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From Blood to Medicine
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The blood supply has a special position in health care. Blood is a rich source of components that are essential to life. The blood cells and many essential proteins in our blood are used as medicine for the treatment of a great number of life-threatening diseases and during high-risk, complex surgery. The road from blood to medicines begins with the generosity of a single donor. Each year, around one million blood donations are collected in the Netherlands. The demand for blood products in the Netherlands can be met thanks to a great willingness in our community to donate blood, voluntarily, and on a non-remunerated basis. Processing blood into various types of medicine is a delicate and sophisticated process, taking into account the variable biological characteristics of blood. In addition, the transmission of infectious diseases must be prevented, necessitating optimal safety procedures during the preparation of blood products. For decades, the Dutch Blood Transfusion Service has prepared medicines from blood. As a result, the Sanquin Blood Supply Foundation (Stichting Sanquin Bloedvoorziening) into which the Dutch Blood Transfusion Services were merged can call upon extensive expertise in the field of blood and blood products. With this publication we hope to inform you about our science-driven organisation, how that science is put into practice and about the intriguing transformation of blood into medicines: Share our Science! The text of this database is based on the book 'From blood to medicinel'. A.J. Meulenbroek, Sanquin, 2002 ISBN: 90-5267-024-2 Top |