Although the need for donors is unlikely to disappear, a British Columbia biochemist says technologic advances mean that dependence on donated blood is likely to decline significantly during the next 2 decades. And Ross MacGillivray, a professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of British Columbia (UBC), says the advances couldn't come at a better time: not only has rigorous testing of donor blood limited the number of eligible donors, but an aging population is increasing the demand for blood. Canadian Blood Services (CBS) says demand will increase by about 40% by December 2005. MacGillivray says the annual shortfall could reach 200 000 units by then.
Helping to overcome that potential shortfall is one of the goals of UBC's Centre for Blood Research, which was launched by MacGillivray and colleagues thanks to a $15.1-million grant from the Canada Foundation for Innovation. Its goal is to decrease dependence on blood donors by ramping up research involving substitutes and extending the storage life of platelets.
The centre, which will operate virtually (www.cbr.ubc.ca) until UBC's new Life Sciences building opens in 2005, includes chemical engineers, ethicists and scientists in its multidisciplinary team. MacGillivray says their goal is to make “huge strides” in a field where research has been lagging and “to train the next generation of transfusion medicine specialists.” Partners in the project include CBS and Bayer Inc.
The centre will study everything from damage done by shear stresses placed on blood in the centrifuge to designing better storage bags. The short-term goal is to extend the shelf life of platelets — currently 5 days. “We want to look at the proteins that change in that 5-day period, and potentially, they would be targets for drugs,” says MacGillivray. He says that even a 1- or 2-day extension of the shelf life would have a major impact.
The development of blood substitutes is a longer-term goal. The US army, which has its own transfusion service, is already trying to develop a synthetic oxygen-carrying blood component. MacGillivray is optimistic that the centre will eventually be able to develop synthetic platelets and other blood products. Although CBS has a goal of achieving a donor-free blood supply by 2025, MacGillivray predicts synthetic products will instead be used to supplement donated blood.
“You will never become donor independent, but you could certainly decrease the dependence on donors,” he says. He noted that blood-clotting factors used by Canadian patients with hemophilia are now derived via recombinant DNA techniques.
“We want to restore Canadians' faith in their blood system,” he says, “and I think CBS is going a long way toward doing that.” — Heather Kent, Vancouver
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Figure. MacGillivray: New solutions for old problems Photo by: Martin Dee, UBC