Centre for Innovation scientist recognized for his contributions to the field of cryobiology Transplantation Organs and Tissues Plasma Stem Cells Transfusion Blood Thursday, September 19, 2019 Dr. Geraldine Walsh Centre for Innovation scientist Dr. Jason Acker was recently inducted as a Fellow of the Society for Cryobiology, a prestigious international award that recognizes individuals who have had an exemplary impact on the field of cryobiology. Congratulations to Dr. Acker, who received this award over the…

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From artificial intelligence to whale poop, and everything in between Transplantation Organs and Tissues Plasma Stem Cells Transfusion Blood Thursday, September 12, 2019 Dr. Geraldine Walsh As Centre for Blood Research (CBR) director Dr. Edward Conway opened Research Day 2019, there was a frisson of nervous tension among the summer studentship trainees sitting in the jam-packed auditorium. These undergraduate students had spent the summer working in the laboratories of the University of British Columbia’s Centre…

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Research trainees on why eligibility, donor care, and science blogging matter to them Plasma Transfusion Blood Friday, September 06, 2019 Carly Olafson On the 30th of May 2019, an eager group of Canadian Blood Services trainees gathered In Calgary, Alta. for the Centre for Innovation’s Research Trainee Workshop. The day started with an in-depth look at donor eligibility, before moving on to a donor-focused tour of the clinic and concluding with a seminar on science blogging. The…

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New research suggests novel uses for a plasma-derived medication Plasma Thursday, August 29, 2019 Catherine Lewis A treatment now used to fight two diseases might have the potential to help patients with other conditions, too, according to new research funded by Canadian Blood Services.  The new publication, “Treating murine inflammatory diseases with an anti-erythrocyte antibody,” came out Aug. 21 in Science Translational Medicine, a high-impact scientific journal. Canadian Blood Services supplies hospitals with anti-D, a medication made from…

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Research supports equipment change and process improvements Plasma Transfusion Blood Thursday, August 22, 2019 Dr. Geraldine Walsh Two pieces of equipment at the core of our component manufacturing process were recently replaced: the centrifuge, used to spin blood into layers of components; and the blood extractor, used to separate these layers. This was a necessary change as the old equipment was nearing end-of-life. In late Spring 2019, the process of rolling out this new equipment…

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2018-2019 Centre for Innovation annual progress report now available Organs and Tissues Plasma Stem Cells Transfusion Blood Thursday, August 15, 2019 Dr. Geraldine Walsh Housed within Canadian Blood Services’ Medical Affairs and Innovation division, the Centre for Innovation conducts and supports research, development, and knowledge mobilization to ensure a safe, effective, and responsive blood system. This last year was another outstanding one for the Centre for Innovation – the heart of Canadian Blood Services’ research…

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The ethics of doing good research Plasma Stem Cells Blood Thursday, August 08, 2019 Dr. Geraldine Walsh Image Dr. Michael McDonald, Canadian Blood Services’ Research Ethics Board Chair & Professor Emeritus at the University of British Columbia Fostering innovation is central to Canadian Blood Services’ mission as Canada’s biological lifeline. The Canadian Blood Services Research Ethics Board (or REB) guides Canadian Blood Services researchers and those who receive research funding, data or biological material from…

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New data report on eye and tissue banking in Canada Transplantation Organs and Tissues Tuesday, August 06, 2019 Catherine Lewis “It was as if someone had taken a teaspoon of sand, dumped it in my eye, taken their thumb and ground it in, and every once in a while, gave it a little poke with a twig.” That’s how Loreen Hardy-Ramey describes living with Fuchs endothelial dystrophy, a hereditary eye condition. Without the cornea transplant…

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I’m fascinated by the power of stem cells: Q&A with Dr. Nicolas Pineault Transplantation Stem Cells Friday, July 19, 2019 Obinna Okwelume For more than two decades, Dr. Nicolas Pineault has worked in stem cell biology. Since joining Canadian Blood Services in 2012 as a development scientist at the Centre for Innovation, he has conducted research in stem cells from cord blood, bone marrow cells and platelets. Dr. Pineault is an adjunct professor at the University…

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Highlights from the Canadian transfusion community’s annual conference Plasma Stem Cells Transfusion Blood Thursday, July 18, 2019 Dr. Geraldine Walsh Calgary, Alberta, in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies, played host to this year’s Canadian Society for Transfusion Medicine (CSTM)/Canadian Blood Services/Héma-Québec annual conference. Canadian Blood Services is proud to be a key partner in this conference, which represents the major gathering of Canada’s transfusion medicine and science community each year. Many Centre for Innovation…

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