Blood

News • Experts: The reliance on others must stop

Covid pandemic underlines need for change in EU blood acquisition

The Plasma Protein Therapeutics Association (PPTA) welcomes the European Commission’s publication of the Inception Impact Assessment (IIA) as a necessary step in the ongoing evaluation of the EU legislation on blood, tissues, and cells (BTC). Rightfully, the assessment underlines the need for timely action to decrease Europe’s reliance on third countries for plasma. The PPTA appeals to…

News • Block of erythrocytes formation

SARS-CoV-2 might attack red marrow

Specialists from the Department of Fundamental Medicine of Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU) with Russian and Japanese colleagues have probed into mechanisms of COVID-19 inside-the-body distribution linked to erythrocytes damaging.

Needlestick Injuries are history

Injuries due to contaminated puncture devices are still the most frequent cause of accidents in hospitals. This is a significant source of danger for many employees in the healthcare industry. At this moment in time, there are already more than 20 bloodborne pathogens that we know of. The most dangerous are HBV, HCV and HIV. Recent studies show that it is up to ten times more likely for more…

News • Trial finds limited effectiveness

COVID-19: plasma from recovered patients not as effective as hoped

Convalescent plasma shows limited effectiveness as a potential treatment for patients with COVID-19 to help them fight off the infection, finds a clinical trial from India published by The BMJ. The findings show that convalescent plasma fails to reduce mortality or stop progression to severe COVID-19.

News • Mechanisms identified

Fanconi anaemia: Researchers find reason for bone marrow failure

Researchers at the University of Helsinki and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have identified the mechanism behind bone marrow failure developing in children that suffer from Fanconi anaemia. The findings will help to develop new therapies for the disorder.

Video • List by top clinicians and researchers

Top 10 medical innovations for 2021

An up-and-coming gene therapy for blood disorders. A new class of medications for cystic fibrosis. Increased access to telemedicine. These are some of the innovations that will enhance healing and change healthcare in the coming year, according to a distinguished panel of clinicians and researchers from Cleveland Clinic. In conjunction with the 2020 Medical Innovation Summit, Cleveland Clinic…

Article • Entering a new age

AI predicts blood flow to the heart

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has, for the first time, measured blood flow to the heart to help predict which patients may suffer myocardial infarction or stroke. A research team at University College London and Barts Health NHS Trust and the National Institutes for Health (NIH) in the USA – are optimistic that AI analysis of perfusion maps will be a reliable, convenient and detailed new…

Video • Phlebotomy equipment

Vacuette® Visio Plus Needle

The Vacuette® Visio Plus Needle with optical venipuncture control can make an important contribution to simplifying blood collection routine for phlebotomists. The needle has a translucent plastic hub, which functions as a view window. If venipuncture is successful, the view window is coloured red due to the blood flow. The Vacuette Visio Plus Needle guarantees a safe blood collection procedure…

News • Coronavirus research

How type 1 interferon deficiency hints at severe forms of COVID-19

Which patient will develop a severe form of COVID-19? This is an essential question which must be answered in order to improve the individual management and the prognosis of these patients. In a publication in the journal Science, teams from the Assistance publique – Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP), Inserm, Université de Paris, Institut Pasteur and Institut Imagine describe a unique and unexpected…

Article • Blood testing for astronauts

Health in space: a mini-lab for zero gravity

Nanoelectronics and digital technologies R&D and innovation hub Imec recently received NASA funding to test a new technology in a gravity-free environment. Eventually, this will enable astronauts to perform blood tests to monitor their health. We discussed the project and technology with Nicolas Vergauwe, CEO of miDiagnostics, the Leuven firm that developed the diagnostic device, and Susana B…

News • Oncology

How cancer spreads in blood

A new study sheds light on proteins in particles called extracellular vesicles, which are released by tumor cells into the bloodstream and promote the spread of cancer. The findings suggest how a blood test involving these vesicles might be used to diagnose cancer in the future, avoiding the need for invasive surgical biopsies.

News • Dracula debunked

The medical science behind ancient vampire myths

The vampire myth is likely related to a medical condition with symptoms that may explain many elements of centuries-old folklore. The concept of a vampire predates Bram Stoker’s tales of Count Dracula — probably by several centuries. But did vampires ever really exist? In 1819, 80 years before the publication of Dracula, John Polidori, an Anglo-Italian physician, published a novel called The…

News • Rebuttal

EDQM responses to concern on its Blood Guide

On May, 29th 2020, European Hospital published a press release from the Plasma Protein Therapeutics Association (PPTA). In that release, the PPTA expressed their concerns about the recommendations contained in the 20th version of Blood Guide of The European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines and Healthcare (EDQM). Read here the EDQM’s rebuttal letter to the PPTA.

News • Antithrombotic approach

A new way to detect blood clots

Biomedical engineering researchers at Texas A&M University designed a medical device that mimics blood vessels to design and monitor drugs for patients with clotting disorders. This approach could be especially beneficial for pediatric patients. Unlike what a biology textbook may show, blood vessels are not straight cylinders. They are tortuous, meaning they have complex curves, spirals and…

News • Experts express concerns

EDQM Blood Guide could make Europe more dependent on US plasma

The Plasma Protein Therapeutics Association (PPTA) is concerned about the recommendations contained in 20th version of Blood Guide of The European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines (EDQM) which aims to harmonise standards and recommendations on blood collection, preparation, and the use of blood and blood components. This Guide, if applied, will have a negative impact on the availability…

News • Robotic innovation

Micro robot rolls deep into the body

A team of scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (MPI-IS) in Stuttgart invented a tiny microrobot that resembles a white blood cell travelling through the circulatory system. It has the shape, the size and the moving capabilities of leukocytes and could perhaps be well on its way – in a rolling motion of course – to revolutionize the minimally invasive treatment of…

News • Hemolysis monitoring

Measuring blood damage in real-time

Scientists at the University of Delaware and Princeton University have developed a method to monitor blood damage in real-time. “Our goal was to find a method that could detect red blood cell damage without the need for lab sample testing,” said Tyler Van Buren, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering with expertise in fluid dynamics. The researchers recently reported their technique…

News • Coronavirus vaccine research

'Immune memory' of blood stem cells could help fight COVID-19

Blood stem cells have a surprising ability. In addition to ensuring the continuous renewal of blood cells, they keep track of past infections so that faster and more effective immune responses can be triggered in the future.

Video • Video

New, optimized cap design for MiniCollect® Capillary Blood Collection Tubes

The number of ridges has been increased and they have been made deeper to provide improved grip and comfort for the user. In addition, the cap rim overlaps the top of the tube, providing a better grip for the user of the Greiner Bio-One product.

News • Total antibody test

Siemens Healthineers to expand SARS-CoV-2 testing

Siemens Healthineers announced it is expanding its infectious disease testing capabilities to aid in the COVID-19 pandemic.

News • Green light for trial study

Blood plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients: a promising approach

In a small clinical trial just granted approval, about 30 COVID-19 patients at Karolinska University Hospital may soon begin to receive blood plasma from people who have recovered from the disease. Sweden's Ethical Review Authority has approved the trial treatment, and its effectiveness will be evaluated in a study by researchers at Karolinska Institutet and the Karolinska University Hospital.…

News • Blood gas testing

Aiding COVID-19 efforts: FDA clearance for blood gas analyzer

Siemens Healthineers announced that its latest critical care testing solution, the RapidPoint 500e Blood Gas Analyzer, has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and is now available in the U.S., Europe and countries requiring the CE mark. The analyzer generates blood gas, electrolyte, metabolite, CO-oximetry, and neonatal bilirubin results, which are used to…

News • Oncology breakthrough

Blood test detects 50+ cancer types, often before symptoms show

Researchers have developed the first blood test that can accurately detect more than 50 types of cancer and identify in which tissue the cancer originated, often before there are any clinical signs or symptoms of the disease. In a paper published in the leading cancer journal Annals of Oncology, the researchers show that the test, which could eventually be used in national cancer screening…

News • Improved grip and comfort

New cap design for capillary blood collection tubes

The MiniCollect Capillary Blood Collection System launched by Greiner Bio-One in 2016, has an improved cap on all its blood collection tubes. The new version, designed for easier opening, has an increased number of ridges that are also deeper to improve grip and user comfort. The cap rim also overlaps the top of the tube to augment grip and ease opening. The capillary blood collection tubes offer…

News • Automated helper

Robot uses AI and imaging to draw blood

Engineers at Rutgers University have created a tabletop device that combines a robot, artificial intelligence and near-infrared and ultrasound imaging to draw blood or insert catheters to deliver fluids and drugs. Their most recent research results, published in the journal Nature Machine Intelligence, suggest that autonomous systems like the image-guided robotic device could outperform people on…

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