The International Collaboration for Transfusion Medicine Guidelines (ICTMG) recently partnered with Association for the Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies (AABB) to release new international guidelines for the clinical use of platelets in a variety of patient settings. These guidelines represent a major advancement in transfusion medicine, providing a framework for safer, more sustainable transfusion practice by promoting a shift toward restrictive platelet transfusion strategies.

Dr. William (Bill) Sheffield, a Canadian Blood Services’ senior scientist and associate director of research has received two awards in recognition of his outstanding innovations and mentorship within transfusion medicine.

Canadian Blood Services is looking forward to connecting with members of the transfusion community at CSTM 2025, happening this May in St. John's, Newfoundland! In lead-up to the event, we invited members of our research and education network to submit blogs previewing their contributions to CSTM 2025.

Canadian Blood Services senior research scientist, Dr. Jason Acker, has recently been recognized with a King Charles III Coronation Medal for his contributions to science, technology and innovation. Learn more about the award and Dr. Acker’s research in this blog!

The 2025 Canadian Blood Services Lifetime Achievement Award nomination period is now open! This prestigious award recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to the fields of transfusion and transplantation science and medicine. Learn about the nomination process and how you can submit a nomination by April 25, 2025.

It’s been an exciting year of stories on the Research, Education, and Discovery (R.E.D.) Blog. Here is a look back at the articles you were most interested in from 2024.

Canadian Blood Services 2024 Lay Science Writing Competition offered in partnership with the Centre for Blood Research (CBR) provides research trainees an opportunity to exercise and enhance their science communication skills by sharing their research with lay audiences. Read Katerina Rosenflanz’s description of her research as a first-year Masters student in the lab of Dr. Hongshen Ma at the Centre for Blood Research; her write-up claimed first prize in this year’s competition!

Curious about the latest progress in research and education at Canadian Blood Services? Our Annual Impact Report 2023–2024 (now available on blood.ca) pulls together the latest case studies and spotlights on research and education initiatives from our innovation and portfolio management team. Learn more and access the report from this post!

Canadian Blood Services 2024 Lay Science Writing Competition offered in partnership with the Centre for Blood Research (CBR) provides research trainees an opportunity to exercise and enhance their science communication skills by sharing their research with lay audiences. This write-up by Drs. Chaahat Singh and Giorgia Caspani, postdoctoral fellows in the lab of Dr. Wilfred Jeffries at the Centre for Blood Research, claimed second prize in this year’s competition!

Canadian Blood Services Research Engineer Dr. John Blake and his trainees apply network modelling, a computer-based optimization technique to keep Canada’s Lifeline safe and reliable for years to come.