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Precision Blood

A New Era of Medicine Through Precision BloodTM

Precision Blood is practical personalized medicine, using next-generation sequencing (NGS) to provide more precise matching of blood type. This medical technology allows physicians to proactively and cost-effectively prevent potential negative responses to transfusion from the patient’s immune system, potentially impacting the lives of millions of patients each year.

With over 30 blood groups and more than 300 antigens (proteins and carbohydrates found on the surface of red blood cells) [1,2], there are hundreds of ways in which your blood might be unique and millions of possible permutations. Your blood type is as unique as your genes. Still, when selecting blood for patient transfusion, the current standard of care only considers eight blood types: A+/-, B+/-, AB+/-, and O+/- [3,4].

Receiving the wrong blood type in a transfusion can potentially cause severe transfusion reactions and possibly death. There is even evidence that implies more accurate blood matching could improve clinical outcomes and allow patients to live longer[5]. Physicians know it is critical for blood donors and recipients to be matched as closely as possible to avoid adverse reactions from the patient’s immune system. So, why hasn’t the standard of care changed in nearly eighty years? Is “good enough” really good enough when so much is at stake?

Precision Blood is the answer to better blood transfusion treatments, and San Diego Blood Bank is working to make it a reality.

We invite you to join with San Diego Blood Bank in our mission to usher in a new era of medicine through Precision Blood. With your support, we can build a future where transfusion medicine is more personalized and effective, achieving better outcomes for patients and helping them live happier, longer lives.

17.9 Million Reasons to Care

As one of the most commonly performed procedures in our hospitals, over 17.9 million blood transfusions occur in the U.S. every year[6] and greater than 5% of patients receive transfusion[7]. Blood transfusion patients include:

  • Cancer patients; 1.9 million are diagnosed each year, many of whom may need blood due to anemia from chemotherapy, radiation, or blood loss during surgery[8,9]
  • Maternity patients; 1 out of every 83 deliveries in the U.S. require blood transfusion[10]
  • Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) patients; SCD occurs in about 1 out of every 365 Black or African-American births and about 1 out of every 16,300 Hispanic-American births[11]
  • Trauma Patients; over 80% of deaths in the operating room and almost 50% of deaths in the first 24 hours after injury are due to blood loss[12]

While blood transfusion is generally considered a safe procedure[13], little is known about the difference in long-term effects of standard ABO/Rh-typed vs. more precisely typed blood. What is known is that multiply-transfused patients are at a higher risk for alloimmunization, an immunologic reaction to transfused blood antigens, which can lead to negative outcomes, including fever, chronic pain, kidney failure and even death.

A 2015 study described a strong correlation between alloimmunization and decreased quality of life[5]. The same study also suggested that preventing alloimmunization may increase life expectancy by as much as 11 years.

We want Precision Blood to be available for every patient.

Let’s Personalize Care for Millions of Patients Through Precision Blood

Too often, healthcare practices are based on a one-size-fits-all approach. Each patient is unique and what works well for the “average” patient may not be effective for an individual. Historically, there have been few options for truly personalized treatment and patients have had to deal with the consequences.

San Diego Blood Bank is leading the way for innovation in blood transfusion with our commitment to build advances in community health and improve individualized patient care.

Together, we can achieve better outcomes for millions of patients and build a future where medicine is more personalized and effective.

Email precisionblood@sandiegobloodbank.org for more information about partnering with San Diego Blood Bank on our Precision Blood initiative.

References

  1. Lögdberg, L., Reid, M. E., Lamont, R. E., & Zelinski, T. (2005). Human blood group genes 2004: chromosomal locations and cloning strategies. Transfusion medicine reviews, 19(1), 45–57. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmrv.2004.09.007
  2. Lögdberg, L., Reid, M. E., & Zelinski, T. (2011). Human blood group genes 2010: chromosomal locations and cloning strategies revisited. Transfusion medicine reviews, 25(1), 36–46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmrv.2010.08.005
  3. Owen R. (2000). Karl Landsteiner and the first human marker locus. Genetics, 155(3), 995–998. https://doi.org/10.1093/genetics/155.3.995
  4. Westhoff C. M. (2004). The Rh blood group system in review: a new face for the next decade. Transfusion, 44(11), 1663–1673. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0041-1132.2004.04237.x
  5. Telen, M. J., Afenyi-Annan, A., Garrett, M. E., Combs, M. R., Orringer, E. P., & Ashley-Koch, A. E. (2015). Alloimmunization in sickle cell disease: changing antibody specificities and association with chronic pain and decreased survival. Transfusion, 55(6 Pt 2), 1378–1387. https://doi.org/10.1111/trf.12940
  6. Jones, J. M., Sapiano, M. R. P., Savinkina, A. A., Haass, K. A., Baker, M. L., Henry, R. A., Berger, J. J., & Basavaraju, S. V. (2020). Slowing decline in blood collection and transfusion in the United States – 2017. Transfusion, 60(S2), S1–S9. https://doi.org/10.1111/trf.15604
  7. Kling, J. (2018, February 27). Blood transfusions are dropping in U.S. hospitals. The Hospitalist. Retrieved from https://www.thehospitalist.org/hospitalist/article/159560/transfusion-medicine/blood-transfusionsare-dropping-us-hospitals
  8. National Institutes of Health Common Cancer Sites. https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/all.html. Accessed 20 Dec 2022
  9. American Cancer Society Types of Blood Transfusions: Blood Transfusions for Cancer patients. https://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatments-and-side-effects/treatment-types/blood-transfusionand-donation/what-are-transfusions.html. Accessed 20 Dec 2022
  10. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Trends and Disparities in Delivery Hospitalizations Involving Severe Maternal Morbidity, 2006-2015 #243. https://www.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/reports/statbriefs/sb243-Severe-Maternal-Morbidity-Delivery-Trends-Disparities.jsp. Accessed 20 Dec 2022
  11. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Data & Statistics on Sickle Cell Disease. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/sicklecell/data.html. Accessed 20 Dec 2022
  12. American College of Surgeons Transfusion in Trauma Guidelines, as cited in America’s Blood Centers U.S. Blood Donation Statistics and Public Messaging Guide, May 2022. https://americasblood.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Whitepaper-National-Stats_5.22.pdf. Accessed 20 Dec 2022
  13. Mayo Clinic Blood Transfusion. https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/blood-transfusion/about/pac-20385168. Accessed 20 Dec 2022
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San Diego Blood Bank (SDBB) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization also operating as Southern California Blood Bank. The Blood Bank serves hospitals in San Diego, Los Angeles and Orange Counties.
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