Development of new blood grouping reagents from excluded blood donors
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Development of new blood grouping reagents for the clinical diagnostic lab environment from blood donors excluded from donation due to the production of blood group specific antibodies.
IRAS ID
98843
Contact name
Kay Ridgwell
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
NHSBT
Duration of Study in the UK
6 years, 0 months, 31 days
Research summary
Can blood donors excluded from donation because they have made antibodies, facilitate the development of new blood grouping reagents?
NHS Blood and Transplant’s core purpose is to save and improve patients lives. The service collects, tests, processes, stores and issues blood components to hospitals for transfusion. Blood transfusions mean that patients receive potentially ‘foreign’ donor material such as blood group antigens. Therefore it is important that compatible blood is issued to patients who will receive it.
The main methods currently employed to test for blood group compatibility use red blood cell agglutination. Antibodies that react with known blood group antigens are incubated with donor or patient red cells. If a blood group antigen is present on the red cells that is recognised by the antibodies then the red cells ‘clump’ together (agglutinate). These tests are done using monoclonal antibodies. There are many commercially available blood-group specific monoclonal antibodies, but there are some important antibodies that are not available.Some people who wish to donate blood are not eligible as their blood contains antibodies that could cause a clinically significant event in a patient receiving it. However, blood donations by these people can be used to develop cell lines that produce antibodies for use as blood grouping reagents. This would enable previously excluded donors to aid patients through a formerly unavailable route.
The study would require donation of a small amount of blood (about 60ml, or 4 tablespoons), at an apheresis unit convenient to the donor. All remaining work will be conducted in a laboratory environment and will not involve the donor.
Identification of, and contact with excluded donors for the development of a range of blood grouping reagents would be ongoing. Development of an antibody from a single donor would take up to 2 years.
REC name
South Central - Hampshire B Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/SC/1441
Date of REC Opinion
13 Jan 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion