The American Red Cross maintains a centralized scientific laboratory of which our aim is to provide operational support and conduct applied studies focused primarily on infectious disease testing. This laboratory acts as the investigational branch of major blood screening assay developers, performing preclinical assay validations for investigational new drug (IND) applications and blood license applications (BLAs). These efforts contribute to the mission of ensuring a safe and effective blood supply.
Our work involves collaboration within the American Red Cross, with our vendors, federal agencies, and national and international colleagues.
Specifically, we work towards understanding and developing improved methods to reduce the risk of existing and emerging infectious disease agents. This includes working with our vendor partners towards development and validation of interventions to protect recipients from infection through transfusion, which includes testing (improved or new assays and assay platforms) or pathogen inactivation methods. We also assist our medical and counseling staff in providing donors accurate infectious disease test messages and investigating the likelihood of suspected transfusion-transmitted infections when reported to the Red Cross as part of our hemovigilance program. Our work has also included understanding the epidemiology of infected blood donors and associated residual risks (see Donor/Recipient Health & Epidemiology) and transmissibility of blood components from infected donors. Our work is not limited to infectious disease agents but also may involve the development and introduction of methods to improve donor and recipient safety and drive policy.
Pathogen inactivation (PI) technologies are a valuable resource in mitigating the risk of transfusion-transmitted infections from recognized pathogens, as well as emerging infectious agents for which immediate testing may not be available. Several studies performed in collaboration with the providers of different PI systems, have explored the effectiveness of PI on multiple parasites such as B. microti, Leishmania donovani and Trypanosoma cruzi.