Blood Donation News and Research

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Less than four in 100 men reach the end of the sperm donation process

Less than four in 100 men who apply to be sperm donors reach the end of the process and have samples frozen and released for treatments, according to a new study.

9 Jan 2023

COVID-19 epidemiology can be estimated using blood donation samples

An article published in the journal eLife reports a study in which researchers concluded that the proportion of the population previously infected by SARS-CoV-2 (infection-induced seroprevalence) can be estimated using blood donation samples.

20 Dec 2022

Exploring taste and smell dysfunction as strong predictors of SARS-CoV-2 infections

Researchers investigated whether coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-associated chemosensory alterations were predictive of serological responses against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) among United States (US) residents.

16 Dec 2022

Donor iron deficiency produces no harmful effects on donated blood quality or donor wellbeing

Most of the U.S. blood supply comes from about 5 million altruistic volunteers who donate blood regularly. Frequent blood donation is known to result in iron deficiency in donors, which has led to concerns that the practice may not only diminish the quality of donated blood but also harm blood donors' health and quality of life.

8 Sep 2022

The effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection on antibody and B-cell responses to a third dose of mRNA vaccination

Researchers assessed the impact of COVID-19 infection on B-cell and antibody responses to COVID-19 booster vaccination.

2 Sep 2022

Study explores how vaccine-related fears influence flu shot outcomes

A novel long-term study of how vaccine-related fears influence flu shot outcomes has found that these fears not only reduce vaccination, but also fuel symptoms of dizziness and lightheadedness at the time of the injection.

21 Jul 2022

Trial: Convalescent plasma does not improve survival or recovery in hospitalized COVID-19 patients

Convalescent plasma, widely given to severely ill patients hospitalized with COVID-19 during the pandemic, does not improve their ability to survive or recover, according to a national clinical trial led by Vanderbilt University Medical Center and published in the journal CHEST.

5 Jul 2022

Only 20% of Americans have effective protection against Omicron infection

In a recent research paper published in the Clinical Infectious Diseases journal, scientists analyzed the population immunity against pre-Omicron and Omicron severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) variants in U.S. counties and states up until December 1, 2021. Background

21 Jun 2022

Study demonstrates associations between COVID-19 symptom presentation and antibody assay reactivity

Researchers tested convalescent sera from individuals who had recovered from SARS-CoV-2 infection to demonstrate an association between antibody response and reported COVID-19 symptoms.

14 Feb 2022

New COVID-19 test can determine if individuals have been vaccinated, infected, both, or neither

Researchers have created a new T cell assay that allows discrimination of COVID-19 infection and vaccination, as well as the order in which these occurred.

11 Feb 2022

Antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 found to persist for up to 15 months after infection

In a new study, a team of researchers explored the association between total immunoglobulin (IgM, IgA, and IgG) against SARS-CoV-2 and protective immunity.

26 Jan 2022

Effect of T cell reactivity in COVID-19 infection and vaccination

Researchers recently developed an immunodiagnostic T cell assay to classify T cell immune responses of the subjects based on their coronavirus disease 2019 infection and vaccination history.

21 Dec 2021

‘Tainted’ blood: Covid skeptics request blood transfusions from unvaccinated donors

The nation's roiling tensions over vaccination against covid-19 have spilled into an unexpected arena: lifesaving blood transfusions.

17 Aug 2021

Bus stop by bus stop, Denver-area officials microtarget vaccine hesitancy

John Letson had seen too many apocalyptic movies to feel comfortable getting a covid-19 vaccine initially.

30 Jul 2021

Widening ideological gap in the U.S. may contribute to challenges in medical research

The lightning speed with which scientists developed and tested the COVID-19 vaccine is a true scientific triumph -- one that would not have been possible without the more than 70,000 volunteers who participated in clinical trials of the vaccine.

23 Mar 2021

Study suggests herd immunity to COVID-19 in New York City is low

Researchers in the United States have estimated that the proportion of people in New York City who developed antibodies against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) during the first wave of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is around one in eight.

9 Nov 2020

Federal restrictions on corneal donations prevent vision-restoring surgery

Some forms of blindness and visual impairment can be cured with a corneal transplant surgery using donated eye tissue. However, federal regulations in the United States and Canada severely restrict the ability of sexually active gay and bisexual men from donating their eye tissue.

24 Sep 2020

VUMC receives $34 million grant for nationwide convalescent plasma study

Vanderbilt University Medical Center has been awarded a one-year, $34-million grant by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, part of the National Institutes of Health, to conduct a nationwide study of "convalescent plasma" as a treatment for COVID-19.

21 Aug 2020

Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibody among blood donors in China

Now, a study published on the preprint server medRxiv* in July 2020 reports on the low seroprevalence of antibodies to the virus, now designated severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), among blood donors in Wuhan, the Chinese city it all started in, and two other equally large cities in China.

17 Jul 2020

Male COVID-19 patients produce more SARS-CoV-2 antibodies than women

Health officials in the United Kingdom urge male coronavirus survivors to donate blood, particularly its convalescent plasma component. This comes after a new study has found that men produce more antibodies, which could make their plasma a valuable treatment against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

23 Jun 2020