Donate Blood For Research

Vancouver is home to the unique NetCad Blood4Research facility, where donors can contribute to innovation at Canadian Blood Services by donating blood for research and for projects designed to improve Canada’s blood system. 

Canadian Blood Services believes that everybody – including those who cannot donate to the regular donation system – can make an important contribution toward improving the health of their fellow Canadians. We welcome and celebrate the participation of all our donors! 

The motto of our NetCad Blood4Research facility is “Everybody can be a lifeline”. 

If you’re in Vancouver, make an appointment today! Book an appointment using our new donor booking link, or contact us at 604-221-5515 or researchdonations@blood.ca. 

If you are a returning donor, please reach out to us at researchdonations@blood.ca to receive the booking link for returning donors. 

What does the Blood4Research Facility do?

Through its NetCad Blood4Research facility based in Vancouver, blood is collected from committed donors who are ineligible to donate blood for patient use. 

The collected blood is used to drive advances in blood collection, manufacturing, and storage. Our responsibilities include evaluating new equipment to be used at Canadian Blood Services across the country, testing new technologies and manufacturing methods to establish procedures before they’re used, and assessing new blood products that could improve transfusion care for Canadian patients. 

In addition, through the Blood4Research Program, some of the collected blood is processed and provided to researchers to facilitate studies that promote advancements in the fields of transfusion, cellular therapies, and transplantation medicine. 

Who can donate?

The criteria for donating blood at the NetCad Blood4Research facility differs from a regular blood donation at Canadian Blood Services donation centres. Donors at the Blood4Research facility are evaluated based on donor safety rather than recipient safety. So, if it’s safe for you, we can put your blood to work! Some examples of donor criteria that are accepted at the NetCad Blood4Research facility but not at Canadian Blood Services regular donor centres include:

  • Cancer of the blood (in remission)
  • Recent piercings and/or tattoos
  • Crohn’s (well controlled)
  • Recent travel to or residence in a malaria risk country
  • Regular handling or taking care of primates
  • Prior hepatitis B infection (fully recovered but anti-HBcore positive)
  • Sexual behaviour (recent anal sex with a new partner or multiple sexual partners and/or taking PrEP)
  • Myasthenia gravis (well controlled)

Indications where donors are NOT eligible to donate at the NetCad Blood4Research facility for their own protections include:

  • Blood related conditions: anemia; recurrent deep vein thrombosis; symptomatic bleeding disorders; chronic thrombocytopenia
  • Cardiovascular/lung related conditions: significant heart impairment (e.g. rheumatic heart disease, valvular disease, congestive heart disease); endarterectomy (plaque removal from inside an artery); stroke (due to non-reversible condition (i.e. cardiovascular disease)); coronary heart disease; history of coronary bypass or valve replacement surgery; heart attack; coronary thrombosis (blood clot in an artery supplying the heart)
  • Other indications: cirrhosis of the liver; immune deficiency disorder; severe renal impairment; fainting at donation (two successive faints that involved loss of consciousness or prolonged hypotension or one faint complicated by tonic/clonic movements); positive testing results for hepatitis B surface antigen, HIV/AIDS, HTLV (human T-cell lymphotropic virus), hepatitis C

Learn More

Learn more about studies supported by the Blood4Research Program.​

What can I expect if I donate?

Our facility operates like a regular Canadian Blood Services donation centre. Our donation centre is attached to a laboratory so that we can make immediate use of the donated blood for our studies. 

Just like a regular Canadian Blood Services donation, we have re-hydrating drinks and treats following your donation. 

How can I become a donor at the Blood4Research Facility or get more information?

Our facility staff enjoy talking to donors about what they do and why they do it! Please contact us for more information.