Plasma
for Life
Image
Can I donate blood or plasma?
Can I donate blood or plasma?Before you book, take our eligibility quiz
What is plasma?
More than half (55 per cent) of the blood flowing through your veins is actually plasma. Plasma supports your immune system and helps other blood components (red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets) circulate through your body. This protein-rich, pale-yellow fluid has earned its nickname “liquid gold” because it can be transfused directly into patients in urgent situations, such as severe infection and excessive bleeding, or it can be manufactured into medications, like immunoglobulins.
Thousands of patients in Canada depend on immunoglobulins to treat primary and secondary immunodeficiency, autoimmune disorders, neurological conditions, and other diseases with an immune origin. Immunoglobulins are the most widely used medication made from plasma and demand for these lifesaving medications is growing in Canada and around the world.
There are two ways plasma can be used:
Transfusion: Some plasma is administered in hospitals to treat patients with bleeding disorders, trauma and other indications. We collect plasma to meet the needs for these treatments.
Fractionation: Using plasma as a raw material, a category of drugs called plasma protein products is produced by processing and manufacturing large volumes of donated plasma into small amounts of finished product.
Become a plasma donor
The need for plasma is more than 4 times what we currently collect in Canada. Thousands of patients across the country need plasma for various medical therapies. Some of these patients will require medications made from plasma for the rest of their lives, with no other treatment options available.