Poised to revolutionize the future of transfusion medicine, driving down costs while enhancing patient care.
NEW YORK, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — New York Blood Center Enterprises (NYBCe) announced today that it is collaborating with Thermo Fisher Scientific to co-develop the Applied Biosystems™ Axiom™ BloodGenomiX™ Array and BloodGenomiX Reporter Software that provides a high-throughput solution for more precise blood matching to enable safer transfusions. The array is a first-of-its-kind solution for more precise blood genotyping. The new array detects common, extended, and rare blood groups, tissue (HLA) and platelet (HPA) types in a single, high-throughput assay, supporting future advancements in donor and patient blood group matching for blood transfusion.
While typing for the major blood types (A, B, AB, and O) and Rh is standard practice today, many blood groups and rare blood types cannot be detected with current tools. Extended blood matching is costly, labor-intensive and limited in ability for a comprehensive genotypic profile. Patients who rely on routine transfusions, including those with sickle cell disease, benefit from extended blood typing to mitigate risks of severe and, in some cases, life-threatening transfusion reactions.
NYBCe has been at the forefront of innovation in transfusion medicine for decades. As a pioneer in the development of genomics for blood typing, and the first to clone blood group antigens such as Kell and Duffy, and to identify RH variation at the genetic level, NYBCe has set a global standard for care in compatibility testing for sickle cell disease using genotype matching. “We have an amazing team working together to reshape the future of blood typing. Our goal is to develop an affordable and scalable solution that can one day be embedded across labs globally.” says, Connie Westhoff, BGC deputy chair and representing the National Center for Blood Group Genomics at the New York Blood Center Enterprises. “Our vision is to one day make comprehensive blood typing for all donors and patients the standard of care.”
Blood transfusion Genomics Consortium (BGC) is an international partnership of blood services, research institutions and industry leaders that aims to improve the safety and efficacy of blood and platelet transfusion. The array was developed in partnership with BGC, Thermo Fisher Scientific and NYBCe.
“The Axiom™ BloodGenomiX™ Array and Software provide a cost-effective, high-throughput solution for extended blood typing,” said Kevin Lowitz, vice president and general manager, microarray solutions at Thermo Fisher Scientific. “In the future, having access to a scalable, array-based blood typing solution may help blood services organizations such as NYBCe more effectively screen extended blood types for more precise blood matching.”
The BloodGenomiX™ Reporter Software is based on work done by William Lane, Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston in collaboration with NYBCe. According to Dr. Lane, “The Reporter Software is the culmination of over a decade of work aimed at creating software to analyze large-scale genetic data and accurately determine blood groups. The results from this software enable more precise matching between blood donors and recipients, improving transfusion compatibility and reducing the risks associated with transfusion.”
For a complete workflow, the BloodGenomiX™ Array can be coupled with Applied Biosystems™ BloodGenomiX™ Reporter Software and the Applied Biosystems™ GeneTitan MC Instrument, streamlining analysis, reporting and quality control. The workflow requires minimal hands-on time leveraging existing lab staff.
For more information on The Applied Biosystems™ Axiom™ BloodGenomiX™ Array and BloodGenomiX™ Reporter Software, please visit thermofisher.com/extendedbloodtyping
*For research use only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.
About New York Blood Center Enterprises
Founded in 1964, NYBCe has been committed to areas of health and humanitarian causes with a global lifesaving impact. NYBCe is at the forefront of leading innovative research in hematology, blood banking, transfusion medicine, infectious diseases, and cellular therapies. NYBCe has also advanced numerous groundbreaking innovations in clinical care and biotechnology with patented disruptive technologies that have been adopted globally.
About Thermo Fisher Scientific
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. is the world leader in serving science, with annual revenue of more than $40 billion. Our Mission is to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. Whether our customers are accelerating life sciences research, solving complex analytical challenges, increasing productivity in their laboratories, improving patient health through diagnostics or the development and manufacture of life-changing therapies, we are here to support them. Our global team delivers an unrivaled combination of innovative technologies, purchasing convenience and pharmaceutical services through our industry-leading brands, including Thermo Scientific, Applied Biosystems, Invitrogen, Fisher Scientific, Unity Lab Services, Patheon and PPD. For more information, please visit www.thermofisher.com.