Dr. Donald Branch, Canadian Blood Services senior scientist, has received four awards from the Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies (AABB) but his most recent honour as a recipient of the Dale A. Smith Memorial Award is the first time that comic book superheroes have played a part. Antibodies are proteins that are part of the body’s immune response, intended to offer protection from undesirable substances such as viruses and bacteria. If the body inadvertently creates autoantibodies that react toward its own proteins instead of attacking foreign materials, these

Elyn Rowe, a PhD student with Dr. Dana Devine at CBR was awarded first prize in Canadian Blood Services’ Research 180 Video Competition for creating an original video that showcases her research (which she describes in this blog below). Check out her winning 3-minute video (embedded video). To expand the donor pool and promote inclusivity, Canadian Blood Services has made strides to expand donor eligibility criteria. Some notable changes have been removing the upper age limit restriction, and the inclusion of most individuals with diabetes. However, since blood products are not as standardized

Beth Binnington is an assistant senior researcher in the Toronto lab of Dr. Donald Branch. Beth manages the lab, trains new graduate students, and performs research. Dr. Ruqayyah Almizraq, postdoctoral fellow with Dr. Branch, is supported by Canadian Blood Services' Postdoctoral Fellowship Program. Melika Loriamini, PhD student in Dr. Branch’s lab, is a recipient of Canadian Blood Services’ Graduate Fellowship Program. On Feb. 3, 2023, the Undergraduate Pathology Alliance (UPAW), a student club from the University of Western Ontario, visited the research laboratory of Canadian Blood Services