QuidelOrtho Science BYTES Podcast

How to manage Partial D in donors and patients

After the success of our April episode, “Your Lab Journey With the Rh System and Weak D,” we continue the topic. Tune in for a conversation about partial D, the differences, types, and implications it has on transfusion.    

 

Sue Johnson serves as director of Versiti’s Specialist in Blood Banking (SBB) program. Her experience includes: Director and Adjunct Associate Professor at Marquette University Graduate School, Transfusion Medicine Program. Clinical Associate Professor at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, College of Health Sciences. Associate Director of Indian Immunohematology Initiative. Sue has authored numerous publications in the field of transfusion medicine and immunohematology and is an established lecturer on the topic of immunohematology. She currently chairs the AABB publications committee. Sue has taken an active role in the education of medical laboratory science students for more than 20 years and her knowledge in the Rh blood group system is globally renown.

Are Process Excellence and Lean the same thing?

Process Excellence is a proven way to cut costs, raise productivity, and improve service levels. PEx® combines the tools and methodologies of:     

• Six Sigma—measuring and reducing your error and defect rate
• Lean Thinking—eliminating waste to speed your workflow and deliver better value.
• Design Excellence—structuring a process from the outset so that it flows efficiently with minimal opportunities for waste or error

This podcast will provide the tools to understand the benefit of Process Excellence in your Lab to achieve goals regarding efficiency and performance.

 

About our Speaker:
Dr. Alistair Gammie holds a Diploma from the Royal College of Pathologists. He worked for 22 years in the UK National Health Service. In 2016 he joined Ortho Clinical Diagnostics as Senior Global Director ValuMetrix. He is Lean Healthcare accredited. Dr. Gammie has been involved with Laboratory Consulting Services for over 20 years looking at workflow, simulation, modeling, Lean 6 Sigma projects, laboratory design, automation, and re-organization. He has looked at the workflow in Laboratories throughout Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia, the USA, and South America. He has been involved with Continuous Improvement and Top+ Business Excellence which places a high priority on ‘green’ and sustainability. Dr. Gammie is an EFQM European awards assessor as he has observed the use of the EFQM model in multiple sectors.

Overcoming the Challenges of Blood and Plasma Supply with Dr. Pampee Young

Every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood. It is essential for surgeries, cancer treatment, chronic illnesses, and traumatic injuries. Whether a patient receives whole blood, red cells, platelets, or plasma, this lifesaving care starts with one person making a generous donation.  1 blood donation can potentially save 3 lives and now the conversation is towards convalescent plasma donations as a promising therapy for COVID-19, the journey to support during critical times starts with the donor qualification. 

In this episode, Dr. Pampee Young will provide background on the needs and challenges of blood banks and donor centers for blood and plasma supply and practices sharing plans to overcome them.

About our Speaker: 
Dr. Pampee Young. Dr. Young is the Chief Medical Officer of the American Red Cross. In 2018 Dr. Young was a professor of Pathology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center where she served as the Medical Director of Transfusion Medicine. Dr. Young has over 80 peer-reviewed publications. Her research interests at Vanderbilt were in the field of regenerative medicine using stem cell-based cell therapy and small molecular therapeutics. And currently Dr. Young’s efforts are in research on blood center innovation, product availability and safety. 

Key facts about antibody titers in transfusion medicine that you can’t miss!

Description: During this episode, Dr. Claudia Cohn will provide background on the role of antibody titers for diagnosis and monitoring performed in the transfusion medicine lab and its clinical applications.

About our Speaker: 
Dr. Claudia S. Cohn is the medical director of the blood bank laboratory and associate medical director of the HLA laboratory at the University of Minnesota.  She earned her Ph.D. in Immunology and Infectious Diseases from the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins, working on the molecular biology and biochemistry of the protozoal; parasite Leishmania donovani. She went on to earn her medical degree from Louisiana State University School of Medicine in New Orleans, LA. After medical school, she finished a residency program in Pathology at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Weill-Cornell College of Medicine, and a fellowship in Transfusion Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.  In her current role at the University of Minnesota, she practices Clinical Pathology, oversees the blood bank, and teaches medical students.  Dr. Cohn’s research interests include platelet transfusions, alternative platelet storage solutions, HLA antibodies, and their role in solid organ transplants and platelet refractoriness. She focuses her efforts in two areas: patient blood management and platelet storage and utilization. Dr. Cohn was named in 2020 chief medical officer (CMO) for the AABB organization where she works to strategize and implement ways that achieve AABB’s mission through the development of policies and by engaging the communities it serves. 

Your Lab Journey with the Rh System and Weak D

Description: Discover the marvelous world of Rh D system’s complexity and why weak D is clinically relevant with Tony Casina.  

About our Speaker: Tony S. Casina, MT(ASCP)SBB has worked in the blood banking industry for over 40 years with much of it in the commercial blood bank reagent manufacturers sector with hospital experience as a medical technologist and blood bank manager. Tony has provided technical support to laboratories throughout the world utilizing Ortho’s reagents and immunohematology test systems.  He has tested some of the most challenging antibody problems as part of his reference laboratory experience. Tony has been an active participant in the AABB serving on committees and currently on the AABB Board of Directors. He has contributed as a presenter to AABB and regional blood bank meetings educational programs. He was extensively involved in the development of the ORTHO VISION® Analyzer Platform

The Impact of Innovation in the Health Care System with Dr. Palani Palaniappan

Innovation can refer to something new or to a change made to an existing product, idea, or field. In this episode of Ortho Science Bytes let’s discuss what Innovation means, its importance in the current healthcare ecosystem, and how this concept can impact a Lab's performance.

 

About our Speaker: 
Chockalingam “Palani” Palaniappan, chief innovation officer at Ortho Clinical Diagnostics, is responsible for driving a culture of innovation, with a strong focus on enhancing product development productivity and processes. Prior to joining Ortho, Dr. Palani served as chief technology officer at Epic Sciences. Earlier, he was vice president for research and development in the cellular analysis division of Life Technologies Corp., a life sciences company in Eugene, Ore., providing labeling and detection services for DNA, RNA, protein and cells. He also served as head of molecular diagnostics research and development at Amersham Biosciences, a unit of GE Healthcare in Piscataway, N.J. Dr. Palani has served as a board member for Terumo Global Business Management and the State of Oregon Biosciences and Technology Initiatives, OTRADI & ONAMI. He also received the City of Lakewood Mayor’s Inspirational Leadership in Healthcare recognition in 2017. Dr. Palani holds a Ph.D. in biological sciences from Northern Illinois University and was a post-doctoral research fellow with the department of biochemistry and biophysics at the University of Rochester.

The Role of High Throughput Antigen SARS-CoV-2 Testing in a Large, Metropolitan Hospital System

Discuss with the Vice-Chair and Medical Director of Pathology for a large, metropolitan hospital the challenges the lab is facing with the surging number of COVID-19 cases and how a high throughput antigen test has contributed to meeting the demand for more testing. In this podcast episode, we will explore those key points and more.

About our Speaker:
Dr. Roush holds several positions within the Methodist Health System in the Dallas, Texas area, including Vice-Chair, Department of Pathology and Medical Director for Pathology, Transfusion Services, and the Transplant Immunology Laboratory. She also serves on several committees across the Methodist Health System. She is the author of several books and book chapters on the topic of blood banking and transfusion medicine in addition to articles that have been published in peer-reviewed journals.

Reading Materials: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/10/2/265 

Safety Measures for Blood Products for SARS-CoV-2

Description:

There are several measures to ensure safety in blood products, and one of them is Pathogen Reduction Technology (PRT) which is used in some instances by blood banks to help make blood transfusions safer for patients by reducing the pathogen load of a broad range of disease-causing viruses, bacteria, and parasites and help reduce transfusion reactions in patients.   With COVID-19 rapidly spreading across the globe, blood banks may consider pathogen reduction technology as an added processing step to help ensure an adequate and safe supply of blood for patients.
This Podcast will provide background on the virology of SARS-CoV-2 and PRT, as well as reviewing the scientific evidence supporting the usefulness of safety measures in protecting transfusion patients from this new virus.

 

About our Speaker:
Dr. Raymond P. Goodrich is the Executive Director of the Infectious Disease Research Center and a professor of Immunology and Pathology in the Department of Microbiology at Colorado State University.  His research group is currently focused on methods to safeguard blood transfusion products and to create and rapidly produce novel vaccine formulations that can be used to address infectious diseases. 

Is Sars-Cov-2 transmitted by blood transfusion?

Can Sars-Cov-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, be transmitted by blood transfusion? In this podcast episode, we will discuss with an Infectious Disease Specialist key points behind the precedent for respiratory viruses, factors to consider in an assessment for a pathogen to cause transfusion-transmitted infection, the data available, and the recommendations to maintain blood safety.

 

About our Speaker: Written on the promotional piece: Dr. Louis Katz is currently the Chief Medical Officer of Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center.   Dr. Katz is a board-certified internist and infectious diseases specialist who trained at the University of Iowa.  He is an Adjunct Clinical Professor of Internal Medicine at the Roy and Lucille Carver College of Medicine, former Chief Medical Officer at America’s Blood Centers in Washington, DC, an ABC past president, former board member, and a past chair of its Scientific, Medical and Technical committee.  His transfusion medicine career has been dominated by attention to transfusion-transmitted infections. He has served multiple terms as the chair of the AABB Transfusion Transmitted Diseases Committee and served on many AABB committees and working groups.  Dr. Katz is on the Editorial Board of the journal Transfusion, has served on the FDA Blood Products Advisory Committee as a member, industry representative, and chair, and is a current member of the HHS Advisory Committee on Blood and Tissue Safety and Availability. He has been the author of more than sixty peer reviewed publications and book chapters.  

Do antibodies to COVID-19 disappear? A conversation with Dr. Akiko Iwasaki

In this podcast episode, Dr. Akiko Iwasaki discusses the type of immune response developed in a person with COVID-19 as well as the role of the antibodies in the course of the pandemic and how the antibody tests can contribute to its management. 

 

About our Speaker: Dr. Akiko Iwasaki received her Ph.D. from the University of Toronto (Canada) in 1998, and her postdoctoral training from the National Institutes of Health (USA) (1998-2000). She joined Yale University (USA) as a faculty in 2000, and currently is the Waldemar Von Zedtwitz Professor in the Department of Immunobiology and a Professor in the Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology at Yale University. She is also a principal investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Her research interests among others include innate immunity, T cell immunity and her research focuses on the mechanisms of immune defense against viruses at the mucosal surfaces. Her laboratory is interested in how innate recognition of viral infections lead to the generation of adaptive immunity, and how adaptive immunity mediates protection against subsequent viral challenge. Most recently, Dr. Iwasaki has delved into research looking at the immune response of COVID-19 patients and sex differences in SARS-CoV-2 infection. 

 

READING MATERIALS:

• The New York Times. Your Coronavirus Antibodies Are Disappearing. Should You Care? July 27th/2020 https://nyti.ms/30U14v0 
• The New York Times. Scared that COVID-19 Immunity won’t last? Don’t be. July 31st/2020 https://nyti.ms/2Pb6Dj1