans, gender

This post was written by Dr. Mona Khorshidfar and Wayne Zhao, both of whom are members of Dr. Dana Devine’s laboratory at the Centre for Blood Research. The post was originally published on the Centre for Blood Research blog. Read that original post here. The Centre for Blood Research (CBR) Travel Award provides graduate students and postdoctoral fellows with the opportunity to attend first-class scientific conferences. Not only can awardees present their own research, but they can also access networking opportunities and a sneak peak at the newest cutting-edge research and technologies. Two

As SARS-CoV-2 was emerging in early 2020, Canadian Blood Services and other blood operators were unsure how their operations and the blood supply would be affected. Now, over a year since the COVID-19 pandemic was declared, an article by Canadian Blood Services’ medical officer, Dr. Aditi Khandelwal, looks back on the pandemic’s impact on blood donations in Canada. Using data on donor attendance, donor eligibility and donation events, Dr. Khandelwal paints a picture of a resilient blood system thanks in large part to dedicated blood donors. Despite challenges, donors kept coming through the

Through the Centre for Innovation’s competitive funding programs, Canadian Blood Services conducts and supports researchers and research projects in key areas. Recipients for one of our most dynamic programs, the BloodTechNet Award, were recently announced, and several other funding opportunities are now open for applications. BloodTechNet Award Program recipients BloodTechNet funding supports the development of innovative educational projects. These projects deliver educational tools and resources to help development of skills, knowledge and expertise for health professionals in transfusion