New research publications: October 2025

Each month, our R.E.D. blog showcases the activities of our research and education network and the innovation and collaboration that drives our scientific community forward. Included in these activities are the peer-reviewed publications in academic journals that are a main avenue for researchers to share their scientific findings. With a focus on methodology and a rigorous review process prior to publication, these publications are recognized as credible and reliable sources of scientific information.

This blog – part of a reoccurring monthly recap – provides an overview of the latest research publications that have been authored by Canadian Blood Services staff scientists in discovery, development and donation policy & studies; adjunct scientists; medical experts and trainees; and/or resulting from supported projects or partnerships.  

Visit blood.ca to learn more about Our Research Team and to search our full publication database (updated annually).

By the numbers

For the month of October, we are reporting a total of 18 peer-reviewed research articles indicated by research focus area: 

Discovery (2): These articles report experimental studies on improving the storage and quality of red blood cells.

Donation policy & studies (6): These articles offer new insights into how we keep blood and plasma donation safe, trustworthy, and accessible; from testing and screening to donor motivations, barriers, and global practices.

Development (1): This article focuses on methods to inform donor recruitment strategies in ways that could improve platelet matching for better transfusion outcomes.

Adjunct scientists (1): This article focuses on a technique to enable kidney transplants across blood types by modifying donor organs.

Other Canadian Blood Services affiliations (8): This article focuses on a technique to enable kidney transplants across blood types by modifying donor organs.

Where we published 

Our research appeared in 13 journals, including Scientific Reports, Journal of General Internal Medicine and British Journal of Haematology.

Spotlight on select publications 

• Genetics by genetic algorithm: Defining an ideal platelet donor population to support patients with HLA-mediated alloimmune refractoriness. 
  
  “This study explores how to build a more equitable platelet donor registry for patients whose immune systems reject transfused platelets due to HLA incompatibility. While match rates improve across all ethnicities as more donors are typed, Black patients require a substantially larger donor base to achieve good coverage.  
  
  This study tested modified recruitment strategies using simulation and genetic algorithms to identify donor mixes that promote more equitable match rates. A balanced strategy, prioritizing Black and Hispanic donors with slight reductions in other groups, was found to provide meaningful improvements for the Black population with minimal losses elsewhere.”
  
  Dr. John Blake 
  Canadian Blood Services research engineer 
   
• How do I interpret transfusion transmissible infectious disease testing in a low-risk donor population? 
  
  “This study examines how laboratory assays perform in low-prevalence settings, exploring factors that contribute to false positive and false negative results. We outline a practical, step-by-step approach to assay verification and share case examples from serology and molecular testing.  
  
  This work is particularly valuable for the transfusion community, including trainees, fellows, and residents, as well as new laboratory directors validating equipment and procedures in their own facilities. It will also benefit laboratory management, regulatory professionals, and staff in blood centers or clinical laboratories seeking a deeper understanding of assay performance and result interpretation. The structured approach presented here offers globally relevant insights for improving laboratory practice and maintaining the highest standards in blood safety.” 
  
  Dr. Carmen Charlton 
  Canadian Blood Services medical microbiologist 

Our October publications list 

This list includes any articles published this month, as well as those that have been e-collected or e-published on PubMed that have not previously appeared in our monthly publications list*. 

• Enzyme-converted O kidneys allow ABO-incompatible transplantation without hyperacute rejection in a human decedent model. 
  Zeng J, Ma M, Tao Z, Rao Z, Wu C, Yin S, Jiang X, Chen G, Wang Z, Huang D, Zhu M, Liu L, Huo W, Yang H, Guo H, Chen G, Li F, Zheng C, Huang D, Rahfeld P, Kizhakkedathu JN, Withers SG, Lu X, Zhang K, Lin T, Song T. Nat Biomed Eng. 2025 Oct 3. doi: 10.1038/s41551-025-01513-6. PMID: 41044341 
• Supercooled storage of red blood cells slows down the metabolic storage lesion. 
  Nemkov T, Isiksacan Z, William N, Senturk R, Boudreau LE, Yarmush ML, Acker JP, D'Alessandro A, Usta OB. Sci Rep. 2025 Oct 3;15(1):34574. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-18028-4. PMID: 41044137 
• Response to comments by Troy-Barnes et al. on 'Can medical students use artificial intelligence to learn transfusion? Evaluating ChatGPT responses to the American Society of Hematology medical student transfusion learning objectives'. 
  McBride E, Leung E, Ford J. Vox Sang. 2025 Oct 6. doi: 10.1111/vox.70126. PMID: 41052770 
• Genetics by genetic algorithm: Defining an ideal platelet donor population to support patients with HLA-mediated alloimmune refractoriness. 
  Blake JT, Rickards N, Mack J, Seftel M, Gupta A. Transfusion. 2025 Oct 8. doi: 10.1111/trf.18446. PMID: 41059656 
• Acute Toxicities of Bone Marrow Donation in Unrelated Donors with Sickle Cell Trait: A CIBMTR Analysis. 
  Farhadfar N, Bo-Subait S, Schmidt G, Logan B, Aljurf M, Badawy S, Beitinjaneh A, Gowda L, Kasow KA, Seftel M, Sharma A, Rangarajan HG, Herr M, Battiwalla M, Shaw B, Stefanski HE. Transplant Cell Ther. 2025 Oct 8:S2666-6367(25)01489-7. doi: 10.1016/j.jtct.2025.10.007. PMID: 41072772 
• How do I interpret transfusion transmissible infectious disease testing in a low-risk donor population? 
  Charlton CL, Bigham M, O'Brien SF, Drews SJ. Transfusion. 2025 Oct 9. doi: 10.1111/trf.18441. PMID: 41069171 
• Confronting medical grifting: Fraudulent and unproven products and interventions in apheresis, transfusion and biotherapies. 
  Adkins BD, Raza S, Costa V, Allen ES, Stephens LD, Woo JS, Booth GS, Jacobs JW. Br J Haematol. 2025 Oct 11. doi: 10.1111/bjh.70194. PMID: 41074624 
• Methodological considerations in assessing bleeding risk during therapeutic plasma exchange. 
  Jacobs JW, Adkins BD, Booth GS, Raza S. Transfusion. 2025 Oct 13. doi: 10.1111/trf.18451. PMID: 41084189 
• An international survey of blood operator human T-cell lymphotropic virus-1/2 testing practices. 
  Drews SJ, Baroti-Toth K, Cheng A, Erikstrup C, Gallian P, Grubešić D, Gubbe K, Harritshøj LH, Heinricy A, Janner-Jarnetti T, Jarvis L, Laperche S, Mathy G, Mayr W, Nordberg J, O'Flaherty N, Øfsteng HS, Oprea G, Oyonarte S, Palukka T, Pati I, Prati D, Radmilli D, Rodenbach MP, Samec VF, Sousa AP, Stramer SL, Ushiro-Lumb I, van Gaever V, Lieshout-Krikke R. Transfusion. 2025 Oct 22. doi: 10.1111/trf.18464. PMID: 41122863  
• RBC deformability and clinical relevance in transfusion recipients. 
  Yazdanbakhsh M, Phan C, Patel P, Simpson E, Wingnean K, Acker JP. Transfus Apher Sci. 2025 Oct 19;64(6):104278. doi: 10.1016/j.transci.2025.104278. PMID: 41135349  
• Factors associated with plasma donation intention and behaviour: a systematic review and meta-analysis of the observational literature informed by the Theoretical Domains Framework. 
  Etherington C, Bennett M, Upreti A, van Allen Z, Labrecque M, Rubini K, Gibson E, Maharshi MT, Palumbo A, Holloway K, Meyer S, Welch V, Shorr R, Brehaut A, Presseau J. Health Psychol Rev. 2025 Oct 28:1-21. doi: 10.1080/17437199.2025.2574443. PMID: 41147331
• Perceptions of donor screening-Do I always need to tell the truth? 
  O'Brien SF, Osmond L, Goldman M. Transfus Med. 2025 Oct 28. doi: 10.1111/tme.70034. PMID: 41152185 
• Red Cell Transfusion in General Medicine Patients at Teaching and Non-teaching Hospitals: A Retrospective Cohort Analysis. 
  Raza S, Risk M, Loeffler A, Verma AA, Razak F, Arnold D, Fergusson D, Ryan S, Relke N, Gabarin N, Li N, Nguyen R, Tyryshkin K, Roberts S, Callum J; GADGET Research Team. J Gen Intern Med. 2025 Oct 28. doi: 10.1007/s11606-025-09860-5. PMID: 41152565 
• CAR-NK cells to treat patients with cancer: a systematic scoping review of published studies and registered clinical trials. 
  Rana S, Thomas L, Kirkham AM, Shorr R, Visram A, Maganti H, Seftel M, Allan DS. Cytotherapy. 2025 Oct;27(10):1179-1189. doi: 10.1016/j.jcyt.2025.06.006. Epub 2025 Jun 13. PMID: 40632045 
• Canadian Stakeholders' Perspectives on Voucher Donation in Kidney Transplantation. 
  Affdal A, Malo MF, Ballesteros F, Cochran-Mavrikakis SL, Sancho C, Achille M, Sandal S, Simpson C, Fortin MC. Kidney Int Rep. 2025 Jul 11;10(10):3494-3505. doi: 10.1016/j.ekir.2025.06.055. eCollection 2025 Oct. PMID: 41141534  
• HBV deferrals and NAT window period: Assessing the impact of 3-month versus 4-month testing delays. 
  Lewin A, Germain M, Lachance S, O'Brien S, Davison K, Zaaijer H, Renaud C. Transfusion. 2025 Oct;65(10):1793-1797. doi: 10.1111/trf.18381. Epub 2025 Aug 14. PMID: 41104446 
• Understanding systemic barriers to blood donation for people of South Asian ancestry: A qualitative study. 
  Joshi P, Holloway K. PLOS Glob Public Health. 2025 Sep 23;5(9):e0005163. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0005163. eCollection 2025. PMID: 40986526  
• Assessing red blood cell product quality with 2,3-DPG, ATP and p50 assays: A BEST Collaborative study. 
  Feldman TP, Brandon-Coatham M, Kurach J, Olafson C, Acker J, Wellington M, Brown BL; Biomedical Excellence for Safer Transfusion (BEST) Collaborative. Vox Sang. 2025 Sep 23. doi: 10.1111/vox.70117. PMID: 40987756 

*Items in this list are identified using a process that relies on the PubMed database. While we aim to capture all relevant research articles, limitations in database indexing and search parameters may occasionally cause articles to be missed. If you are the author of an article that you believe has been missed from this monthly list, we encourage you to contact us at centreforinnovation@blood.ca to inquire. 

We are proud of the remarkable work being done across Canadian Blood Services’ network. Stay tuned for more blog posts as we continue to advance scientific discovery and innovation for the Canadian blood system. 

Canadian Blood Services – Driving world-class innovation 

Through discovery, development and applied research, Canadian Blood Services drives world-class innovation in blood transfusion, cellular therapy and transplantation—bringing clarity and insight to an increasingly complex healthcare future. Our dedicated research team and extended network of partners engage in exploratory and applied research to create new knowledge, inform and enhance best practices, contribute to the development of new services and technologies, and build capacity through training and collaboration. Find out more about our research impact.  

The opinions reflected in this post are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Canadian Blood Services nor do they reflect the views of Health Canada or any other funding agency.