Innovation150 series on the RED blog: As Canada celebrates 150 years we look back on Canadian innovations in transfusion medicine over the years. A series of posts over the next few weeks feature remarkable Canadian progress in transfusion medicine past, present and future. #Innovation150.

Previous posts in our "The things we do for safety" series Battling bacteria - part I Leukoreduction In a previous post, we wrote about the donor screening criteria, the arm scrub and the diversion pouch. These are important steps in our blood collection process to limit the introduction of bacteria present on the skin or in the blood of donors into blood products. In this post, we explore other lines of defence in our battle against bacteria. The entire blood product manufacturing process is conducted in a “closed-system”. Through a clever set-up of tubings and bags, the collected blood is

Dr. Danielle Martin, author of Better Now: Six Big Ideas for Improving Health Care for All Canadians spoke at Canadian Blood Services' board retreat in April 2017.

Since 2007, Canadian Blood Services and the Ontario Regional Blood Coordinating Network (ORBCoN) co-chair the planning and execution of an annual transfusion medicine symposium in partnership with a community hospital. The involvement of the community hospital is key in identifying topics of relevance to the transfusion issues faced by their health care professionals. The community hospital also serves as the host site for the symposium, from where the speakers present to the local audience and from where the lectures are web casted to more participants. Blood and Guts: Management of the GI

Canadian Blood Services to fund three highly ranked relevant meritorious applications from the CIHR Project Grant applications submitted Fall 2016.

Kudos to our research colleagues at The Ottawa Hospital on receiving 18 new CIHR research grants worth $10.7 million.

It's Science Odyssey Week in Canada from May 12 to 21. Enjoy 10 days of discovery and innovation across the country. Find out where activities are taking place near you. In the spirit of Science Odyssey 2017 we worked out a little hands-on experiment to try at home or in class. Ever wonder why your blood is red? Want to get a "feel" for what your blood would look like up close? Try this... Ingredients 1/2 cup corn syrup (PLASMA) 1/2 cup red jelly beans (RED BLOOD CELLS) 1 tbsp. dry white lima beans (WHITE BLOOD CELLS) 10 lentils (PLATELETS) Directions: Mix together in glass jar or bowl. Voila

Ruqayyah Almizraq became interested in science because "it is like a magic window that opens up a whole new world."

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

Every day in Canada, more than 4,600 people are waiting for news that a donor has been found. Everad Tilokee shares his transplant journey during National Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Week.