We need platelets to perform vital functions in our bodies: they help heal our wounds and prevent us from bleeding excessively. We also need a certain number of them—what’s referred to as our platelet blood count—for these functions to be carried out effectively. Faced with an increased risk of bleeding, people with a low platelet blood count, such as cancer patients receiving chemotherapy, can boost their numbers with a platelet transfusion. But how low does a person’s platelet count have to be before they would benefit from a platelet transfusion? To help answer questions like this, doctors

The Centre for Innovation was thrilled to once again partner with the Centre for Blood Research at the University of British Columbia to deliver our annual Lay Science Writing Competition. And with this year’s theme of “Challenges 2020”, it’s no surprise that the competition received many interesting, heartfelt and inspiring entries. A huge thank you to everyone who entered. Our panel of esteemed judges, which included science and communication experts from Canadian Blood Services and the Centre for Blood Research, faced their own challenge to pick the best entries based on the competition

You may be aware that there’s no deferral for blood donors after they receive a vaccine against COVID-19. But you might be wondering how the blood operators made this decision. Canadian Blood Services' medical director for donor and clinical services, Dr. Mindy Goldman, answers questions. When people have recently received certain vaccines, they may have a waiting period, called a temporary deferral, before they can donate blood or plasma. So, as the global rollout of vaccines against COVID-19 began in December 2020, blood operators and their regulators needed to determine whether people who

The landmark Human Organ and Tissue Donation Act (HOTDA) came into effect in Nova Scotia on Jan. 18. Under the law, all Nova Scotians will be considered organ and tissue donors unless they opt out. Nova Scotia is the first jurisdiction in North America to pass such a “deemed consent” law. Medical professionals, as well as the 4,000 Canadians in other provinces who need organs or tissues, are also paying close attention. Learn more about Nova Scotia’s new deemed consent law Canadian Blood Services is also paying close attention to the outcomes. As the organization that provides national support

Amie T. Kron is the clinical research coordinator in transfusion medicine at Sunnybrook Research Institute in Toronto. The University of Toronto QUEST program is a research collaborative supported by Canadian Blood Services. At the University of Toronto, a focus of the QUEST research program is improving transfusion care by ensuring that blood components (red blood cells, plasma and platelets) are transfused appropriately. Transfusion is one of the most commonly ordered procedures in hospitals. Of all patients admitted to hospital, approximately 10% receive a blood transfusion. Optimizing

Patients with a bleeding disorder called immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) are at risk for blood loss if they need to have surgery. Because their blood doesn’t clot as it should, ITP patients are commonly treated before surgery with intravenous immune globulin (IVIg), which helps their blood clot by increasing the number of platelets. But a study published in The Lancet Haematology and led by Dr. Donald Arnold, director of the McMaster Centre for Transfusion Research, shows that an oral medication that stimulates the production of platelets, called eltrombopag, is an effective alternative to IVIg

Intramural Research Grant Program One of the Centre for Innovation’s flagship competitive research grants, the Intramural Research Grant Program supports projects that will generate knowledge and lead to new discoveries that will improve the safety and efficacy of blood products and the blood system in general. A key focus of this program is to encourage collaborative research and to build strong research teams that can address the needs of Canadian Blood Services. Through the IRGP, 20 projects are currently supported, exploring a wide range of critical topics from improving stem cell

Canadian Blood Services’ chief scientist has been appointed director of the Centre for Blood Research at the University of British Columbia. This new role deepens Canadian Blood Services’ lasting collaboration with the centre and is part of Dr. Devine’s longstanding pursuit of bringing new discoveries to patients in meaningful ways. “As one of the founders of the Centre for Blood Research, I’ve watched it grow over the years. In some ways, it feels like I’m coming full circle,” says Dr. Devine. “It’s one of the largest academic blood centres in the world, and one of the most multidisciplinary

Dr. Celina Montemayor-Garcia joined Canadian Blood Services in August 2020 as a medical officer. As a researcher and transfusion medicine specialist, her main interest is understanding how genomics and bioinformatics can be used to improve care for transfusion patients. She spoke to us about advances in precision medicine and genomics, and what they could mean for the future of blood banks. When Dr. Celina Montemayor-Garcia, medical officer at Canadian Blood Services, was looking for a career in medicine that would allow her to combine research and clinical service, she found her calling in

IVIg is the wonder drug you’ve probably never heard of – yet. Used to treat many different conditions, intravenous immune globulin (IVIg) is manufactured from the plasma of thousands of patients combined. While it’s not exactly clear how it works, IVIg is known to alter a person’s immune response. As such, it’s often called an “immune modulator” and is mostly used as an effective treatment for immune and inflammatory conditions. Finding alternatives to IVIg and ensuring that when used, it is used appropriately, are important areas of research at Canadian Blood Services. This is because IVIg is