Annual progress report highlights the Centre for Innovation’s impactful research, development, education and training

#WeDoResearch! Through our Centre for Innovation, our engaged network of scientists, medical experts, partners, and collaborators conduct and disseminate high quality, impactful research for the benefit of Canadian patients and the Canadian healthcare system.   

The Centre for Innovation’s goal is to drive innovation to improve the blood system by facilitating the creation, translation, and application of new knowledge to support a safe, effective, and responsive system of blood and related biological products for Canada. 

The last year was an outstanding one for the Centre for Innovation team. Their achievements and accomplishments are highlighted in the 2017-2018 Centre for Innovation Progress Report, which comprehensively catalogues the Centre’s research, development, training, and education outputs and outcomes over the past year.  

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2017-18 Research highlights

Platelet shelf life extension - The Centre provided scientific knowledge and evidence to support Canadian Blood Services’ successful transition from a five-day to a seven-day shelf life for platelets.  

Product and process development - The Centre provided expertise to support the implementation of new equipment for blood component production. The evidence we provided helped the organization select new equipment while being confident of the continued quality of our products.  

Paradigm-altering discovery research -  We published several impactful studies on intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIg) and the immune disorders they treat. We also identified several potential IVIg replacement drugs that may reduce the burden on IVIg supply and improve patient outcomes. 

MSM Research Grant Program - In partnership with Héma-Québec, we initiated funding for research projects with the goal to evolve the current eligibility criteria for men who have sex with men (MSM).  

These and the many other successes highlighted in the annual progress report are achieved with funding from Health Canada, the provincial and territorial ministries of health, and other partners. Canadian Blood Services also benefits from and is grateful for the generosity of the blood donors who contribute to our research.  

As a result of the work of the Centre for Innovation, Canadian Blood Services, along with the broader healthcare system, is better positioned to address emerging medical and scientific trends, risks, opportunities, and technologies, and to lead change for the benefit of Canadian donors and patients. 

We are looking forward to seeing what exciting research progress 2019 will bring! 

Read the 2017-18 Centre for Innovation Annual Progress Report here. 

Canadian Blood Services – Driving world-class innovation

Through discovery, development and applied research, Canadian Blood Services drives world-class innovation in blood transfusion, cellular therapy and transplantation—bringing clarity and insight to an increasingly complex healthcare future. Our dedicated research team and extended network of partners engage in exploratory and applied research to create new knowledge, inform and enhance best practices, contribute to the development of new services and technologies, and build capacity through training and collaboration. Find out more about our research impact. 

The opinions reflected in this post are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Canadian Blood Services nor do they reflect the views of Health Canada or any other funding agency.