For this “Meet the researcher” post, we met with Dr. Heyu Ni, a scientist at Canadian Blood Services’ Centre for Innovation who is an expert in platelet immunology and clotting.

For this instalment of “Meet the researcher”, we met with Dr. Jason Acker, a senior research scientist at Canadian Blood Services who specializes in the manufacturing and storage of blood components. “What gets me up in the morning is the knowledge that through the work of my team and my collaborators, we are able to have a direct impact on the lives of patients. The technical and scientific support we provide helps the organization make critical decisions about the quality of the products that we are collecting, manufacturing and distributing.” ~ Dr. Jason Acker, Research Scientist, Canadian

For this instalment of “Meet the researcher”, we met with Dr. Donald Branch, a scientist at Canadian Blood Services who studies infectious diseases and immunology. How long have you been with Canadian Blood Services? I started with the Canadian Red Cross at the Edmonton Blood Centre in December 1985. I was recruited there by the medical director, Dr. Jean-Michel Turc, to do a PhD in the department of immunology at the University of Alberta and to use my expertise in transfusion medicine as a consultant for the researchers and staff at the Edmonton Centre. After completing my PhD, I moved to a

Knowledge dissemination is a vital step needed for research to be translated into new applications and improved processes. Through our Centre for Innovation, Canadian Blood Services conducts and supports research related to transfusion medicine and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. KnowledgeInfusion webinars disseminate our research findings to Canadian Blood Services staff, helping them learn about exciting new discoveries and understand how they can be applied to address the organization’s challenges. The presentations are also recorded and shared on our Professional Education website to reach a broader audience.

This week, we catch up with Dr. Sandra Ramirez-Arcos, Canadian Blood Services’ development scientist and head of the microbiology laboratory in Ottawa. How long have you been with Canadian Blood Services? I started working at Canadian Blood Services on November 10, 2003, so it will be 15 years in November 2018! What’s your role? I am a Development Scientist in the Process and Products Development group at the Centre for Innovation . Development scientists conduct applied research to tackle some of the challenges faced by Canadian Blood Services during the processing of blood products. My role

Canadian Blood Services currently has a special need for O-negative donors. And we aren’t alone — many blood operators worldwide have recently increased their efforts to recruit O-negative blood donors. Why are O-negative donors in such high demand? Matched (or group specific) blood is always preferred for transfusion; however, O-negative blood can be transfused to recipients who have any ABO blood type (A, B, AB or O) and Rh type (positive or negative). This makes them vital for emergency transfusions when the recipient’s blood type is unknown, or if ABO-matched and/or Rh-matched blood

This post was written with contributions from Dr. Miguel Neves, a post-doctoral fellow in Dr. Heyu Ni’s Centre for Innovation lab at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto. “Transfusion For All Ages,” the 2017 Canadian Society for Transfusion Medicine (CSTM) annual meeting organized in partnership between CSTM, Canadian Blood Services and Héma-Québec, was recently held in Ottawa. We’ve gathered a few highlights from this annual gathering that brought together hundreds of transfusion medicine professionals. Check out the CSTM 2017 Photo Gallery. An inspiring keynote lecture by Juno award-winning

Platelets are essential for the formation of blood clots to stop bleeding. However, if platelets are activated when they’re not supposed to be, a clot can form within a blood vessel, blocking blood flow. These clots can cause medical emergencies such as heart attacks and strokes, which are major causes of illness and death worldwide. Current therapies to treat and prevent blood clot formation are associated with potentially dangerous bleeding side effects. Researchers at Canadian Blood Services are working on developing new drugs that don’t have these side effects but still provide effective

Dr. Hume, a professor at the University of Montreal and former executive medical director for Canadian Blood Services, works six months every year as a pediatric hematologist at the Mulago National Referral Hospital in Uganda.

We are now accepting applications for the 2017 competition of our Intramural Research Grant program!