This week, we chat with Canadian Blood Services’ adjunct scientist, Dr. Elisabeth Maurer, about her work to understand blood platelets for transfusion, the technology she has developed to help determine “what’s in the bag”, and what inspires her to keep researching these small but dynamic cell fragments that are so critical to bleeding, clotting, and the immune system. Where do you work and what is your role? I work at LightIntegra Technology Inc., a company that was founded in 2008 while I was scientist at Canadian Blood Services. I am the chief technology officer. I also hold a position as

At the 35 th Congress of the International Society for Blood Transfusion (ISBT), members of our network gathered to share their knowledge and exciting new educational resources.

Once Local Day wrapped up, the 35th Congress of the International Society for Blood Transfusion (ISBT) got into full swing. What followed was four days of the latest in transfusion medicine and science, delivered in a jam-packed schedule of concurrent sessions. ISBT 2018 addressed topics across the transfusion spectrum, from donor recruitment and retention, donor health, the biology of blood cells, blood components, transfusion-transmitted infectious diseases, immunohaematology, patient blood management, adverse transfusion events, cellular therapies, and much more. Sharing knowledge on the

Held in Toronto, the 35 th Congress of the International Society for Blood Transfusion (ISBT) kicked off with a “Local Day” on Saturday June 2 nd. Organized by the Canadian Society for Transfusion Medicine, and chaired by Dr. Katerina Pavenski, Local Day focused on Canadian advances in transfusion medicine over the years: past, present, and future. As 2018 marks the 20-year anniversary of the founding of Canadian Blood Services and Héma-Québec, the program was designed to reflect on the past and look to the future. The day began with the Annual General Meeting of CSTM, followed by the Ortho

Earlier this month, the international community of transfusion medicine and science professionals converged on Toronto, Ontario, for the 35th Congress of the International Society for Blood Transfusion (ISBT). Held every other year at different locations around the globe, the ISBT congress is one of the main knowledge sharing and networking events in the field of transfusion. This year was the first time since 2002 that the ISBT congress was held in Canada. Canadian Blood Services was there in force, to showcase Canadian contributions to the field, exchange ideas, share knowledge, and build

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.

On June 5, Canadian Blood Services was honoured to accept the Canadian Operational Research Society's Omandt Solandt Award at a reception in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Michelle Rogerson, Director, Supply Chain (Atlantic), Canadian Blood Services, accepted the award on behalf of the organization. About this award Dr. Omand McKillop Solandt was the first president of the Canadian Operational Research Society. He was a physician and surgeon, who graduated from the University of Toronto and did post-graduate work at Cambridge in the 1930s. When the Second World War broke out, Dr. Solandt investigated

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

On the surface of our red blood cells are proteins called antigens. There are more than 600 known antigens — and some combinations of antigens are far less common than others.

On April 10th, 2018, the Centre for Blood Research presented its 8th Annual Norman Bethune Symposium. This event honours Canadian physician, Dr. Norman Bethune, who in the 1930s spearheaded the implementation of the earliest practical mobile blood collection and distribution systems. During his introductory remarks, Dr. Ed Conway, director of the Centre for Blood Research, and a Canadian Blood Services’ adjunct scientist, reminded the audience that this event takes advantage of some fascinating Canadian medical history. Dr. (Henry) Norman Bethune was born in Gravenhurst, Ontario in 1890