New name unites Blood Center’s four-state service region under a single identity
(May 3, 2021 | Davenport, Iowa) – In a change that will align its employees, donors, and volunteers of its four-state service region under a single identity, Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center (MVRBC) is changing its name to ImpactLife. READ MORE
WEST WARWICK, R.I., April 21, 2021 – Citing exceptional efforts and partnership, Blood Centers of America (BCA) is recognizing 10 of its supply partners with the newly announced Critical Infusion Award, for helping to overcome the unique challenges the pandemic posed to the blood and plasma donation field.
BCA works with hundreds of suppliers that all kept the supply chain moving during critical months of the pandemic, but recipients of the Critical Infusion Award stood out for going above and beyond to solve logistics, testing and equipment supply challenges. Thanks to these suppliers, BCA was able to help facilitate/coordinate collections and help ensure that COVID-19 convalescent plasma (CCP) was available for use in treating patients with the virus —while helping to maintain a secure and stable supply of blood and plasma for hospitals. READ MORE
SAN DIEGO (January 25, 2021) – La Jolla resident and mother of three, Stacie Buechel was recently diagnosed with bone cancer and needs blood transfusions as part of her treatment, but her situation is complicated because she has a rare blood type. Stacie needs blood from donors who have A+ (A positive), O- (O negative) or O+ (O positive) blood that also lacks a protein called Kpb. Less than 1% of the population have this type of blood.
More information on Stacie’s story can be found here
Anyone who would like to donate blood in Stacie’s name can visit any San Diego Blood Bank donation location or mobile drive and note the donation code ESSB when registering.
San Diego Blood Bank is currently antibody testing each blood donation as part of their regular testing panel to qualify donations for COVID-19 convalescent plasma. Visit sandiegobloodbank.org/COVID19 for more information. Please note: As this is NOT a diagnostic test, it will not detect active COVID-19 infections or recent exposure.
To be eligible to donate blood you must be at least 17 years old, weigh at least 114 pounds and be in general good health. Appointments are required and available by visiting sandiegobloodbank.org or by calling (619) 400-8251.
About San Diego Blood Bank
SDBB is dedicated to community health by providing a reliable supply of blood to patients in need. Our vision is to further ensure the health of our community by simultaneously delivering related health and wellness education and services and extending into research. SDBB is an independent, 501(c)(3) non-profit that serves hospitals in San Diego, Orange, Imperial and Los Angeles counties with blood transfusion products and reference laboratory services. SDBB currently operates six local donor centers and 10 bloodmobiles. SDBB’s Cell Therapy Program provides lifesaving stem cell transplants to patients worldwide. For more information about SDBB, visit www.SanDiegoBloodBank.org or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.
NEWS RELEASE
Heather Browne ∙ Marketing & Media Manager
405-419-1330 ∙ Cell 405-623-9321
Email ∙ heather.browne@obi.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oklahoma Blood Institute Receives $50,000 Grant from Presbyterian Health Foundation to Purchase Flow Cytometer
to Advance Research Projects
OBI Advancing Cell Therapies to Help Fight Cancer
January 13, 2021 (OKLAHOMA CITY) – Oklahoma Blood Institute (OBI) has received a generous $50,000 grant from Presbyterian Health Foundation to purchase sophisticated equipment to advance research into cell-based therapy for cancer patients.
With the granted funds, OBI will purchase the Attune NxT Acoustic Focusing Cytometer from ThermoFisher Scientific, which will be used to identify donors with certain types of cells needed for new cellular therapies.
“Oklahoma Blood Institute is more than just a community blood bank, they are a recognized biotech innovator,” said PHF President and Chair, Tom R. Gray, III. “We are proud to support the work of OBI in securing state-of-the-art technology, ultimately giving Oklahomans who are fighting cancer a better chance of survival.”
Through pilot experiments, Dr. Jennifer Chain, Ph.D. – scientific director of Oklahoma Blood Institute’s Research and Development Laboratory – identified a unique subset of cancer-fighting cells in the blood of certain blood donors. With the Attune Nxt instrument, she will identify blood donors who carry these specialized cells and decipher the detailed characteristics needed to harness their cancer-fighting properties.
As the largest bio-tech firm in the Oklahoma City metro, Oklahoma Blood Institute (OBI) works closely with scientists in developing cutting-edge treatments– connecting blood donors and blood products directly to the research and development of cellular therapies. OBI has become a national leader among community blood centers in promoting the development of regenerative medicine and new treatments for cancer.
“Presbyterian Health Foundation remains steadfastly committed to funding medical research initiatives with the end-goal of improving patient care,” said PHF Grants and Programs Officer, April Stuart. “We are excited to follow Dr. Chain’s discoveries as she utilizes this new tool in her laboratory at OBI.”
The Attune NxT works up to ten times faster than other technologies currently available. Its acoustic focusing and clog-prevention technologies enable the analysis and counting of rare cells in the blood, while maintaining high-quality data collection.
“Adding the Attune NxT advances our ability to analyze how certain blood cells grow and fight tumor cells, using two lasers to detect up to seven different fluorescent dyes,” said Dr. Chain. “Additional lasers can be added to the instrument in the future, which will only increase our potential for more advanced cellular research.”
The instrument will also be used to analyze stem cells that can be programmed to grow new tissue and heal wounds. Dr. Chain’s research into mesenchymal stromal cells – a population of stem cells found in bone marrow – will be advanced through the use of this sophisticated instrument.
“Presbyterian Health Foundation’s support will give patients the opportunity to receive revolutionary cellular therapies,” said Charles Mooney, vice president of Quality Management and New Business Ventures at Oklahoma Blood Institute. “As cellular therapies change and grow, OBI is grateful that grants such as this allow us to further harness the giving spirit of our blood donors and play an essential role in the rapidly advancing fight against cancer.”
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Oklahoma Blood Institute is the 6th-largest independent blood center in the nation, providing more than 90% of Oklahoma’s blood supply to over 160 hospitals and medical facilities. For more information, visit obi.org.
Presbyterian Health Foundation (PHF) is an Oklahoma City based private foundation that provides grants to accelerate the journey of scientific discovery from ideas to innovations that save and enhance life. Since 1985, PHF has awarded over $170 million to biotechnology and medical research organizations in Oklahoma with an emphasis on the Oklahoma Health Center. For more information, please visit phfokc.com.
(San Antonio, TX – Sept. 17, 2020) Community Labs, a new nonprofit organization, has launched an innovative laboratory in San Antonio, changing how traditional COVID-19 testing is currently conducted by advances in speed, capacity, accuracy and price, along with a less invasive testing process. Inspired by the work of Scientists to Stop COVID-19 and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Community Labs will start with a capacity of 600 tests a day, scale to 10,000-12,000 tests a day, and have the potential to scale significantly in the near future. READ MORE
LifeShare Blood Center has received FDA Licensure approval for Apheresis Platelets stored in InterSol Platelet Additive Solution (PAS). This approval expands LifeShare’s ability to distribute apheresis platelets containing PAS outside the state of Louisiana. Read More
Gov. Stitt recently made a plasma donation at the Oklahoma Blood Institute donor center in Enid.
“One donation can provide lifesaving plasma for up to four people,” said Gov. Stitt. “Donating convalescent plasma is the easiest way Oklahomans who have recovered from COVID-19 can help their friends and neighbors and I urge everyone to make an appointment and join the fight.” READ MORE
Two patients at Genesis Health System are undergoing convalescent plasma therapy, as part of a Mayo Clinic clinical trial. READ MORE
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Research to help patients recover from COVID-19 heads into its second phase tomorrow at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
The study is called “Pass It On” which stands for, PASSive Immunity Trial Of Nashville. READ MORE
DAYTON, Ohio (April 9, 2020) – Local residents who have recovered from COVID-19 now have a unique opportunity to contribute to efforts to defeat the virus through the Community Blood Center’s new COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma Program, which launches on Friday. READ MORE