Advancing Blood Safety Worldwide

The Research Institute is dedicated to advancing blood safety worldwide through scientific research, education and the promotion of evidence-based policies.

Latest News

 
Tour Innovation in Action at Vitalant

1/30/2024

The Vitalant Innovation Center is uniquely helping advance the science of transfusion medicine. Read More

Structural insights into the modulation of coronavirus spike tilting and infectivity by hinge glycans, published in the Nature Communications

12/5/2023

We're excited to share an intriguing article titled "Structural insights into the modulation of coronavirus spike tilting and infectivity by hinge glycans", published in the Nature Communications.

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Vitalant Leaders at the Forefront of Blood Donor Eligibility Change

8/31/2023

: In this blog post, Vitalant research and medical affairs leaders reflect on the efforts that paved the way for more inclusive FDA blood donation eligibility guidelines that maintain the safety of the blood supply. Read more.

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Tour Innovation in Action at Vitalant
1/30/2024

The Vitalant Innovation Center is uniquely helping advance the science of transfusion medicine. Read More

Structural insights into the modulation of coronavirus spike tilting and infectivity by hinge glycans, published in the Nature Communications
12/5/2023

We're excited to share an intriguing article titled "Structural insights into the modulation of coronavirus spike tilting and infectivity by hinge glycans", published in the Nature Communications.

Read More

Vitalant Leaders at the Forefront of Blood Donor Eligibility Change
8/31/2023

: In this blog post, Vitalant research and medical affairs leaders reflect on the efforts that paved the way for more inclusive FDA blood donation eligibility guidelines that maintain the safety of the blood supply. Read more.

Ribbon-Cutting Unveils the Vitalant Innovation Center
8/14/2023

The Vitalant Innovation Center is a dedicated space to pioneer improvements and collect and prepare investigational blood products for research. Read more.

Vitalant Research Institute-San Francisco Relocates to New and Improved Facilities to Carryout Blood Safety Research and Innovation
9/28/2022

The San Francisco location of Vitalant’s research arm, Vitalant Research Institute (VRI), has moved to a new downtown San Francisco location at 360 Spear Street. The new location provides modern laboratory space for the Research Institute to continue advancing blood safety world-wide through scientific research, education, and the promotion of evidence-based policies.

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SARS-CoV-2 RNA from Pre-Symptomatic Donor Plasma Not Infectious in Models
9/1/2022

Although there has been no evidence of transfusion-transmitted SARS-CoV-2 resulting in COVID-19 and the U.S. blood supply is extraordinarily safe, researchers from Vitalant, the American Red Cross, New York Blood Center and Bloodworks Northwest set out to assess to what degree SARS-CoV-2 could find its way into the blood supply from pre-symptomatic donors, and what if any impact it could have on patient care.

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Dr. Michael Busch Serving as International Society of Blood Transfusion President
8/25/2022

This summer, Vitalant Research Institute Director Emeritus and Vice President Michael Busch, M.D., Ph.D., became president of the International Society of Blood Transfusion.

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Vitalant Research Institute: New Leader, Same Tradition of Research Excellence
7/19/2022

Vitalant Research Institute’s tradition of excellence in lifesaving research will continue under new leadership, as founder and Director Michael Busch, M.D., Ph.D., begins to wind down his storied career and transitions to a new role as director emeritus of Vitalant Research Institute while continuing as a vice president of research and scientific programs within Vitalant. After an extensive external and internal search, Brian Custer, Ph.D., M.P.H, was selected to lead the Research Institute as director and senior vice president of research and scientific programs with Vitalant.

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Celebrating Women in Science
2/23/2022

The International Day of Women and Girls in Science, celebrated on Feb. 11, promotes full and equal access to and participation in science for women and girls, as well as honoring the achievements of women in the field.

According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Org (UNESCO0 Science Report, women account for only 33% of the world’s researchers1. Here at Vitalant, women play vital roles across the organization, including at the Vitalant Research Institute.

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Dr. Michael P. Busch, COVID Rescue Team honored with ABC awards
2/4/2022

Each year, America’s Blood Centers (ABC) recognizes individuals, civic groups, media and corporations for their commitment to community and national blood programs through their Awards of Excellence program.

Vitalant has been recognized with two awards this year: The illustrious Thomas F. Zuck Lifetime Achievement Award for Dr. Michael P. Busch and Outstanding Public Relations Campaign for the COVID Rescue Team.
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Groundbreaking COVID-19 Blood Donor Seroprevalence Study Illustrates Increase in Population with Antibodies Because of Vaccination
9/2/2021

The largest nationwide SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence survey, funded by the CDC and supported by 17 blood collection organizations representing blood donations from across all 50 states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico, published its latest findings in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). More than 1.5 million samples from blood donations were tested over 11 months, estimating an 83.3% rate for combined infection- and vaccine-induced antibodies, among other observations.
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The Vitalant Innovation Center begins transforming research into impact
8/10/2021

Vitalant is launching the Vitalant Innovation Center in Denver, Colorado, a key part of the Vitalant Research Institute. Vitalant is investing in the Innovation Center as part of its commitment to advancing the science of transfusion medicine. The center will provide scientific research and translational development expertise to design innovative processes for Vitalant and bring new products to the patients it serves.
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Blood industry collaborates with CDC and NIH on large scale SARS-CoV-2 antibody testing survey
5/28/2020

Blood collection organizations, testing laboratories and affiliated research institutes continue to play a critical role in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and blood centers across the country are proud to be at the forefront. 

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What antibody tests can teach us about potential coronavirus immunity
4/22/2020

Antibodies are one of the ways the human body fights infection from the coronavirus. Researchers believe testing for covid-19 antibodies can lead to possible treatments for the virus and help indicate when to reopen society.

Unprecedented nationwide blood studies seek to track U.S. coronavirus spread
4/7/2020

We still don’t know how many people have been infected with the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2. Not only have countries struggled to roll out wide-scale testing for the virus, those efforts inevitably will miss people who have recovered from an infection. The best way to figure out how far and wide the virus has spread in a population is to look at blood. Antibodies, blood proteins that the immune system produces to attack pathogens, are viral fingerprints that remain long after infections are cleared. Sensitive tests can detect them even in people who never felt a single symptom of COVID-19.

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