Blood donor research involves the voluntary participation of donors in research that may benefit long-term health. Blood donors make up a unique population of healthy individuals to follow longitudinally to understand more about what determines long-term health (the healthspan). Compared to the general population, blood donors are generally healthier. Researchers at Vitalant Research Institute and their collaborators have been able to use a combination of genetic analyses, proteomics and metabolomics to better understand blood donor health and what determines the characteristics of ideal blood donors.
