The public, he added, should know that genetic analysis is only used for blood typing and nothing else. That information could help in the future if they ever need a transfusion. Going forward, the blood bank intends to allow individual donors to log in to a secure Internet portal to view for themselves which antigens have popped up in their own samples. “And that means we need to have diverse donors in order to serve diverse recipients.” “Diversity is a very important important factor in terms of determining your genes,” said Nikhil Nayak, chief business officer, San Diego Blood Bank. Presently, about 63 percent of blood donors are Caucasian, with other groups under represented. Proving it will also require a much-broader range of donors in order to show how precision matching works across racial and ethnic populations. “We do believe we are going to be able to demonstrate this, but it takes time and funding and very carefully designed trials to prove it.” “We need to show that if we give a better-matching blood, as compared to the standard of care, you’re not developing the antibodies and you’re having improved clinical outcomes. “The association is there, but, you know, with research you have to show cause and effect,” Edmunds said. While these benefits - both in terms of preventing the development of new antibodies and in terms of more effective use by the body - are certainly thought to exist, no study has yet been performed to prove that they are real. Working with Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego, Kaiser Permanente hospitals in San Diego and Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, the blood banks seek to raise an additional $4 million to further scale up the precision blood program toward changing the standard of care for the chronically transfused.įormal research will be necessary, Edmunds added, to prove that better-matched blood actually improves the health of those who receive it. The San Diego Blood Bank and partner Southern California Blood Bank have used grants from the Conrad Prebys Foundation to purchase and begin using high-volume genetic sequencing equipment that can analyze up to 300 samples per run.Īlready, about 200 local patients with chronic blood disorders have now had their blood antigens sequenced, and some are now receiving transfusions of blood that is a better match to their specific profiles.
Taking a look at a person’s genetic code, then, can predict which antigens are present. Sickle cell disease, also called sickle cell anemia, distorts the shape of red blood cells, causing them to die and build up in blood vessels causing blockages as well as infections, pain and fatigue.īecause blood types are inherited, a person’s genes dictate which antigens end up coating the outsides of their blood cells. Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder that affects the body’s ability to produce adequate hemoglobin, a protein that allows red blood cells to carry oxygen.
“Patients with thalassemia and sickle cells disease are examples of this.” “The more frequently they’re transfused, the more likely they are to develop antibodies, and there do seem to be certain disease associations, certain patients, who are more likely to develop them,” Edmunds said. (Adriana Heldiz / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
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