The International Collaboration for Transfusion Medicine Guidelines (ICTMG) creates and promotes evidence-based clinical guidelines to optimize transfusion care in Canada and worldwide. The Centre for Innovation is proud to support the ICTMG by supporting ICTMG chair, Nadine Shehata, and hosting the ICTMG secretariat. What is Fetal and Neonatal Alloimmune Thrombocytopenia? FNAIT is a rare disease that occurs when a baby inherits platelet proteins from its father that are foreign to its mother. In response, the expectant mother’s immune system makes antibodies that destroy the developing baby’s

This annual symposium honours Canadian physician, Dr. Norman Bethune. A controversial figure, Dr. Bethune is remembered as a fearless doctor, an innovative biomedical engineer, an early proponent of socialized medicine, and a trailblazer who operated the earliest practical mobile blood banks. Reflecting his legacy, the Norman Bethune Symposium offers a platform for researchers and clinicians to present strategies and challenges experienced within transfusion medicine. The program for this year’s symposium was developed by Dr. Dana Devine, Canadian Blood Services’ chief scientist, and Dr

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 as treatments for a range of diseases, from cancers to bleeding disorders. Yet not all cells are easily modified. This is true of small cells that are indispensable for stopping blood flow during injury. Image Dr. Stefanie Novakowski Why modify platelets? Platelets are currently used in the clinic to stop ongoing bleeding, caused by trauma or surgery. However, during severe bleeding platelets become

Red blood cells are like delivery trucks. They deliver oxygen to the vital organs in our body. Iron is the flatbed of the truck which holds the oxygen in place. Iron is a key ingredient to build red blood cells and when you don’t have enough iron, your body doesn’t make enough red blood cells. This is called anemia. We get iron from the foods we eat such as meat, leafy green vegetables and legumes – all rich in iron. Our body loses iron when we lose blood, so women are at the highest risk for low iron since blood is lost monthly during childbearing years. Image Imagine a woman’s iron stores as

Canadian Blood Services’ Donation Physician Network (DPN) connects clinical care physicians and provides access to educational resources including webinars on leading practices, clincial case studies, literature and emerging issues. In the spirit of international collaboration, experts in organ donation and transplantation from the U.K. and Australia recently shared lessons they have learned over the past decade as part of a series of webinars hosted by the DPN. Lessons from afar Dr. Helen Opdam of Australia and Dr. Dale Gardiner of the U.K. provide valuable perspectives in their presentations

Congratulations to Canadian Blood Services' Dr. Jason Acker, who was awarded the University of Alberta Graduate Students’ Association Graduate Student Supervisor Award at a ceremony on March 22, 2019. This award recognizes "those faculty members who excel in the supervision of graduate students”. What makes this award even more special – Dr. Acker was nominated by one of his graduate students, Ruqayyah Almizraq. We chatted to Dr. Acker to learn more. Image Dr. Jason Acker and Ruqayyah Almizraq at the University of Alberta Graduate Students’ Association award ceremony Q: Tell us more about this

For thousands of years, traditional medicine placed blind trust in phlebotomy, which involves the withdrawal of blood from a patient for therapeutic purposes.1 Considering the paradigm of medical knowledge at the time established by Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine himself, there was some plausibility to this practice: if illness was caused by an imbalance in the four humours that course throughout our bodies, then removal of excess humour (blood) would be the cure.1 Galen, an avid follower of Hippocrates, employed the most lethal weapon to perpetuate this notorious medical malpractice: pen

The 2018 Canadian Blood Services’ James Kreppner Award has been awarded to Timothy Caulfield, professor and research director in the Health Law Institute at the University of Alberta.   Valued at $50,000, the award will support Professor Caulfield’s project to analyze the marketing practices of private cord blood banks, assess their claims, and consider how regulatory tools can help ensure services marketed are done in a scientifically informed and evidence-based manner.    Image “The entire Health Law Institute team is thrilled about this award, and we truly appreciate the opportunity to dig